The Soul of Basil

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When I married, we made pesto lasagna and salmon chowder for our guests. Some of my girlfriends arrived a few days early to help us make the food. We also made gifts for the guests since the “give away”, or potlatch, was my husband’s native tradition. We prepared fresh mango chutney and wrapped the bottles in Egyptian cotton dishcloths. My golden retriever Bodhi was the ring bearer, and he got a bottle’s worth of chutney for himself— which he inhaled in one slurp

Since my husband died a few months ago, I haven’t been cooking, mostly a bit of poached salmon, some toast and jam, but the inspiration to get back into the kitchen and cook a meal Rudy would have enjoyed arrived full force, along with my friends who were coming over for our annual gathering here in Mexico. Rudy used to do a lot of the cooking: elaborate Bengali curries, gluten-free banana bread, exotic dishes he learned during his global travels, and, of course, the fresh dog food, which, on occasion, he would mistakenly eat; it was that good. As a newly single person, I have more empathy now when my patients tell me, “What’s the point of cooking for one?” Whereas before I’d say, “Well, do it for yourself anyway,” now I know how they feel.

I bought a pound of fresh basil at the farmers market and thought I’d make the pesto lasagna recipe again, from the Moosewood cookbook, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, by Mollie Katzen, since this would be our first gathering without Rudy. Making the lasagna made me remember our wedding day and all our friends, some of whom are also now in the spirit world and some whom I lost contact with and promptly reached out to again.

All the memories of that day still live in my senses, and as I made the pesto, they came alive: Morgan’s Bach cello sonata and Eve’s operatic Gershwin, the mist off Bodega Bay, and Bodhi’s sweet stinky breath as he happily brought our rings, and our groaning laughter as his tail then swatted clean the nearby altar of all its offerings.

This pesto lasagna recipe is a lot for the liver and gallbladder to process, and it has everything some of us tend to avoid–semolina pasta, ricotta, fresh mozzarella, and parmesan. Still, I believe these ingredients are medicine for the soul needing solace. My rationale is that we must keep our body on its toes by not getting too, too pure. So far, this belief is working for me. But soul aside, this dish is also medicine for the body: Basil, garlic, pine nuts, and extra virgin olive oil.

My mentor, Mary Raugust Howell, introduced me to Basil’s medical benefits. Mary taught me how to make a fresh basil and apple juice smoothie to use as a sinus decongestant, and I use it every time I get stuffy and need to fly or lecture.

Mary had an extraordinary career as a pediatrician, developmental psychologist, and attorney. She was the first female dean at Harvard Medical School–even saying that now takes us back to ages even darker than they are now; she was also a mother to six children– down to earth and a brilliant rebel who knit during faculty meetings at the medical school. When diagnosed with virulent breast cancer at age 64, she chose to let it take its course, which many physicians do since they know all too well the underbelly of radiation and chemotherapy. But most of all, Mary taught me the importance of women mentoring other women.

The benefits of Basil accrue mainly due to the aromatic oils that confer its magnetic smell and antimicrobial and antioxidant effects. Garlic adds another potent antibiotic and antifungal, and since it’s rich in sulfur, it’s beneficial for hair and nail growth along with methylation and phase two detoxification by the liver. New research on pine nuts demonstrates their potent anti-inflammatory effect due to pinolenic acid. Of course, olive oil is the empress of healing, rich in chlorophyll and lipid-scavenging phenols.

So, you see, Mollie Katzen, in her inimitable wisdom, has given us a balanced recipe where the foods that increase our floating lipids are balanced out by many that will whisk them out of the bloodstream in the same bite.

Enjoy making this recipe as you also recall a nodal event in your past where you made or ate a particular dish, and now, years later, you wish to conjure up your various senses from that day. You might open a whole freezer of memories that melt into the stream of your consciousness as you remember who you were, who you have loved, and still love, and the food you made during a special time in your life.

Pesto Lasagna (adapted from Mollie Katzen, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest)

Serves 6-8

Allow yourself 40 minutes to prepare the Lasagna so it’s ready to bake, and allow 50 minutes to bake. Let cool slightly before serving. The Lasagna freezes well if you have leftovers. If you do not have fresh pesto (do not use bottled pesto), you can make pesto just ahead of the Lasagna or earlier in the week. This pesto also freezes exceptionally well. It takes about 30 minutes to make the pesto recipe below.

Lasagna Preparation

Ingredients

• a little olive oil to coat the pan
• about 16 plain or green lasagna noodles
• 1 lb. fresh organic spinach
• (or 2-10 oz. pkgs. of frozen, chopped spinach – defrosted)
• 2 lbs. (4 cups) ricotta cheese
• 1 cup pesto
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• fresh black pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (or minced walnuts)
• 1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated (or use fresh mozzarella)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13-inch baking pan
2. Bring to a boil a large potful of water. Add the noodles and cook them for 4-5 minutes. (They will be undercooked.) Drain them, and lay them flat and straight on a table, counter, or tray.
3. Thoroughly wash and dry the fresh spinach. Remove and discard the stems; finely mince the leaves. (If using frozen spinach, thoroughly drain and squeeze out all extra water.)
4. Place the ricotta in a large bowl. Stir in the spinach, pesto, garlic, salt, black pepper, 1/2 cup of the parmesan and nuts. Mix well.
5. Place a layer of noodles in the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread about 1/3 of the filling over the noodles (it’s OK if it’s uneven), and sprinkle about 1/3 of the mozzarella on top. Follow with another layer of noodles, another 1/3 of the filling, and another 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat this pattern one more time with a third layer of everything. Top with one final layer of the remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan/romano on the very top.
6. Bake for 50 minutes. If the top browns too quickly during baking, cover loosely with foil.

Making Pesto

Ingredients

• ½ cup pine nuts (slightly toast using a low heat on the stovetop)
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 small garlic clove
• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2-3 cups fresh basil leaves (remove the stems)
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for a smoother pesto
• ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:

Add all the ingredients except the basil, olive oil and cheese to a food processor and pulse until well chopped. Then, slowly add the basil and olive oil and pulse until combined.

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Leslie Korn, PhD, MPH

Leslie Korn, PhD, MPH, is a Doctor of Behavioral Medicine and a pioneer in natural and integrative medicine for mental health and chronic illness. She is the author of 10 books and the developer of the Brainbow Blueprint® model.

She served as a Fulbright scholar on traditional medicine, a Clinical Fellow at Harvard Medical School, and a National Institutes of Health-funded research scientist in mind/body medicine.

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