Basil

This herb, which has always been a basic ingredient in Italy, has recently come into great favor in North American kitchens. It grows very easily so you can have it all the time by cultivating some on your windowsill, as they do in Genoa. In the spring and summer it is available in such abundance that you should have it around to flavor all manner of dishes. In Genoa they wipe basil carefully with a cloth rather than wash it, which they say robs the herb of its special flavor and perfume. Tear basil leaves rather than cut them. The flavor of basil tends to intensify when the leaves are subjected to prolonged heating. Add them to fresh sauces that are almost finished cooking so that their flavors will be enlivened rather than overpowered.