Okay, my amazing friend Masami just left a package of homemade goodies on my front steps. Shiso and sesame pesto, basil and walnut pesto and shiso juice. I just finished off a selection of toast triangles with pesto and others with ginger pear jam and finished it off with a refreshing glass of shiso juice. Thanks M! I only recently became familiar with shiso from Masami this year when she offered me a leaf off her plant. To my limited taste buds I felt like it had a really savoury flavour like a basil or curry plant. It was really delicious though and I could easily imagine it eaten raw and being roughly chopped and placed in a salad, sandwich or on top of a pizza. With a little research I found out that shiso is the japanese name for perilla. It's an annual herb with purple or green leaves that are slightly serrated. It's from the mint family and is rich in minerals and vitamins and has anti- inflammatory. I'm a fan!
