Mark Diacono
LATIN NAME
Ocimum basilicum
SEASONALITY
June–September
MORE RECIPES
Razor clams with cherry tomatoes and basil; Strawberry salad with raspberry basil sauce
If any herb encapsulates a season, then surely basil is summer. Its sweet aniseed fragrance and flavour please the nose as much as the tastebuds, and pair with so much of what is good in the hottest months of the year.
Its many natural partners include cucumber, tomatoes and courgettes (raw or griddled) in salads. Basil also has an affinity with a wide variety of cheeses, from the deliciously bland (such as mozzarella or ricotta) to the saltily pungent, such as goat’s cheese and halloumi.
The most common basil variety found in the shops is ‘Sweet Genovese’ (pictured next), named after its coastal Italian home, but there are many others to consider. Most are stronger and more pungent than Genovese and, to varying degrees, can be used as much to add a spicy note as a herby flavour. Rub a leaf up close and you’ll find the scent can be really quite cinnamon-like, carry quite a hit of cloves, or be dominated by aniseed. These spicy basils accentuate tomatoes quite differently to Genovese – drawing out their fruitiness in a more dessert-like way. Try a leaf of each of these with a strawberry to see how the varieties take fruit in different directions, and you might well find basil appearing in your fruit salads too. Basil also makes a lovely ice cream or sorbet that goes particularly well with peaches or nectarines, and raspberries.
Whichever variety of basil you buy, trim the end of the stems, stand the bunch in a jug of water, keep it in a cool spot out of the fridge and use it soon after purchasing.
There are a couple of things you really need to know in order to get the best out of basil. The first is that, for all that it loves soaking up the summer sun when growing, it really doesn’t take well to heat in the kitchen. A gentle warming-through for a pasta sauce is about the most it can stand, so add it late to cooked food, on serving, to retain the fullness of its scent and piquancy.
The second thing to understand about basil is that Mediterranean heat is needed to bring its spicy aniseed and clove notes to the fore, allowing them to dominate the more subtle, floral tones. This is why it is difficult to replicate the truly amazing pesto to be had in Italy with our home-grown basil.
That’s not to say a British basil pesto can’t be good but I prefer it cut with other herbs: parsley and basil pesto, for instance, has more character and a better balance. It’s also worth using a stronger variety of basil, such as Greek, in conjunction with ‘Sweet Genovese’ in pesto. The flavour of the oil makes a big difference too: go for a grassy, not-too-heavy extra virgin olive oil, so as not to mask the basil. And if you have time, make pesto using a pestle and mortar rather than a processor, for a more complex, multi-layered result.
However, a quick pesto can be made in a food processor in seconds: blend together 3 good handfuls of basil and flat-leaf parsley leaves (or just basil if you prefer), a garlic clove and a good pinch of salt. Add a handful of lightly toasted pine nuts and process until fairly smooth, while slowly pouring in a little olive oil until the sauce is thickish and glossy. Once blitzed, stir in a handful of grated Parmesan (or other hard salty cheese, such as Godminster Cheddar or Lord of the Hundreds). Tasting is crucial. Add more salt and pepper, and the juice of ½ lemon, if needed. Taste again and adjust as you like: the key is finding the balance you prefer.
Pistou is a classic Provençal sauce, similar to Italian pesto, although traditionally it doesn’t contain pine nuts or cheese (modern versions sometimes include cheese). It is lovely with pasta and in soups. Just prepare the pesto recipe above, omitting the cheese and nuts, and add a little grated lemon zest for an optional edge. Add some grated cheese on serving if you fancy.
Basil grown slowly at home in a pot in the sun will develop greater depth of flavour and aroma than a supermarket herb. This plant needs heat and light. Start it off in modules, from seed, no earlier than May, under cover – on a warm windowsill is fine. Once germinated, give the seedlings as much sunshine as possible, keeping the growing plants well watered too – water the compost (rather than the plant) in the morning, to see them through the warmth of the day. When the roots begin to poke through the base of the modules, transplant them into 9cm pots (or their final place of growing) and re-pot as the basil grows.
POPULAR BASIL VARIETIES
Sweet Genovese With its full but not overpowering flavour this is excellent paired simply with mozzarella and good tomatoes, marrying the two in a way no other herb does. It’s also lovely in sweet dishes.
Greek basil Tiny-leafed and intensely flavoured, this variety is increasingly available in the shops. It goes even better with tomatoes than Genovese.
Thai basil This is so aniseedy, it is almost in a different category of herb. Perfect in curries and laksas.
Lemon basil The variety for infusing as tea, it’s even better paired with fish (gurnard, especially), or cucumbers.
Purple basils These often carry more of a hint of clove than green varieties. Infusing them in white wine vinegar makes an excellent basil vinegar to use for summer salad dressings.
BASIL PANNACOTTA WITH MINTED RASPBERRIES
Basil’s intoxicating aniseed character makes it a wonderful ingredient in sweet dishes. You can replace the raspberries with loganberries or wineberries. Serves 6
150ml whole milk
300ml double cream
50g caster sugar
3 large sprigs of basil
Enough sheets of leaf gelatine to set 285ml liquid (different brands vary)
150ml plain wholemilk yoghurt
FOR THE MINTED RASPBERRIES
200g raspberries
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp shredded mint leaves
Combine the milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan. Heat to dissolve the sugar and bring to just below a simmer; don’t let it bubble. Add the basil sprigs, take off the heat and leave to infuse for an hour. Remove and discard the basil stalks.
Calculate how many gelatine leaves you need to set 285ml liquid (see note). Soak the gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes, until soft and floppy.
Meanwhile, reheat the cream mixture until almost boiling, then remove from the heat. Drain the gelatine leaves and squeeze out excess water, then add to the hot cream mixture, stirring to dissolve.
Leave to cool to room temperature, stirring from time to time. Once cooled, stir in the yoghurt until thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture into six 100ml moulds and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or until set.
Meanwhile, put the raspberries and sugar into a bowl and roughly crush with a fork. Add the mint and set aside to macerate.
To turn out the pannacottas, dip each mould very briefly into hot water to slightly soften the outside of the pannacotta, then invert on to a serving plate and give it a shake; if necessary, run a knife around the edge of the pannacotta to help release it. Serve with the macerated raspberries.
Note In order to achieve the perfect, just-set consistency in this creamy, yoghurty mixture, you’ll need less gelatine than you would to set the same volume of a simple jelly.
