I grow herbs in scruffy terracotta pots on the kitchen steps, their rims chipped and pitted from years of use. My garden soil is too damp and dense for such delicate souls as lavender, basil and thyme, who seem to prefer a light lunch to a rich dinner –the fine, well-drained soils of Provence or the Greek hillsides rather than my London clay. In a pot, I can control the earth they grow in, adding more grit and light compost as necessary.
In high summer, many of the soft-stemmed herbs bolt. Coriander bursts into delicate flowers, a cluster of tiny umbels, like a white lace parasol. Basil sends up a host of timid leaves and white buds. Thyme becomes dry and coarse, and dill, clearly more used to cool Nordic air, is often bleached by the sun. It is time to use them up.
This week I used generous handfuls of parsley – the flat-leaved variety – in a green pea soup; mint and dill were tossed with broad beans and sizzling bacon, and a goodly amount of basil found its way into a cool, white summer lunch of torn mozzarella and ripe peaches. I added a few clove-scented pinks as we were in the garden.
A glut of basil could well mean salsa verde but also a summer ice. Blitz 25g basil with 225g sugar, then put it into a pan with 250ml water. Bring to the boil then cool quickly in a bowl of ice. Process a further 25g of basil with 500ml of natural yogurt and the juice of a lemon, stir in the basil syrup then freeze in a plastic box. Stir occasionally as it freezes.
Pea and parsley soup
The brilliant vibrancy of this soup appeals here, but you could soften its healthy green edges by stirring in 100ml of double cream at the end. Take care not to overfill the blender in case the hot soup overflows. I only say this because I invariably do.
Serves 6
butter 30g
spring onions 75g
flat-leaf parsley 300g (2 bunches)
a medium potato
peas 200g (shelled weight)
garlic 2 cloves (peeled)
stock, chicken or vegetable 1 litre
Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based pan. Chop the spring onions and stir them into the butter, letting them cook for 4 or 5 minutes over a moderate heat.
Chop one of the bunches of parsley, stalks and all, combine it with the spring onions and leave to cook for a minute or two till the colour has darkened. Peel, dice and add the potato. Add the peas and peeled garlic, and pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes.
Put a pan of water on to boil. Discard the stalks from the reserved parsley, add the leaves to the boiling water and leave for 2 minutes, then drain. Stir the leaves into the soup, then remove from the heat and reduce to a smooth, green purée in a blender or food processor and serve.
Mozzarella, peaches, basil dressing
A serene, cooling dish when the sun is high.
Serves 2
mozzarella 2 balls
peaches 2
For the dressing:
white wine vinegar 2 tbsp
natural yogurt 6 heaped tbsp
olive oil 4 tbsp
basil 12 large leaves
Put the white wine vinegar in a small mixing bowl, then add the yogurt and the olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper, then beat gently with a fork or, better still, a small whisk, until the ingredients are combined and you have a creamy dressing. Shred the basil leaves finely and fold in.
Tear or slice each ball of mozzarella into 3 or 4 pieces. Pour the dressing over and cover with clingfilm. Chill for about 30 minutes.
Halve the peaches, remove and discard the stone, then cut each half into 4 slices. Place the peaches with the cheese and its dressing. Serve, if you wish, with a few more basil leaves or, should you happen to have them, petals.
Broad beans, mint, dill and bacon
The spot-on pairing of beans and bacon, this time with mint and dill. One for the last of the broad beans.
Serves 2
shelled broad beans 250g
spring onions 6
a small bunch of dill
a small bunch of mint
white wine vinegar 2 tbsp
olive oil
smoked back bacon 4 rashers
Cook the broad beans in a deep pan of lightly salted boiling water. They should be tender in 4 or 5 minutes. Cool them under running water, popping the beans from their papery skins as you go.
Finely slice the spring onions and drop them in a mixing bowl. Chop enough dill to give you a couple of heaped tablespoons. Pull a loose handful of mint leaves from their stalks and add them to the onions with the dill and white wine vinegar. Crumble in a little salt and some coarse black pepper, then stir in enough olive oil to make a slushy dressing. I find 80-90ml is enough.
Lay the bacon in a non-stick frying pan with the merest drop of oil and let it fry till the fat is golden, and verging on crisp. Fold the skinned broad beans into the herb dressing and divide between 2 plates. Put a couple of rashers of bacon on each, tipping any hot fat in the pan over the beans.
Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @NigelSlater
