How To Make The Most Of Basil
Photography: CAMERON WHITMAN/STOCKSY
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How To Make The Most Of Basil

In Italy, it’s an iconic pizza topping. In Thailand, it’s a crowning glory for curries. Across the world, basil is the finishing touch that turns good dishes into great ones. Here, ten pro chefs tell us how to grow it, where to store it and what they like to do with this fresh, fragrant herb.
Photography: CAMERON WHITMAN/STOCKSY

GROWING

Niki Webster, Rebel Recipes

It's best to sow basil seeds from spring to summer in well-drained, fertile soil in a warm, sheltered position out of the direct sun. Start your seeds off in compost, then leave on a warm windowsill. When the seedlings are big enough, pot them into individual pots of compost before planting.

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Daniel Farrows, The Gatherers

We grow a lot of the herbs we use at The Gatherers. Basil is a great one to keep on your windowsill at home – just feed it a little water if the leaves appear to start going limp and they'll be plump again by the next day.

Visit TheGatherersNorwich.co.uk

Irini Tzortzoglou, MasterChef 2019 Champion

I particularly love the tiny, very fragrant leaves of Greek basil which you can find in supermarkets these days. They are hardier than the larger leaves of Italian basil – you just need to keep them out of wind and in a sunny spot.

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STORING

Luke French, Jöro

It’s best to have a basil plant and pick fresh as you need it. They’re well-suited to being kept in the kitchen and you’ll get that real fragrant hit of flavour that you don’t quite get from the packaged stuff at the supermarkets. 

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Mark Greenaway, Grazing By Mark Greenaway

Store basil out of the refrigerator when at home. Once it starts to lose a bit of its freshness, pick the leaves. Store them between pieces of kitchen towel and place in an airtight container in the fridge. Following these two steps will make your basil last at least a week.

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Irini Tzortzoglou, MasterChef 2019 Champion

I always cut a couple of sprigs from my plant and keep them in a small glass of water on my worktop – it keeps very well and eventually produces roots. 

Niki Webster, Rebel Recipes

I find the best way to store fresh basil once it has been picked is to pop it in a glass jar with water to keep it fresh until you cook with it. If you are storing it in the fridge, line a container with a damp paper towel and lay the basil on top. Replace the lid. This should extend the life for a few days and keep it super fresh. 

COOKING

Niki Webster, Rebel Recipes

The amazing thing about basil is the smell – it immediately fills the room and evokes a summer Mediterranean feeling. Even just a few fresh basil leaves can add a huge amount of taste and perfume to a recipe, especially tomato dishes. To release that aroma, tear rather than chop the leaves. One of my favourite ways to use basil is in making a big batch of pesto – I think vegan pesto is just as good as non-vegan and tend to mix it up with the nutty base. I love the traditional pine nuts or use toasted seeds as an alternative (nut free) base. I add that pesto to everything – sandwiches, pasta, toast, lasagne, roast veg. 

Irini Tzortzoglou, MasterChef 2019 Champion

I love making a basil syrup to use over vanilla ice cream and basil oil for over a mozzarella and tomato salad. Heaven!

James Cochran, 12:51

Basil oil is incredibly simple. Put a couple of bunches of basil and 300g of vegetable oil in a Thermomix at 80ºC for six minutes. Then hang in a very fine sieve for an hour to extract all the flavour and colour. You can use that to make a vibrant green, incredibly fresh mayonnaise for oysters. As a perfect summer topping, I also make an easy basil gremolata: finely chop basil with parsley leaves; add garlic oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt; stir to combine then spoon it over your choice of meat or toss with grilled vegetables.

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Mark Greenaway, Grazing By Mark Greenaway

For basil mayonnaise, instead of chopping up basil and adding to mayonnaise, make a basil oil first then make mayo from the oil, allowing it to keep its colour and fresh flavour. 

Daniel Farrows, The Gatherers

I love using basil in salads and with certain fruits – it works incredibly well with strawberries. A strawberry and basil tart is an interesting dessert, for example. You can also use it to great effect in a gin and tonic.

Federico Oliva, Table & Candle

Fried basil can be a great appetiser. Heat sunflower oil to 85ºC and chuck in some basil leaves until they’re crispy – be careful not to burn them! Scoop them out onto kitchen roll to soak up the excess oil and serve with sea salt. Delicious!

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Inspired? Here are seven easy recipes to make at home…

Pasta With Basil & Walnut Pesto: Niki Webster, Rebel Recipes

Serves
4
Total Time
45 Minutes
Ingredients
300g of dried pasta of your choice
2 courgettes, sliced
1 tbsp of olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
For the pesto:
60g of fresh basil leaves
150g of walnuts, toasted
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
Juice of ½ a lemon
3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp of nutritional yeast
100ml of water
1 tsp of sea salt
Toppings:
Toasted walnuts
Sea salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Method
Step 1

Cook the pasta as per pack instructions. Drain and set aside.

Step 2

To make the pesto, add all the ingredients to a food processor and blitz to a paste. Transfer to a jar.

Step 3

To cook the veg, add the oil and courgettes to a frying pan and fry until soft. Season.

Step 4

To serve, toss 3-4 tbsp of the pesto into the cooked pasta. Add the courgettes. Top with toasted walnuts, a sprinkle of sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil.

Spinach Crepes With Mushrooms, Basil Pesto & Tahini Dressing

Serves
2
Total Time
25 Minutes
Ingredients
For the crepes:
½ cup of buckwheat
½ cup plus 5 tbsp of water
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
2 handfuls of spinach, blitzed in a mini chopper or chopped finely
1 tbsp of olive oil
½ tsp of garlic powder
½ tsp of sea salt
1 twist of black pepper
For the mushrooms:
2 cups of mushrooms of your choice, chopped with a little splash of olive oil
½ tsp of salt
1 twist of black pepper
For the pesto:
2 tbsp of pine nuts
2 big handfuls of basil
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp of nutritional yeast
1 tsp of sea salt
1 twist of black pepper
1 splash of olive oil
Water to loosen
For the lemon tahini dressing:
1 tbsp of tahini
Juice of ½ a lemon
1-2 cloves of garlic
¼ cup of water
1 pinch of Himalayan salt
1 pinch of black pepper
For the topping:
Dukka
Method
Step 1

Add the flour, spinach, spices and seasoning to a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add in the water, olive oil and vinegar. Mix to a smooth batter. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Step 2

Add a little oil to the base of a non-stick small frying pan. Add ¼ cup of the batter to the pan and swirl around the bottom so you get an even crepe.

Step 3

Cook on a medium heat for approximately 2 minutes until there are bubbles in the crepe and you can lift over to flip easily.

Step 4

Flip and cook on the other side for 30 seconds to a minute.

Step 5

Remove from the pan and place on and cover with a clean cloth to keep warm.

Step 6

Repeat the process with the rest of the batter.

Step 7

Add the oil and mushrooms to a small pan, fry on a medium heat for a few minutes until soft and browning slightly. Turn off the heat and season well.

Step 8

To make the pesto, add all the ingredients to your food processor or high-speed blender and blitz until everything is combined to the texture you prefer. You may need to scrape the sides down a few times.

Step 9

To make the tahini dressing, add all the ingredients to a mini chopper and blitz. Or crush the garlic in a pestle and mortar, then add all the ingredients to a jar and shake to combine.

Roast Cherry Tomato & Thyme Risotto With Basil Pesto

Serves
2-4
Total Time
1 Hour 35 Minutes
Ingredients
For the roast tomatoes:
500g of cherry tomatoes
1 splash of olive oil
Sea salt
For the risotto:
250g arborio rice, washed
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 onions, chopped roughly
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
3 tbsp of white wine
750ml of veg stock
4 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
8 sun-blush tomatoes in oil, drained & roughly chopped
4 tbsp of nutritional yeast
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp of sea salt
2 tbsp of fresh thyme, chopped
Lots of black pepper
2 tbsp of coconut yogurt or cream
For the pesto:
30g of basil
50g of pine nuts
3 tbsp of extra virgin olive
Juice of ½ a lemon
1 pinch of sea salt
3 tbsp of nutritional yeast
50g of water
Toppings:
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 big pinch of salt
Fresh thyme
Toasted pine nuts
Method
Step 1

Add the cherry tomatoes to a large baking tray and toss them in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Bake on a medium heat for 30 minutes or until soft and browning a little. Set aside.

Step 2

To make the risotto, add the oil to a large pan (with a lid) on a low-to-medium heat then add in the chopped onions. Fry for 8-10 minutes until soft.

Step 3

Add 1 cup of stock at a time until all the liquid is absorbed. Halfway through, add in the fresh tomatoes and sun-blush tomatoes.

Step 4

When the stock is absorbed and the rice is tender, add in the lemon zest, salt, pepper, coconut yogurt and nutritional yeast. Stir to combine.

Step 5

Finally fold half the roast cherry tomatoes through the rice.

Step 6

To make the pesto, add all the ingredients to a food processor and blitz to combine.

Step 7

To serve, top the risotto with the remaining roast tomatoes, the pesto, toasted pine nuts, a handful of fresh thyme and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Tagliatelle With Aubergines, Tomato & Basil: Theo Randall

Serves
4
Total Time
40 Minutes
Ingredients
6 tbsp of olive oil
2 large aubergines, cut into discs 1cm thick
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes
8 basil leaves, torn
A pinch of dried chilli flakes
250g of fresh tagliatelle (or dried egg tagliatelle)
75g of pecorino cheese, grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Step 1

Heat 5 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan and fry the aubergines, in batches, until lightly golden on the outside and soft all the way through. As each batch is done, place on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.

Step 2

Heat the remaining olive oil in a pan, add the sliced garlic and cook gently until softened. Add the tomatoes, bring to the boil and simmer until reduced by half. Season to taste. Cut the fried aubergines into strips 2cm thick and add to the tomato sauce with the basil, dried chilli and some seasoning.

Step 3

Cook the tagliatelle in a large pan of boiling salted water for about 3 minutes, until al dente (or cook according to the packet instructions for dried tagliatelle). Drain, reserving a little of the cooking water, and add to the sauce. Toss well, adding a couple of spoonfuls of the pasta water to loosen the sauce if necessary, and cook gently for a couple of minutes. Serve with the grated pecorino and some black pepper.

Tagliatelle With Pesto & Courgettes

Serves
2
Total Time
40 Minutes
Ingredients
250g of fresh or dried tagliatelle
2 courgettes, cut into long strips
For the pesto:
1 garlic clove, peeled
150g of basil leaves
75g of pine nuts, preferably Mediterranean
100g of parmesan cheese, freshly grated
5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Step 1

First make the pesto. In a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic with ½ a tsp of sea salt to a smooth paste. Add the basil leaves and pound so the leaves turn to a pulp. Add the pine nuts and crush until smooth. Add 3 tbsp of water and emulsify, then add the parmesan cheese. Finally, slowly work in the olive oil.

Step 2

Cook the pasta with the courgettes in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 3 minutes – the pasta should still have a bite.

Step 3

Meanwhile, warm half the pesto in a frying pan. Using tongs, lift the pasta and courgettes from the water and add to the frying pan. Toss with the pesto and add 2-3 tbsp of the pasta water to loosen the sauce so it coats the pasta strands.

Step 4

Check the seasoning and serve with the remaining pesto on top.

Prawn Gyoza Laksa: Itsu

Serves
2
Total Time
20 Minutes
Ingredients
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
2 tbsp of laksa or Thai red curry paste
1 lemongrass stalk
2 tsp of ground turmeric
400ml of coconut milk
400ml of chicken/veg stock
6 Itsu Prawn Gyoza
100g of rice noodles
2 tsp of fish sauce
1 lime, juiced
100g of beansprouts
To garnish:
Coriander
Sliced red chilli
Thai basil
Method
Step 1

Lightly crush the lemongrass with a heavy knife or rolling pin. Heat the oil in a pan and add the laksa/red Thai curry paste along with the turmeric and crushed lemongrass. Cook for around 5 minutes.

Step 2

Add the stock and coconut milk, bring to the boil and reduce until it reaches a light creamy consistency. Add the gyoza and cook for around 5 minutes until cooked through.

Step 3

Stir in the rice noodles and cook for a further 3 minutes.

Step 4

Add the beansprouts, the lime juice and the fish sauce.

Step 5

To serve, divide between the bowls and top with coriander, Thai basil, fresh and sliced red chilli.

Visit Itsu.com

Blackberry & Basil Mojito: Bottlegreen

Serves
1
Total Time
5 Minutes
Ingredients
50ml of white rum
50ml of white rum 20ml of Bottlegreen Bramble cordial
25ml of lime juice
3 fresh blackberries
6 basil leaves
Soda
Method
Step 1

Combine the cordial, lime juice and three fresh blackberries in a glass.

Step 2

Add the basil leaves and muddle together to release the aromatic flavours.

Step 3

Add rum and stir gently.

Step 4

Fill the glass with crushed ice, top with soda and stir. Add more crushed ice to top.

Step 5

Garnish with fresh basil.

Visit BottlegreenDrinks.com

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