JULIE BIUSO

From that old charmer basil to the more divisive dill and coriander, we showcase our pick of the soft-leaf herbs

In season: summer herbs.

Here’s my pick of soft-leaf herbs from the summer garden. No sooner had I chosen them when I thought of tarragon, which I adore with fish and chicken, and thyme, so often overlooked in summer but delicious with beans, tomatoes, corn and more. And I thought of parsley and mint and chives and chervil… then I thought I better get on with the job of writing about the herbs I had chosen!

BASIL

Basil is a crowd-pleaser. A big fat flirt that scents the air with the gentlest breeze or touch. And what a scent! It’s like sticking your nose in a perfumed carnation with high notes of clove, a touch of musk, a pinch of cinnamon and a sprinkle of camphor, and when the sun hits the plant, the smell explodes.

Whether it’s a handful of leaves strewn over a platter of food before serving, or a bunch of leaves pounded to a paste with garlic and pine nuts to serve alongside barbecued fish or drizzled over tomatoes and mozzarella bocconcini, basil and summer are the best of buddies. As a garnish and in salads, add it just before serving – before oily dressings and heat make the leaves wilt and blacken.

And here’s a tip for the quintessential Italian summer basil sauce, pesto. Genoa, Italy, is home to a highly aromatic basil variety with small soft leaves and makes the best pesto, so the Genoese say. It’s more tender and less stalky with a clove-camphor-cinnamon aroma and no hint of cat pee like the toughleaved towering bushes most of us grow in our gardens. Use basil young, for pesto. It makes a huge difference to the flavour.

To keep pesto green, I’m not against blanching the basil first. I know it sounds ridiculous, but a dip in boiling water works the same as a splash of hot pasta cooking water added to a bowl of freshly made pesto: it helps set the green colour. Blanch leaves for 15 seconds only, drain immediately and plunge into a bowl of icy water. The basil will cool in a matter of seconds. Remove, wring out excess water and pat dry with paper towels, then proceed with the recipe. If the pesto is too thick, thin with hot water, not oil, because oil will interfere with the balance of ingredients.

CORIANDER

Basil can charm its way onto any dish, but not so coriander, or dill. Both herbs are aromatic, and polarising. I’ll start with coriander.

While many of us love its pungent grassy aroma and fresh citrus-metallic taste, over 10 per cent of the population have certain olfactory genes that make coriander taste soapy. If that’s you, you’re never going to like coriander. If everyone you’re cooking for loves it, don’t hold back; otherwise, proceed with caution!

Coriander is difficult to grow. It loves heat but will wither if insufficiently watered and will bolt and go to seed quickly. Plant in a cooler part of the garden and pick, pick, PICK! The flowers are edible, and pungent, and can be used in salads. Alternatively, encourage the plant to go to seed, semi-dry the seeds on the plant, then carefully harvest, dry them on a plate and enjoy your deeply lemon-scented seeds over the ensuing months. The long tapering roots of coriander are also edible. Wash well, peel and chop finely, mince or blend to a paste with garlic and ginger and use as a flavour base for meat, fish and vegetable dishes.

DILL

Dill loves to grow in full sun, but if grown in a container, it is best in the shade. It needs to be kept watered but doesn’t like to be flooded, and it needs constant picking to stop it flowering.

Its anise scent ranges from mild to pungent. The flavour lingers so it can accumulate and overpower dishes. Use judiciously until you get the measure of it.

Dill likes a contrast – think oily salmon cut back with the sweet, grassy, faintly liquorice taste of dill. And briny capers, preserved grapevine leaves, potatoes, beetroot, fish, cabbage, cucumber, broad beans, eggs, and of course pickles, all make great plate mates. It gives a flavour depth to sour cream dips and dressings and is fab in fish pies, crab cakes with mayo, and in Greek, Russian and Eastern European dishes. While it is often cooked, its feathery fronds look appealing scattered over dishes just before serving.

At the end of summer let plants go to seed and, before harvesting the seeds, shake the plant gently so a few seeds drop into the soil. Cover lightly with soil and they’ll pop up next spring. To keep picked herbs fresh and crisp, wash and dry and store in an open-ended plastic bag lined with paper towels in the door or crisper bin of the fridge.