Rachel Allen's recipes savour the fresh flavours of summer’s basil in classic pesto, gnocchi, Thai broth and more

Gnocchi with basil and lemon

I love making potato gnocchi. Here’s a divine way to serve it simply, with lemon and basil. Served with a green salad, this makes a gorgeous summery starter or main course.

When making the gnocchi, it’s worth working the dough quite well when you are bringing it together, which will help the gnocchi to keep their shape and delicious texture.

Serves 4-6

For the gnocchi you will need:

• 1 kg potatoes, in their skins
• 2 large egg yolks
• 150g plain flour
• 100g semolina
• Extra semolina for sprinkling

​For the basil and lemon sauce you will need:

• 75g butter
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Approximately 20 basil leaves, torn
• Zest of half a small lemon, finely grated
• 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

​1. Scrub the potatoes in their skins. Place in a saucepan and cover with water and a good pinch of salt. Place over a high heat and boil for 10 minutes, then drain off most of the water, leaving just 4 to 5cm of water in the bottom of the pan. Cover with a lid and continue to cook the potatoes over a low to medium heat until cooked through.

​2. Drain the potatoes and while they’re still hot, peel them and mash well — you can use a potato ricer or a mouli-legume for this if you wish — either way, make sure there are no lumps left.

​3. Mix in the egg yolks, the plain flour, the semolina and a good pinch of salt, seasoning to taste.

​4. When you are happy with the flavour, divide the dough into three or four pieces and roll each piece into a long sausage shape, about the thickness of your thumb. Cut into 2cm pieces, then roll each piece in the palm of your hand using the tines of a fork — this helps to create ridges that will catch lots of lovely basil and lemon sauce.

​5. Sprinkle a tray generously with semolina then place all the gnocchi on the tray. They can be cooked straightaway or can sit in the fridge for the day until you are ready to eat.

​6. When you’re ready to cook the gnocchi, bring a large saucepan of water with a big pinch of salt in it up to the boil.

​7. Meanwhile, place the butter and olive oil into a wide sauté pan or frying pan over a high heat. When melted and hot, add in the torn basil leaves and finely grate in the lemon zest. Add the lemon juice and some salt and pepper. Take off the heat and set aside until the gnocchi is cooked.

8. Boil the gnocchi for a couple of minutes until they rise to the surface, then remove with a slotted spoon and place in the hot basil and lemon sauce. Toss to mix, then serve immediately.

Top tip: The gnocchi can be frozen on a parchment paper lined tray then transferred to a box or a bag in the freezer until you’re ready to cook them — this way, they won’t stick together in the freezer.

Classic basil pesto

Pesto is the boldest expression of basil. Enhanced simply with some olive oil, parmesan, pine nuts or cashews and a little garlic, pesto is the best way to make your basil last for months, well into winter. Just store in a (sterilised) jar covered with a layer of olive oil to keep it fresh. Pesto is the gift that keeps on giving, whether drizzling over tomatoes, pasta, bread, potatoes, grilled meats or roasted veggies.

Fills a 200ml jar

You will need:

• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 25g pine nuts or cashews
• 50g basil leaves, stalks removed
• 25g freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Sea salt
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for the top

​1. If you have a large pestle and mortar, first add the crushed garlic clove with a pinch of salt and pound until smooth. Next add the pine nuts or cashews, whichever you’re using, and pound until coarsely crushed. Next, add the basil leaves and pound together with the pine nuts and garlic until you have a coarse paste, then lightly mix in the cheese using the pestle, followed by all of the oil. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

2. Alternatively, if you would like to use a food processor, put the garlic, the nuts and the basil leaves into the food processor and whizz up until coarse. Add the olive oil and a good pinch of salt and blend again, then finally add the grated parmesan cheese. Taste, adding a pinch more salt if necessary.

3. Pour the pesto into a sterilised jar then cover with a layer of olive oil and store in the fridge, where it will keep for up to six months. Always make sure when you use some of the pesto that you pour olive oil over the top to prevent the air getting to it, which will cause it to go off faster than when covered.

Tomato, basil and coconut soup

This tomato, basil and coconut soup recipe is just delicious. Light yet creamy, flavourful and soothing, this soup is one of my favourites. Make some for today and pop the rest in the freezer for another time. Scatter with croutons or just serve with crusty bread and butter, or a peppery olive oil.

Serves 6-8

You will need:

• 1kg ripe tomatoes (about 10 large tomatoes)
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 3 sprigs of basil
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 150g onion, chopped
• 425ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 x 400g tin of coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons basil, chopped or torn

1. Preheat the oven to 230C/450F/Gas Mark 8.

2. Cut the ripe tomatoes into quarters then in half again, removing the little core. Spread them out in a large roasting tray, add the peeled garlic cloves and the sprigs of basil, then drizzle over 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and season generously with the salt, freshly ground black pepper and sugar.

3. Place the tray in the hot oven and roast for 30-40 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and a little browned.

4. As the tomatoes roast, place the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan on a medium-low heat. Add the chopped onions and cook, covered, for 8-10 minutes until soft.

5. When cooked, add the tomatoes, the garlic and all the juices (you can discard the basil sprigs now), and the chicken or vegetable stock, whichever you’re using.

6. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring this to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Tip in the coconut milk and stir to mix. Taste and add more salt, pepper or sugar if necessary. Liquidise the soup in a blender or food processor until completely smooth. If you’d like a very smooth soup you can sieve the liquid at this point. It’s not essential but I usually do.

7. Place the soup back in the pan. You can add more stock at this point if you’d like a thinner soup.

8, Reheat the soup to serve, divide between bowls and sprinkle over the chopped or torn basil.

Rachel recommends: If you are cooking with basil, don’t add all of it in during the cooking process of a pasta sauce or stew. Save half of it to sprinkle over or stir in to the finished dish to get both the cooked, mellow flavour, and the fresh flavour.

Thai prawn, basil and noodle broth

While basil is undeniably fundamental to Italian food, it is just as important to the cooking of south-east Asia. There, they use a few slightly different varieties of basil to the classic Italian leaf, like Thai basil, holy basil and lemon basil, which will work wonderfully in the Thai prawn, basil and noodle broth. But if these aren’t available, just use the sweet Italian basil which will also be great. Use chicken or tofu instead of the prawns if you fancy.

Serves 3–4

You will need:

• 75g egg or rice noodles

For the paste you will need:

• 10 coriander sprigs, leaves and stalks, chopped
• 1 lemongrass stalk (outer layer removed), roughly chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (nam pla)
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• Half a red chilli, de-seeded
• 2 tablespoons of water

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk
• 450ml chicken stock
• 250g peeled raw prawns

To serve you will need:

• Half a red chilli, deseeded (if you wish) and sliced
• A good handful of basil leaves (Thai basil if possible)
• Juice of 1 lime
• A few splashes of fish sauce (nam pla)

1.Cook the egg or rice noodles (if using) following the instructions on the packet, then drain and rinse through with cold water. Drain again.

2. For the paste, blend the coriander stalks and leaves, the chopped lemongrass stalk, the peeled garlic, the soy sauce, the fish sauce, the caster sugar and the deseeded chilli all together, then add 2 tablespoons of water and blend until a smooth paste is formed.

3. Place a large saucepan on a medium heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add the coconut milk and the stock and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Add the prawns and cook for a further 2 minutes until the prawns are opaque and firm, then tip in the noodles.

5. To serve, stir in the sliced chilli, basil leaves, lime juice and the fish sauce to season, and pour into deep bowls.