Sometime in the early 90s, my family took a day trip to France. My dad had heard about a restaurant near the ferry and we went for a lunch that changed how I look at food. I was so impressed by the deep respect given to food, to cooking and serving – and the seriousness of it all. It wasn’t the style I now cook in – I’ve never quite found the patience to cook like those chefs – but I am forever grateful to my father for booking that table.

Late-summer barigoule (pictured above)

Barigoule is a provençal style of cooking vegetables in broth, usually artichokes. Here I’ve used late-summer veg, crisped garlic cloves – and a hint of vanilla, which brings a subtle warmth balanced by heady peppercorns, lemony coriander seeds and thyme. I’ve used frozen peas and bulbous salad onions (rather than the thinner spring onions), but if you are making this earlier in the season and fresh peas are around, they are the gold standard. I often finish this with a little of the pistou to the left.

Prep 15 min

Cook 55 min

Serves 6

8 baby carrots with green tops, peeled

Salt and black pepper

½ tsp coriander seeds

3 tbsp olive oil

10 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

4 salad or spring onions, halved

8 bulbs baby fennel, trimmed and halved, or 2 medium heads of fennel, cut into eighths

1.5 litres vegetable stock

10 sprigs thyme

5 whole black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

1 vanilla pod, split lengthways

3 tbsp sherry vinegar

2 handfuls fresh or frozen peas (about 100g)

150g sugar snap peas, halved lengthways

1 small bunch parsley and/or chervil

Boil the carrots in a pan of salted water until still crisp but tender – two to three minutes. Scoop them out and put into a large bowl to cool(I don’t use iced water, because I think it removes a lot of flavour).

Pour out the water and dry the pan. Next, toast the coriander seeds over medium-high heat until fragrant – one to two minutes. Add two tablespoons of oil and cook the garlic until golden – anotherthree to four minutes – then, using a slotted spoon, scoop all this into the bowl with the carrots.

Cook the salad onions and fennel until just golden – eight to 10 minutes – then add to the bowl with the garlic and carrots.

Next, put the stock, thyme, peppercorns, bay leaf and vanilla pod into the pan, and simmer until reduced by half – about 30 minutes. Strain the stock and put it back into the pan. Whisk in the vinegar and the rest of the oil, season, then put back over a medium heat. Stir in all the veg from the bowl, add the peas and sugar snaps, and cook, covered, until the vegetables are heated through– two to three minutes. Divide the veg between bowls and ladle the broth over the top; garnish with a few sprigs of herbs, a sprinkling of sea salt and some pistou (see below), if you like.

Pistou

Anna Jones’s pistou. Photograph: Matt Russell/The Guardian

This is pesto’s less-famous cousin, traditionally without pine nuts or parmesan, and I think all the better for it: cleaner, greener, fresher. I use this pistou to finish soups and stews, for dunking bread, and for stirring into mayonnaise to dip crudites in. I like to make this with a pestle and mortar, because the end result is creamier – the bashing of the basil also brings out the flavour better – but if you are short on time, a food processor will do.

Prep 10 min

Cook 10 min

Makes 150ml

1 garlic clove, peeled and the green germ removed

1 good pinch salt

2 bunches basil leaves (about 50g)

125ml extra-virgin olive oil

A splash of lemon juice (optional)

With a pestle and mortar, bash the garlic with a pinch of salt until creamy. Add the basil leaves – you may want to break them apart first – and crush them into the garlic until you have a paste.

Drizzle in the oil a tablespoon at a time, until the pistou reaches a smooth, sauce-like consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning. You may want to add a splash of lemon juice or a pinch more salt; you may also want to thin the pistou with a bit more olive oil.

If you are using a food processor, pulse the garlic, salt and basila few times until the basil leaves begin to break down. With the machine running, drizzle in the oil a tablespoon at a time, until the pistou reaches a smooth, sauce-like consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning as above.