Meanwhile, put a large saucepan of salted water on to boil. Peel the skin from the salmon and flake into small pieces. Finely chop the parsley and set aside. Once the water is boiling, add the penne to the pan and cook until al dente following the instructions on the packet – usually 10–12 minutes, depending on the brand of pasta. Add the peas to the water for the last 2 minutes of cooking.
Pour the oat cream into another large pan and add the roasted garlic cloves and lemon zest. Season well with salt and pepper and then whisk the mixture over a low heat until the garlic – which will be rich and gooey – is amalgamated into the sauce. Increase the heat so that the sauce begins to bubble lightly and continue to cook for 2 minutes or until heated through.
Drain the penne and peas and tip into the garlic cream sauce. Add the flaked salmon and continue to cook for a minute or two, stirring the mixture together very carefully and giving the pan a shake so that the pasta and sauce combine. Serve while hot, sprinkled with the chopped parsley.
Spaghetti with Asparagus and Lemon Pesto
I have long thought that asparagus and lemon go gloriously well together. I like the way asparagus can hold its own among stronger flavours, its distinctive clean yet savoury taste allowing it to stand alone while still blending in with the crowd. This spaghetti dish is really just an extension of my love for homemade pesto. I’ve added a little lemon zest to the pesto to bring out the flavours and to offset the creamy taste and texture of the spaghetti.
Serves 4
Contains nuts
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400g/14oz gluten-free spaghetti
Sea salt
For the pesto
100g/3½oz pine nuts
200g/7oz asparagus spears
1 small clove of garlic
Grated zest of ½ lemon
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a heavy-based frying pan, dry-fry the pine nuts for the pesto over a medium–high heat for 3–4 minutes or until golden, shaking the pan regularly to ensure that they don’t burn. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
First snap off the woody ends of the asparagus by gently bending each spear between your fingers. The asparagus will start to give in one particular spot close to the base, allowing you to snap it easily at that point. Discard the woody ends and steam or boil the asparagus tips for about 4 minutes or until tender to the point of a knife. Refresh in cold, running water (to prevent further cooking) and set aside.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the spaghetti and cook until al dente following the instructions on the packet – usually 10–12 minutes, depending on the brand of pasta.
While the spaghetti is cooking, make the pesto. Crush the garlic and then place the toasted pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the asparagus, lemon zest, garlic and olive oil, season well with salt and pepper and continue to pulse until you have a slightly rough paste. Season again to taste and set aside.
Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain and then return it to the pan. Tip in the fresh pesto and stir it into the hot spaghetti until it is fully coated. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil and serve.
Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry
I truly adore vegetable curries. In many ways they are so much better than their meat counterparts, especially when you are cooking with starchy vegetables such as sweet potato, parsnip or squash. They have the ability to soak up all the intensity of flavour while providing a glorious texture at the same time. This curry is both warming and rich, made wholly comforting by the tender sweet potato, creamy coconut and tangy spinach. I recommend serving it with a bowl of steamed basmati rice, a salad of onion, coriander and tomatoes, some sliced bananas dressed in lemon juice and a few crisp poppadoms.
Serves 4
Contains nuts
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1kg/2lb 3oz sweet potatoes
4 cloves of garlic
1 large onion
1 large tomato
1 red chilli
A bunch of coriander
3 tsp ground coriander
3 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp groundnut or rapeseed oil
150ml/5fl oz vegetable stock
200ml/7fl oz coconut milk
100g/3½oz spinach
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
Peel the sweet potatoes and chop into 4cm/1½in chunks. Crush the garlic and roughly chop the onion and tomato, then deseed the red chilli and finely chop both this and the fresh coriander.
Place the sweet potatoes in a large roasting tin, along with the ground spices and 2 tablespoons of the groundnut or rapeseed oil, season with salt and pepper and mix together until the sweet potatoes are well coated. Roast in the oven for 35–40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are soft and tender and slightly caramelised at the edges.
While they are cooking, pour the remaining oil into a large saucepan, add the onion, garlic and chilli, and then fry on the lowest heat for 8–10 minutes or until softened but not browned.
Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and add to the onion mixture in the pan. Pour over the vegetable stock and coconut milk and stir together gently. Add the spinach and chopped tomato to the curry, then cover the saucepan with a lid and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the spinach has completely wilted. Taste, adding a little salt and pepper, if necessary, before serving.
Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry
In this irresistible curry, the yielding texture of cauliflower mingles with the iron-rich tang of spinach, while chickpeas add body and bite to the dish, all enveloped in an aromatic coconut sauce. Perfect served with Lemon and Cashew Nut Rice and perhaps a poppadom or two.
Serves 4
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2 cloves of garlic
2 red onions
4 large tomatoes
1 small cauliflower
1 red chilli
250g/9oz spinach
3 tbsp groundnut or rapeseed oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 x 200g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
300ml/½ pint coconut milk
1 tbsp garam masala
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Begin by finely chopping the garlic and onions. Place the tomatoes in a bowl, cover in boiling water and leave to stand for 1 minute, then drain and gently peel away the skins (they should slide off with ease) before chopping into quarters. Trim any excess stalk left on the base of the cauliflower and remove the outer leaves, then cut into small individual florets – no bigger than 3–5cm/1–2in in size. Finely chop the chilli, retaining the seeds, and set all the prepared vegetables aside.
Bring a large saucepan of water