a small bunch of fresh basil
2 tablespoons good extra virgin olive oil
grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Who says you can’t make hummus with peas? Not me. Slather this on bruschetta or spoon it on top of a simple risotto; leftovers can even be stirred through pasta. Kids love this one. Sometimes I add an avocado for a bit of extra creaminess. Broad beans work just as well here. I use fresh peas in springtime – the rest of the year, frozen peas are your friend.
Pop the peas into a bowl and cover them with hot water from the kettle. Leave them to sit for a minute, then drain. Put them into a food processor with everything else and whiz until you have a bright green paste (a hand blender works well too), then taste and season with more salt and pepper or lemon if needed.
Homemade tortilla chips with charred chilli salsa
These tortilla chips are a massive hit every time I make them. So much so that I have taken to making them every time anyone comes round – even the sniff of a visitor and these are in the oven and I’m whizzing up some salsa. I love the compliments. I sort of feel a bit guilty about how much people like them, as they are so easy a five-year-old could make them. Which makes people love them even more.
These can be made easily with tortillas, wraps, round pittas, leftover chapattis, whatever you have to hand. Corn tortillas are my choice. Below is my favourite way to flavour them, but most spices work really well: cumin and coriander are favourites, and a bit of lemon zest and some chopped thyme or rosemary also goes down well.
Eat these with anything you can dip them into. In my house most often it’s this smoky salsa but mashed avocado, hummus and spice-spiked yoghurt are also really good. Try the Indian mashed avo here with chips made from chapattis and spiced with coriander and some lemon zest, for another brilliant combination.
MAKES A BIG BOWLFUL
8 tortillas, wraps, flatbreads or chapattis
olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
sea salt
FOR THE SALSA
4 spring onions
1 red chilli, pricked with a knife
20 cherry tomatoes or 8 big tomatoes
a small bunch of fresh coriander
olive oil
juice of 1 lime
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.
Get a griddle pan on a very hot heat. Once it’s smoking hot, put the spring onions, chilli and tomatoes on the griddle and leave to char on each side. Remove the onions once they are black, then the chilli and finally the tomatoes. This will take 5 minutes or so. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
Once cool enough to handle, tip the whole lot on to a board. Use a big knife to chop everything together until you have a chunky salsa consistency, discarding the green top of the chilli as you go. When the salsa is nearly there, add the coriander and chop it into the mixture.
Put the mixture into a bowl with a good glug of olive oil, the lime juice and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Taste, balancing the flavours with more lime, salt or oil if needed.
Cut each tortilla, wrap, flatbread or chapatti into 8 triangles and scatter them over a couple of baking trays. You don’t want them to be too crowded or they won’t crisp up.
Drizzle them with oil and sprinkle over the smoked paprika and a good pinch of sea salt.
Bake for 10 minutes, until crisped and delicious. Serve piled high in bowls with the salsa.
Other ways to use your salsa:
· To top quesadillas (see here).
· To sandwich in a cheese toastie.
· To top a baked sweet potato.
· To dip potato wedges into.
· Next to a poached or fried egg for breakfast.
· To top some avocado on toast.
Spiced salt caramel popcorn
Salt-sweet caramel-coated popcorn – serve it in big bowls or in cinema-style paper containers for a proper movie night. And make lots – it goes quickly.
I love cinnamon – it’s such a comforting spice. Half a teaspoon of powdered cinnamon a day mixed into tea or hot water can help with digestion problems. Be careful to buy real or Ceylon cinnamon and not cassia. Cassia is the outer bark of the cinnamon tree – it’s darker and comes in a stick-like curl of bark. It has a punchy medicinal aroma and is used widely in America. Real cinnamon is sweeter and more calming – the sticks are lighter in colour and crumble very easily. If you buy from a good wholefood store or spice shop you should know what you are getting.
SERVES 10
a splash of vegetable oil
400g popping corn
200g unrefined light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
a pinch of sea salt
½ a nutmeg, freshly grated
grated zest of 1 unwaxed orange
First get your popcorn popping. Heat a very large pan (make sure it’s one with a lid) on a medium heat and add a splash of oil. If you don’t have a very large pan, two smaller ones will do. Once it’s hot, add the popcorn kernels, put on the lid and turn the heat down to low. Give it a good shake every 30 seconds or so to move the kernels around and stop them burning. It will be a while before the popping starts. But when it does, it will come thick and fast, so don’t be tempted to lift the lid.
While your corn is popping you can get on with your caramel. Put the sugar into a pan with 100ml of water, place on a medium heat and bring to a simmer, being careful not to touch it. Keep it bubbling until the water has reduced and you have a deep caramel. Don’t be tempted to stir or you will end up with a crystallised caramel.
Once your popcorn has finished popping, remove it from the heat and pour it into a deep baking tray. Very carefully pour over your caramel, using a metal spoon to mix it through the popcorn – do not touch the popcorn with your hands, as the caramel will be very hot. Sprinkle over the cinnamon and salt, grate over the nutmeg and orange zest, and mix again with a spoon. Allow the caramel to cool completely before eating.
Caper, herb and soft-boiled egg sandwich
I never used to like egg sandwiches – I always veered away from them. My boyfriend John loves them, so one day I set out to make the best one he’d ever eaten. The kickback was I liked it too. Soft, just-set yolks, plenty of character from an almost tartare-style dressing and a bit of zip from some snipped green herbs. This is quick fresh food at its best. Freshly made straight on to the plate, the only way to eat egg sandwiches to my mind.
I find yoghurt really useful in the kitchen – it makes its way into baking cakes, batters, breads. I use good organic Greek yoghurt in place of mayonnaise and in more indulgent desserts, and a natural one for breakfasts and toppings. For me it’s important to vary my diet so as not to become reliant on one thing too much, so I also keep coconut milk yoghurt on hand for days when I’m feeling like changing things up a little.
MAKES 4 SANDWICHES
6 organic or free-range eggs
6 cornichons or 2 large gherkins, chopped up small
2 tablespoons little capers