Sweet Potato Chips with an Avocado, Basil & Chickpea Dip

If you could eat only one carbohydrate for the rest of your life, what would it be? Mine would definitely be bread. In every shape and form I cannot get enough. Potatoes I can take or leave, apart from a crunchy French fry – the potato’s naughtiest guise. For a healthier alternative I wanted to make sweet potato ‘fries’ which are baked rather than fried (as SP behave very differently than their quasi-cousin, and dissolve in a fryer). It is also very hard to get a good, crispy exterior. Out and about I’ve eaten SP chips cooked in a tempura batter or coated in breadcrumbs which are both deliciously crunchy but I wanted to find a more nutritious coating. Enter the humble almond. Tossed in coconut oil and ground almonds the SP ‘fries’ are almost as crunchy as their namesake and have a lovely nutty taste, which is incredibly moreish. Instead of the obligatory mayonnaise or ketchup dip I whipped up a sort of avocado and basil-rich hummus that really complements them.

Serves 1-2 as a side

For the ‘fries’

• Preheat the over to 190C. Wash 1 large Sweet Potato and cut lengthways into even-sized chips. Melt 2 tbsp Coconut Oil and coat the chips. Next toss the chips in 100g Ground Almonds until well coated.
• Arrange on a baking tray in one layer and roast for 20-30 minutes until cooked through and golden. N.b. They will become more crispy when slightly cooled.

For the Avocado and Basil Hummus

• In a food processor whizz together 200g cooked Chickpeas, 1 Tbsp Tahini Paste, 1 Garlic clove and the juice of ½ Lemon. Loosen with a little boiling water until a smooth puree has formed. 
• Mash ½ and Avocado and fold into the hummus along with 1 tbsp Basil, chopped. Season to taste.

Maple & Soy Salmon with Spinach & Chipotle Brown Rice

I have been eating this a lot recently as it is the healthiest comfort food I know. I like to eat it from a big bowl and it benefits from a large dollop of humus (slightly left of field but it works). The maple and soy marinade gives the salmon a wonderful caramelised edge and the fish should be slightly undercooked for the perfect flaking texture. I found Chipotle paste at my local Waitrose and have become addicted to its unique smoky, spicy flavour. Delicious stirred through the nutty brown rice and wilted spinach.

Serves 2

• For the marinate mix together 1 tbsp Soy Sauce, 2 tbsp Maple Syrup, 1 tbsp Coconut Oil, 1 chopped Garlic clove, ½ Red Chilli sliced and 1cm Ginger peeled and chopped. Spoon over 2 Salmon Fillets and leave for 20 minutes. Preheat the over to 200C.
• Cook 150g Brown Rice. Drain and stir through a few handfuls of Spinach and 2 tbsp Chipotle paste.
• Roast the fish for 8-10 minutes until just opaque. Flake into pieces and sit atop the rice. Drizzle over the remaining marinade. 

Spring asparagus and broccoli with proscuitto, a soft boiled egg and pesto

This recipe is a delicious way to take advantage of the new season asparagus and sprouting broccoli. Originally I was going to make a hollandaise sauce but the weather was so gorgeous and hot today that I made a basil pesto instead. Salty ham, unctuous eggs and a garlicky pesto only add to the fresh crunch of the veg.

Serves 2

• For the pesto whizz in a processor 1 bunch Basil, 1 Garlic Clove, 1 handful grated Parmesan, a pinch of Salt and 2 tbsp toasted Pine nuts. Trickle in about 100ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or Rapeseed which is delicious but gives a much darker colour).
• Have a bowl of iced water ready. Trim 1 bunch Asparagus and 1 bunch Broccoli of their woody ends on the diagonal. Boil in salted water for 3-4 minutes until soft but still crunchy. Lift out the veg with a slotted spoon (save the water for poaching), plunge into the iced water and then drain.
• Poach 2 eggs in the vegetable water. Arrange the vegetables crisscrossed on 2 plates. Tear 6 pieces of Prosciutto into strips and drape on top. Add the eggs and then a drizzle of pesto, fresh basil and extra Parmesan.

Spoiling mum

Wow has mothers day moved up a notch. When I was little I remember a gaggle of us running up the church aisle clutching foil wrapped posies of daffodils to give to our mums, along with a handmade card. Now I have friends buying full body massages and £50 bouquets! Not wanting to let the side down (and now I’m a ‘grown up’ with more than 50p’s pocket money to splash), mummy found a Bayes Diptique candle on her tray. Alongside was a Lindt Creme Brûlée ‘Creation’ – our current obsession. Honestly these are the bee's knees. For brekkie I made her the easiest 20 minute homemade granola which I layered up with yoghurt, mango and raspberries for a breakfast ‘sundae’. She also devoured our other obsession: a warm almond croissant. Sitting on the end of her bed we had a giggle and gossip– what mothers are for!

Speedy Granola

• Preheat the oven to 180C
• Mix 200g Rolled Oats, 100g Oatmeal, 50g Desiccated Coconut and 50g Flaked Almonds.
• Warm 3tbsp Vegetable Oil and 2tbsp Honey and mix into the dry ingredients.
• Transfer to a baking tray and cook for 20mins until everything looks well toasted.

Sunday lunch was seafood paella with lobster and monkfish. I’ve made a few paellas recently for events and our kitchen’s café and I think I’ve finally mastered the art. Basically it is all down to a very decent stock (a mixture of chicken and fish) and a good base sofrito, which is finely chopped onion and garlic mixed with sweet smoked paprika and fresh tomatoes all cooked in lots of olive oil until soft and jammy. If you get these two right, the rest is very simple and perfect for cooking for a crowd. Paella recipes are a minefield of fish to seafood ratios and differing opinions on whether to mix chicken with fish, or stick to the purist, Valencian version of chicken, rabbit and occasionally snails. I take the stance that you can throw in whatever you want and is available at the time, as long as the rice is good. My dad had picked up some reasonably-priced lobster and monkfish from the Portsmouth fish market and they both were delicious in the paella with sweet petit pois and lots of lemon to finish.

To finish, my favourite Ballymaloe/Darina Allen recipe 'Fluffy Lemon Pudding'. This dessert is legendary with the girls I share with in London and is fool proof. I've often made it by guess-timating the weights of ingredients as we don't have scales and it always comes out fluffy with a sharp citrus sauce beneath.

Fluffy Lemon Pudding by Darina Allen

Serves 5-6

• Cream 30g Butter. Add 170g Castor sugar and beat well. Grate the rind of 1 Lemon and squeeze and strain its juice.
• Separate 2 Eggs and add the yolks one by one. Then stir in the 55g flour and gradually add the finely grated rind and juice of the lemon. Lastly add the 250ml Milk.
• Whisk the 2 Egg Whites stiffly in a bowl and fold gently into the lemon mixture.
• Pour into a 1 pint pie dish and bake in a moderate oven, 180C, for 40 minutes approx. Dredge with icing sugar. Serve immediately with cream or mascarpone.