Pure Foods

Ingredients
1 small dried red chilli
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
½ a clove of garlic
1 good handful of fresh basil
1 good handful of fresh coriander
olive oil
1 lemon
4 x 225 g tuna steaks , ideally 2cm thick, from sustainable sources

Method
Smash up the chilli and the coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar.
Peel and chop the garlic, pick and finely chop the herb leaves and add it all to the pestle and mortar with a drizzle of oil and lemon juice, to taste. Mix together, and season with sea salt and black pepper.
Lay out your tuna steaks on a tray, season both sides and rub all over with the herb mixture.
There are two nice ways to cook it: I prefer to cook it on a griddle pan or in a frying pan.
Your pan should be very, very hot. Put in the tuna and what you want to do is sear it so that it toasts, fries and browns (about 45 to 60 seconds on each side).
Once cooked, I like to rip the steaks in half and serve with salad and chips or boiled potatoes and a big wedge of lemon. It’s quite sexy sometimes with some marinated sun-dried tomatoes, olives, basil… The possibilities are endless.

Ingredients
5 large potatoes
2 large free-range eggs
2 large handfuls of baby spinach
1 onion
1 carrot
olive oil
250 ml double cream
mature Cheddar or Parmesan cheese
1 lemon
1 heaped teaspoon English mustard
1 large handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
450 g haddock , or cod fillet, skin off, pin-boned, from sustainable sources
1 whole nutmeg , for grating (optional)

Method
Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/gas 8.
Peel and dice the potatoes into 2.5cm chunks, then put into boiling salted water and bring back to the boil for 2 minutes.
Carefully add the eggs to the pan and cook for a further 8 minutes, or until hard-boiled, by which time the potatoes should also be cooked.
At the same time, steam the spinach in a colander above the pan. This will only take a minute. When the spinach is done, remove from the colander and gently squeeze out any excess moisture.
Drain the potatoes in the colander. Remove the eggs, cool under cold water, then peel and quarter them. Place to one side.
Peel and finely chop the onion, then peel, halve and finely chop the carrot.
In a separate pan, slowly fry the onion and carrot in a little oil for about 5 minutes, then add the double cream and bring just to the boil.
Remove from the heat and finely grate in 2 good handfuls of cheese, then squeeze in the lemon juice and stir through the mustard.
Pick and finely chop the parsley and stir into the cream mixture.
Slice the fish into strips then place in an earthenware dish with the spinach and eggs and mix together, pouring over the creamy vegetable sauce.
The cooked potatoes should be drained and mashed – add a bit of oil, sea salt, black pepper and a touch of nutmeg (if using). Spread on top of the fish. Don’t bother piping it to make it look pretty – it’s a homely hearty thing.
Place in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden.
Serve with some nice peas or greens, not forgetting your baked beans and tomato ketchup. Tacky but tasty, and that’s what I like.

Ingredients
1 onion
4 ripe tomatoes
1 lemon
1 bunch of fresh dill , (30g)
1 bunch of fresh parsley , (30g)
olive oil
1 x 1.5kg whole trout , scaled and pin-boned, from sustainable sources
50 g unsalted butter , at room temperature

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
Peel the onion and finely slice with the tomatoes and lemon. Roughly chop the dill and parsley (stalks and all).
Drizzle a large baking tray with oil, scatter over a third of the sliced tomato, lemon and herbs, then top with the fish, seasoning the cavity and skin with sea salt and black pepper.
Stuff the cavity with another third of the sliced tomato, lemon and herbs, then scatter the remaining third over the top – arranging a few tomatoes around the fish. Dot with butter, then drizzle all over with 2 tablespoons of oil and a twist of black pepper.
Roast for 25 minutes, or until just cooked through. Delicious served with samphire.

Ingredients
2 lemons
olive oil
2 teaspoons Patak's tikka masala spice paste
2 tablespoons natural yoghurt , plus extra to serve
½ a small ripe pineapple
3 fresh red chillies
2 skinless free-range chicken breasts
1-2 little gem lettuces
½ a bunch of fresh coriander (15g) , optional

Method
For the marinade, finely grate the zest of 1 lemon and reserve for garnish, then halve and squeeze the juice into a small bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of oil, the paste and yoghurt, then mix well.
Peel the pineapple, removing any gnarly bits, then cut into quarters, discarding the core. Slice into 1cm thick chunks and add to the bowl with the marinade.
Trim, halve and deseed the chillies, then add to the marinade. Slice the chicken into 2cm chunks and add to the mix. Toss together to coat, then place in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
When you’re ready to cook, remove the chicken and pineapple mixture from the fridge, and pick out and tear the chilli into smaller pieces. Starting with the chicken, thread the ingredients onto skewers, alternating between the ingredients, as you go. Pour any remaining marinade over the the top and drizzle with a little oil.
Put a dry, non-stick pan on a medium heat, add the skewers and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally and seasoning with a little sea salt.
Wash and trim the lettuce, then click off the leaves. Roughly shave the chicken, pineapple and chilli from the skewers with a sharp knife, then scatter over the reserved lemon zest and pick over the coriander leaves (if using).
Slice the remaining lemon into wedges for squeezing over and serve with the lettuce and a dollop of yoghurt, if you like.
Tips