Seville Orange Marmalade

Long pasta with Crab and Fennel

This is nice with a mixed salad. I devised this recipe for M to follow when I needed to work a few extra hours and also craved the flavours of chilli, crab and fennel with the soothing texture of pasta.

Serves 2

200g spaghetti or linguine
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 small bulb of Florence fennel, sliced and fronds reserved
1 tin of white crab meat
100ml white wine or vermouth (dry)
squeeze of lemon juice
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Bring large pan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente, this should take about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan and add the garlic and chillies and fry gently for about a minute.
3. Add the fennel and continue frying until the fennel is soft and beginning to colour.
4. Add the crab meat and toss with the fennel and chilli mixture.
5. Pour in the white wine and leave to simmer until reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper, stir in parsley and a spritz of lemon juice to taste.
6. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and return to the pan. Add the crab mixture and toss together. Serve immediately.

Salmon and Pea Lemon Pasta

2 x 130g salmon fillets
200g fusilli pasta
100g frozen peas
small onion, finely chopped

20g butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp flour
100ml white wine
200ml vegetable stock
1 lemon, zest and half the juice

1 tbsp Parmesan, freshly grated (optional)
salt and pepper

1. Cook the salmon according to packet instructions - for ease I cooked in my 850W microwave: 2 minutes on high, 1 minute rest, high for a further minute and rest for one more.
2. Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Cook pasta until al dente, about 10 minutes, add peas to the pot.
3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small pan with the olive oil. When melted and beginning to bubble add finely chopped onion, season.
4. As soon as onion is beginning to soften, stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
5. Blend in wine and gradually add the stock. Bring the sauce to a simmer, adding lemon juice and zest. The sauce is ready when it has thickened slightly and is glossy.
6. Drain the pasta and gently fold in the cooked salmon - flaking it.
7. Pour over the lemon and wine sauce and serve, alternatively, transfer the pasta to an ovenproof dish before pouring over the sauce and sprinkling the pasta dish with the Parmesan before placing it under a pre-heated grill to brown the top.

Blackcurrant fool

serves 5-6

280g fresh or frozen blackcurrants
85g caster sugar
300ml double cream
125 g low fat Greek style yoghurt

1. Make a coulis with the blackcurrants, by placing them in a pan with the sugar and a splash of water. Gently heat to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for a further 5 minutes after the berries have begun to bleed. Cool and sieve the mixture
2. Lightly whip the double cream to soft peaks. Add the yoghurt in spoonfuls, whipping between each addition.
3. Fold the cooled coulis into the yoghurt and spoon into ramekins. Chill.