Linguine with smoked mussels, lemon and capers

This dish plays with textures and taste, from the crunchy, garlicky crumbs to the smoky mussels and sharp lemon. Serves four to six.

200g smoked mussels (drained weight)
The zest and juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp capers in brine, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g dark sourdough bread (choose one with a good crust)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 handful picked flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
400g linguine

In a bowl, combine the mussels, lemon juice and zest, and capers, season and put to one side.

Whizz the bread in a food processor for a few minutes, until you have a mixture of fine and chunky crumbs. Toss these in two tablespoons of oil, to coat, then season generously.

Heat a frying pan on a medium-high flame, then tip in the breadcrumbs and fry, tossing or stirring regularly, for seven to 10 minutes, until golden and crisp. Add the garlic after three or four minutes, so it fries a little and loses its raw flavour. Once the crumbs are golden, turn off the heat and stir in the parsley.

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and cook the linguine until al dente. Drain, then toss with the remaining glug of oil, the mussels, lemon, capers and a good grind of pepper. Serve at once topped with the toasted breadcrumbs.

Coconut puddings with peanuts and lime recipe

800ml coconut milk (ie, 2 tins)
50g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, slit lengthways and seeds scraped out
Shaved zest of 2 limes, plus 20ml lime juice
Flaked sea salt
6.5g sachet vege-gel (a vegetarian setting agent that’s widely available in the baking section of supermarkets – Dr Oetker is just one brand to look out for)
30g dark muscovado sugar
½ ripe mango, peeled and sliced into thin, 2mm x 5cm-long strips
2 tbsp salted and roasted peanuts, finely chopped

Put the coconut milk in a medium saucepan with the sugar, vanilla pod and seeds, lime zest and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt. Gently warm for 10 minutes, until the milk is steaming and aromatic and the sugar has dissolved, then turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.

Strain the milk through a fine sieve, squeezing as much liquid from the aromatics as possible. Return the milk to the pan and put on a medium heat. Add the vege-gel and cook for three minutes, whisking continuously, until the vege-gel has dissolved and the milk has thickened slightly. Take off the heat and stir in a tablespoon of lime juice, then divide between six ramekins (or bowls or glasses of a similar size and capacity) and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Put the muscovado sugar in a small saucepan with two tablespoons of water, bring to a boil, then leave to bubble for 30-60 seconds, until the sugar has melted and the syrup has thickened. Take off the heat, stir in the remaining teaspoon of lime juice and leave to cool – you should end up with two tablespoons of pourable syrup.

To serve, top each pudding with a slice or two of mango, drizzle on a teaspoon of syrup and finish by scattering over a teaspoon of peanuts.

Prawns, tomato pesto recipes

Abandon all thought of knives and forks here. These prawns, tossed in a paste of pine kernels, basil and tomato, are there to be torn apart, shells sucked and cracked, still hot from the griddle. You’ll get in a delicious mess.

Serves 2

pine kernels 4 tbsp
cherry tomatoes 150g
olive oil 100ml
basil 40g
prawns 10 large, raw, shell on

Toast the pine kernels in a dry pan till golden, shaking the pan regularly so they do not burn. Tip the pine kernels into an electric blender with the tomatoes, olive oil and basil leaves and a little salt then process to a rough, thickish paste.

Warm a griddle pan over a moderately high heat. Wash and dry the prawns, salt them lightly and grill for three or four minutes on each side. Remove them from the grill, then, while they are still sizzling hot, fold them through the pine kernel dressing and place on a serving plate.

Eat the prawns with your fingers, sucking at their shells as you peel them.