Dinner

Take two sheets of tinfoil large enough to wrap up the fish. Grease each with tbsp olive oil. Season the flesh side of the sea bass fillets. Lay the first one skin side down on an oiled piece of foil. Spread half the lemon- grass mixture evenly over the flesh and top with a second fillet, flesh side down. Fold over the foil and seal tightly. Repeat with the remaining two fish fillets.

Place on the hot baking sheet and cook for 12-15 minutes. Check the fish is cooked — if not, reseal and bake for a few more minutes. Remove from the foil, and serve 2 fillets per person with boiled new potatoes and braised lettuce hearts.

CUMIN CHICKEN AND RED-ONION KEBAB WITH RAITA AND SAFFRON PILAF

This recipe is scrumptious accompanied by wilted spinach.

Serves 2

2 x 100g skinless, boned chicken breasts
Juice of ½ lemon
Pinch cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground cumin
1 small clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch saffron threads
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 shallot, finely sliced
100g basmati rice
1 red onion, peeled
150g low-fat natural greek yoghurt
¼ cucumber, peeled and roughly grated
¼ tsp cumin seeds

Trim the chicken breasts and cut into 2cm chunks. Place in a mixing bowl with the lemon juice, cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic and ½ tbsp olive oil. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, crush the saffron threads with a little salt and cover with 225ml boiling water.

Heat a small nonstick saucepan on the hob over a low heat and add the remaining ½ tbsp olive oil. Once hot, add the shallot and fry gently for 3 minutes, until soft and golden. Stir the rice into the sautéed shallot and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the saffron water. As soon as it boils, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Leave to sit, covered, for a further 5-10 minutes.

Preheat the grill to high. Quarter the red onion and cut into squares roughly 2cm in size. Season the chicken. Thread the marinated chicken chunks onto 2 skewers, alternating with onion pieces. Place under the grill and cook for 7 minutes, then turn and cook for a further 7 minutes on the other side.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a bowl, whisk the yoghurt with about 4 tbsp cold water. Once smooth, mix in the grated cucumber and season to taste. Place the cumin seeds in a small dry frying pan and set over a medium heat. As soon as they begin to roast, tip into a mortar and grind with a pestle. Sprinkle over the yoghurt.

When ready to serve, divide the saffron pilaf between two plates, and top each with a chicken skewer and some raita.

PUDDING

CAMOMILE JELLY WITH MANGOSTEEN

The delicate flavour makes this a soothing pudding. The mangosteen (available from Waitrose, Marks & Spencer and good grocers) adds an exquisite taste that works well with the floral camomile; if you can’t find them, lychees are a good substitute. If you can’t get hold of sheet (or leaf) gelatine, use 4 tsp (1 x 11.7g sachet) of powdered gelatine and follow packet instructions.

Serves 4

6 mangosteens or 12 fresh lychees
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 camomile tea bags
4 sheets gelatine
85g fructose (Fruisana)

Peel the mangosteen and put the white flesh in a bowl. If using lychees, peel and stone them over a bowl to catch the juice as you work. Set aside. Zest the lemon and place in a non-corrosive saucepan with 525ml water. Bring to the boil and cook briskly for 3 minutes, then remove from the heat and add the tea bags. Leave to infuse for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, soak the leaf gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes. Drain off the water from the gelatine and discard. Strain the camomile liquid into the softened gelatine, squeezing any excess liquid from the tea bags. Stir until the gelatine has dissolved. Add the fructose and stir until it has dissolved. Squeeze in the juice from half the lemon and stir. Pour the camomile liquid over the mangosteens (or lychees) and transfer to 4 individual bowls.

Once the liquid is tepid, cover and chill until set — this will take about 5 hours.

ALTERNATIVE DINNER SUGGESTIONS

Chargrilled cod

Poach a 110g cod fillet for 6 minutes in 100ml skimmed milk with 1 bay leaf, some thyme and 1 clove of garlic. Sauté 50g freshly sprouted beans in 1 tsp olive oil, adding a dash of balsamic vinegar after 3 minutes. Serve the cod on top of the sprouted beans, with a chunk of multigrain bread and add a squeeze of lemon over the fish.

Pork braised in cider vinegar

Cook 1 small chopped onion in 1 tsp olive oil until soft. Add 125g extra-lean pork fillet and cook for a few minutes until browned. Pour in 125ml medium-sweet cider plus 75ml cider vinegar, or 200ml stock. Season and add a sprig of thyme and 1 bay leaf. Simmer gently on a low heat for about 40 minutes, until the meat is tender and the sauce is reduced. Serve with 150g minted boiled new potatoes and some lightly steamed red cabbage.

Roast turkey

Serve 100g lean roast turkey with a mix of vegetables (such as broccoli and carrots, or a serving of ratatouille) and a baked sweet potato.

Speedy tomato and bacon spaghetti

Cook 70g spaghetti according to packet instructions. Heat 1 tsp olive oil and cook 1 small chopped onion with 50g extra-lean back bacon (fat cut off) and clove chopped garlic for a few minutes. Add 2 chopped tomatoes and a handful of chopped fresh basil and season. Cook until soft. Drain the spaghetti and mix in the sauce. Serve with a large green-leaf salad.