• Blend everything in the blender, grapefruit juice included, and mix until smooth and creamy.
• Taste and add more ice if too thin, add more almond milk, orange juice, or water too thick, or add apple or banana for a sweeter smoothie.

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside.
• In the microwave or over a double boiler, melt the unsweetened chocolate and butter together, stirring occasionally until smooth.
• In a medium bowl, beat sugar, eggs and vanilla until light.
• Stir in the chocolate mixture until well blended.
• Stir in the sifted ingredients alternately with the sour cream then fold in the chocolate chips.
• Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto an unprepared cookie sheet.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
• Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Store in an airtight container.

• Mix all the ingredients for the dressing andseason to taste.

• Put the chicken into a large saucepan with the leeks, celery, carrots, ginger and garlic.
• Cover completely with water and bring to the boil.
• Immediately reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and slowly cook for about three hours, skimming the surface every so often to remove impurities and fat.
• The chicken should be just tender and the broth around it golden.
• Carefully lift the chicken out on to a platter and strain the stock.
• Skim the surface of fat (you can throw a handful of ice cubes into it which will make the fat rise to the surface).
• Taste and reduce the stock by boiling if you want it to taste stronger.
• Put the potatoes into the stock and cook for about 25 minutes, until tender.
• Boil the eggs for seven minutes, then cover with cold water and peel once they are cool enough to handle.
• Meanwhile, take the meat off the chicken (or you can serve it whole and in the pot in which it was cooked).
• If you are cutting it up, you want to end up with eight nice big bits of meat, one for each person, or the equivalent in small pieces.
• When the potatoes are cooked, return the chicken pieces (or whole bird) to the broth to warm through.
• Take off the heat and stir in the coriander, spring onions, chillies and lime juice to taste.
• Serve with the avocado.
• Each plate should have a halved hard-boiled egg and lime wedges.

• Put the stock into a saucepan with the ginger.
• Finely slice the spring onions on the diagonal and separate the green bits from the white.
• Reserve the green bits.
• Crush the white bits in a mortar and pestle with the garlic.
• Add to the stock with the coriander stalks.
• Bring the stock to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
• If you have time, leave the stock to sit so that the flavours can infuse.
• Strain.
• Return the stock to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
• Add the prawns, tofu and seasoning and simmer for one minute, then squeeze in the lime juice and check for seasoning.
• Serve in soup bowls, dividing the chives and coriander leaves between each bowl.
• This doesn’t reheat brilliantly – it is much less fresh and the tofu makes the whole thing look a bit cloudy – so it’s best eaten when just made.

• Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together.
• Rinse the lentils, then cover them with cold water, bring to the boil and cook until tender but still holding their shape (15–30 minutes, depending on their age).
• Meanwhile, gently sauté the onion and celery in the oil until they are soft but not coloured.
• Drain the lentils, add them to the onion mixture and stir them round to coat in the cooking juices.
• Add the dressing and parsley and season really well, then gently stir in the red onion.
• purple-sprouting broccoli with melting anchovies
• Trim the broccoli stalks and steam until just tender; it will take four or five minutes.
• Drain the anchovies and gently heat the extra virgin oil in a small frying pan.
• Add the garlic and chilli and cook for a few minutes until the garlic is a very pale gold.
• Add the anchovies and press them with the back of a wooden spoon to break them up; the heat of the oil makes them melt into a sauce.
• Toss the warm broccoli with this, adding lemon and pepper.
• Serve with a drizzle more extra virgin oil over the top.

radish and caper salad

• Trim the radishes and cut them into very thin slices lengthways (a mandoline is good for this).
• Toss with all the other ingredients and taste for seasoning.

• Make the dressing by mixing the lemon juice, mustard and salt and pepper in a cup and whisking in the extra virgin oil.
• Stir in the parsley and capers and taste.
• You may want more lemon or oil.
• Put the eggs into boiling water and cook for seven minutes, then briefly run cold water over them.
• Trim the base off each asparagus stalk and finely peel off any the skin that looks tough.
• Boil or steam the asparagus until just tender (four to six minutes).
• When the eggs are cool enough to handle but still warm, quickly remove the shells and chop the yolks and whites together.
• As soon as the asparagus is cooked, drain it and divide between six plates.
• Season with salt and pepper and spoon the dressing on top, then put the chopped egg across the middle of the asparagus.
• Drizzle with some more extra virgin oil and serve.

• Break or cut any woody ends off the asparagus and put the eggs on to boil.
• When the eggs have cooked for seven minutes, drain and plunge them into cold water.
• Leave to cool a little, but only until they are cool enough to handle.
• Put them into a wire basket or a bowl lined with a tea towel, pulling the tea towel round the eggs to keep them warm.
• Meanwhile, cook the asparagus either in an asparagus pan, or in a regular pan (covered) with the base of the stems in about 5cm (2in) of boiling water and the rest of the stalks and the tips propped up against the side.
• It should take four to six minutes and the spears should be just tender when pierced with the point of a knife.
• Lift the asparagus out of the water, briefly pat dry with a tea towel, put on a platter and drizzle with extra virgin oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Take the bottle of oil to the table with the red wine vinegar and seasoning.
• Each person should peel and mash their egg, adding vinegar and extra virgin oil (about 1 tsp vinegar and 2 tbsp oil per person is about right).
• more spears…
• asparagus with prawns and dill Prepare and cook 1.
• 5kg (3lb 5oz) asparagus as for Asparagus, veneto style.
• While it’s cooking, melt 75g (2¾oz) butter in a frying pan and gently warm 200g (7oz) cooked, shelled and deveined prawns (ideally organic) with the chopped fronds from 6 sprigs of dill.
• Divide the asparagus between plates (or serve on a large platter).
• Spoon some prawns and dill butter over each serving and season.
• Serves 8.

• Put the apricots into a saucepan with the apple juice and sugar and pour in 100ml (3½fl oz) of water.
• Set over a medium heat and bring to just under the boil.
• Take the pan off the heat and leave to plump up overnight (turn the fruit over every so often to make sure all sides are getting soaked).
• Put the apricots and their liquid in a food processor and whizz to a purée.
• You need to get it as fine as you can, so keep puréeing.
• Push this through a sieve (with not too fine a mesh), pressing hard to get as much of the mixture through as possible.
• You shouldn’t end up with that much left in the sieve.
• Stir the apricot purée into the yogurt, completely incorporating it, then mix in the crème fraîche.
• Taste for sweetness.
• Pour into an ice-cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• While it’s churning, add the honey.
• If you don’t have an ice-cream machine, pour the mixture into a broad, shallow freezer-proof container and put into the freezer.
• You need to break the mixture up – the easiest way is to whizz it in a food processor – three or four times during the freezing process so the ice crystals are broken down for a smooth ice cream.
• Add the honey during the last time you beat the mixture.

• For the chicken, put the saffron and lemon juice in a small pan, heat gently and stir to help the saffron stamens dissolve.
• Remove from the heat and mix with the zest, garlic, chillies and olive oil.
• Tear the mint leaves into the pan.
• Put the chicken thighs into a broad, shallow non-reactive dish and pour the marinade over.
• Turn them over to make sure they get completely coated, then cover with cling film and put in the fridge to marinate.
• Leave for about 30 minutes.
• At the same time, pour boiling water over the cherries for the couscous and leave them to plump up for 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle the couscous into a bowl, pour over the stock or water and the olive oil.
• Leave for 15 minutes.
• Fork it through to separate the grains, then add the garlic, lemon juice and zest, extra virgin oil, salt and pepper.
• Stir in the herbs, spring onions, pistachios, pea shoots and drained cherries.
• To make the yogurt sauce, mix the yogurt with the extra virgin oil and garlic and place in a serving dish.
• Sprinkle the microleaves or radish matchsticks on top.
• Heat a griddle pan until it is really hot.
• Lift the chicken out of the marinade and griddle it (you will have to do it in two batches if your pan is small), turning frequently.
• You want to get a good dark golden colour on each side.
• Make sure the chicken is cooked (cut into the underside to check: the juices should run clear with no trace of pink).
• Serve it with the couscous and yogurt sauce.