Prawn, lime, peanut and herb rice noodles

If you've always thought cooking for yourself is a bit dispiriting buy Signe Johansen's book Solo which is full of delicious and inspiring recipes like this zingy pad thai-ish dish of prawn noodles.

Signe writes: This is a super dish to rustle up when you’re tired and hungry - it takes just minutes to prepare and can be eaten either hot or at room temperature. An ice-cold beer alongside wouldn’t go amiss, but a glass of green or jasmine tea also makes an excellent accompaniment.

WARNING: this recipe includes peanuts

Serves 1 (generously. It would easily stretch to two FB)

100g thick or thin rice noodles

vegetable or sunflower oil, for frying

150g raw shelled prawns (or defrosted frozen ones)

1–2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1 spring onion, thinly sliced

small bunch of mint and/or coriander, roughly chopped

1 small carrot, coarsely grated or cut into ribbons with a vegetable peeler

small handful of salted peanuts, roughly crushed

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

lime wedge, to serve (optional)

For the sauce

grated zest and juice of 2 unwaxed limes

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp soft light brown sugar or palm sugar

1 red chilli, finely diced

1 garlic clove, finely grated

Combine the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl.

Cook the rice noodles according to the packet instructions until al dente, drain,

toss them in the sauce and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a skillet or frying pan over a medium heat, add the prawns and fry for a few minutes until golden-pink and opaque – remove them from the pan as soon as they’re done so they don’t become tough. Add the garlic, chilli and spring onion to the same pan once you’ve removed the prawns and fry gently for a couple of minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and return the prawns to the pan so all the flavours blend.

Serve the noodles in a shallow pasta bowl or on a dinner plate and scatter over the prawns, herbs, carrot and crushed peanuts. Season to taste and add a lime wedge, if you wish.

Variation: Feel free to add other vegetables such as chopped pepper, broccoli or beansprouts (raw or cooked). I sometimes like to add edamame beans, broad beans and grated courgette, too.

What to drink: I had a bottle of Japanese koshu wine open which went perfectly but a dry riesling or grüner veltliner would also be delicious

Extracted from Solo by Signe Johansen published by Bluebird Books at £16.99. Photograph © Patricia Niven.

Grilled halloumi flatbreads with preserved lemon and barberry salsa

Like many of Sabrina Ghayour's fans I've been hugely looking forward to her new book Bazaar which brings her vibrant cooking style to vegetarian food. You'll need to get a copy of your own (unless you're a subscriber and stand to win one if you're lucky) but here's a taster.

Sabrina writes: "This is my version of a taco, but with all the punch and vibrancy you would associate with Middle Eastern flavours. You can substitute the halloumi for Indian paneer or tofu. The flatbreads alone are incredibly moreish – you may never buy shop-bought flatbreads again!

2 x 250g blocks halloumi cheese

2 tablespoons Greek-style yogurt

5cm piece of fresh turmeric, peeled and finely grated

1 garlic clove, crushed

finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lime

good squeeze of lime juice

vegetable oil

1 x recipe ‘Shaken’ Sweet Quick Pickled Onions (see below)

pul biber chilli flakes, to garnish

Maldon sea salt flakes and black pepper

For the flatbreads

30g unsalted butter, melted

175g plain flour

100ml semi-skimmed milk

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons garlic granules

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the salsa

½ small packet (about 15g) of fresh dill, roughly chopped

4 preserved lemons, deseeded and very finely chopped

1 tablespoon dried barberries

1 avocado, peeled, stoned and roughly diced

2 teaspoons nigella seeds

For the harissa yoghurt

250g Greek-style yoghurt

1 heaped tbsp rose harissa

Cut each block of halloumi into 4 thick, equal slices. Put the yogurt, grated turmeric, crushed garlic and lime zest into a bowl, add the lime juice and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Leave the halloumi slices to marinate while you’re making the flatbreads.

Put all the flatbread ingredients, except the oil, into a mixing bowl and mix until a firm dough has formed. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

To make the salsa, mix the ingredients together in a small bowl, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

To make the harissa yoghurt, mix the ingredients together in another bowl, season with salt and pepper, and chill until ready to serve.

When you’re ready to cook the flatbreads, preheat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll out each piece into a thin round, about 25cm in diameter. Brush the hot pan with olive oil and cook the flatbreads, one at a time, for about 45–60 seconds on each side, or until lightly browned.

In the same frying pan, heat a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat. Add the marinated halloumi slices and fry for about 1 minute on each side, or until nicely browned.

Divide the halloumi between the flatbreads and dollop a generous amount of the harissa yogurt on top. Add the salsa and some pickled onions, then sprinkle over some pul biber. Roll up and serve immediately.

For the 'shaken' sweet quick-pickled onions you will need

1 large red onion, halved and very thinly sliced into half moons

1 tbsp caster sugar

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp pul biber chilli flakes

generous amount of Maldon sea salt flakes

Combine all the ingredients in a lidded plastic container. Close the lid tightly and shake vigorously for a couple of minutes until the onion slices soften then serve. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 days in a sealed container.

What to drink: Take your pick from a crisp fresh zesty white like a sauvignon blanc, a nice chilled glass of rosé or a cold beer.

Bazaar by Sabrina Ghayour is published by Mitchell Beazley, £26 (www.octopusbooks.co.uk). Photography by Kris Kirkham.

Clams Stir-fried with Roasted Chilli Paste

Though I long to recreate its singing flavours I've always been slightly daunted by Thai food. The recipes always seem so long and complex and contain so many ingredients.

If you feel the same you're going to love Baan, the latest book from Kay Plunkett-Hogge who was born and brought up in Thailand and makes its sensational food miraculously simple. It's like having a personal cooking class in a book.

This simple recipe for stir-fried clams - Baan_Hoy Lai Pad Nam Prik Pao - is typical. "For a dish that takes so little time to make, this tastes surprisingly complex" writes Kay. "The sweet clams, rich chilli paste and fresh basil create a perfect balance of flavour."

Serves 2–4 as a part of a meal

500 g/1 lb 2 oz clams

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2–3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 tbsp nam prik pao (roasted chilli paste - see below)

1 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)

1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar

2 long red chillies, sliced diagonally

a handful of Thai sweet basil leaves (If you can’t find Thai basil, you can use regular basil instead)

In a colander, rinse the clams well under cold running water, discarding any open ones that refuse to close after a firm tap with the back of a knife.

On a high heat, heat the wok until it’s very hot and add the oil. Add the garlic and fry until golden. Add the clams and the nam prik pao, and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes.

One at a time, add the nam pla, sugar, 2 tbsp water and the chillies, stirring them in well after each addition. Continue to cook, stirring all the time, until all the clams have opened (discard any that remain closed).

Finally, add most of the basil and stir it in until wilted.

Serve at once, with the last few basil leaves scattered over the top.

There are so many brands of nam prik pao on the market and it will keep in the fridge for ages. My preferred brand is Mae Pranom. As a kid, I used to eat it spread on thick white bread... Try it!

What to drink: Kay intriguingly favours big reds like shiraz and shiraz/viognier with her food but I'm not sure I'd follow suit with this clam dish. Go for one of her other suggestions, a versatile grüner veltliner instead,

From Baan by Kay Plunkett-Hogge is published by Pavilion at £20. Photography © Louise Hagger.

Artichoke and preserved lemon dip

This brilliant storecupboard dip was taught to me by my friend cookery writer Trish Deseine who rustled it up in no time when I was staying with her recently.

I’ve made it - or roughly how I think she made it - twice since then and everyone has loved it

You need to be flexible about the quantities which will vary depending on the ingredients you’re using. Keep tasting!

Serves 4-6

30g mature parmesan cheese, broken into chunks

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

a small (around 290g) jar of grilled artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped or about 175g loose grilled artichokes from a deli

1 small or 1/2 larger preserved lemon, pulp and pips removed and chopped

A small handful of parsley leaves - about 10g - roughly chopped + a few extra parsley leaves to decorate

Extra virgin olive oil - about 100ml

Good squeeze of lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the parmesan and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the consistency of coarse crumbs. Add the drained artichokes, the preserved lemon peel and parsley and whizz again. Gradually add the olive oil in a steady stream until the mixture reaches a dippable consistency. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon into a bowl or onto a plate and sprinkle with extra parsley. Serve with pitta bread, breadsticks or crisp Italian-style flatbread.

What to drink: artichokes are supposed to be tricky with wine but I’ve already found two that pair well: a citrussy sauvignon blanc and a verdicchio. Other dry Italian whites would work too.