Gluten, Wheat and Dairy Free Cookbook: Over 200 allergy-free recipes, from the ‘Sensitive Gourmet’

Mix in the tuna fish, chilli sauce/oil, clams and half the parsley and simmer gently until the clams are heated through. Do not boil the soup or the clams will become rubbery. Serve the soup immediately with the remaining fresh parsley sprinkled over.

Tomato Mousse and Avocado Ceviche

Here, the traditional Mexican mix of tomatoes, avocados, black beans, coriander (cilantro) and limes are put together in a more European way as an ideal starter.

Serves 6

100g/3½ oz/½ cup of dried black beans, soaked in water overnight

2 ripe avocados, skinned, stoned (pitted) and chopped

2 beef tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped

1 red chilli, seeded and chopped

1 small red onion, peeled and very finely chopped

The juice of 3 limes, and grated rind of 2 of them

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons of olive oil

3 tablespoons of coconut cream

1 teaspoon of coriander (cilantro) seeds, crushed

Large bunch of coriander (cilantro) leaves

MOUSSE

Sunflower oil for greasing

700g/24oz/3 cups of tomato passata

(GF) chilli sauce/oil and (GF) Worcestershire sauce

The juice of ½ a lemon

11.7g/½ oz sachet (US 1 tablespoon) of powdered gelatine or vegetarian equivalent

40g/1½ oz of rocket (arugula) leaves, washed and dried

6 ramekins, greased with sunflower oil and lined with baking parchment (wax paper)

The day before you need them, cook the soaked beans in boiling water until soft.

To make the ceviche, first drain and then mix the beans in a large bowl with the avocado, tomatoes, chilli, onion, lime juice and zest, seasoning, olive oil, coconut cream, coriander (cilantro) seeds and half of the chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.

Marinate overnight or for at least 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

To make the mousse, mix the tomato passata with the chilli and Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and seasoning to taste.

Dissolve the gelatine by stirring it into about 2 tablespoons of boiling water in a cup until it is clear and there are no lumps.

Stir this into the tomato mixture and place in the refrigerator to chill and thicken slightly.

After about 10 minutes, spoon the mousse into each ramekin and level off. Chill until set.

Cut the rocket (arugula) stems in half, and arrange on each plate.

Turn out each mousse onto the plate by briefly dipping the ramekins into a bowl of boiling water.

Remove the paper, spoon the avocado ceviche around the mousse.

Serve with Sesame Corn Crackers (see page 250), or Chilli and Herb Cornbread (see page 246).

Rocket, Fennel and Strawberry Salad

Always eat fresh strawberries at room temperature, as they lose their delicate flavour and natural sweetness when chilled. For sheer extravagance and a romantic dinner for two, you could use fraises de bois – cultivated ‘wild’ strawberries which are only available at exclusive stores.

Serves 4

100g/3½ oz/4 large handfuls of fresh, ready-to-eat baby rocket (arugula) leaves

1 large bulb of fresh fennel, trimmed and tough outer layers removed

300g/10½ oz/2 heaped cups of fresh strawberries, wiped clean and hulled

1 teaspoon of crushed coriander (cilantro) seeds

1 teaspoon of mild (GF) Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar

1 small mild red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

The juice of 1 large sweet orange

Arrange the rocket (arugula) leaves on each plate.

Using a very sharp knife, cut the fennel in half and then into wafer thin slices. Divide the fennel slices between the salads.

Cut the strawberries into thick slices and arrange them over the salads. (If you do succumb to the temptation of fraises de bois then keep the strawberries whole.)

Make the dressing in a small bowl by mixing together the coriander (cilantro) seeds, mustard, vinegar, chilli and orange juice. Whisk the dressing until it is smooth, drizzle it over the salads and serve.

Potato Skins and Hummus Dip