Paul Flynn: Three dishes to try before your new year’s diet

There’s a blackboard outside our neighbour’s pub that says: “2021, written by Stephen King, directed by Quentin Tarantino.” I couldn’t agree more. Every chink of light had a ball of muck on the other side. This year has to be better.

On a personal note, the hair loss and weight gain has stopped me from dressing like a thirtysomething. My wife remains mute on the subject. I suspect she’s being kind, but in 2022 I have to regain my mojo, so I can wear my yellow going-out shoes again.

Cooking is about the only gift I’ve been given. It comes naturally to me. I’m not sure where it came from, but I’m glad I have it. I would be a terrible electrician.

There’s one more blowout this weekend, before some of us go on a diet. As ever, these are dishes I mostly cook at home. I write a rough description as I cook, then finesse the recipe as we photograph the dishes.

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‘If you have to hide a cash incentive inside a food, it’s almost certainly not worth eating’

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The idea for the mushroom carbonara was given to me by my friend Ivan Whelan, a scion of the Allens of Ballymaloe. He has cooking in his blood. He used chanterelles, but it's the wrong time of year for those, so I am using chestnut mushrooms.

I adore Puy lentils. When served with fish, they bring a meatiness that butches everything up. Here I’m using hake but any white fish will do. The ginger lifts and the spinach lightens and the chilli is there for warmth, not heat. Restraint is my new byword.

Call me Shortcut Sam, but I’ve been a fan of shop-bought gnocchi for some time. This third dish has a Mediterranean vibe. I needed a bit of a change. Nduja is fabulous. A little in any dish will perk it up like a jolt of lightning, especially potentially drab chicken.

Recipe: Chestnut mushroom carbonara

Recipe: Baked hake with lentils, baby spinach, ginger and chilli

Recipe: Crispy chicken, pepper and nduja gnocchi