Comfort food to help my mood

Sometimes all I want for supper is a big comforting bowl of pasta, so I thought I’d work out a recipe that followed the advice on food and mood. I remembered a dish I used to have with my housemates years ago – smoked salmon and crème fraiche pasta. The smoked salmon contains omega-3, of course, and you can use smoked salmon trimmings which are cheaper than the slices.

To keep my blood sugar level steady, I switched the normal pasta for wholegrain spaghetti and added peas for some extra protein. Then I threw in some mushrooms which the mental health charity, Mind, says have high levels of potassium “which is essential for your whole nervous system, including your brain”. This is the result, comfort food which may genuinely help my mood.

Smoked salmon pasta with mushrooms and peas (serves 1)

Ingredients:

60g whole wheat pasta

A handful of mushrooms (about 120g)

Drizzle of cooking oil (olive, rapeseed or sunflower)

A handful frozen peas (about 50g)

50g half-fat crème fraiche

50g smoked salmon trimmings

Squeeze of lemon juice

Method: Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, setting the timer for the minimum cooking time. I set mine for 8 minutes because the cooking time was 8-10 minutes.

Slice the mushrooms and then fry them in a frying pan with a little cooking oil. Once they’re brown on both sides, take the pan off the heat.

When the timer goes off for the pasta, add a handful of peas to the pan, bring back to the boil and simmer for one minute. Drain and then quickly return the spaghetti and peas to the pan. You want some water still clinging to the spaghetti.

Add the creme fraiche to the pan and stir so it makes a sauce with the cooking water. Then add the smoked salmon and mushrooms. Stir together so everything’s mixed together. Squeeze some lemon over the top and eat.

It's possible to make a mess even when cooking a simple pasta dish