Olive Oil Granola with Oodles of Nuts & Seeds

I've always been a bit suspicious of granola because adding lots of oil and sugar

to an otherwise healthy muesli doesn't seem a very sensible idea. Then I found a

recipe that used extra-virgin olive oil, had less sugar than usual and was seasoned

with sea salt, which counteracted the sweetness.

I was intrigued, so I tried it and adapted it and - let me tell you - the smell of it baking in the oven is amazing. It is also great as a topping for ice cream, as a makeshift crumble topping (just add a touch of plain flour) or sprinkled on a baked apple (see page 262). It makes a fab present poured into a Kilner jar and wrapped up with a brightly coloured bow.This makes a large batch that keeps for several months in an airtight container.

Recipe:

• 500g rolled oats
• 125g almonds, roughly chopped
• 125g walnuts, roughly chopped
• 100g pumpkin seeds
• 100g sunflower seeds
• 100g linseeds
• 100ml apple juice
• 75g unsweetened coconut flakes
• 75g maple syrup
• 75ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 50g soft light brown sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 140°C/gas 1.

Put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir well to mix them thoroughly.

Spread the mix out across a few baking sheets in fairly thin layers.

Bake in the oven for about 1 hour, stirring the granola every 15 minutes, and circulating the trays to different levels of the oven and turning from back to front. The granola is cooked when it looks toasted and golden. Cool, stir well and season to taste with a little more salt if it needs it. Store in an airtight container.

Why not try my cheat's granola?

Dollop thick Greek yogurt between 2 bowls. Toast 1 tbsp quinoa in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until it starts to pop and transfer to a plate. Toast a handful of chopped nuts (walnuts, pistachios, skin-on almonds) in the same pan, shaking so as to toast them evenly. Roughly chop a handful of medjool dates and scatter over the yogurt with the nuts and quinoa. Season with grated lemon zest, a pinch of salt and a few tsp of your best extra-virgin olive oil and eat at once. Feeds 2.

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