A top chef explores the connection between food and mood

-- Niklas Ekstedt, co-author of Happy Food for Life, isn’t feeling too cheerful. People from northern Europe, we are almost always a bit frustrated when we meet people from the south, who always seem to have a smile on their face.” In the new book, Niklas and co-author Henrik Ennart, a medical science journalist, dive deeper into topics originally covered in their original book, Happy Food. “The GI value is lower if you choose pasta made from durum wheat and serve it al dente,” he says. Here we balance the pasta with black pepper and pine nuts that stabilize the blood sugar and feelings of hunger.” Niklas says it’s a dish he often cooks at home for his kids, where he uses pasta to challenge them with other ingredients, such as sage. Then when you have this hazelnut flavor to the butter you can add the chopped sage.” Ingredients: 400 grams dried pappardelle pasta 2 cloves of garlic 3 tablespoons butter 8–10 sage leaves, plus extra to garnish 50g Parmesan cheese 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted black pepper for serving Preparation: Cook the pasta al dente, according to the instructions on the packaging.