This is a variation on a theme, a favourite combination of creamy white beans, firm white fish and spicy chorizo. Here I’ve used butter beans added to a slop of diced tomato flavoured with a splash of white wine and plump little chorizo cooking sausages. Fillets of hake are then laid over the top, the…

I eat asparagus most days while our asparagus season reigns. Risotto is a perfect way of turning it into a glorious mid-week treat and adding torn leftover roast chicken towards the end, makes a very complementary addition. It’s not an occasion to hold back on butter and one to use freshly grated Parmesan. Special stock…

This is a very simple, very effective way of turning cherry tomatoes into a superb and versatile salad. The tomatoes are pierced then grilled or roasted briefly at 180C/gas mark 4, just a few minutes, until they slacken and turn very juicy but removed from the heat before they completely collapse. The tomatoes are doused…

Plump little pork patties pack a punch with ginger and lemon zest, the mixture held firm with egg yolk and moistened by breadcrumbs mixed with crème fraiche. I served them over lentils moistened with stock piled with lightly cooked green beans but they go with anything you fancy or piled into warmed pitta bread with…

Simple but lovely flavours and slippery texture. An easy, almost healthy, colourful make ahead pasta supper. Serves 2Prep: 20 minCook: 30 min 2 small or 1 large Romano red peppers4 vine tomatoes1-2 tbsp olive oil200g orecchiette pastaknob of butter150ml baby spinach1 lime250g halloumi Heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Halve the tomatoes round their…

I used a fish pie mix for this pie because I happened to have one (www.rickstein.com) in the freezer. Actually I had two, so ending up with a kilo of fish, adding raw, peeled prawns and half a dozen scallops. It was Easter. The fish is held in a parsley and hard-boiled egg sauce under…

Fear not if this mixture of herbs, vegetables, eggs and cheese sounds odd and the mixture seems crumbly, once the patties begin to fry, the halloumi melts into a safety net. Serve with a chilli-hot crisp salad or salsa. Serves 4Prep: 30 min plus 20 min chillingCook: 20 min 140g carrot180g courgette2 eggs3 spring onions50g…

Polpette is the Italian name for meatballs but I tend to use when the meatballs are smaller than usual, about the size of a cherry tomato. These polpette are flavoured with lemon zest and parsley and simmered in chicken. Some of the cooking liquid is simmered with roast tomatoes to make sauce for the polpette….

I have a small but devoted number of followers who were distraught when the Times dispensed with my Dinner Tonight column and tracked my website down. I am not very good at promoting myself but I always respond when I get e mails and the other day one of those followers, let’s call him Jim,…

The shepherd who makes this pie has leftover roast duck to finish up and he loves duck with peas. With a hint of lemon added to the mash, this is a rich and very special shepherd’s pie. There’s another duck shepherd’s pie amongst my recipes, here’s the link Roast Duck and Orange Shepherd’s Pie. Serves…