It was chilly Friday night so I was pleased to see a couple of Cumberland sausages had been pulled out of the freezer for tea.

No time for a full-on onion gravy so I improvised something quicker with storecupboard stuff. Also a good way to finally use the jar of caramelised onion chutney that’s been sat at the back of the fridge since Christmas.

While a brace of Cumberland rings were in a hot oven I started the sauce with beef stock in a shallow pan.

To that I added a teaspoon each of mustard, tomato purée and Worcester sauce (or Henderson’s Relish). Then in went a generous tablespoon of the onion chutney.

Over a fairly high heat this reduced by half in about 10 minutes. I then added a good tablespoon of creme fraiche to thicken the sauce and give it a lovely creamy consistency. It needs plenty of black pepper and a pinch of chilli powder or dash of tabasco to stop it being too sweet.

It was a great partner to the rich sausages and some winter veg.

And to the chaps who invented the Cumberland ring – I salute you!

So I’ve been making a lot of pesto (very simply parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, basil, olive oil whizzed together) and looking for different ways to use it. This one’s a lovely, light casserole.

The meatballs are optional, but I had some Toulouse sausages I wanted to use and they give excellent flavour to the sauce. I use the sausage ‘meatball’ technique a lot for pasta sausages – slit the skins lengthwise and remove then cut the sausage into four and round them off a bit.

Once they’re done, brown off some chicken thighs. Remove them and in the same pan, sweat an onion, carrot, celery, garlic and mushrooms.

Pour in a slug of white wine or vermouth to loosen any chickeny bits from the bottom of the pan and add a pile of chopped fresh tomatoes and a good couple of dollops of pesto.

Cover this with stock and stir well. This needs at least an hour in a medium/hot oven – about 170 degC. The sauce will thicken a little but stays quite light and fresh thanks to the tomatoes and pesto.

It was lovely with new potatoes and some garden beans.

This is a rediscovered family favourite.

Not sure why I’d forgotten about it, or why it came up in conversation with my mum recently, but  once remembered it’s reestablished itself on our midweek menu very quickly indeed. Probably because it’s so simple to make and tastes amazing – I’m sure there’s a degree of nostalgia involved too.

Firstly get some spuds on for mash. While they’re cooking, slowly sweat a diced onion in a little butter and oil – it doesn’t matter if they pick up a little bit of colour.

Mash the potatoes with a splash of milk and a knob of butter then add a handful of grated strong cheese. I used Lancashire most recently as I’d just come back from there and always bring some home, but I’d normally use a good extra mature Welsh cheddar.

Stir the cheese into the mash and add the fried onions. Put this mix into an ovenproof dish and use a fork to ridge the surface. Sprinkle another handful of grated cheese over the top.

Put this under the grill until the top is golden and crispy.

Perfect with sausages, baked ham or gammon. Thanks mum x.

I’m not sure why, but every so often, the conversation in the office comes round to chicken Kiev. Everyone loves it – there’s a distinct sense of general excitement if someone’s having Kiev for tea.

In recent years I may have progressed to the M&S variety, but there’s still a place in my heart for the ever-so-dirty Bernard Matthews mini Kiev.

And apparently there’s been a Kiev revival – it’s so naff, it’s cool again in London eateries by all accounts and I spotted an article in a recent Restaurant magazine that shared one of the ‘new’ recipes.

I’ve made this before many times but the new secret I’ve discovered is to boil the garlic before mixing into the butter.

My own personal secret is to use panko breadcrumbs – I’m a huge fan of these but they’re buggers to find and I wish the supermarkets would catch on. I found some in a Chinese grocers in Lancaster recently (random, I know) and stocked up. They’re slightly sweet and super crispy so perfect for fishcakes and I pressed them into Kiev duty.

I’m lucky to have a fantastic chicken supplier at the farmers’ market in Roath so was off to a good start with a couple of lovely chicken supremes (breasts with the wing joint left in).

First up, boil a clove of garlic per chicken breast in water for about 10 minutes until soft and mellowed. Mash this into a good tablespoon of butter per Kiev and add some chopped parsley if you have any. This now smells amazing.

Wrap in foil and pop into the fridge for half an hour to firm up.

Cut a pocket in the thickest part of the chicken breast. Divide the garlic butter evenly and press it into the pocket – seal this up with a cocktail stick or two.

Get three dishes ready – flour, beaten egg and breadcumbs. Each Kiev needs a good coating of flour, a soak in the egg so it’s fully covered then a turn around in the breadcrumbs until covered.

Fry in about an inch of hot oil in a deep pan until golden brown – about five minutes a each side – then finish off in a hot (200 degC) oven for about 15 mins to make sure the chicken’s cooked through.

OK, it’s a bit of a faff compared to buying readymade – but the difference in flavour, the guarantee that you’re getting good quality chicken and the bragging rights for making it yourself are all worth it.

Get stuck in!

In a short series of pie posts (two, to be honest), I thought I’d share my very easy approach to Shepherds/Cottage pie. And a real quick cheat’s version.

Again, start with a pan of spuds.

Gently fry a finely diced onion and carrot for about five minutes, then add mince (lamb or beef depending on your pie of choice) and fry until golden. This is all about building up layers of flavour at this stage. Drain off a little of the fat and stir through a dessertspoon of plain flour to thicken the gravy.

Add hot stock – beef, lamb or Swiss bouillon powder, plenty of black pepper and a small pinch of mixed herbs. A teaspoon of mustard is great with beef or the same of tomato puree with lamb. A squirt of Worcester sauce (or if you’re lucky enough to live far enough north to get Henderson’s Relish) is always a winner.

Simmer this for about 20 mins while the potatoes cook. With a slotted spoon, remove the meat and veg to an ovenproof dish, reserving the gravy for later. Top with mash and smoosh up the surface a bit so it crisps up. Crispy bits rule.

Cook in a hot oven, as above, for about 20 – 30 mins until golden and erupting like a little meaty volcano. Serve with the warmed gravy, peas and beans.

The picture’s of a recent experiment with a sliced potato topping – uses fewer spuds so is probably a bit healthier. I just topped with a couple of layers of finely sliced potatoes instead of mash and sprinkled a little cheese over the top. I’m not that good at doing healthy, really.

And here’s the cheat’s version – I’m going to call it Rustler’s Pie as we’re using someone else’s beef…

I’m with Delia on rating M&S tins quite highly – I was brought up eating stewed steak, mash and veg and still love it. The M&S chunky steak is lovely and warmed in a pan with half cup of stock, a handful of peas and a finely diced carrot makes a great instant base for a cottage pie. Top with mash, as above and whack it in a hot oven.

Purists may not like it – but what the hell’s wrong with knocking up a cottage pie  in half an hour when you’re hungry and in need of comfort food.

I can’t eat any of these without lots of bread and butter to mop up the gravy. And some ale.

So what do I call my version of this classic British dish that I make with diced pork? I’m going for Pigsty Pie – there’s a certain logic to it.

A pork fillet/tenderloin usually finds its way into my weekly shop – versatile, cheap and easy – and it’s always a good starting point for something very tasty.

So while a pan of spuds is boiling away for the mash topping, fry off diced pork. Shake over some spice to keep things interesting – paprika is good, as are ground fennel seeds, or go for Czech spice. Throw in a sliced onion and a red/yellow pepper too.

Once the meat has picked up a nice bit of colour and the spice has filled the kitchen with lovely aromatic aromas, add a mugful of stock and give it a good stir. Simmer for about ten minutes before adding a big spoonful of creme fraiche to thicken the sauce. Give it another five minutes or so to all come together and reduce then pop it all into an ovenproof dish and make the mash.

Spread the mash evenly over the top and work it over with a fork to ensure you get good crispy bits on top. Bake in a  hot oven – about 200 degC for about 30 mins or until golden brown.

Best served IMHO with green veg and piles of crusty bread.

I know a lot of people think it’s minging, but I’m a big fan of corned beef. In a sandwich with brown sauce on crusty white bread – heavenly.

So I also love a bit of corned beef hash. Which made me think about what else could be hashed.

There’s usually a pack of smoked mackerel in our freezer on standby for fishcake duties (and Hugh says we’re allowed) so I thought I’d try hashing it up.

Works a treat – I highly recommend this for simple, tasty and guaranteed-you’ve-never-had-it-before tea. And it’s cheap as chips. Cheaper, probably.

First up, parboil a pan of cubed spuds. Take them out and dry them off a bit.

In a big frying pan, fry up a sliced onion until translucent. Toss in the potatoes and fry for about 10 minutes until they start to crisp up and colour. Break up a couple of mackerel fillets into generous chunks, removing skin and bones and pop them into the pan – from now on, the less you move it all about the better as you won’t want things to break up too much.

Finally add some shredded spring cabbage – it’ll wilt in the heat of the pan and crisp up a bit round the edges too. Taste and season with salt and pepper. I wished I’d cooked a fried egg to go with it as that, I suspect, would top it all off perfectly.

All done – call it brunch and you could make a mint down your local gastropub.

I’ve been enjoying BBC’s The Good Cook over the last couple of weeks.

I first came across Simon Hopkinson a couple of years ago when I’d noticed his book ‘Roast Chicken and other Stories’ kept appearing at the top of  lists of  chefs’ favourite books or best cookbooks.

At the time I’d never heard of it, but there’s now a well-thumbed copy of it on my shelf too – I like his focus on ingredients and simplicity – something that comes through strongly on TV. Despite the director’s attempts to cram in every camera trick and lens effect available, which is a bit of a distraction.

The point of which is that his very simple risotto alla parmigiana was a reminder that risotto’s a dish that doesn’t need to be over complicated. Inspired, I made this light fresh vegetable version.

I just followed the usual method- there’s no better way as far as I’m concerned to banish the stresses and strains of the day than with the methodical, constant stirring of a risotto pan.

So I made a plain risotto – onion, rice, stock – and about five minutes before it was done added peas, chopped french beans and fresh broad beans from the garden. I had some prawns in the fridge so they went in too, but it was lovely with just the veg.

Finish with parmesan and butter.

I’ve been experimenting with different rices of late – currently using Carluccio’s carnaroli rice which is lovely and creamy.

It was quite strange to find out in my 20s that what I’d eaten all my life as spag bol was really nothing of the sort. It was ragu and it’s supposed to go with wide pasta.

And since I’ve discovered a more authentic version of Bolognese I’d got out of the habit of making the ragu that I’d grown up eating. I can’t recommend the Bolognese highly enough and there’s always a few tubs of it in the freezer, but there’s something about the food the way your mum used to cook it that somehow makes it taste better.

I was given a pasta machine for Christmas and it was playing about making ravioli and tagliatelle which reminded me it had been a couple of years since I’d knocked up a proper ragu.

So here’s my (or rather, mostly my mum’s) spag bol sauce – or ragu if we’re being pedantic about it. It’s rich, herby and smells like nothing else on earth while it’s simmering away.

Although it’s quick to prepare, I allow at least an hour for cooking time so often make a big pot on a weekend to freeze in batches for quick midweek teas.

This is all about building up flavours so start by frying some smoked streaky bacon, pancetta or lardons. When they’re really crispy they come out and into their fat goes a pack of beef mince until its well browned. Again, remove and add finely chopped onion and garlic to the pan.

Fry until translucent and add veg – peppers, courgettes, mushrooms are all good but keep them in biggish chunks so they don’t all break up. Many traditional recipes start with a soffritto, but I personally think that to add carrot or celery would be the work of a madman. Up to you.

I’ll put a lid on this now for five minutes or so to let the veg sweat and give out its flavour to the sauce. Turn up the heat, pour in a glass of red wine and let it bubble away until it’s reduced by about half. Now add the meats back into the pan and stir in a good squeeze of tomato puree.

Add a tin of plum tomatoes (chop them up a bit) and use a jug of beef stock (about 400ml) to swill out any of the tomato juice left in the can. Grind in plenty of black pepper – salt it in about half an hour though once it’s cooked down a bit.

The last ingredient is mixed herbs or herbes de Provence. Put a good pinch in and then grind up another good pinch in the palm of your hand to a fine powder – it makes a mess but it infuses the sauce with great flavour.

Cook with a lid on for about 20mins and uncovered for at least another 40mins until it’s cooked down to a thick, rich, stewy sauce.

Stir through pappardelle, stuff it into ravioli or spoon on top of a pile of spaghetti and call it spag bol. Best served with the rest of the wine you opened and lots of parmesan and ground black pepper.

With a bag of prawns in the freezer I’m never more than 10 or 20 minutes away from something that feels fairly celebratory for tea. And more often than not, that’s a midweek curry, normally korma or something a bit Thai.

I spotted this recipe for Kerolan prawns in a recent Olive magazine. I found the original a bit bland so I’ve tweaked it with a bit more spice. So here’s my now totally inauthentic “Kerolan” prawn curry.

Fry a diced onion until translucent then add smooshed up garlic and ginger. Stir in a teaspoon of turmeric and (this is where I go off piste) two teaspoons of garam masarla and a pinch of chilli flakes. Let the spices toast a bit then add a tin of tomatoes.

Pop a pan of rice on.

Let the sauce reduce until thickened for about five minutes or so. Put the cooked prawns in for another three or four minutes to warm through.

Midweek curry in less than 15 minutes.