Amy says: “This is a simple version of a classic dish using cheap store cupboard ingredients. The spices are mild, so if you like a bit more heat, just add a little chilli or use hot curry powder.”

Feeds 2

Cooking time: 15 min

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 2 x 160g tins of mackerel in oil
• 1 tablespoon mild or hot curry powder (depending on how spicy you like it)
• 2 x 250g pouches of cooked long grain rice
• 50ml whole milk
• small handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, to serve (optional)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Bring a saucepan of water to a vigorous boil. Gently lower the eggs into the pan with a slotted spoon and simmer for 8 minutes – this will be enough to hard-boil them.

While the eggs are cooking, prepare the rice. Place the onion and a drizzle of oil from the mackerel tin in a large, non-stick frying pan. Fry the onion for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.

Add the curry powder and fry for 1 minute, then add the pouches of rice, the mackerel and the milk. Reduce the heat to low and fry gently for 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the rice and mackerel. The rice will separate easily as it heats up.

When the eggs are ready, place them in a bowl of cold water.

When the rice is fully heated through, season with salt and pepper. Divide the kedgeree between 2 plates. 

Shell the eggs, and cut each egg into quarters. Arrange the quarters over the rice in each bowl. 

Finish with some finely chopped parsley and a little black pepper before serving, if you wish.

Tip

As well as a comforting dinner, kedgeree makes a lovely lunch as you can eat it hot or cold. Just prep it the night before and store it in an airtight container.

Amy says: “The traditional version of this requires you to marinate the chicken overnight and it has considerably more ingredients. This isn’t the quickest recipe in the chapter, but the hands-on time is under 10 minutes. It’s a fast-cook version of a classic curry, which you can put together with no fuss, even on the busiest of days. This is a two-pan meal if served with rice.”

Feeds 4–6 

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 750g chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon mild or hot chilli powder (depending on how spicy you like it)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 200g passata
• 1 x 400g tin of full-fat coconut milk
• boiled white rice and naan breads, to serve
• small handful of coriander, finely chopped, to serve (optional)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Melt the butter in a large saucepan with a lid, on a medium heat. Add the onion and fry (without the lid) for 5 minutes, until the onion has softened. 

Add the chicken and fry for a further 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside.

Stir in the tomato purée, garlic, ginger, chilli powder, paprika, cumin and garam masala. Fry for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly. 

Stir in the passata and coconut milk, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a vigorous boil, then turn down the heat to its lowest setting and place the lid on the saucepan.

Simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, and then remove the lid and increase the heat to high to thicken the sauce. 

Serve with rice and naan bread, and sprinkled with coriander, if you wish.

Amy says: “I love lasagne, but I hate the pile of dishes it creates and how long it takes to cook. This is a one-pan version that tastes just as good as the real thing, with half the fuss. Serve with salad.”

Feeds 4

Cooking time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• olive oil, for frying
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 500g beef mince
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 500ml beef stock
• 5 sheets of fresh lasagne
• 100g ricotta cheese
• handful of grated mature cheddar cheese, plus extra to serve
• small handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, to serve (optional)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Drizzle a little oil into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan with a lid, and place on a medium heat. Add the onion and fry (without the lid) for 5 minutes, until softened.

Add the beef mince and fry for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until browned. 

Add the garlic, tomato purée and oregano for the final 1 minute to soften the garlic a little.

Stir in the tomatoes and stock, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have begun to break down and the sauce has thickened and reduced a little.

In the meantime, using scissors or a sharp knife, cut up the sheets of lasagne lengthways, each into 7 or 8 strips. Add the pasta strips to the sauce, stirring to distribute them evenly. Simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes, to soften.

In the meantime, beat the ricotta with a fork until smooth, then stir it into the sauce along with the cheddar. Place the lid on the pan, turn off the heat and leave to rest for 3 minutes.

Divide the mixture between 4 bowls and finish with a little more grated cheese, a grinding of black pepper and a sprinkling of chopped parsley, if you wish.

Tip

You can use fresh tagliatelle instead of sliced lasagne sheets if you prefer.

Hob: A Simpler Way To Cook: 80 Deliciously Simple Recipes For Everyone by Amy Sheppard (£18.99, Bloomsbury Absolute) is out 10 June. Pre-order here