easy dinner ideas

Peppered Steak with Whisky Sauce
Peppered Steak with Whisky Sauce

Peppered Steak with Whisky Sauce excerpted from Comfort in One: Simple, joyful one pot meals – The Sunday Times Bestseller by Hari Beavis. Photography by Dan Jones.

Comfort in One: Simple, joyful one pot meals - The Sunday Times Bestseller by Hari Beavis

‘Gen Z’s new favourite chef’
The Times

Dive into a world of easy comfort food with the latest cookbook from Sunday Times bestselling author Hari Beavis.

Renowned for her down-to-earth approach and irresistible flavours, Hari brings you a collection of heart-warming meals that require just one pan, pot, tray or tin.

Each dish comes with handy alternative ingredient suggestions, allowing you to adapt to what’s already in your store cupboard and tailor your meals to any craving or dietary preference. From speedy suppers to slow-cooked comfort classics, you’ll find inspiration for every mood and occasion. 

Recipes include:

  • Green Goddess Winter Pie – a nourishing, flaky-crusted delight 
  • Rosé Wine Prawn Pasta – effortless elegance in one pan 
  • Chorizo and Manchego Red Pepper Traybake – bold flavours with zero fuss 
  • Slow Cooker Birria Tacos – tender, melt-in-the-mouth goodness 
  • Garlic Butter, Lemon Chicken Orzo – creamy and comforting in a single pot 
  • Pumpkin Risotto with Bacon and Walnut Crunch – seasonal indulgence at its best 
  • Creamy Salmon Salad with Dill and Chive Dressing – a light yet satisfying bowl 
  • Mozzarella, Peach and Prosciutto Salad – sweet, salty perfection 
  • Lemon, Olive Oil and Thyme Cake – tangy and aromatic, all in one tin 

With 90 soul-soothing recipes that champion simplicity and flavour, this cookbook invites you to relax, dig in, and discover how easy it is to whip up truly comforting meals. Let Hari Beavis guide you to your new favourite dish – one pot at a time.  (more…)

One-Pot Chicken & Saffron Orzo
One-Pot Chicken & Saffron Orzo

One-Pot Chicken & Saffron Orzo excerpted from Tony Tan’s Asian Cooking Class by Tony Tan. Photography by Mark Roper.

One-Pot Chicken & Saffron Orzo

An Asian cookbook written with fresh eyes by an author whose soul lies in Asia but who has adopted techniques and ingredients from the west that endear his recipes to cooks everywhere.

Structured by food type – from meat, poultry and seafood to vegetables, and dumplings – Tony Tan’s Cooking Class takes readers through the fundamentals of more than 100 beloved dishes, many core to the canon, others dishes that he has made his own. Tan shares insights on the key building blocks, from the art of the wok to understanding the role of oils and fats to noodles 101 and the essential pantry. Beautifully photographed, thoughtfully illustrated and evocatively written, this is the essential book for a new generation on the essential foods and techniques of Asian cuisine from a beloved teacher, cook, writer and respected expert.

Tony Tan’s Asian Cooking Class by Tony Tan is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Indigo.ca.   

 

 

One-Pot Chicken & Saffron Orzo

If it’s not already evident by the number of rice recipes in this cookbook, I cook rice a lot. But when I want a pleasant change, one of my favourite carbs to cook is orzo. It absorbs flavour like a sponge, and when cooked with the right liquid ratio, it can be silky smooth and pleasant to eat. (more…)

Pasta Al Forno
Pasta Al Forno

Pasta Al Forno excerpted from The Italian Family Kitchen: Authentic Recipes That Celebrate Homestyle Italian Cooking by Eva Santaguida. Photography by Elysa Weitala.

The Italian Family Kitchen: Authentic Recipes That Celebrate Homestyle Italian Cooking by Eva Santaguida

Learn the secrets of authentic Italian home cooking, passed down through the generations with love, and embrace a passion for good food as you cook your way through 100 comforting recipes.

Distilling the episodic knowledge Eva Santaguida and Harper Alexander share on their popular Italian cooking YouTube channel, Pasta Grammar (@PastaGrammar), The Italian Family Kitchen shares how to make uncompromisingly authentic Italian recipes while also putting the food into the greater context of the Italian culinary landscape.

Learn how to make favourite classics, discover new and surprising dishes, acquire hands-on Italian kitchen skills, get actionable tips on how to source the right ingredients or find substitutes, and learn how to put it all together into memorable, lifestyle-fitting meals. ​In The Italian Family Kitchen you’ll find:

  • 100 straightforward, delicious, and comforting recipes from all over Italy
  • Recipes organized by course, including Fritti (fried appetizers and street food), Bread and Pizza, Ragù, Pasta, Riso (rice), Secondo (second courses), Contorno (side dishes), and Dolce (desserts) ​
  • Basic recipes for making fresh egg and semolina pastas, potato gnocchi, simple tomato sauce, and besciamella
  • How to stock your Italian kitchen​
  • Stunning photography throughout​

Experience the real food of Italy, just as a lucky guest would witness in a family kitchen in Italy. (more…)

Book Review: Southern Soups and Stews

Dip your spoon into a Cajun-style gumbo; savour a layered muddle of snapper, potatoes, onions, and poached eggs; feast on okra soup coloured with red-ripe tomatoes; eat Hoppin’ John for luck on New Year’s Day.

Nancie McDermott’s Southern Soups & Stews serves up recipes seasoned with history—from Nathalie Dupree’s Lowcountry Okra and Shrimp Gumbo to Summer Squash Soup with Black Pepper and Thyme, to Collard Greens with Pot Likker and Dumplings—offering us a glimpse of how people farmed, cooked, and continue to celebrate life over time. Travel around the South and you will find folks still eating the dishes today because the meals are delicious, compelling, and certain to attract and please a big table of family and friends.

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