Easy Meals

125g (4½oz) preserved artichoke hearts (from a jar or tin), cut into bite-sized pieces

75g (3oz) preserved roasted red peppers (from a jar or tin), cut into 2cm (¾in) dice

50g (2oz) semi-sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped

½ red onion, peeled and finely chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp pesto

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

* Simply mix everything together in a big bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Haricot bean and tuna salad (#ulink_321c7458-d600-5d88-9092-9488e1d5fad9)

The intense flavours of sun-dried tomatoes and pesto can transform a tin of tuna into something really special. You can make this 2–3 hours ahead – store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Serves 4–6

PREPARATION TIME

5 minutes

4 tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes

2 x 400g tins of haricot beans, drained and rinsed

4 small spring onions, trimmed and sliced at an angle

120ml (4½fl oz) olive oil

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp pesto

2 x 185g tins of tuna, drained and broken into chunks

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

* In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients apart from the tuna, then carefully stir in the tuna, keeping it in chunks. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Perfect mushrooms on toast (#ulink_06e858af-cad3-53c5-9527-7b296109d3f5)

I generally have a few mushrooms in my fridge – they are quick to cook and this is a great way of serving them. The anchovies dissolve in the butter, imparting a lovely depth of flavour to this dish.

Serves 4

PREPARATION TIME

10 minutes

COOKING TIME

20 minutes

110g (4oz) butter

12 tinned anchovies, chopped

6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

800g (1¾lb) mushrooms, sliced

4 tsp chopped thyme leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 slices of bread

25g (1oz) butter

100ml (3½fl oz) single or regular cream

* Melt the butter in a large frying pan on a medium heat and, when foaming, add the anchovies and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes or until the anchovies have disintegrated and the garlic is lightly browned.

* Add the mushrooms and thyme, season with salt and pepper and reduce the heat to medium–low. Stir well, then cook, stirring occasionally, for 10–15 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft and browned.

* Meanwhile, toast the bread and butter it, then place on plates.

* Stir the cream into the mushrooms, increasing the heat to allow it to bubble for 1–2 minutes, then taste for seasoning and serve on the buttered toast.

Spiced baked eggs (#ulink_931dce92-704e-5f6b-ba97-5f0badc879a8)

Here’s a slightly different way of serving eggs, and one that’s incredibly easy, too. As the eggs cook gently in the oven, they take on the flavour of the spices and the silkiness of the cream. They’re perfect with toast.

Serves 4 (v)

PREPARATION TIME

5 minutes

COOKING TIME

8–12 minutes