one-pot meals

All these dishes are very quick and easy to prepare, and once everything is in the pot you can just leave them to cook. What’s more, there is very little washing up! The top-of-the-stove meals can also be cooked in the oven at 160ºF/325ºC/gas mark 3 for the indicated time – longer, if you prefer.

traditional irish stew

with crusty bread

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Trim off all the skin and fat from the cutlets with kitchen scissors.

2 Peel the potatoes and carrots and cut into rounds about 5 mm/¼ in thick.

3 Peel and slice the onions.

4 Put half the cutlets in the base of the casserole dish. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

5 Cover with half the onions, then half the carrots and add a little more salt and pepper. Add half the potatoes and another sprinkling of salt and pepper. Repeat these layers with the rest of the ingredients.

6 Pour in just enough water to come up to the top layer of potatoes, but don’t cover them.

7 Put over a high heat until the water boils. Use a draining spoon to skim off any white scum from the surface. Cover with a lid, turn the heat down as low as possible and leave to cook for 2 hours until everything is really tender.

8 Turn on the grill (broiler) to preheat. Remove the lid and place the casserole dish under the grill for about 5 minutes until the potatoes are browning on top. Serve straight from the pot with crusty bread.

welsh pot warmer

with hot wholemeal rolls

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Pull as much skin as possible off the chicken portions and discard.

2 Cut the roots off the leeks, trim off the tops, pull off the damaged outer leaves, then cut into slices and place in a bowl of cold water to clean thoroughly.

3 Peel and cut the carrots and turnips into large chunks.

4 Rinse the potatoes.

5 Drain the leeks and place in a large saucepan with the chicken, carrots, turnips and potatoes. Add 900 ml/1½ pts/3 cups water and crumble in the stock cube. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add the bouquet garni sachet and a little dried parsley.

6 Put over a high heat and wait until the water is bubbling fiercely. Turn down the heat until the liquid is only gently bubbling. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 1 hour. Put four large soup bowls to warm over the saucepan for the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

7 Transfer the chicken and vegetables to the soup bowls, discarding the bouquet garni sachet. Taste the cooking liquid and add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Pour into the bowls and serve with wholemeal rolls.

top tip!

hungarian goulash

with rye bread

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Trim off any fat or gristle from the meat, if necessary.

2 Peel and chop the onion.

3 Peel and cut the carrots and potatoes into bite-sized chunky pieces.

4 Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole. Add the meat and onion and cook over a high heat, stirring until the meat is browned all over and the onions are colouring slightly.

5 Sprinkle in 1 tbsp paprika and stir well.

6 Add the contents of the can of tomatoes. Fill up the can with water and add that too. Stir in the carrots and potatoes, a good squeeze of tomato purée, a small squeeze of garlic purée and a pinch of sugar. Add a little salt and pepper and stir until well blended. Let the mixture come to the boil.

7 When bubbling, turn the heat right down, stir again, cover with a lid and cook gently for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Towards the end of the cooking time, stand large soup bowls over the pan, under the lid, to warm, or place in the oven at the lowest setting.

8 Mix 2 tbsp flour with 4 tbsp water in a cup until smooth. Stir into the goulash and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until thickened. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary.

9 Spoon into the warm soup bowls. Add a spoonful of soured cream to each and sprinkle with caraway seeds, if liked. Serve with hunks of rye bread.

top tip!

garbanzos a la rustica

with crusty bread

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Cut the rind and any bones off the pork with scissors, then cut the meat into bite-sized cubes.

2 Cut the chorizo sausage into chunks.

3 Chop the onions.

4 Peel and cut the potatoes into large chunks.

5 Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan over a high heat. Add the pork and onions and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time.

6 Add the contents of the cans of chick peas, including the liquid, the sausage chunks, potatoes, crumbled stock cubes and 600 ml/1 pt/2½ cups water. Wait until the water boils, stirring occasionally, then add a good squeeze of tomato purée and a small squeeze of garlic purée.

7 Sprinkle about 1 tsp ground cumin and about ½ tsp dried mixed herbs over the surface with some salt and pepper, and stir. Part-cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and let it cook gently for 1 hour.

8 Cut the central core out of the cabbage, then cut into thin slices so it separates into shreds. Add to the saucepan, stir again and let it continue cooking for 30 minutes.

9 A few minutes before the end of the cooking time, place large bowls on top of the pan, under the lid, to warm, or place in the oven at the lowest setting.

10 Spoon into the warm bowls and serve with crusty bread.

pot roast chicken

with winter vegetables

serves 4–6

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Turn on the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5.

2 Boil a kettle of water.

3 Remove any giblets from inside the chicken. Wipe the chicken inside and out with kitchen paper (paper towels). Pull out any excess fat from just inside the body cavity and discard.

4 Chop the onions.

5 Chop the celery sticks into short lengths. Peel and cut the carrots, parsnip and potatoes into large dice.

6 Put half the vegetables in the casserole and sit the chicken on top. Add the bouquet garni and bay leaf. Pack the rest of the vegetables around the bird.

7 Measure 300 ml/½ pt/1¼ cups boiling water into a measuring jug and dissolve the stock cube in it. Pour over the chicken and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

8 Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 1½ hours. At the end of the cooking time, put plates in to warm. Carefully lift the chicken out of the pot and cut it into pieces (it will probably fall apart). Discard the bouquet garni and the bay leaf. Serve the chicken with the vegetables and the juices.

fragrant fish pot

with crusty bread

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Thinly slice the onion.

2 Peel and dice the swede, potato and carrots.

3 Cut out the thick central stalk from the cabbage, then cut the cabbage into thin slices and separate into shreds.

4 Using a sharp knife, make a cut between the skin and the flesh of the fish at one end, then, holding the skin firmly between your finger and thumb, cut and scrape the flesh away from the skin, gently pulling the skin as you go. (see Top Tip opposite).You may find that once you’ve created a flap you can pull the skin off. Cut the fish into large chunks.

5 Open the can of anchovies and pour off all the oil. Put the anchovies on the chopping board and cut them into small pieces.

6 Melt a large knob of butter or margarine in a large saucepan. Add all the prepared vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for 10 minutes over a low heat.

7 Add the contents of the can of tomatoes. Fill the can up with water and add to the pan. Stir in the anchovies. Turn up the heat until the mixture is boiling rapidly, then turn it down to moderate and let it bubble gently for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.

8 Add the fish, together with about ½ tsp dried basil and some pepper. Put large soup bowls to warm over the saucepan and cover with a lid, or place in the oven at the lowest setting. Cook for a further 10 minutes until the vegetables and fish are tender. Remove the bowls, taste and add salt and pepper, if necessary.

9 Chop a few sprigs of parsley. Ladle the fish and vegetables into the warmed bowls, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with crusty bread.

top tip!

winter beef pot

with horseradish dumplings

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding any fat or gristle. Place in the saucepan.

2 Roughly chop the onions.

3 Prepare and cut the carrots and swede into chunks.

4 Put the prepared vegetables on top of the meat. Add just enough cold water to cover all the ingredients.

5 Put in the bay leaf, crumble in the stock cube and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Put the pan over a high heat and wait until the water boils. Skim off any white scum from the surface, using a draining spoon.

6 Turn down the heat until the liquid is just gently bubbling, cover with a lid and leave it to cook gently for 2 hours.

7 Peel the potatoes and cut into large chunks. Measure 100 g/4 oz/1 cup self-raising flour into a mixing bowl. Add 3 tbsp vegetable suet, 2 tbsp horseradish relish or sauce and a good pinch of salt. Gradually stir in some cold water until the mixture forms a soft, slightly sticky ball (if it is too wet, add a little more flour).

8 Put the potatoes into the stew, then shape the dough into eight small balls and sit them on top of the stew. Put large soup bowls to warm on top of the pan, or place them in the oven at the lowest setting, cover with a lid and cook for a further 20 minutes until the dumplings are fluffy and the potatoes are cooked.

9 Carefully lift out the dumplings and potatoes on to a plate with a draining spoon. Mix 2 tbsp plain flour with a little cold water to make a smooth paste. Stir into the stew until it is thickened and bubbling. Add a little gravy block or gravy browning and salt to taste. Take out the bay leaf. Put the potatoes and dumplings back into the stew to reheat for a few minutes.

10 Spoon into the warm soup bowls and serve straight away.

liver and onion hotpot

with golden potato topping

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Cut the liver into bite-sized chunks, discarding any gristly bits. Put in a shallow dish and add about 2 tbsp milk. Stir and leave to stand for 15 minutes while preparing the rest of the dish.

2 Peel and slice the potatoes fairly thinly and put in a bowl of cold water to prevent them from browning.

3 Slice the onions.

4 Peel and grate the carrots on the coarse side of the grater.

5 Cut the apple into quarters, cut out the cores, then peel and slice the quarters.

6 Heat 2 tbsp oil in the casserole dish over a fairly high heat and fry (sauté) the onions, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

7 Lift the onions out of the casserole with a draining spoon and put on a plate.

8 Lift the liver out of the milk and fry it quickly in the casserole, stirring until brown all over. Put the onions back in the casserole.

9 Put 1 tbsp flour in a measuring jug and mix with a little water until smooth. Make up to 450 ml/¾ pt/2 cups with more water. Pour into the casserole and crumble in the stock cube.

10 Stirring all the time, let the mixture bubble until it thickens.

11 Turn the oven on to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5. Stir the sliced apple, grated carrots and peas, a good sprinkling of dried sage and some salt and pepper into the casserole. Take the potatoes out of the water and arrange overlapping on top. Put tiny pieces of butter or margarine over the surface at intervals. Cover with foil.

12 Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, then take off the foil and cook for a further 30 minutes until the potatoes are turning golden brown. Remember to put some plates in the oven to warm for a few minutes before serving.

top tip!

burgundy braised beef

with vegetables and mustard

serves 4–6

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Chop the onion.

2 Dice the carrots, turnip and celery.

3 Melt a knob of butter or margarine and 1 tbsp oil over a high heat in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole. Add the meat and brown quickly on all sides, then lift out of the pan.

4 Add the prepared vegetables and stir over a high heat for 2 minutes.

5 Add 300 ml/½ pt/1¼ cups water. Crumble in the stock cube and stir in a good squeeze of tomato purée. Add a wineglass of red Burgundy, the bay leaf and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Stir well and put the meat back on top of the vegetables.

6 When the liquid is bubbling rapidly, turn down the heat to very low. Cover tightly with a lid and let it cook very gently for 1½ hours.

7 While it is cooking, peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Turn on the oven at its lowest setting and put a carving dish and plates in to warm. Turn the meat over in the pan and arrange the potatoes around. Re-cover and cook for a further 30 minutes or until the meat and potatoes are tender.

8 Lift the meat and potatoes out of the pan on to the carving dish. Slice some of the meat and arrange on the warm plates. Discard the bay leaf, then spoon the diced vegetables and cooking liquid over and put the potato halves to one side. Serve with mustard.

top tip!

spiced persian lamb

with flageolets

serves 6

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Wipe the lamb and place in a casserole dish.

2 In a cup, mix 1 tsp each of paprika, cumin and coriander with ½ tsp ginger and some salt and pepper. Sprinkle all over the lamb, cover and leave for at least 2 hours or overnight if you can.

3 Chop the onions and dice the remaining vegetables.

4 Lift the lamb out of its dish and heat a knob of butter or margarine and 1 tbsp oil in the dish over a fairly high heat. Brown the lamb on all sides and then lift it out again.

5 Add a further knob of butter or margarine to the pan and fry (sauté) the vegetables for 2 minutes, stirring. Turn off the heat and return the lamb to the dish.

6 Turn on the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Boil a kettle. Measure 300 ml/½ pt/1¼ cups boiling water, stir in the stock cube and a good squeeze of tomato purée and pour around the lamb. Add the bouquet garni sachet. Heat again until the liquid bubbles, then put on the lid and cook in the oven for 1¼ hours.

7 While the lamb is cooking, peel the potatoes and cut into fairly large chunks. Cover with cold water until ready to use. Drain the can of flageolet beans. After 1¼ hours, stir the beans into the vegetables around the lamb and arrange the potatoes on top. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Re-cover and cook in the oven for a further 45 minutes. Put plates and a carving dish to warm in the oven while the meat finishes cooking.

8 Blend 1 tbsp cornflour with a little water in a cup. Chop a small handful of parsley. Lift the meat out on to the carving dish with the potatoes. Discard the bouquet garni sachet. Stir the blended cornflour into the vegetables and juices in the pan and cook over a moderate heat until thickened and bubbling. Add salt and pepper to taste.

9 Cut the meat into thick slices (it will be very tender). Put on the warm plates with the potatoes and spoon the thick vegetable mixture over. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

tyrolean hotpot

with cabbage and caraway

serves 4

storecupboard ingredients

shopping list

extra equipment

1 Thinly slice the onion.

2 Cut out the thick central stalk from the cabbage, then cut the cabbage into thin slices. Separate into shreds.

3 Scrub and thinly slice the potatoes.

4 Heat 2 tbsp oil in a flameproof casserole over a fairly high heat. Add the pork steaks and brown on both sides.

5 Take the steaks out of the pan and put in the onion, a small squeeze of garlic purée and the cabbage and cook, turning and stirring, for 2 minutes until the cabbage is beginning to soften.

6 Pour in 300 ml/½ pt/1¼ cups water and crumble in the stock cube. Cook, stirring all the time, until the liquid is bubbling. Sprinkle with caraway seeds and some salt and pepper.

7 Lay the pork steaks on top, then cover with a layer of overlapping potato slices. Dot the surface with tiny flakes of butter or margarine and sprinkle lightly again with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid or foil and turn the heat down to fairly low.

8 Cook for 25 minutes until everything is tender. Warm your plates on top of the casserole, under the lid, for the last few minutes of cooking time and then serve straight from the pan.

top tip!