How to cook a delicious dinner in 30 minutes or less

Life is complicated enough so why waste time cooking a disappointing meal? Hannah Twiggs selects her favourite recipes from a new cookbook that cuts out all the fuss and delivers on flavour

On the hob: Pan-share blackberry crumble (Polly Webster)

Are you short of time or money? Have you booked in a dinner party with friends and are stuck for a menu or are looking for that perfect, quick and cheap midweek meal?

Life is complicated enough, so say hello to your new best friend: Hob by Amy Sheppard. The busy mum of two from Cornwall knows just what it’s like to be faced with feeding a growing family while on a budget. But thanks to clever meal planning and using up leftovers, it doesn’t have to be another chore. Her new book cuts out all the fuss and delivers on flavour.

The concept is simple: great-tasting, time-saving recipes, all cooked on the hob, most of them in one pan, and guaranteed to deliver a healthy, nutritious meal in 30 minutes or less.

Across more than 80 recipes, Sheppard gives you everything you need to get dinner served that bit quicker: simple budget-friendly ingredients, and meal planning tips and quick fixes.

There’s something for everyone, whatever your dietary requirements or occasion, from crowd pleasers such as chorizo marinara and vegetable katsu curry to budget wonders like spicy bean burgers and red pesto koftas, or treats such as pan-share blackberry crumble and apple and cinnamon rolls.

So whether you’re a busy family or a budget-conscious student, this is the perfect addition to your cookbook shelf.

Here’s an extract from the book:

Cheat’s kedgeree

(Polly Webster)

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.

Makes: 2 servings

Time: 15 mins

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.

Lasagne(ish)

(Polly Webster)

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.

Makes: 4 servings

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.

Pan-share blackberry crumble

(Polly Webster)

You can use fresh blackberries for this one-pan treat, but I like to use frozen because they hold together better in the pan. The topping has a sweet, chewy, nutty taste that goes perfectly with the sharp blackberries and a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

Makes: 2-3 servings

Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

375g frozen blackberries

2 dessertspoons light brown soft sugar

Scoops of vanilla ice cream, to serve (optional)

For the topping:

60g unsalted mixed nuts

30g light brown soft sugar

40g plain flour

30g butter

Method

First, make the topping. With a pestle and mortar or the end of a rolling pin, crush the nuts into very small pieces. Stir in the sugar and flour.

Melt the butter in a large, non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Add the nut mixture and reduce the heat to low. Stir until all the ingredients are coated in butter, then gently fry for 5 minutes, stirring continuously, until the nuts are lightly toasted and the sugar has melted.

Pour the topping into a bowl and set aside. It will crisp as it cools.

Make the filling. Add the still-frozen blackberries to the pan on a medium heat and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Simmer the blackberries gently for 10 minutes, stirring regularly until they’re soft and heated through and the pan has a covering of juice.

Turn off the heat. Sprinkle the nutty topping over the blackberries, breaking it up with your hands as you go. Serve topped with scoops of ice cream, if you wish.

Tip: Using frozen blackberries means that it is easy to rustle up a last-minute throw-together dessert, perfect for when you’re busy.

Extracted from Hob: A Simpler Way to Cook: 80 Deliciously Simple Recipes for Everyone’by Amy Sheppard (Bloomsbury Absolute, £18.99; photography by Polly Webster)