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Pizza in teglia is Italian pan pizza: a wet, airy dough pressed into a well-oiled baking tin, topped with tomato, garlic and oregano, and baked until the bottom is crisp and almost fried. One tin…

No-knead bread is a round, crusty white loaf made from flour, water, salt and a pinch of yeast. The dough is stirred together in the evening and left to rise overnight, and the next day it bakes in a…

Pizza marinara is the plainest of the Neapolitan pizzas: tomato, sliced garlic, dried oregano and olive oil on a thin dough, with no cheese at all. It costs almost nothing, it is vegan as it stands…

Chana masala is a chickpea curry in a tangy onion and tomato sauce. It is a good weeknight dish, it costs very little, and it tastes even better the day after, which makes it a natural choice for…

Chili sin carne, "chili without meat", is a thick, spicy stew of beans, tomatoes and peppers. It feeds a crowd for very little money, freezes well, and goes with rice, tortillas, baked potatoes or…

Falafel are crisp fried balls of ground chickpeas and herbs, green inside, eaten in pita bread with salad and tahini sauce, or on their own as a snack. They take some planning, as the chickpeas soak…

Gazpacho is a cold, raw soup of tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, garlic, olive oil and vinegar, blended smooth. On a hot day it is the most refreshing thing you can eat, and it needs no cooking at all. It…

This potato salad has no mayonnaise. Warm sliced potatoes are soaked in a hot dressing of stock, vinegar, onion and oil, and turn silky as they drink it up. It is served lukewarm or at room…

Guacamole is mashed ripe avocado with lime juice, onion, chili, tomato and coriander. Serve it with tortilla chips, in tacos and burritos, on toast, or next to chili. It must be made shortly before…

Hummus is a smooth purée of chickpeas, tahini (sesame paste), lemon and garlic. Spread it on bread, dip raw vegetables in it, or make it the centre of a meal with falafel, salad and pita. Homemade…

Mujaddara is a dish of lentils and rice cooked together and crowned with a big pile of deeply browned onions. It is cheap, filling and surprisingly rich in taste for such simple ingredients. Eat it…

Pasta al pomodoro is pasta in a simple tomato sauce with garlic, olive oil and basil. It is the base of Italian home cooking: once you can make this sauce, you can make dozens of others from it…

Porridge is oats simmered in water or milk until creamy. It is one of the cheapest breakfasts there is, keeps you full until lunch, and takes ten minutes. Top it with fruit, nuts, a spoon of honey or…

Pumpkin soup is a smooth, orange, slightly sweet soup that most children like. Make it in autumn and early winter, when pumpkins and squashes are everywhere and cheap. Butternut squash, Hokkaido (red…

Ratatouille is a slow stew of summer vegetables cooked in olive oil: aubergine, courgette, peppers, onions and tomatoes. Make it at the end of summer when these vegetables are cheap and ripe. Serve…

Dal is a dish of split lentils or peas cooked until soft, then finished with spices fried in hot oil. Made with red lentils, it needs no soaking and is ready in half an hour, which makes it one of…

Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino is pasta tossed with garlic gently fried in olive oil and a little chili. It is the dish to make when the cupboard is nearly empty, when you come home late, or…

Tabbouleh is a salad of finely chopped parsley with tomato, mint, spring onion and a little bulgur wheat, sharp with lemon juice. It is green, not beige: the parsley is the salad, and the bulgur is…

A stir-fry is the fastest way to turn a few vegetables into dinner: everything is cut small and cooked very hot for a few minutes, so the vegetables stay crisp and bright. Tofu adds protein and soaks…

A calzone is a pizza folded in half before baking: a round of pizza dough filled with ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and basil, sealed into a half-moon and baked until puffed and brown, with a…

Gratin dauphinois is thinly sliced potatoes baked slowly in milk and cream flavoured with garlic, until soft inside and golden on top. It is the classic side for a roast or a grilled steak, and with…

Kartoffelpuffer are German potato pancakes: grated raw potato and onion bound with egg and a little flour, fried flat in oil until crisp and brown. They are a cheap lunch or supper with apple sauce…

Pizza margherita is a thin yeast dough topped with crushed tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil and a thread of olive oil. Make the dough in the morning or at lunchtime and the pizzas take ten minutes…

Pizza quattro formaggi, four-cheese pizza, is a white pizza covered with mozzarella, gorgonzola, fontina and Parmesan, with no tomato. It is rich, so one pizza goes a long way: cut it into slices for…

Apple crumble is soft, sweet apples baked under a crunchy, buttery topping. It is one of the easiest desserts there is, ideal in autumn and winter when apples are cheap. Serve it warm with custard…

Banana bread is a moist, sweet loaf cake made with very ripe bananas. It is the perfect use for brown, spotty bananas nobody wants to eat, it keeps for days wrapped up, and it freezes well in slices…

Insalata caprese is slices of tomato and fresh mozzarella with basil leaves and olive oil, nothing more. With so few ingredients, everything depends on their quality: ripe summer tomatoes, soft…

French chocolate mousse is light and airy yet intensely chocolatey, made from just dark chocolate, eggs, a little butter and sugar. It is made several hours ahead, which makes it a good dessert for…

Coleslaw is shredded raw cabbage and carrot in a creamy, slightly sweet and sour dressing. It is the classic side for barbecues, burgers, sandwiches and fried chicken, and it keeps a day or two in…

Crêpes are very thin pancakes made from a runny batter of flour, eggs and milk. Eat them for breakfast, as a dessert or at a crêpe party, rolled around sugar and lemon, jam, chocolate spread or…

Egg fried rice is cold cooked rice stir-fried very hot with egg, spring onions and a little soy sauce. It is the best use for yesterday's rice and takes ten minutes. Add peas, leftover vegetables or…

A French omelette is pale yellow outside, without any brown, and soft and creamy inside, rolled into a neat oval. It takes three eggs and two minutes. It is the dish to master for a quick lunch or…

French onion soup is a dark, sweet soup of slowly caramelised onions, topped with toasted bread and melted cheese and finished under the grill. It turns the cheapest vegetable there is into a rich…

Greek salad is chunks of tomato, cucumber, pepper and onion with olives and a thick slice of feta, dressed with olive oil and oregano. It has no lettuce. Made with summer tomatoes and good feta, it…

Leek and potato soup is mild, creamy and very cheap, the kind of soup that warms you up on a grey day. It needs five ingredients and half an hour.

Macaroni and cheese is short pasta in a creamy cheese sauce, baked until the top is crisp. It is pure comfort food for cold evenings and a reliable dish for children and big tables.

Minestrone is a thick Italian vegetable soup with beans and a little pasta or rice. It is a meal in a bowl and a good way to use whatever vegetables are in season: there is no single correct recipe…

Risotto is rice cooked slowly in hot stock, stirred so its starch makes a creamy sauce, then finished with butter and cheese. With mushrooms, it is an autumn and winter favourite. It is not hard, but…

Pesto alla genovese is a raw green sauce of basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheese and olive oil. Tossed with pasta, it is a summer dish that needs no cooking apart from the pasta. In Genoa it is served…

Shakshuka is eggs poached in a thick, spiced sauce of tomatoes and peppers, brought to the table in the pan and eaten with bread. It works for a late breakfast, a lazy lunch or a fast dinner when the…

The Spanish tortilla, tortilla de patatas, is a thick omelette of potatoes and onions slowly cooked in olive oil. Served warm or at room temperature, it is a lunch, a picnic dish, or tapas cut into…

Tzatziki is a cool dip of thick yogurt, grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil and dill. It goes with grilled meat, fish and vegetables, in pita with falafel, or simply with bread. It is fresh, very…

Brandade de morue is salt cod beaten with warm olive oil, milk and garlic, then mixed with mashed potato into a soft, creamy purée. It is eaten warm on toast, or baked in a dish until golden on top…

Chraime is white fish simmered in a hot, garlicky sauce of tomato, red pepper, paprika and cumin, finished with lemon and coriander. It takes half an hour in one pan and works with any firm white…

Cotriade is a Breton fish soup of potatoes, onions and chunks of cheap fish such as mackerel and whiting, cooked together in one pot. It is eaten in two courses: first the broth, poured over toasted…

Cullen skink is a thick Scottish soup of smoked haddock, potatoes, onion and milk. It is smoky and filling, and with bread it makes a full meal on a cold evening. It takes about 50 minutes and only…

Fish and chips is white fish, usually cod or haddock, dipped in batter and deep-fried, served with thick chips, salt, malt vinegar and often mushy peas. At home it takes a deep pot, a thermometer and…

Fishcakes are patties of flaked white fish and mashed potato, coated in breadcrumbs and fried until crisp. A pack of frozen pollock or coley and a few potatoes make eight of them, enough for four…

Gambas al ajillo are prawns cooked in a few minutes in olive oil with plenty of garlic, a dried chili and parsley. They come to the table still sizzling, with bread to dip in the garlic oil. Made…

Grilled sardines are whole fresh sardines salted, grilled over high heat until the skin blisters, and eaten with lemon, bread and a salad. Sardines are one of the cheapest fresh fish at the counter…

Heringsstipp is pieces of mild salted herring in a cold, creamy sauce with apple, onion and gherkin, served with hot potatoes boiled in their skins. Apart from the potatoes there is no cooking, and…

Pasta al tonno is spaghetti in a quick tomato sauce with canned tuna, garlic, capers and parsley. Everything in it keeps in the cupboard, it costs very little, and the sauce is ready in the time the…

Pesce all'acqua pazza is white fish poached in a light broth of water, olive oil, garlic, cherry tomatoes and parsley. It cooks in one pan in about twenty minutes, and the broth that is left is…

Salade niçoise is a summer salad of ripe tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, tuna, anchovies and small black olives, dressed with olive oil. With canned tuna it is cheap and needs almost no cooking, and it…

Salmon en papillote is salmon baked in a sealed parcel of baking paper on a bed of thin courgette slices, with lemon and dill. The fish steams in its own juices, so it stays moist, and the whole dish…

This warm potato salad with smoked mackerel mixes sliced potatoes in a hot dressing of stock, vinegar, mustard and red onion with flakes of smoked fish and dill. Smoked mackerel is sold cooked and…

Moules marinières are mussels steamed open in white wine with shallots, garlic, butter and parsley. They cook in five minutes and are served in the pot, with bread for the juices or fries on the side…

Flammkuchen, tarte flambée in French, is a very thin, crisp dough spread with crème fraîche and topped with sliced onions and smoked lardons. It bakes in a few minutes and is cut into strips at the…

Quiche lorraine is a shortcrust tart filled with eggs, cream and smoked bacon, baked until just set. It is served warm or at room temperature, as a starter in thin slices or as a light main course…

Chili con carne, "chili with meat", is a spicy stew of beef, chilies and spices, here with tomatoes and beans. It is made in large pots for parties, game nights and cold weekends, and it tastes even…

Goulash is a beef and paprika soup-stew, red, warming and filling, with potatoes and vegetables. It is a one-pot dish for cold days, simmered slowly and better the next day.

Ragù alla bolognese is a thick meat sauce, cooked slowly for hours, with only a little tomato. It is the real ancestor of what the world calls "spaghetti bolognese". In Bologna it is served with…

A whole chicken roasted in the oven with lemon, garlic and herbs, with potatoes cooking in its juices underneath, is one of the great family meals. It makes Sunday lunch, and the leftovers make…

Carbonara is spaghetti coated in a creamy sauce made only from egg yolks, cheese, crisp pork and lots of black pepper. There is no cream: the creaminess comes from the eggs, the cheese and the pasta…