#17 - Vegetable Lasagne

This dish is the perfect way to use up vegetables which have been left lying around a bit too long, or just to get your "five a day" the easy way.

Roughly chop your selection of vegetables - in this case I used courgettes, aubergines, butternut squash, mushrooms, onions, garlic, broccoli and spinach - and add to a large saucepan with up to 4 tins of tomatoes, some tomato puree, a healthy glug of red wine, some bayleaves and some mixed herbs. Stir well, cover and leave to simmer for an hour or so until it's well reduced. If you like you can also add some lentils for some extra bite.

Make a basic white sauce as in the start of the whisky sauce in this recipe, but instead of adding whisky and cream, add cheese to the sauce and make it nice and thick. Then layer a large dish with alternating layers of the vegetable mixture, cheese sauce and lasagne sheets, until the dish is full. Finish with the cheese sauce and top with some grated cheese.

Bake in a medium-low oven (around 140°C) for 30 minutes, finishing off in a hot oven for 10 minutes before serving to brown the top of the lasagne. Perfect served with a green salad and garlic bread.

#16 - Leek and Parmesan Risotto

I love risottos. Contrary to popular belief they're very easy to cook, very tasty and are extremely adaptable. You can pretty much chuck anything you like into a risotto.

Start with around 100g of arborio rice (or risotto rice) per person. Measure that out and keep to one side. Next decide on what kind of stock you're going to use - vegetable or chicken would be my preferences - and put a pan of stock on the hob. Once it boils reduce the heat and keep it simmering. Next get a large pan (I find my casserole dish is perfect for cooking risottos) and put in your risotto "flavouring". You can use just about anything - mushrooms are lovely, as is asparagus when it's in season, parsnips make a surprisingly tasty dish or even leftover chicken from the Sunday roast.

In this case I fried some leeks and garlic in some olive oil until soft. Then added the rice. Stir the rice into the vegetables to ensure it's well coated and mixed together. Then add in a glass of white wine (optional) and stir until the liquid has been absorbed into the rice. Then add a ladle of stock and stir until it's incorporated. Keep adding the stock in small quantities and stirring until the rice looks soft and creamy and still has a little bite when tested.

To finish, add a knob of butter and some parmesan cheese (or whatever hard, full-fat cheese you have to hand) and a liberal sprinkling of fresh black pepper. It's the ultimate comfort food!

#15 - Butternut Squash and Sausage Bake with Chestnuts and Sage

This dish is very similar to the Tagliatelle with Chestnuts, Sage and Crispy Parma Ham which I made as dish number 2. However, this time, following a recipe from Olive magazine, I used butternut squash instead of tagliatelle and chopped up sausages in place of the parma ham.

It was very much a "chuck in the oven and do something else while it cooks" recipe which is perfect for the end of a work day when you've got better things to be getting on with than standing over a stove! Peel and chop the BNS then chop six sausages into small pieces. Add a packet of chestnuts (I used 200g of the vacuum packed Merchant Gourmand chestnuts) and some sage, and drizzle olive oil over the whole lot.

It took around an hour to cook so check it a couple of times and turn everything over so it cooks evenly. It was delicious and would probably have been improved by the addition of some brussel sprouts. I might try that next time!

#14 - Haggis parcels

These were made with the last of the leftovers from the Burns' Supper.

Take 2 sheets of filo pastry and cut in half. Lay each of the four squares on top of each other, each at a slight angle to the rest so you end up with a kind of star shape. Then place a little haggis, neeps and tatties on to the bottom of the pastry (don't put in too much or your parcel won't close!). Using beaten egg, brush a little round the edges of each sheet of pastry and then bring together at the top. Then brush the outside of the parcels with the egg wash and put on a baking sheet lined with some greaseproof paper.

Bake at 140°C for 25 minutes, then at 180°C for 15 minutes until the pastry is brown and crispy.

To serve, make a whisky sauce. Start with a basic white sauce base with equal amounts of butter and flour. Melt the butter over a medium heat then stir in the flour. Leave to cook for 1 minute, then add milk little by little, bringing to the boil and stirring until the milk is incorporated into the flour and butter mixture each time milk is added. Continue until you have a thin sauce which coats the back of a spoon. Then add some whisky and cream, salt and pepper to taste.

#13 - Cranachan

Another Burns' Supper recipe was the traditional Scottish dessert of Cranachan. It's essentially whipped cream mixed with raspberries, whisky, honey and toasted oats, and is absolutely delicious!

Lightly toast 75-100g of porridge oats in a hot non-stick frying pan (keep them moving so they don't burn and remove from the heat when golden brown). Meanwhile whip around 1 pint of cream until it's at the "soft peak" stage (don't overwhip it) then mix in about 1lb of Scottish raspberries. Add the toasted oats and some whisky and honey to taste (I use 2-3 tablespoons of whisky and 1-2 tablespoons of honey) and mix well. Spoon into a large dish, or into several smaller dishes, and put in the fridge to set.

Really easy to make, and really delicious!

#12 - Smoked Salmon Parcels

This was made for the starter of our Burns' Supper this weekend. While salmon mousse is delicious, it has a tendency to be associated with 1980's style dinner parties. However, this version brings salmon mousse right up to date and makes a nice starter for a special meal.

Line 6 ramekins with smoked salmon. Make sure the bottom of the ramekin and the sides are well covered and leave some smoked salmon strips hanging over the side of the dish.

Mix 8oz (225g) salmon with 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Whip ¼ pint of cream and fold into the salmon mixture. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of gelatine in 3 tablespoons of hot water and stir into the salmon mixture along with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix well.

Spoon the salmon mousse mixture into the ramekins and ensure the mousse is level (the easiest way to do this is to gently tap the ramekins on a chopping board to "settle" the mousse in the dishes). Carefully fold the smoked salmon strips over-hanging the ramekin over the mousse to seal into a parcel. Put the ramekins in the fridge for 2-4 hours - or as long as possible before serving.

To serve, run a knife round the edge of the ramekin and turn the parcel out on to a plate. Top with a king prawn and serve with a green salad and fresh brown bread.

#11 - Pizza

Pizza has to be the ultimate comfort food, and is perfect for a quiet Friday night in. I like to use Delia's recipe for pizza base as it comes out consistently well.

Make sure and use a dusting of polenta on the work-surface when rolling out the pizza base. It makes a huge difference to the base and makes for a lovely end result. Also, cooking the pizza on a pizza stone or pizza tray which helps the air circulate makes for a lovely crust.

For a quick tomato base for the pizza, soften a finely chopped onion, then add some garlic, oregano and a tin of tomatoes. Simmer until the sauce has thickened and spread on the pizza. This can be made in advance and will keep for a couple of days in a tupperware in the fridge.

Everyone has their own favourite pizza toppings so chop and add whatever takes your fancy to the top of the pizza. Tear some mozzarella (buffalo mozzarella is the best if you can get it) for the top, then cook in the oven at around 180° for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

It doesn't take long and tastes a lot better than anything from the supermarket!