One-pot wonders: Hassle-free and hearty meals to keep the cold out as nights draw in

By Clarissa Dickson Wright
Updated: 16:30 EST, 10 September 2010


The idea of one-pot cookery is as old as time  -  and to this day, the world is full of people who, for reasons of economy or limited fuel, still cook their daily meals in a single pot.

Now that the recession, rising fuel costs and  -  to a lesser degree, if you're truthful  -  the future of the planet have made us concentrate on saving resources, this is perhaps the time for all of us to think of one-pot meals again.

It means leaving behind the era of celebrity chef, with its multiple pans and huge expenditure of fuel, where everything is for show and display and not necessarily about flavour, and returning to the single dish. 

Lamb booulangere

Out with the salad: Lamb boulangère

When I was Lord Rector of Aberdeen University from 1998-2004, students would often ask me to create delicious supper-time meals and, for obvious reasons, a great many of them were made as one-pot dishes.

If, like me, you live on your own, or if there are just the two of you, either in new romantic bliss or contented domesticity, it is much easier and, in some cases, quicker to use just the single pot.

But even for a larger family, it's certainly both cheaper and easier on the washing up (more fuel saving and less use of chemicals). And because these one-pot dishes can be left in the oven to slow cook, you can use less expensive cuts of meat that will still be meltingly tender and tasty to eat.

Monkfish
tagine of chicken

Exotic flavours: Gigot of monkfish, left, and tagine of chicken, right

My new book contains some of my favourite recipes, ranging from the delicious French-style roast lamb and Moroccan chicken stew featured on these pages, to risottos, gratins, flans and curries.

The one thing that they have in common is that they can all be cooked in just one dish, be it a wok, pressure cooker, tagine or casserole. But don't feel you have to stick to my choice of vessel  -  you can use anything you have to hand. I hope you have fun with it all.

From Potty! Clarissa's One Pot Cookbook, by Clarissa Dickson Wright, published by Hodder & Stoughton on Thursday at £20. ° 2010, Clarissa Dickson Wright. To order a copy for £16.99 (p&p free), tel: 0845 155 0720.

 

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