Beetroot leaves are nutritious, thrifty and work brilliantly mixed into a hash with other leftover vegetables. Just top with a fried egg and away you go …

Hash is a clever way to use up the day before’s leftovers, because almost any combination of chopped meat and vegetables, all fried together and topped with a fried egg, is scrumptious. I’ve focused today’s recipe around a whole beetroot, including its leaves, which are even more nutritious than the root itself, full of vitamins A, B6, C and K, and rich in iron, magnesium and potassium.

Discover this recipe and over 1,000 more from your favourite cooks on the new Guardian Feast app , with smart features to make everyday cooking easier and more fun

Meatable hopes its cultivated sausages will satisfy the world’s appetite for meat without harming animals or the planet

Even before I see the sausages, I am greeted by their rich, meaty aroma. Sizzling in a pan of foaming margarine, they look like regular chipolatas being fried up for a Sunday breakfast, their pink-grey exteriors slowly turning a rich caramel brown.

Consisting of 28% pork fat, bulked out with textured pea, chickpea, soy and wheat protein, these mini bratwursts would happily sit inside a hotdog or next to a plate of mashed potato. But these are no standard bangers.

When you’re hankering after something starchy and satisfying, this soupy spring rice delight will definitely please the tastebuds

I don’t know whether I prefer saying risi e bisi or eating this Venetian springtime speciality, which is traditionally made to celebrate the feast of St Mark, the city’s patron saint, on 25 April. That said, this deliciously soupy, starchy dish ticks a lot of boxes for me at this time of year, not least because even I can amuse myself in a terrible Italian accent for only so long.

Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4

Co-authors say ‘no-regrets policy’ would save consumers €2.8bn a year while cutting emissions by 48m tonnes

Healthier ready-to-eat meals could cut EU emissions by 48m tonnes annually and save customers €2.8bn (£2.4bn) each year, as well as reducing disease, a report has found.

Fast food and ready meals provide more than a sixth of the EU’s calories but contain far more salt and meat than doctors recommend, according to an analysis from the consultancy Systemiq commissioned by environmental nonprofit organisations Fern and Madre Brava.

We need protein to build muscle, produce hormones, regulate mood and appetite, and strengthen bones. But how much, and what kind, should you eat every day?

Eating protein is non-negotiable. Like carbs and fats, it’s a macronutrient that bodies need in relatively large, regular doses (compared with micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals). But our protein needs change throughout life, according to age, sex, activity levels and more. In fact our requirements can be highly individual and hence easily misjudged, especially when, says the dietitian Linia Patel, “There are conflicting messages around how much protein we should be eating.” On the one hand, the National Diet and Nutrition Survey shows that we exceed our daily protein recommendations, which scientists say could shorten our lives. On the other hand, says Patel: “What I see in my own clinical practice is that around 80% of my clients are not eating quite enough.” The booming protein industry, with its bars, pouches and shakes, would have us believe the more is always the merrier. So how much protein should we be eating?

Three joyful dishes for a new year: a mild yellow curry, street food-style fried pork and a simple dish of baked mackerel and rice

Songkran , the Thai New Year on 13 April, is a vibrant and joyous celebration marked by a famous water festival that symbolises the cleansing of the past year’s misfortunes through playful water fights and anointing one’s elders with water at the hottest time of year. Traditional Thai dishes play a central role, reflecting the culinary heritage that unites families and communities at this auspicious time.

No, but it does make it more tasty, says Yotam

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I’ve often read about cooking meat briefly over high heat to sear it and “seal in the juices”, but I suspect this is unscientific because, as I understand it, high heat constricts the meat fibres and squeezes out the juices.
Norman Kliman, Spain

There have been several, often conflicting theories about searing meat. When I was a young cook, I often heard the phrase “sear the meat to keep in the juices”, and just assumed it to be true. Only after many years of research, and of reading the great food scientist Harold McGee , did I realise this is, in fact, not the case.

Golden fried boiled eggs in a salty-sour curry sauce with a crunchy toasted coconut topping, and Thai baked chicken in a coconut sambal sauce

Thai New Year, or Songkran , is celebrated next weekend. Traditionally, water symbolises happiness and purity across the kingdom, and the festivities culminate in a huge nationwide water fight. If there’s an end-of-festival tradition more delightfully fun than this, I’m not sure what it is. I’d love to be in Thailand myself one year, water pistol in tow, but for now, I’ll be in the kitchen having almost as much fun. I’ll also certainly be staying dry while paying homage to the end of one year and the start of the next.

Pet food is a £120bn industry, with vast resources spent on working out how best to nourish and delight our beloved charges. But how do we know if we’re getting it right? By Vivian Ho