Tahini with roast aubergine, the classic lentils with rice and caramelised onions , and a creamy mashed courgette salad

When I close my eyes and try to think of a dish that says home, mujadara is usually the one that comes to mind. Mind you, the same probably goes for most Palestinians: this humble yet hugely satisfying meal was easily the most requested recipe on my radio show, Ramblings of a Chef , which I started during the pandemic. Mafghoussa , meanwhile, is a refreshing side for grilled meats or to serve by itself with bread as a light meal – the word means “squashed” in Arabic, and the name of the dish came about because the vegetables involved are mashed during or after cooking and served as a cold salad.

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Char it, grill it, even soupify it – our panel of cooks lets us in on secret ways to enjoy lettuce

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How to use up a whole head of lettuce before it turns – no salad, please
We’re talking about how to apply heat here, because raw lettuce is all about salad (unless you’re using the leaves to cradle mince or mushrooms, which is also an excellent shout). Braising is as good a place to start as any, says Farokh Talati , head chef at St John Bread and Wine in London. Cut the lettuce in half through the root and season, and get a cast-iron pan on the heat. “If I was doing this at the restaurant,” Talati says, “I’d use beef dripping, but you could fry bacon in vegetable oil instead, then lift it out and use the fat left in the pan; or, for vegetarians, just use olive oil.” Once the fat is smoking hot, pop in the lettuce cut side down, cook until well charred – “We’re talking dark ” – then take out of the pan. Talati would then fry chestnut mushrooms or poached sweetbreads and smoked bacon, before returning the lettuce to the pan with a little chicken or porcini stock, and perhaps some thyme and crushed garlic. Cover, simmer until you have “a lovely rich sauce”, and finish with a splash of balsamic or sherry vinegar.

For a thrill from the grill, Olly Oakley, head chef at the Harcourt Arms in Oxfordshire, barbecues lettuce whole. “It ends up with a nice, smoky, warm middle,” he says, making it ideal for serving with a caesar-type dressing or anchovy butter, plus a smattering of pangrattato to “hearten things up”. Alternatively, Talati adds, rub seasoned lettuce wedges with extra-virgin olive oil and harissa. “Really work them into the leaves, then get it on the barbecue and cook, turning every three minutes, until wilted.” Transfer to a tray and “rest whatever else you’re grilling, be that sausages, pork chops or steak, on top of the lettuce, so all the resting juices drip on to it”.

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Creamy Spanish lentils are little marvels with wild garlic (or spinach), crumbly goat’s cheese, honey and a dash of sherry vinegar

When I was a child, Mum wouldn’t let me refuse lentils. If I left them, they’d be breakfast the next day – “They’re good for you!” – and I soon learned that being picky wasn’t wise in our house. Small, brown pardina lentils have thin skins, a creamy texture and earthy, herbal, peppery notes; they also hold their shape well, making them perfect for salads. It’s no surprise, then, that the finest examples from Tierra de Campos, the vast, semi-arid plains north of Valladolid, even have a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).

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A grilled salad of onions and shallots with boiled eggs and tarragon yoghurt, and a hearty chive and challah bread pudding

It’s the oldest trick in the book: get some onions and garlic on the stove, cook them until they’re smelling lovely, and everyone will assume that dinner is just around the corner. One way to fast-track that process is to make those alliums the stars of the show, rather than just a background note. From shallots to spring onions and chives to calçots, onions and garlic are just two players in the vast and varied allium family. Unlike other vegetables, alliums accumulate energy stores in chains of fructose sugars, rather than starch, and cooking transforms them from harsh to super-soft and sweet. So, instead of making everyone think of supper, think of onions themselves as supper!

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It’s that delicious but oft-forgotten fried potato scaffolding made moreish with any number of cheeky seasonings or toppings

The Swiss have a reputation as a secretive people, and indeed there is a curious dearth of cookbooks for English speakers hoping to master recipes such as this crisp potato pancake described by the Swiss government as “one of the country’s best-known national dishes”. Originally a rustic breakfast, it’s now a popular accompaniment to everything from sausages to cheese, and too good not to share.

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Both sides of the changeable season are covered here: in like a lion with hearty cheese and pickle roast potatoes, out like a lamb with a light gratin with lemon, capers and herbs

Easter is an in-between time of year. I have spent some basking in the garden, while on others, there’s been snow. Spring demands food that is both fresh and hearty. Today’s gratin is loosely based on one from the cookbook Sunday Suppers at Lucques – coins of early season courgettes with a perky salsa verde topped with golden cheesy breadcrumbs. And you can’t go wrong with this spin on roast potatoes with cheese and pickle, served with a crisp bitter leaf salad.

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Buttery and soft leeks with a cheesy crusty topping – a relatively faff-free Easter meal

Parsley sauce is making a comeback – you heard it here first. I eat it a lot, in various iterations, but in today’s dish it is one of three things that are very simple to make and work beautifully in harmony. The other two are soft, buttery leeks and cheesy breadcrumbs. Together, these three building blocks make a perfect Easter lunch, either alongside potatoes and greens, or as a side for ham or roast chicken. I urge you to make extra breadcrumbs – they are addictive and go with everything. Thank me later.

Kitty Coles’ book, Make More with Less: Foolproof Recipes to Make Your Food go Further, is published by Hardie Grant at £22. To order a copy for £19.36, go to guardianbookshop.com

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A wide spread of lots of different dishes is my usual go-to, but at Easter I’m more than happy to let one (semi-)traditional main steal the show

Easter is perhaps the only traditional meal for which I’m happy to let one dish dominate. Normally, I’m all about the spread: a table full of food where all sorts – meat and veg, salad and fish – sit side by side as equals. There is something about a shoulder of lamb, though, packed full of flavour and cooked slowly until it’s more or less falling apart, that’s so symbolically tied up with both the season and the occasion that it turns me into a meat-and-two-veg sort of cook. Well, maybe a few more than two, but still, there’s a lot of space on the table reserved for the centrepiece.

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An early spring pie of leek, spinach and sheep’s cheese in a rosemary garlic cream, served with a wild rice and cauliflower salad in a sweet almond dressing

As my eldest daughter approaches teendom, I am realising the full gamut of motherhood. Among other things, she, as I did before her, approaches her mum’s belongings as if they were her own, and as a result I am increasingly appreciating my own mother’s patience and unconditional love. I think little says love more than a pie, and I am hoping that this simple but delicious one will do the trick.

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