GreenFeast

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I cook many a meal in a shallow pan over a low flame. I put a low-sided pan on the hob, pour in a little olive oil, warm it until its surface shimmers, then lower in vegetables – asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, fennel or summer squash – followed by a generous splash of water, a trio of bay leaves, half a dozen black peppercorns and a clove or two of young mauve-skinned garlic. The vegetables then cook over a low to moderate heat, partially covered by a lid, till fork tender. I finish them with lemon juice and torn basil or mint and bring them to the table with thick slices of toasted sourdough rubbed with garlic and olive oil. There will, depending on how hungry I am, be a dish of new potatoes steamed, crushed and tossed in soured cream and chives or perhaps some rice, steamed then fried in butter. A light, yet not insubstantial summer dinner.

A frying pan was one of the first pieces of cookware I ever bought. I now have two, a thin, flat, non-stick pan I use for pancakes and the like and a heavy, hardwearing cast-iron version that has a non-stick surface built up from years of active service. The cheaper non-stick pans come and go; the cast-iron pan will, I suspect, pretty much see me out.

A shallow pan is probably the most useful of all, unless you eat a lot of soup or pasta. All manner of good things can shape up for dinner in a frying or sauté pan, from a cake of sweet potato with crushed tomatoes, to bubble and squeak with watercress and dill. Or perhaps a frittata, its thin layer of egg topped with asparagus, finger-thick carrots or shredded spring greens.

Yes, I will fry slices of aubergine in olive oil and serve them with crumbled feta, or fill an omelette with steamed asparagus and tarragon butter, but I am just as likely to fry something in a shallow pan as an accompaniment for a bowl of rice. Tomatoes for instance, cooked down to a scarlet slush over a low flame, crushed under my wooden spoon and seasoned with pepper, basil and parsley until I have a thick jam to spoon over steamed, spiced basmati. I might use such a pan to crisp ready-made gnocchi before tossing them with sharp green-shouldered tomatoes and pink and white radishes, or to fry fennel and young carrots to accompany melted cheese or, for those other than myself, a softly cooked egg.

Having a shallow pan to cook in gives us the gift of speed. Supper in minutes. It is also possibly the most successful way to use leftovers. I have made myself many a fine supper from warming a glug of olive oil and a slice of butter in a pan, then adding ‘bits from the fridge’ – leftover cooked potato, sautéed vegetables or mushrooms, a few cold noodles or a spoonful of cooked rice, then folding in harissa sauce or several shakes of za’atar. A bit of a mixed bag to be honest, with some compilations more successful than others, but something of a blessing when you come home tired and hungry. Which is of course what this book is for.

ASPARAGUS, BROAD BEANS, EGGS (#ulink_8a5052f8-3c81-5c0f-beef-93cada4a14f7)

Light lunch. The first sign of spring.

Serves 2

broad beans 450g (weight with pods)

asparagus 150g

carrots, slim, young 200g

butter 30g

olive oil

chervil 5g, or parsley leaves 10g

eggs 4

Parmesan, grated 2 tablespoons