Free The Thrifty Cookbook: 476 Ways to Eat Well With Leftovers by Kate Colquhoun Page A

and cook gently until softened. Add all the other ingredients except the meat, stir well and bring to simmering point. Turn down the heat and leave the ragù to bubble, just barely, for 25-35 minutes, until it has thickened and deepened in colour. Add the meat and cook for 2-3 minutes, until heated through.

Enrich or spice up the sauce Add a glass of red wine or a pinch of dried chilli flakes once the onion is cooked and leave the wine to bubble for 2-3 minutes before adding the tomatoes. Use up a last rasher of bacon – dicing it and adding it with the onion at the start. Or toss in some finely chopped parsley or basil right at the end.
Carrots, parsnips or courgettes Add these in small dice to the tomatoes and cook until softened before adding the meat. If your children rebel against chunks of vegetables, grate them.
An echo of the East Grate a 2.5cm piece of fresh ginger and add to the onion at the start with a deseeded and chopped small green chilli and a teaspoon each of ground coriander and cumin. Scatter chopped coriander over the finished ragù and serve with rice or couscous.

Ratatouille uses up all the tomatoes, courgettes and aubergines that mock you from the vegetable rack or the fridge. It freezes well, and is one of those dishes that taste even better the next day – and it can ultimately make its way into either a bake with a breadcrumb topping (see page 49 ) or a soup.
Serves 4
1 large aubergine, sliced into rounds about 1cm thick
olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2-4 courgettes, sliced about 5mm thick
1 large pepper, deseeded and sliced (or use Bottled Roasted Peppers, see page 44 )
450g tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped (or a 400g can of tomatoes, drained and chopped )
1 heaped teaspoon tomato purée
1 tablespoon chopped basil (or thyme )
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped oregano (if you have it) salt and pepper
Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil and then grill (or bake at 180°C/Gas Mark 4) for about 10 minutes, until golden and tender, flipping them over half way through. Allow to cool and then chop into chunks.
Fry the onion gently in a little oil in a large saucepan until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further 30 seconds or so. Add more oil if you need to and then throw in the courgettes. Cook, turning regularly, until they become translucent and are just beginning to brown. Add the aubergine, pepper, tomatoes and tomato purée and season well. Simmer very gently for 30-45 minutes, until the vegetables are soft but not disintegrating and the sauce is thickening, without becoming a pulp.
Adjust the seasoning and stir in the chopped herbs. Serve on its own, or with rice, pasta, couscous or baked potatoes, or as a side dish with chicken, lamb, pork or fish. Ratatouille also goes perfectly with a poached egg.
A cold-weather alternative Carrots, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and any member of the squash family can be used for a wintry version of ratatouille. In this case, I prefer to leave the vegetables quite chunky. Start in the same way with onion and garlic, adding the harder vegetables next and turning them in the oil until partially softened. Add the tomatoes and tomato purée, season well and simmer until the vegetables are almost cooked. About 10 minutes before you want to serve, add softer vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and some mangetout or beans.

All curries are endlessly variable. You can use a good teaspoon of curry paste or your own spices, as below; experiment to find out what you prefer and how strong you like them. Coconut milk, yogurt or a can of tomatoes can form the basis of the sauce or, if you want a really mild curry, ordinary milk works beautifully.
The absolute rule with these curries is always, always to cook the spices for a good minute or two before adding the liquid. This will take off their raw edge and intensify the flavour. If you want to use fresh meat, you will need to add it to the pan