Spice up supper

January can feel long, very long. Pay day seems to take forever to come round, and most of us are pretty jaded after all the energy (and cash) spent the month before, buying presents, entertaining and generally wearing ourselves out with all that goodwill.

So any energy that can be saved by cooking – and eating – more simply is always welcome, at least in my house. I tend to cook in batches and then eat the same thing for a few meals in a row, not just because it saves time but also because it can taste better too.

And should my door be darkened by anyone who dares to complain about it, I just calmly usher them to the fridge and invite them to take over the cooking duties, which usually results in a hasty retreat by the upstart (read husband) in question.

It’s also the month when we feel like really nourishing ourselves. It’s cold outside, and there can be a niggling worry that we’ve overindulged the month before, so nutritious, one-pot dishes that look and taste great win the popularity contest hands down.

I’m a big fan of spices, things like chilli, turmeric (especially turmeric), and cardamom, not just for their taste but also their nutritional qualities. Asian and Middle Eastern foods are full of the stuff – warming, aromatic dishes that taste better and better on day two or three.

So my first recipe is North African in inspiration but 100 per cent universally appealing.

Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients – all those spices just get chucked in together with the chicken before the joints are stewed along with the rest of the ingredients, mainly vegetables and pulses. And truly, chuck in what’s available spice wise. No allspice? Then ground cinnamon will do (but maybe just one teaspoon) and more of everything else. This, along with most of my recipes, is very forgiving. And don’t forget: this is a stew masquerading as a soup, and all the better for it.

The second recipe is a one-stop-shop fish supper, baked in parchment (or if you're feeling posh, en papillote). It's all lean, clean flavours that mingle together brilliantly in the oven to create a satisfying, filling supper.