Cooking for a big family gathering? Our A-team comes to the aid of the party. DOMINI KEMPkeeps the masses well-fed; EUNICE POWERserves up tantalising desserts, and JOHN WILSONmakes sure everyone's glass is full

IT MAY NOT quite be time to leave the barbecue out permanently, but the pull to eat outside is strong when the sun starts to shine. Big pots of tasty, coconut-based curries are great for this time of year as they’re light enough to convince you that summer is just around the corner yet still warming enough for that nip in the air.

I love this kind of one-pot wonder as it’s easy to make, can be bumped up to easily feed 12 or 18, and works well with chicken, prawns or monkfish. All you need is a big pot of rice and a few salads and hey presto, lunch for the masses is sorted.

Speaking of rice, I am always grateful for good rice cooking techniques. Róisín Ingle swears by this handy tip she found on a website she swears by ( siansplan.com) which is to wash the rice in a colander or similar, bring one cup of rice to two cups of cold water to the boil and simmer for a couple of minutes with a lid on. Then turn off heat and leave it for anything up to an hour. It should be ready to eat within 30 minutes but will be okay for up to an hour.

I can vouch for the fact that this technique works really well, and the rice was so fluffy I thought it could be used in an ad for Uncle Ben’s.

This asparagus salad with courgette and grilled halloumi is another great party dish, namely because asparagus is plentiful right now and also because it makes a great vegetarian option.

And if you fancy something a little more meaty, you can roast or barbecue a leg of lamb and either serve it as is, or slice it up and present it on a big platter with these lovely salad ingredients. Warm salads hit the spot at this time of year.

If you are making a bigger batch of the monkfish recipe which, then you’d probably reduce the amount of water or stock that goes into it. Things like star anise and chillies also can flavour larger quantities, so don’t multiply them out to the same extent as you would the main ingredient and things like the coconut milk.

Monkfish can be pricey, so you can flesh this out with other firm white fish. Just be sure to ask your fishmonger to give you big chunks of firm and meaty fish that can go into a curry.

If you want to, you could use more veggies and leave out the fish altogether, just bulk it out with hunks of courgette or aubergine. They may need to cook for longer than the fish, so add them with the potatoes. In this case, you may need to use more liquid as the aubergine will soak some up.

Monkfish, lemongrass and coconut curry

Serves 6-8

Approx 1kg diced monkfish

2 onions peeled and sliced

Few glugs olive oil

1 tbsp mild curry powder

Salt and pepper

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

½ chilli, deseeded and sliced (optional)

1-2 lemongrass, finely sliced

Big knob ginger, peeled and very finely sliced

250g new potatoes (approx 6-8 spuds)

500ml water or vegetable stock

1 tin coconut milk

3 star anise

3-4 dried lime leaves

50g desiccated coconut

2 limes

Bunch coriander, finely chopped

In a large, heavy-based saucepan, sauté the onions in the olive oil for a few minutes until they are starting to soften down a bit. Keep moving them around so that they don’t burn. Sprinkle the curry powder on top and add the garlic, ginger, chilli and lemongrass. Mix this around and season. It should start to smell really great after a few minutes. If you feel it’s going to start burning in patches, add a splash of water to deglaze the pan and this will allow you to keep cooking it out. Cut the potatoes in half or quarters, then add them to the pot and make them get well coated. Season again and then add the stock and coconut milk. If you use water, you’ll just have to season it more.

Add the star anise, lime leaves and desiccated coconut. Cook on a gentle simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. At this stage you can leave it to cool down fully and then re-heat it and add the fish, or just add the fish about 10 minutes before you want to serve. It should be gently bubbling and simmering, so the fish will cook quickly. You need to taste it again and adjust the seasoning. If you feel it’s a bit bland, some lime juice or fish sauce or salt will help. Serve with rice and some wedges of lime and chopped coriander.

Chargrilled asparagus with marinated courgette and halloumi

Serves 4-6

1 punnet cherry tomatoes cut in half

Sprinkle of caster sugar

Approx 150ml olive oil

24 asparagus spears

2 courgettes

Lemon juice

Salt and pepper

200g pack halloumi cheese

Basil leaves

Bunch of rocket

2 x 200g bags mixed leaves

Vinaigrette

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp sherry vinegar

100ml olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat an oven to 140 degrees/gas 1. Put the cherry tomatoes on a baking tray, on parchment paper, skin side down and sprinkle with tiny bit of caster sugar and salt. You can also sprinkle over some dried herbs for extra flavour. Roast for about an hour then set aside until ready to assemble. These need to stay out at room temperature.

Trim the asparagus and then toss it in a bowl with a good lick of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Heat up a griddle or chargrill pan and when it is really hot, put the asparagus on it in a neat row. Turn them from side to side so they get evenly charred. After a few minutes, they should be nicely charred yet still retaining lots of bite. Take them off the heat and set aside.

While the griddle is still hot, chargrill slices of the halloumi till nice and brown on each side then set these aside and keep at room temperature.

Mix the ingredients together for the dressing. Cut the courgettes into thin ribbons with a vegetable peeler or mandolin. Then toss with some olive oil, salt and lemon juice which will lightly “cook” it. When you want to serve the salad, assemble it by tossing the leaves and rocket with some vinaigrette. Then lay out the chargrilled asparagus, halloumi and drape the courgette over the top. Top with basil leaves and the roast tomatoes and serve.

BBQ or roast leg of lamb (can be turned into roast lamb warm salad)

1 bunch mint

1 bunch parsley

3 cloves garlic, peeled

Juice and zest of 2 lemons

Good squeeze honey

1 small tin anchovies

Black pepper

100ml olive oil

Few sprigs rosemary

I leg of lamb, butterflied

Mix all of the ingredients except the rosemary and the lamb in a food processor, to make a paste. Slather this on the leg of lamb, and leave it to marinate, preferably overnight. This can then be cooked either on a BBQ or in a really hot oven so that you char and roast the outside really well. We roasted it at about 220 degrees/gas 7 for approximately 18 minutes. It’s better to bring the lamb to room temperature before you cook it, ideally for about an hour. If you like your lamb more well done, cook it for a further 10 mins at 180 degrees/gas 4.

Let it rest, then carve into thin slices and either serve as it is, or make a large platter of salad, which will easily serve eight, with the following ingredients.

200g feta, diced

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted

Chopped basil

Chopped mint

Chopped parsley

About eight good handfuls of mixed leaves or approx 600g

Vinaigrette (make double the recipe for courgette salad)

Toss the mixed leaves in the vinaigrette and then lay them out on a large platter. Sprinkle the herbs and feta on top, then the red onions, lamb and pine nuts, and let everyone help themselves.