The ultimate comfort foods for hot summer days ...Middle East

This hot weather doesn’t mean we want our food to be any less comforting – there’s only so many salads you can enjoy before a hearty bowl of something delicious begins to look very tempting.

Ben Ebbrell from Sorted Foods knows this all too well, and he has put together a selection of recipes that are filling, satisfying, and won’t have you slaving at a stove for too long.

Here are his favourites…

Butter chicken lasagne

Fusion at its finest – we’ve put an Indian twist on an Italian classic to create a warming, saucy aromatic creation.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7 and place a large frying pan over a medium heat.

Add the butter to the pan and allow to foam before adding in the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom pods and cloves. Fry everything together for one to two minutes until aromatic.

Peel and finely slice the garlic and ginger. Thinly slice the green chillies.

Add the aromatics to the pan along with a pinch of salt and cook for a further one to two minutesCut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and add to the pan along with the garam masala and chilli powder. Stir everything together and cook for four to five minutes, until the chicken starts to colour.

Add the tin of chopped tomatoes, cream cheese and honey to the pan, then stir well. Fold through 150g of spinach and bring to a simmer – you may have to do this in batches.

Lower the heat to medium, then break six lasagne sheets into shards and add straight into the fryingpan. Give it a quick stir.

Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for five to six minutes, turning and tossing occasionally, until the lasagne sheets have softened but still have a slight bite. Crack on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait.

Coarsely grate the cheddar cheese, then roughly chop the coriander and mint.

Scatter the cheese over the top of the lasagne and transfer to the oven to bake for eight to 10 minutes,until the cheese has melted and lightly browned.

Remove the pan from the oven, scatter over the chopped herbs and squeeze over the juice of half a lemon. Take the whole pan to the table and tuck in.

One pan cheat’s cottage pie

We use gnocchi instead of mashed potatoes to top our pie in this recipe to save on time.

Add the vegetable oil to a large, oven-proof frying pan, and place it over a high heat.

Once the oil begins to shimmer and loosen, add the mince. Fry for six to eight minutes, breakingit up occasionally until golden and crisp in places. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next stepswhile you wait.

Finely chop the mushrooms, then halve, peel, and finely dice a red onion.

Once the beef is ready, add the mushrooms and onion. Fry for a further six to eight minutes, tossingoccasionally, until the veg is soft. Season with a pinch of salt.

Once the beef and veg are ready, add the flour. Cook, tossing regularly for a further one to twominutes.

Add 187ml of red wine to the pan and allow the wine to boil, then thicken, scraping the bottom ofthe pan with a spoon all the while to get up any stuck bits of flavour.

Add a stock cube, 200ml of water, and give everything a stir.

Lower the heat to medium and simmer for four to five minutes, until the liquid coats the meat in a loose glaze. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait.

Preheat the grill to its highest temperature, then finely chop the rosemary.

Once the mince is ready, top with the gnocchi, and sprinkle over the rosemary.

Finely grate over the cheddar cheese.

Grill for six to eight minutes, until the top is golden and bubbling. Crack on with a bit of washing up while you wait.

Serve the pie straight from the pan, and get involved!

Cheesy sweet potato shepherd’s pie

All the comfort of a classic shepherd’s pie, but with a twist. Creamy, cheesy, and bubbling hot, this one’s guaranteed to hit the cosy sweet spot.

Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into chunks. Add to a large saucepan, cover with water and placeover a high heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 12-15 minutes, until tender.

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the lamb mince,season with salt and pepper and cook for three to four minutes, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned.

Meanwhile, peel and finely dice a brown onion. Peel and grate the garlic. Trim and dice thecarrots into small chunks. Finely chop the thyme leaves.

Add the onion, garlic, and carrots, along with a pinch of salt, to the pan. Cook for six to eight minutes,stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and golden.

Scatter over 25g of flour and stir well. Cook for one minute, then crumble in a beef stock cube andpour in the tin of chopped tomatoes. Add the thyme, stir well and bring to a simmer. Cook foreight to 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the grill to high. Drain the cooked sweet potatoes and return them to the pan. Add thecrème fraîche, season with salt and mash until smooth.

Spread the mash over the top of the lamb filling. Slice the halloumi into thin strips and arrangeon top.

Place under the grill for five to seven minutes, until golden and bubbling. Take the whole pan to the table and dive in.

Chicken tikka masala pie with cumin-buttered spinach

This fusion of two beloved classics will make your taste buds do the happy dance. Super rich, indulgent and aromatic.

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/gas mark 8. Fill a kettle with water and put it on to boil.

Cut the potatoes into small chunks, place them into a large saucepan and cover with waterfrom the kettle. Place over a high heat and boil for 10-12 minutes until tender.

Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces.

Heat 2tbsp of vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once the oil isshimmering, add the chicken, season it all over with salt and pepper and fry for three to four minutes until golden brown all over. then remove from the pan and set aside.

Peel, halve, and dice a red onion. Peel and finely chop the garlic and ginger. Finely chop the green chilli and coriander.

In the same frying pan, heat 30g of unsalted butter over a medium heat. Once the butter is melted,add 1 tsp of cumin seeds.

Add the onion, garlic, ginger and green chilli to the pan along with a pinch of salt and cook for afurther three to four minutes, until the onion starts to turn golden brown.

Add the tomato paste, 150ml of double cream, honey and garam masala to the pan and stir well. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low.

Add the chicken back to the pan along with any resting juices, then simmer for four to five minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.

Once the potatoes are tender, drain through a colander and then return to the pan over a low heat.Add 30g of butter, 50g of cream, the coriander and add a big pinch of salt and pepper to the pan.

Give it a good mash with a potato masher until relatively smooth.

Spoon the mash over the top of the chicken tikka filling and roughly even it out.

Pop the pan into the oven to bake for eight to 10 minutes, until golden on top. Get on with the spinachwhile you wait.

Heat 15g of butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once the butter is foaming, stirthrough the remaining 1tsp of cumin seeds and half the spinach, and allow to wilt beforeadding the second half. Fry the spinach in the cumin butter for two to three minutes, tossingoccasionally, until the leaves darken and wilt. Season to taste with salt and plenty of black pepper.

Take the pan to the table along with the cumin-buttered spinach and tuck in!

Fish, bacon and egg pie

Creamy fish and smoky pancetta folded with eggs under a golden, fluffy mash – a comforting, old-school bake with loads of texture.

Peel the loose white potatoes and cut into bite-sized chunks. Add to a medium saucepan, coverwith water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15-18 minutes, until completely soft.

Add the eggs to a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for eightminutes. Drain and cool under cold running water, then peel and cut into chunks.

Finely dice the carrot. Trim, halve and finely slice the leek. Coarsely grate the cheddar and finelychop the parsley.

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a medium ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Add the dicedpancetta and fry for three to four minutes, until beginning to crisp.

Add the carrot and leek to the pan with a pinch of salt. Cook for six to eight minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.

Stir the plain flour into the vegetables and cook for one to two minutes. Gradually add 300ml of the whole milk, stirring constantly, until smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in 1tbsp of Dijon mustard, the cheddar and the parsley.

Cut the two white fish fillets into large chunks. Add them to the sauce along with the zest of one lemon and a squeeze of the juice. Add the chopped eggs, season with salt and pepper, stir well, and simmer for five to seven minutes, until the fish begins to flake, then remove the pan from the heat.

Make sure you simmer gently – the fish should just begin to flake, not fully break down.

Drain the potatoes and return them to the pan. Add the unsalted butter, the remaining 100ml of whole milk and the ground nutmeg. Mash until smooth and season with salt.

Preheat the grill or broiler to high. Spoon the mash over the filling and spread evenly, leaving arough texture on top. Drizzle with 0.5 tbsp of olive oil.

Grill for five to six minutes, until bubbling and golden, then serve.

Smoky chicken and cream cheese pasta bake

A rich and creamy pasta bake with tender chicken, smoky paprika, and a touch of white wine for extra depth. Comfort food at its best!

Fill and boil a kettle. Cut the chickens thighs into small bite-sized pieces, then season with a pinch ofsalt.

Heat 1tbsp of olive oil in a large ovenproof pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken and fryfor five to six minutes, until golden brown all over, stirring often. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Wash your chopping board and knife.

Peel and chop the spring onions and garlic.

Add the pasta to a large saucepan along with a pinch of salt, then cover with boiling water fromthe kettle. Place over a high heat and cook for eight to 10 minutes, or until tender but with a slight bite.

Add the onion and garlic to the chicken pan, along with a pinch of salt and a generous grind of blackpepper. Cook for two to three minutes, until softened and fragrant. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Stir the tomato purée and paprika into the pan, then cook for one minute.

Pour in 187ml of white wine, stir well, and simmer for two to three minutes, reducing slightly.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and eggs until smooth.

Reserve a mugful of the pasta water, then drain and add the pasta to the frying pan. Return the chickento the pan and mix everything together well. Pour over the cream cheese mixture. Stir well to coateverything evenly. Add a splash of the reserved water if needed.

Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden and bubbling.

Finely chop the chives and coriander, then scatter over the pasta bake. Serve straight from the pan and dig in.

The Sidekick recipe app helps you solve your dinner dilemmas with exciting new recipes, smarter shopping and stress-free cooking. www.sortedfood.com/download

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