Recipes from The Food Fix: Real world dinner solutions for the exhausted, by Yumi Stynes and Simon Davis

Stynes, broadcaster and author, and Davis, food editor and writer, first met in 2017 when they collaborated on Stynes' first cookbook The Zero F**ks Cookbook, and discovered they shared an insatiable desire to nail the never-ending task of feeding a family. Stynes has four kids, Davis has three, they both know what it's like to be tired, busy, and hungry, all at the same time.

Here's some of their favourite recipes.

Some foods just scream comfort; they're the ones we turn to when we need the culinary equivalent of that big, warm cashmere jumper. Fish pie is one of these cosseting classics, but the time it takes to make a traditional one means that was very rarely an option in our house, until I discovered this method. Using hot-smoked fish, a yoghurt and milk mix instead of white sauce and store-bought filo pastry rather than the traditional mashed potato results in something different but still essentially the same. A cardigan instead of a jumper, perhaps, but no less warm or snuggly.

Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Combine the milk, eggs, parsley or dill, yoghurt, mustard and paprika, if using, in a bowl and mix well.

3. In a separate large bowl, combine the prawns, trout or salmon, peas and fennel, then spoon into an eight cup baking dish. Pour the milk mixture over the top.

4. Brush one side of each filo sheet all over with the melted butter and place them in a pile. Gently scrunch up the pastry and lay it on top of the pie filling to cover it completely. Bake for 25-30 minutes in the middle of the oven until the pastry is golden and crisp. Leave to cool slightly, then serve with the lemon wedges. A nice green salad would go well with this, too.

Tips:

1. I like the subtle flavour of fennel here, but if you're not keen, you can always use other veg instead - zucchini or baby spinach leaves (or a combination of the two) will also work nicely.

2. I'm afraid I can never be bothered with individual pie dishes (partly for selfish reasons, as it limits me to eating only a quarter), but if you're keen on them, divide the filling and pastry between four 350ml individual pie dishes instead.

Serves 4.

Gyoza used to be such a going-out treat, but there are now multiple options in the freezer section of the supermarket for cooking at home. Something that can feed your family that's easy and tasty and can live in your freezer? That's a win as far as I'm concerned. The thing is, they're actually a little bit tricky to get right, and they need to be cooked from frozen, meaning you can sometimes burn the outside while the inside remains stone-cold. To get the most out of your store-bought gyoza, here's what to do.

Ingredients

Lattice (for seven gyoza):

1. This is the most reliable way to cook gyoza. Set a steamer over a saucepan half full of boiling water over medium heat. If it's a metal steamer, grease it with the grapeseed oil or spray it lightly with cooking oil spray. Place the gyoza in the steamer, cover with the lid, and cook for the time recommended in the packet directions.

Frying pan method

1. This can be the trickiest way to cook gyoza but will give the most satisfying results. As you are cooking from frozen, if you fry too hot, the outside will burn while the inside will still be frozen. Aim for a medium-low heat and be patient. Preheat the pan, add the oil, and spread the gyoza out so they have a little space. Put the lid on the frying pan, as it will stop spatters and create a steamy environment, allowing the gyoza to cook all over.

2. For best results, aim only to fry the flattest side. Once it has reached a nice golden-brown colour, add about three teaspoons of water to the pan, shut the lid quickly, and allow the steam to cook the other parts of the gyoza.

Frying pan method with lattice

1. Mix the lattice ingredients together in a small jug.

2. Fry seven gyoza in two tablespoons of oil, arranging them on their flat sides so that they will fit perfectly onto a specific serving plate. When the dumplings develop an appealing golden burnish on their flat side (as in the frying pan method), pour the lattice ingredients all around the gyoza, but not over them. Wait five to six minutes, or until the lattice has cooked and turned golden and crispy. It takes longer than you might think.

3. Put your chosen serving plate face down on the dumplings then flip the whole lot over onto the plate, and serve.

Dipping sauce

1. To make the dipping sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk with a fork.

Tips

1. Rice flour works really well here, but it doesn't colour, and it forms a crunchier but less detailed lattice.

2. If you want more than seven gyoza in your lattice, you can definitely add more, but don't let it get crowded past, say, 12. If working in batches, it's OK to scale up the lattice ingredients, but be sure to stir the mixture well before pouring because the flour will settle to the bottom of the mixture.

Serves 2.

Legendary English food writer Nigel Slater dreamed up this ingenious combination a good while back, and it has been delighting time-poor but flavour-loving non-Italians ever since. When it's cold outside and I'm stuck in a pasta rut, I'll turn to this dish time and time again. It's creamy and comforting but packs a serious flavour punch, thanks to the herbs and spices in the sausages and the basil leaves stirred through just before serving. Jay, our podcast producer, who tried it the night after we talked about it on the show, gave it the thumbs-up and told us it was going on high rotation. As good as feedback gets.

Ingredients

Method

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the rigatoni and cook according to the packet directions until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Squeeze the sausage meat out of the casings into the pan and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon into roughly walnut-size pieces as you go, for five minutes or until browned all over.

3. Add the wine and simmer for five minutes, scraping all the delicious browned bits from the bottom of the pan with the spoon, until reduced by about half, then add the cream, mustard and paprika, if using, and simmer for a further two minutes, until thickened and reduced slightly.

4. Remove from the heat, add the drained pasta and basil, and stir or toss together (if you're feeling brave) until everything is coated in the rich, creamy sauce. Pile into bowls and serve with grated parmesan.

Tips

1. The spices and flavours of Italian sausages really make this dish, so try to hunt them down if you can. If you're cooking this for kids or the heat-intolerant, you might want to look for simply flavoured ones without chilli, although this is one dish that does benefit from a tingle of heat. I've been known to use spicy Italian sausages and then add a few sprinkles of chilli flakes and a little drizzle of chilli oil at the end, too.

2. If the flavours here appeal but everything is sounding a bit too rich for your tastes, this can be made a lot lighter surprisingly easily, without sacrificing flavour. Just replace the cream with three tablespoons low-fat cream cheese and 80ml semi-skimmed milk, and the wine with 60ml vegetable or chicken stock.

Serves 4.

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To make the starter meringue you'll need an electric mixer, but you can completely bypass the whipping stage and the pancakes will still workout okay, just less fluffy. If you don't require a gluten-free recipe, this one works just fine with regular self-raising flour. Having tried all the milks, I'd recommend any soy, lactose-free, regular or oat milk. All work.

Ingredients

Method

1. Separate the eggs, putting the whites directly into the bowl of your electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat the whites to soft peaks at medium speed, then gradually add the sugar to make a fluffy, glossy meringue mixture. This should take about five minutes from beginning to end. Add the vanilla, salt and oil, mixing at low speed until combined. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in the milk, then finally sift in the flour and cocoa powder and fold in until just combined, aiming to keep the mixture as airy as possible. Sprinkle the choc chips over the mix once the flour is in and give the batter only a perfunctory stir.

2. (If you don't want to beat the egg whites first, it still works if you mix together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt and oil, then add the milk, mix again, and finally sift in the flour and cocoa powder and stir gently until just combined. Sprinkle over the choc chips once the flour is in and give the batter a quick stir.)

3. Preheat a medium-large frying pan over medium-high heat, spray it well with cooking oil spray then reduce the heat to medium. Pour in 125ml batter for each pancake. (The average frying pan will comfortably fit three pancakes. Don't go for more, or they will be overcrowded and difficult to handle.) Immediately cover the pan with a lid and set a timer for three minutes. When the time is up, remove the lid. The uncooked tops of the pancakes should be bubbled and looking ready to flip. (If not, replace the lid and give them another minute.) Flip each pancake and cook for another two minutes with the lid off.

4. Serve with fat dollops of whipped cream (if using), blueberries, sliced banana and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Tips

1. Some of the choc chips will scorch a little where they touch the frying pan. This is totally okay.

2. Obviously, if you use whipped cream, the recipe is no longer dairy-free. If you don't need dairy-free, milk chocolate chips are great here.

Serves 4.