Japanese-influenced katsu fish pie is a reworking of the British comfort food classic. Brimming with a mix of fish and seafood with a creamy béchamel subtly infused with with the flavours of katsu curry, a Japanese comfort food increasingly popular around the world, it's topped with a sweet potato and a panko crust.

You can pull this quick Thai green curry together in under 30 minutes. That doesn't make it any less authentic, quite the opposite. Whether the ever popular chicken version, seafood, tofu or a combination thereof, combined with vegetables and creamy coconut, it’s popular for many reasons. Just one of these is that it makes a perfect weeknight meal when you don’t want to spend too long in the kitchen.

This linguine with crab, peas and lemon, and more besides, is the perfect dish for hot weather. With its notes of fresh herbs and healthy ingredients, it's fully satisfying yet easily digested. And, it is also both quick and easy to make when temperatures mean the last thing you want is to spend time slaving over a hot stove.

This prawns in tomato and artichoke sauce is a simple—optionally quick—dish from the South of France near to the Italian border, and the culinary influences of both countries are evident. The flavour of sun-drenched tomatoes and red peppers shine through, both in the main seafood dish and side dish of pan roasted vegetables. A perfect lighter meal for warmer weather.

This lactovegetarian butternut squash and sweet potato tart was one of the first recipes I ever created, way back in the Dark Ages when I was still a teenager. With its creamy, slightly sweet filling balanced with herby onions, peppers and black olives, it immediately proved a crowdpleaser that I've dished up to successive generations of plant-based dinner guests.

My father chanced upon this spicy Sicilian spaghetti with scallops in Palermo in the 1960s and it's been a family favourite ever since. It's brimming with flavours—scallops, anchovies, peperoncino, capers, shallots, and more—but takes less than 30 minutes to make. Above all, good quality olive oil is the star. It's a healthy, easy option perfect for hot weather.

Indian methi chicken curry—chicken with fresh fenugreek leaves—is a dish traditional to a number of regions of India, each with their own take on it. It's not really a "curry" in the popular sense, in that the spices are mild and relatively minimal and the gravy lighter and less complicated to make than better-known Indian dishes. Yes, it's very easy to cook.

This recipe for pasta with kale and pancetta sauce comes from Castelfranco Emelia in Italy's Modena Province. It's a combination of the deeper flavours of onions cooked in white wine, pancetta and cream and the green flavours of kale and basil. Given its particular cooking method, it can be turned into a lactovegetarian dish with no effort at all.

Thai red curry is one of the best-known Thai dishes around the world. One of the four in the quartet of Thailand's most successful culinary exports, it can be vegan, pescatarian or carnivore. More importantly, if you use this recipe based on how street vendors produce it, it's easily adaptable to the needs of dining parties with different requirements.

Recently, people have asked me if I have any child-friendly recipes. This chicken, bacon, mushroom and asparagus bake takes me back to when I had to think up healthy dishes that would go down with kids of differing preparedness to try anything adventurous. This easy recipe has consistently proved popular with kids and adults alike.

This Lebanese white fish en papillote (i.e. cooked in paper) is a very easy recipe that, with the right side dishes, creates a very interesting meal, no mean feat if you also want to keep it very low-fat, as it is here. Rich, deeply flavoured regional grains and a succulent side salad offset the simple, delicate flavours of the fish.

Thai yellow curry is a dish that, like all the curries in the colour-led canon of Thai curries leaves the choice of protein up to you: it is variously made with chicken, duck, beef, tofu or seafood.

This dish of pasta with celery and basil sauce, served here with broad beans, is an amalgam of a fondly remembered dish from childhood via what happens when you start nosing around in the British Library. Highfalutin bibliographic japes aside, it's also easy to cook.

A Japanese chicken stir-fry dish, this easy yaki udon, takes less than 30mins to make, including the prep time. So, obviously it's become a weekday favourite that is both delicious and easy to chuck together when you're a bit worn out by a gruelling day.

This Malaysian prawn curry is another of the dishes from my father's travels in Asia in the 1960s recorded in his personal journals. It's quick, easy and delicious and easily adapted if you prefer chicken to seafood or want a vegan option.

Noodles with yakitori scallops and prawn skewers - delicious dish that is quick and easy to cook (well, once you've marinaded the main ingredients for hours). Perfect for hot weather. Filling yet very easy to digest. A not so traditional Japanese dish.

Delicious Thai massaman curry is filling, whether with chicken, beef or duck, but also delicate and fragrant with fresher Thai flavours of lime, lemongrass and a wealth of spices. An extremely mild curry, it's one that proves popular with a wide range of hungry diners, including children and it's easy to cook.

A Namibian German recipe for duck with kumquats served with spätzle with beetroot and horseradish. It's incredibly easy to cook. All it takes are good quality ingredients and a little patience to end up with a restaurant-quality dish.

Haddock with anchovy caper cream - a light dish served with celeriac remoulade, puy lentils and a classic cold sauce. Hearty but healthy

A riff on traditional British shepherd's pie with a distinctly Greek nod to moussaka, this fusion crowd-pleaser is a hearty winter warmer.