This New Orleans Creole hot pot with sausages, celery, onions, green peppers, leeks, tomatoes and corn on the cob, among other flavours, are brought together with a Creole-style roux and gently cooked to offer up deep rich flavours in a hearty gravy. Less spicy than Cajun gumbo, this also makes it a popular dish with children.

Tuscan pasta with kale, leeks and sausage, traditionally served with pappardelle, is another great dish for those who like pasta but can't eat or don't like tomatoes. I'm doing it here according to the recipe my father recorded in his journal in the 1960s, though it's easily turned lactovegetarian. It's neither slow-cooked nor a quick dish, but easy to cook with relatively few ingredients.

My Dublin coddle recipe is a personal take on a dishes considered their signature dish by many natives of the capital of the Republic of Ireland. Like so much in Irish culture, its story is complex. Nonetheless, its core ingredients of carrots, potatoes, bacon and sausages are the stuff of comfort food in many cultures. Easy-to-cook, I have alway found it a crowd-pleaser, particularly among crowds of diminutives. Yes, kids like it.

Tagliatelle with sausage ragù is an authentic Bolognese favourite; also a hack for those who find it hard to get their hands on salsiccia

Tuscan pasta with fennel —and sausage for those who eat meat—is another dish that can be readily be vegetarian or not.

A fricassée with dumplings; fresh green flavours. Quick and ideal for mixed groups of diners—vegans, vegetarians and carnivores

A one-pot Cajun hybrid dish of French colonial influences with sausage, rich in vegetables and succulent spices