Broad bean, tuna and spring onion salad

I may have made this even more exciting/even worse (take your pick), by adding the remains of your boiled egg to the mix. Well, I liked it.

Makes enough for 1.

You'll need:

1/2 a tin of tuna
8-10 pods of broad beans (you want a nice double handful of beans)
a couple of spring onions, finely chopped
a splash of balsamic vinegar
a good slurp of olive oil
lots of black pepper

Pod the beans, then cook in boiling water for 5-7 minutes until tender. Don't add salt, or overboil them, or they'll be very tough.

Drain, and decant to a bowl. Add the spring onion, tuna (and any boiled eggs you happen to have lying around), and then dress with a good slurp of olive oil/balsamic vinegar, and lots of black pepper.

Serve with some slices of baguette, spread with butter.

Tex-Mex chilli

We missed out the chilli for your version, but one day you'll like it...

Makes enough for 4 (we ate this first with rice earlier on in the week, but then had it on top of pizza tonight - I know, I know, but sometimes it just has to be done).

You'll need:

400g mince (I used pork, but beef or lamb would be equally good)
1 onion, finely sliced
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 green pepper, diced
5 or 5 mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 red chillies, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tin of tomatoes
a small tin of tomato puree
lots of black pepper
a bit of fresh coriander to stick on top

*If you're making this for someone other than your Dad, you'd probably also sling a tin of beans (kidney, borlotti etc) in when you tip the tomatoes in.

Fry the mince until it's browned. Add the onions and garlic and chilli, and cook until they've softened. Add the green pepper and mushrooms, and do the same (you might have to add a bit of extra olive oil, depending on how lean your mince is).

Add the spices, and fry for another couple of minutes. Tip the tin of tomatoes in, and add about the same again in water. Add the tomato puree, some black pepper, and stir. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for a while (20 minutes will do, but longer will be even better).

Eat with rice (or even just on its own, if you've made it with beans). It's lovely with some fresh coriander sprinkled on top, and some grated cheese.

tuna and haricot bean salad

The ultimate storecupboard lunch. Except we ate it for tea as a side dish, together with some green salad and a pissaladiere.

You'll need:

a tin of haricot beans
a tin of tuna (preferably in oil)
a small onion, finely sliced
juice of half a lemon
black pepper

Drain the tuna, but keep the oil. Drain the beans and rinse. Mix the tuna and beans together in a large bowl, and add the sliced onion. Add some of the tuna oil and all of the lemon juice, and season generously with lots of black pepper.