Do you remember green peppers and red tomatoes on the TV show called Ready, Steady, Cook? Simply brilliant. I loved it because it taught you how to use what ever you had in the cupboards and the fridge to make a delightful meal. Then when I went to work in the kitchens at the first pub I worked in at 18 years old, the chef there changed the menu every day entirely dependent on the ingredients he had. Great lessons indeed.

So then moving to halls of residence at university, by the end of the week nobody had any food left except for a few scraps here and there and I’d take great pleasure in cobbling together something from whatever people had left and making a meal for everybody.

Have you seen the episode of friends where Rachel accidentally puts mince in a trifle? And Joey devours the lot? I love that because it is entirely my ethos on cooking. If you like every raw ingredient in your meal, then what’s not to like in the final article?

What’s not to like? – Joey Tribiani

There are no ready meals in this house, and I only ever buy raw ingredients so sometimes yes there are some very odd combinations, but sometimes they really are the best discoveries and become regulars at the supper table. Last night was no exception.

So you know what it is like when you are on your way home after a full day at work and you have an idea of what you will make for dinner? Always nice to have an idea so you can just crack on. You open the cupboard and the one main ingredient you thought you had (my butternut squash) you realise you’ve used on Sunday. Back to square one and you have a rather old mother Hubbard situation going on right now until the Ocado Man comes on Friday. Oh, and only an hour to prepare, cook and eat before you have to be out to crochet class.

So. Cue music maestro.

She’s a bit of a maker-upper 🎶

So I raid the fridge and come up with two sweet potatoes and two onions (staples that last forever so these are great for meals like this) so chop them up and stick them in a big pan and start to cook them off. Then onto the cupboards and I find a tin of tomatoes and some kidney beans. Hang on, did I see some left over sweetcorn in the fridge? Right, in you all go as well. So it’s a chilli-esque type affair. Ok. Raid herb cupboard. Cumin, coriander, chilli and smoked paprika. Pinch of salt. Ooh and a squeeze of ketchup, that’s one of my super secrets. I was taught that by an Indian chef once. And that’s it. No recipe. No measuring. No take away. All things we like to eat. Let it bubble! Taste it, hmmm I spy garlic on the side, chuck a couple of cloves in.

No time to cook rice, I know, couscous will work! A great tip I learnt while out in San Francisco is to always make it with stock not just boiling water, totally gives you a better flavour and after years of eating it really quite blandly, this was a total revelation.  Ok so then I quite randomly find a couple of tortilla wraps at the bottom of the breadbin which appear to still be alive and I realise that one of my recent Amazon purchases is sat waiting for me to try it out. Total impulse buy but it was only a few pounds and after last night I’ve no idea how I lived without these in my life before.

Little tins you can put a tortilla wrap into and bake…

So if this doesn’t work then I am pretty stuffed as I need to leave the house in around 10 minutes now… So, into the oven goes the wrap while I quickly get changed. I come downstairs and abracadabra, magic has been a happening in my oven.

So onto the plate goes the baked wrap, a little bit of couscous inside, some sweet potato chilli and then a little grated chilli cheese on top.

I cannot put into words how deliciously triumphant this was. Husband absolutely loved it too. Totally made up. Totally veggie, in fact vegan if you leave off the cheese. Totally hearty, filling and made from store cupboard staples in half an hour flat.

If all you ever do is buy raw ingredients that you know you enjoy, what’s not to like?!!!

Go on, have a go. You don’t even need a recipe.