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Cooking Clever - Fab food for tough times No. 63

Grill-seekers

Sometimes it just has to be something on toast. Simple, quick and very, very tasty, here are three speedy and comforting suppers that are just perfect for eating on your lap in front of the telly, ideal after a long day at work or on the beach when you're simply too tired, or not hungry enough, to cook a full dinner, writes Katy McGuinness

Buckingham eggs

Portuguese-style sardines on toast

Bruschetta with stilton, watercress and a toasted walnut dressing

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Each recipe: serves 2-4, costs less than €2.25 per portion, takes less than 30 minutes to prepare eatingin@tribune.ie

Buckingham eggs Cost: €2

(From Diana Henry's 'Food from Plenty')

Serves 1

1 slice of bread
1 tsp anchovy paste
Smidgen of English mustard
Knob of butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper
15g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
Worcestershire sauce

Toast the bread on both sides, then spread it with the anchovy paste and mustard. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan and add the eggs and a little seasoning. Stir over medium-low heat until the eggs are just holding their shape (don't over-scramble or they'll be like rubber when you grill them). Pile the eggs on the toast, then scatter on the cheese and a little Worcestershire sauce. Put under a very hot grill until pale gold and just bubbling. Eat immediately.

Portuguese-style sardines on toast Cost: €6.50

(A Tom Norrington Davis recipe for 'Market Kitchen')

Serves 4

2 x 150g tinned sardines, in olive oil, drained
1 red onion
2 ripe tomatoes
½ lemon, juice only
1tsp cumin seeds, toasted
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, halved
100g feta cheese
Sliced French bread, toasted

Using your hands, remove the skin and bones from the sardines – simply hold the fish under a gently running tap and rub the skins off with your thumb. Gently open the fish and remove any bones. Flake the flesh and leave on one side. Finely dice the red onion. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for about 30 seconds, before plunging them into cold water. Remove their skins and seeds and finely dice the flesh. Toss the tomatoes and onion with the lemon juice, olive oil, cumin seeds and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, rub the toasted bread with olive oil and garlic, and heap the sardines onto the bread. Scatter over the tomato mixture and garnish with the feta cheese.

Bruschetta with stilton, watercress and a toasted walnut dressing Cost: €8.20

(a Merrilees Parker recipe for 'Great Food Live')

Serves 4

For the dressing:

25g walnut halves
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1tsp white wine vinegar
3-4tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the bruschetta:

4 slices sourdough bread
200g stilton cheese
85g watercress

For the dressing, toast the walnut halves in a frying pan over a low heat for two-three minutes, until golden. Remove from the pan, leave to cool for a couple of minutes and chop. In a mixing bowl, combine the nuts with the garlic, parsley and white wine vinegar. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper. Whisk in the olive oil, until the mixture makes a smooth emulsion. To make the bruschetta, heat a griddle pan until hot and cook the bread on both sides, until marked. Spread with the stilton. Place the watercress in a bowl and toss with the dressing. Pile the watercress onto the bruschetta and serve straight away.

Next week: Three great sandwiches for lunchboxes