Dal
Serves 2, with rice

225g yellow lentils (toovar dal)
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
75g ghee,butter or oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, slices
1 small chilli pepper, red or green, chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Dal is, along with mashed potatoes, real custard and crisp-crusted bread, one of my favourite foods. It is a general Indian term for lentils and dried beans, though to most people, me included, dal means the silky, sloppy, spicy mush made from yellow split peas and red or yellow lentils. As split peas need soaking and take a good 45 minutes to cook, I have used lentils. Rinse the lentils in a sieve under running water and check carefully for little stones. Put the lentils into a pan with the turmeric, a good teaspoon of salt and enough water to cover, about 725ml. Bring to the boil, stirring. Turn down the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, by which time they should be easy to squash.

Meanwhile, make the spiced butter. Heat the ghee, butter or oil in a shallow pan, add the cumin seeds and cook for a few seconds till they turn dark brown. Add the onion and the garlic, and cook until both turn a deep nutty golden brown. About 20 minutes. Stir them so they do not burn. Add the chilli and cook for a further 3 minutes. When the lentils have absorbed all the water beat them with a wooden spoon for a minute or two to a soft, wet purée. Scoop into a warm dish. Pour the spiced butter over the top and scatter over the coriander leaves. Serve warm, with rice.

Baked camembert
Serves 2

225g puff pastry,defrosted
1 small camembert cheese
a little beaten egg

A sexy combination of crisp puff pastry and melting cheese. Serve with a leafy salad, chicory and frisee perhaps, with a mustardy dressing. Get the oven really hot, 220°C/425°F (gas mark 7). Cut the pastry in half and on a lightly floured surface roll out two circles, about 4cm larger than your camembert, one circle slightly bigger than the other. Lay the smaller circle on a baking sheet, lay the cheese on top of the pastry. Wet the edge of the pastry thoroughly with the beaten egg. Place the larger disc of pastry on top of the cheese. Press the overhanging pastry onto the base pastry and then trim both to give a 2cm border. Seal the pastry to stop the cheese leaking - this is best done with the prongs of a fork. Brush all over with beaten egg and cut two small slits in the top to let out the steam. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and puffed up.

Pancetta and parmesan risotto
Serves 2

1small onion, finely chopped
75g pancetta, diced
50g butter
275g Arborio rice
1 litre hot chicken stock
a large knob of butter
50g grated parmesan cheese

Pancetta is Italian bacon. But what bacon! It deserves a wider distribution but you should be able to find it in the nearest Italian delicatessen. Buy it in the piece, which won't come cheap, rather than the silly wafer-thin slices the supermarkets offer. In a heavy-based pan cook the onion and pancetta in the butter until the onion is soft. About 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir for a minute while it fries lightly in the butter. Pour in a ladleful of stock. Let the rice simmer gently, adding another ladle or two of stock as it is absorbed by the rice. Stir almost, but not quite, continuously, till the rice has taken up all the stock. If you intend to have salad too, make it near the cooker so that you can keep an eye on the rice. Stir in the butter and grated cheese. Eat immediately.

Baked sweet potatoes with chilli butter

Unlike our own King Edwards,sweet potatoes tend to leak a sugary juice when they are baked. At its best, it just makes the base of the potato sweet and honeyed. Left too long, it will drip over, forming huge charred balloons on the bottom of the oven. So cook them on a baking sheet, speared with a skewer to speed them up, for about an hour. Meanwhile, cut a medium-sized mild red chilli pepper in half and scrape out the seeds and the white membrane. Chop the flesh finely. Soften, rather than melt, 50g butter and fold in the chopped chilli. You can add a little chopped coriander leaf if you like. Split the potato in half, slather on the chilli butter and eat while hot.

Baked bananas with passion fruit
Serves 4

4 ripe bananas, peeled
2 tbsp runny honey
a little lemon juice
juice of 1/2 orange
6 passion fruits

Wrap each banana in kitchen foil leaving the top open. Drizzle the honey over the bananas. Squeeze a little lemon juice in each packet and then drizzle over the orange juice. Cut the passion fruit in half and squeeze four of the halves over the bananas. Seal the foil parcels. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F (gas mark 6) for about 20 minutes. Put onto plates and hand round. Give everyone two halves of a passion fruit. Each diner should squeeze their passion fruit on to their bananas as they open the packet.

· The wine list

With the dal

2001 Ganadero, Rueda (£5.29,Corney & Barrow, 020 7539 3200)

This dish isn't exactly short on flavour, so I'd go for a comparatively neutral white, such as this fresh and fruity number from northern Spain. It's also a really good aperitif.

Baked camembert

2000 Château Bel-Air, Côtes de Castillon (£9.95, Adnams, 01502 727222)

A silky, elegant, concentrated Merlot-based claret made by an obsessive, quality-minded Bordelais. Drinkable now but will age for 5-8 years.

Pancetta and parmesan risotto

1997 Marqués de Murietta Ygay Reserva (from £7.99, Oddbins,Majestic,Safeway)

This traditional, pale coloured,Tempranillo-dominated Rioja shows robust tannins, sweet vanilla oak and a cherry and wild strawberry core offset by fresh acidity.

Baked sweet potatoes

2000 Primo Estate Shiraz/Sangiovese (£9.99, Tesco.com;Oz Wines, 08454501261)

A distinctive combination of grapes (Shiraz, Sangiovese, Barbera, Nebbiolo and Cabernet) from Joe Grill's winery. Supple yet full of sweet plum and raspberry fruit, this should withstand the chilli.

Baked bananas

Cranswick Botrytis Semillon (£4.98 per half, Asda)

An intensely sweet, honeyed Aussie sticky with a raisiny concentration that comes from botrytis (a benign fungus).