In "The Instant Cook," the new cookbook by Australian food figure Donna Hay, this recipe comes with no fewer than three variations, one of them vegetarian. All are included here.

Veal Cutlets with Tomato Pan Sauce

8 veal cutlets

2 teaspoons oil

Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Baby spinach leaves, to serve

Tomato pan sauce:

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

250g (8 ounces) cherry tomatoes, halved

250g (8 ounces) yellow pear tomatoes, halved

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup roughly chopped basil leaves

Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Brush the cutlets with the oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the cutlets to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes each side or until cooked to your liking. Place the cutlets on a warm plate, cover and set aside.

For the tomato pan sauce, place the butter and oil in the pan and heat until the butter is bubbling. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes or until just beginning to soften. Stir through the sugar, basil, salt and pepper. To serve, place the spinach leaves on plates, top with cutlets and spoon over the pan sauce. Serves four.

Chicken and fetta: ("Fetta" is the traditional Italian spelling of feta, a soft white cheese made with goat's or sheep's milk.) Replace the veal cutlets with four chicken breast fillets. For the sauce, add 1 tablespoon capers and replace the basil with 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley. To serve, top the chicken and tomato sauce with crumbled fetta cheese.

Beef and balsamic: Replace the veal cutlets with four 250g (8-ounce) sirloin steaks. For the sauce, replace the basil with 1 tablespoon thyme leaves and add 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Serve on steamed asparagus and green beans.

Haloumi and fennel: (Haloumi is a firm, white Middle Eastern cheese made from sheep's milk; it has a stringy texture and is usually sold in brine at delicatessens and some supermarkets). Replace the veal cutlets with 500g (1-pound) sliced haloumi cheese cooked for 1 minute each side, and two sliced fennel bulbs cooked for 2 minutes each side in 1 tablespoon oil. Add 1/2 cup black olives to the tomato sauce and serve with rocket (arugula).

Crispy Skin Fish with Lemon Salsa

For the lemon salsa:

2 lemons, peeled and sliced

11/2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar

1/2 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed

Sea salt and cracked black pepper

8 180g (6-ounce) pieces of snapper, salmon or ocean trout fillets

Vegetable oil for brushing

Sea salt and cracked black pepper

To make the lemon salsa, combine the lemons, sugar, parsley, capers, salt and pepper and set aside.

Brush the skin of the fish with the oil and sprinkle both sides with a little salt and pepper. Heat on a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the fish to the pan, skin side down, and cook for 4 minutes or until the skin is crisp. Turn and cook for a further minute or until the fish is just cooked through.

To serve, place the fish on plates and top with the lemon salsa. Serve with a simple green salad. Serves four.

Is it fudge? Is it cake? You decide with these sweet treats baked in individual, ovenproof tea or coffee cups. Hay describes "double cream" as "thick enough to be spoonable, (with) a butterfat content of 45 to 50 percent."

Chocolate Dessert Cakes

185g (6 ounces) butter, melted

1 cup caster (superfine) sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

11/4 cups plain (all-purpose) flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup cocoa

Vanilla bean ice cream or thick (double) cream to serve

Preheat the oven to 320 degrees. Place the butter, sugars and eggs in a bowl and mix until combined. Sift over the flour, baking powder and cocoa and mix until combined.

Place in four 1-cup capacity, ovenproof tea or coffee cups and bake for 20 minutes or until fudgy.

Serve warm or cold in the cups topped with double cream or ice cream. Serves four.

Named for the classic French dessert involving apples and an upside-down crust, this recipe makes use of a Hay staple: store-bought puff-pastry sheets such as those made by Pepperidge Farm. Hay describes "single, or pouring, cream" as having a butterfat content of 20 to 30 percent. You can make do with whipping cream.

Caramel Banana Tarte Tatin

80g (21/2 ounces) butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon (single or pouring) cream

3 bananas, sliced lengthwise

1 sheet ready-prepared puff pastry

Ice cream or thick (double) cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 390 degrees. Place the butter, sugar and cream in a 9-inch ovenproof frying pan. Stir the mixture over medium heat until the sugar has melted and the caramel is simmering. Remove from the heat and add the bananas, cut side down, to fit over the base of the pan.

Cut out a rough circle of pastry to fit on top of the bananas, place over and bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden. Let stand for 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.

Serve with thick (double) cream or ice cream. Serves four.

|