Simple cooking techniques and ingredients that cook quickly are what we need to call on at the end of a busy day, or any other day when time is at a premium. Over the next few columns, I shall be looking at different cooking methods, all with a view to making cooking less of a chore and more of an enjoyable, creative activity.

I have included some tried-and-tested shortcuts that will help in producing good tasty dishes to meet these circumstances, as well as some ideas about equipment.

And wherever possible, I indicate how, with a few minor alterations, the recipes can be adapted, thus providing a useful collection of blueprint recipes to use for a variety of occasions.

Stir-frying, grilling or shallow frying, sometimes called pan-frying, are the quickest cooking methods, and among the most flexible, allowing for endless permutations of seasonings, marinades and accompaniments with your chosen ingredients. They are also relatively economical of fuel, using just one or two burners on the hob.

However, although you can expect to spend less time at the stove, you will need to spend more money, because fast, hot cooking methods require tender prime cuts of meat. The meat, even if marinated, will not have time to ‘improve’ during cooking, as it might if cooked slowly with lots of additional flavours and helpers.

Choose a piece of mature, grass-fed beef, new season’s lamb, free-range pork and poultry. Fish and shellfish cook well by these methods, but are never inexpensive.

A ridged cast-iron griddle is a useful piece of equipment for cooking meat, fish and vegetables, with the characteristic charred stripes. A good-quality, heavy frying pan, particularly a professional grade stainless steel one – the best you can afford – is a worthwhile investment, because it will last forever if properly cared for. Cast iron, which you season well, and anodised aluminium, also make good frying pans. Non-stick and enamelled cast iron have their place, but not for using on very high heat.

The best, freshest ingredients cooked at top speed is the essence of a stir-fry. There is no time to achieve a gentle amalgamation of flavours through slow cooking and judicious adding of seasonings; the flavours must be good and assertive from the word go. My rule of thumb is that if the food is good enough to eat raw, it’s good enough to stir-fry.

Certainly borrow from the oriental kitchen, by having everything neatly sliced or chopped and all the ingredients to hand before you start, but do not be restricted to oriental flavourings. The wok is not far removed from the sauté pan of French cookery, and the old English tossing pan.

One of these pans is a good investment, as well as a range of tongs and spatulas that are not going to burn in contact with a hot pan.

Before my recipes, here are a few ideas for giving meat, poultry and fish the fast and hot treatment...

• Marinate skinned chicken breasts in olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic and thyme for half an hour, pat them dry on paper towels and cook them on a greased ridged griddle or under the grill, turning once during cooking, until the juices run clear when you pierce the meat with a skewer.

• Brush duck breasts with honey, a pinch of Chinese five-spice powder and soy sauce, having first scored the skin and fat with a sharp knife, and grill in the same way.

• Slices of calves liver, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, dipped in flour, breadcrumbs or cornmeal will fry in moments, in a heavy pan with a little olive oil. Or leave off the coating and cook the liver on a well-greased ridged griddle.

Chicken livers can be cooked the same way.

• A steak or lamb chop can be quickly cooked in a well-seasoned frying pan and a small amount of sauce made from the pan juices to serve with it.

• A pork tenderloin, sliced into collops, flattened out, dipped in flour seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika and a hint of cayenne or chilli powder, will cook very quickly into a delicious meal for two, served with some fried apple rings, soaked prunes or salsa.

• Brush thick fish fillets or steaks with olive oil and tapenade or black olive paste, and sweat them, in their own juices in a lidded frying pan; a dish that will take a matter of minutes.

• A quick pan sauce for small pieces of meat does not always need stock. Sear the meat in a greased heavy stainless steel frying pan, and once the meat is cooked, transfer it to a warm plate and deglaze the pan by pouring on a small amount of wine and water, even fruit juice such as orange or pomegranate, perhaps a few herbs, spices or other flavourings, scraping up any residues in the pan, and letting it boil for a few minutes, before seasoning, and serving with the meat.

Fillet of red mullet with aromatic herb salad

(Serves 4)

2 red mullet, about 300g each, scaled and filleted
Gozo salt
Finely grated zest of an orange and its juice
1 large carrot, peeled, thinly sliced and cut into long strips
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp flour
Rocket
Baby salad leaves
Fresh herbs such as basil, coriander, chives, parsley and mint

Season the fish with salt and orange zest. Put the carrot strips in a sieve and pour boiling water over them to blanch and soften them. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Dip the fish fillets in the flour so that they are well coated and fry them skin side down for two minutes, until just opaque.

Carefully turn them over and cook them on the other side. Transfer to a dish and keep them warm while you finish off the dish.

Cook the carrot strips in the frying pan for a couple of minutes, then arrange the fish, carrots and salad leaves on plates, add the orange juice to the pan, boil up the pan juices and serve with the fish.

Cook’s note: dentici, sea bass, sea bream and grouper fillets can be cooked in the same way.

Caramelised mango and banana

(Serves 4)

1 ripe mango, peeled and sliced
4 bananas, peeled and sliced
50g butter
2 tbsp rum
75g soft brown sugar
4 tbsp cream

Melt half the butter in a heavy frying pan, add the fruit and cook until it begins to lightly caramelise at the edges.

Add the rum and sugar and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Then raise the heat, add the remaining butter and once the mixture is bubbling nicely, add the cream and cook until the sauce has a good caramel flavour. Serve immediately.

Cook’s note: later in the season, loquats, then apricots, peaches and figs can be cooked the same way.

Fillet of beef with mushrooms

(Serves 4)

4 beef fillets, about 150g to 175g each
Freshly ground black pepper
Gozo salt
200g mushrooms, thinly sliced, or left whole if small – see recipe
50g butter or extra virgin olive oil
150ml of whatever wine you are serving with the beef

Season the meat with black pepper. A pinch of salt is added only at the end of cooking, just before serving.

Heat a heavy well-seasoned frying pan, and fry the fillets for about five minutes, then turn them over and cook for two to three minutes on the other side. Transfer the meat to a plate and keep it warm while you cook the mushrooms. Do this in a separate pan, over a high heat with butter or olive oil. Use ordinary white mushrooms, or in advance soak dried mushrooms such as morels or porcini.

Dry them and cook as fresh. Strain the mushroom cooking juices into the ‘meat’ frying pan, add the wine, bring to the boil and scrape up any pan juices before pouring this over the meat and mushrooms.

Cook’s note: for an even more glamorous dish, top the beef with a small piece of seared foie gras.