Cooking at Home

`If this collection of recipes does nothing else, I would like to think it encourages people -family, friends, households - to share at least one meal together, two or three times a week.'Since having her first child, Karen Martini has spent a lot more time contemplating the eternal question of what to have for dinner. No longer able to pop out to a restaurant at a moment's notice or to the shops to pick up a basketful of exotic ingredients, Karen has created a repertoire of dishes that can be put together quickly and simply, but with great effect.Karen loves cooking traditional food - be it Mediterranean, Middle Eastern or comforting English baking - but adds something extra to make it look and taste special: kibbeh, normally made with lamb, is a revelation when ocean trout is used instead; a dollop of smoky eggplant completely transforms a piece of chargrilled tuna; and a classic cheesecake becomes an elegant dessert when paired with a spoonful of wine-soaked berries.