The universal recipe for the recipe weary.

I stumbled across this group by accident but, after a little troll around the topics, I thought I would share with you my most successful recipe of all time. Usually, I don't have a lot of time or patience to go into great bouts of preparation and discovered, a long time ago, the universal recipe. Take one pan.          Saucepan, frying pan, wok - whatever - as long as it is clean and presentable. Take some ingredients.          These can be anything edible that you happen to have to hand. It helps if the flavours and textures are sympathetic to each other but it is not that important. Add a little water to the pan to about half an inch depth - boil it and then let it simmer on the lowest possible heat setting. If you know which ingredients will cook the slowest, separate them and chop them into reasonable sized pieces first - followed by the rest, obviously. The fastidious among you might want to peel some vegetables (if that is what the ingredients are) but it really isn't necessary. As the pieces are created, drop them into the pan with the simmering water. When there seems to be sufficient ingredients (or quantity) in the pan, add just a little more (say 20%) and then put the lid on the pan and let it simmer for 15 minutes. If your pan does not have a lid, a heavy plate will do the job. After 15 minutes, check the pan contents. It is possible you might need to add a little water. Taste the fluid (posh folk call it 'the sauce') and, here you can be very imaginative - add stuff like spices, salt, sugar, herbs - anything that takes your fancy - until it tastes OK. When it tastes OK - stop adding stuff. If you have only used fruit and vegetables, prepare whatever you are going to eat it with - you know, potatoes, rice and so on. While these are cooking, a minor miracle will occur in the pan and a flavourful pastiche will appear. If you have included meat in the mix and it is in lumps, wait a further 15 minutes before you start the potatoes, rice and so on.    Note: If you do not have another pan for the potatoes, rice and so on, add a little more water to the mix and put the potatoes, rice and so on in the pan. Rice can be stirred in but it will cook beautifully in the steam - just keep an eye on the water level! Once the potatoes, rice and so on are ready, serve on a trencher (ordinary people might prefer a plate but I cook in quantity and don't believe in wasting food) - tuck in and enjoy. I have created some absolute masterpieces with this recipe and I never know what my meal is going to taste like - only that it will be delicious. Most recipes miss out a vital ingredient - this one has them all!