Potato gnocchi with walnut-parsley pesto (pictured above)

Prep 15 min

Cook 1 hr

Serves 2-3

For the pesto

85g walnuts, plus 1 small handful chopped walnuts for serving

1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 large clove garlic, peeled

1 tbsp finely grated pecorino, plus 2 tbsp for serving

½ tsp dijon mustard

75ml olive oil

Salt and black pepper

For the gnocchi

450g starchy potatoes, peeled and cubed

30g unsalted butter

2 medium egg yolks

130g plain flour

1½ tsp fine sea salt

½ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

Blend all the pesto ingredients and season to taste. For the gnocchi, cover the potatoes with salted water in a medium-sized pan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 15-18 minutes, until soft. Transfer the potatoes to a colander, drain, and use a spoon to gently push out any remaining water. Leave to dry in the colander for two minutes, then press through a potato ricer or mash in a large bowl. Add the butter and yolks, stir to combine and leave to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, or until completely cool, or refrigerate for about 15 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once the potato mixture is completely cool, add the flour, salt, nutmeg and a generous amount of pepper, and quickly stir to combine. If the mixture is too soft and not firm enough to roll into a log, gradually add more flour.

Lightly dust your hands and a work surface with flour. Roll a quarter of the dough into a 2.5cm-thick log. Cut into 2.5cm pieces and transfer to a well-floured baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough to make more gnocchi.

Working in batches, put the gnocchi in the boiling water and simmer, reducing the heat if necessary, for three to four minutes, or until they float to the top – mind that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Use a slotted ladle or spoon to scoop them out, out of the water, then quickly drain and keep covered in an ovenproof dish in a warm oven while you cook the rest, bringing the water back to a boil between batches.

Divide the gnocchi among plates and, drizzle with a little olive oil, dot with the pesto, chopped walnuts, pecorino and a little pepper, and serve right away.

Grilled cheese sandwich with shallots and apple

Meike Peters’ grilled cheese sandwich with shallots and apple.

Prep 15 min

Cook 45 min

Makes 2

6 small shallots, unpeeled

1 tbsp olive oil

Unsalted butter, to cook the apple

1 medium, tart baking apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 wedges

85g aromatic cheese – one that melts well, such as raclette, comté, or gruyére, coarsely grated

2 white buns, cut in half

Coarsely ground pepper

Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/gas 7. In a small baking dish, toss the shallots with the olive oil and roast, turning once, for 30 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and set the oven to grill.

In a small, heavy-based pan, heat a tablespoon of butter over a high heat until sizzling. Add the apple wedges and sear for 45-60 seconds a side, or until golden brown but al dente. If the apple browns too quickly, reduce the heat.

Divide the cheese among the bottom halves of the buns. Put the sandwiches under the grill, or bake for a few minutes until the cheese starts to melt. Spread the apple wedges on top of the cheese, then cut the ends off the shallots and squeeze them out of their skins and on to the apples. Sprinkle with pepper, put a top on each bun and enjoy.

Fennel and tomato lasagne with bacon

Meike Peters’ fennel and tomato lasagne with bacon.

Prep 30 min

Cook 2 hr

Serves 4-6

720ml whole milk

1 large bay leaf

Nutmeg preferably, freshly grated

Salt and pepper

30g unsalted butter

30g plain flour

For the lasagne

Olive oil

1 fennel bulb (about 340g), halved lengthways, cored and thinly sliced lengthways

200g bacon, cut into very small cubes

3 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2 small dried chillies

2 tbsp fennel seeds

1.2 kg canned whole tomatoes, chopped

About 250g no-boil lasagne sheets

100g parmesan, coarsely grated

For the bechamel sauce, combine the milk, bay leaf, a pinch of ground or freshly grated nutmeg and salt and a pinch of pepper in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Take the pan off the heat, remove and discard the bay leaf, and set aside. Melt the butter in a separate medium-sized saucepan over a medium-high heat and, once sizzling hot, whisk in the flour. Slowly pour in the hot milk mixture into the roux and whisk until smooth. Simmer on low, whisking now and then, for two to three minutes or, until it starts to thicken. Season to taste with nutmeg, salt and pepper, and set aside.

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/gas 4. Butter a 25cm x 20cm baking dish (or a dish of roughly this size). In a large, heavy-based pan, heat a generous splash of olive oil over a medium-high heat. In batches, put the fennel slices side by side in the pan and saute for a minute or two a side, or until golden brown and al dente. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a plate; leave the pan on the heat. Add a little olive oil and the bacon to the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally, over a medium-high heat for about seven minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Scrape the bacon to the sides of the pan. If the pan is too dry, add a little olive oil. Add the garlic, chilli and fennel seeds, cook for 15 seconds, add the tomatoes, season, to taste with salt and pepper, then cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until it starts to thicken. Taste and season again with salt and pepper, then take the pan off the heat and reserve three tablespoons of the sauce.

Put a layer of lasagne sheets on the bottom of the prepared baking dish, spread a third of the tomato-bacon sauce on top, then a quarter of the bechamel. Top with a third of the sauteed fennel and a quarter of the parmesan. Repeat twice, to make two more layers then top the last layer with lasagne, and finish with the reserved three tablespoons of tomato-bacon sauce, followed by the remaining bechamel and parmesan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, depending on the lasagne packet instructions, or until the pasta is al dente. To brown the cheese a little, you can switch on the grill for the last one to two minutes. Set aside for five to 10 minutes, divide among plates,sprinkle with pepper and serve.

Lentils with stilton, pear and star anise-thyme butter

Meike Peters’s lentils with stilton, pear and star anise-thyme butter.

Prep 10 min

Cook 30 min

Serves 3-4

220g lentils, preferably beluga (no soaking required)

1 small bunch fresh thyme, plus 4 tbsp thyme leaves

1 small sprig fresh rosemary

1 slice lemon

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

60g unsalted butter

3 star anise

1 large, firm pear, cored and cut into thin wedges

100g stilton (or any blue cheese), crumbled

Put the lentils in a medium-sized saucepan with plenty of (unsalted) water, add the bunch of thyme, the rosemary, lemon and bay leaf, and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer, adding more water if necessary, for about 20 minutes, or until al dente (or follow the packet instructions). There should be a little cooking liquid left when the lentils are done. Remove and discard the herbs and lemon, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a medium, heavy-based pan, heat the butter, thyme leaves and star anise over a medium-high heat until sizzling. Add the pear, and saute, turning once, for about four minutes, or until golden brown and tender. Season to taste.

Divide the lentils between bowls, arrange the pear wedges on top, and drizzle with the star anise-thyme butter. Sprinkle with the stilton and a little pepper, and serve immediately.

• Recipes from 365: A Year of Everyday Cooking & Baking, by Meike Peters (Prestel, £29.99). To order a copy for £26.39, visit guardianbookshop.com

• This article was modified on 12 January 2020 to add missing text about the pesto and amend the preparation time of the lasagne.