Modern cooking can be summed up as perfecting some basic recipes to form the foundations of one's personal repertoire, and then adding to them as confidence and creativity expand. Here, then, are 15 stylish but basic recipes - each with at least five variations - which immediately provide a range of totally delicious, yet unpretentious food using what is available, cheap or in season. Take chicken for example - once you've mastered the recipe for basic roast chicken, you can branch out and turn it into a hot salad. Or you could stuff the chicken before roasting it and then serve it on a baked potato gratin - and so on. This principle is extended to pan-fried steak, stew, pan-fried fish, steamed mussels, omelette, dried pasta, dried noodles, steamed rice and risotto, roasted vegetables, vegetable stir-fry, green salad, vegetable soup, pound cake and fruit salad. Full colour photography - the kind that makes you want to get in the kitchen and cook - features throughout.