January 2024

I consider January as my month for ‘hibernating’, it’s more often than not the coldest, greyest month of the winter so there is nothing better than snuggling down at home. That of course means comfort food… warming plates of stew and creamy potatoes and, dare I admit, the occasional TV dinner. Yes, with comfort there is a touch of laziness! January is undoubtedly a month for the ‘box set’. Dinner on my lap in front of the TV isn’t something that I do often as I feel that the food I’ve laboured over deserves the table to be fully appreciated plus I enjoy the conversation the dinner table encourages. However, now and again an ‘addictive’ series comes along and I find that the long dark evenings of January create the perfect breeding ground for this ‘snuggly addiction’! So naturally this month I’ve chosen a couple of recipes which are perfect for the ‘TV lap’, there’s no need to be fumbling around with a knife and fork with these; mince with colcannon is fork food at its best whilst there’s a soupy stew which just needs a spoon!..

Drum roll please for January’s menus!…

Menu One is the aforementioned ‘Savoury Mince with Creamy Colcannon Potatoes’. This isn’t your average beef mince; the recipe is from chef, Simon Hopkinson who takes this humble dish to higher levels with perfectly balanced flavours  – a touch of mushroom and carrot, a good beef stock, a dash of Worcestershire sauce and tomato ketchup, herbs and a little fat from some streaky bacon, they all combine to make a dish that is the most gratifying of all comfort foods (and easy to eat on your lap with just a fork!). You don’t necessarily need to serve it with the Colcannon, plain creamed potatoes would suffice, but I urge you to try this recipe for Colcannon, it’s a classic from Delia Smith, need I say more?.. Menu Two is admittedly a little more difficult to eat on your lap – you’ll need a knife and fork for ‘Chicken with Lentils & Rosemary’ but it only requires 15 minutes of prep before you transfer it to the oven for an hour, and in that hour you can sneak off and watch an episode of your favourite series! It’s a wonderfully easy one-pot supper for a cold night from Hugh Fernley- Whittingstall’s cookbook, ‘Light & Easy’, and yes, as the name of the book suggests, it’s a healthy recipe – perfect for January when you’re trying to lose those Christmas pounds! Finally, Menu Three is a ‘Bean Stew with Chorizo & Bacon’, this is a recipe from Claudia Roden’s ‘Med; A Cookbook’, it’s a soupy stew, perfect for a winter supper and any left-overs will reheat beautifully to make a fantastic lunch!

Enjoy your January, stay warm and enjoy that TV dinner; indulge yourself – I won’t tell if you don’t!..

Need a new playlist to cook along to?… I’ve been listening to ‘Music to Cook to…Menu Music Twenty Six’; it’s a laid-back mix perfect to ease you into the new year!

Menu One

Savoury Mince with Creamy Colcannon Potatoes (Serves 4)

This isn’t your average beef mince; the recipe is from chef, Simon Hopkinson who takes this humble dish to higher levels with perfectly balanced flavours  – a touch of mushroom and carrot, a good beef stock, a dash of Worcestershire sauce and tomato ketchup, herbs and a little fat from some streaky bacon, they all combine to make a dish that is the most gratifying of all comfort foods. You don’t necessarily need to serve it with the Colcannon, plain creamed potatoes would suffice, but I urge you to try this recipe for Colcannon, it’s a classic from Delia Smith, need I say more?..

200g onions, peeled and chopped

75g butter

200g carrots, peeled and diced

200g flat dark-gilled mushrooms, diced

1 tablespoon groundnut oil

500g beef mince

200g streaky bacon, coarsely minced (leave the rind on as it will add more flavour)

1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs

½ tablespoon tomato purée

400g tin chopped tomatoes

200ml beef stock

1 tablespoon tomato ketchup

½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (gluten-free if required)

Sea salt and plenty of white pepper

1. Melt the butter in a large pan, fry the onion until well coloured. Add the carrots and mushrooms and continue to cook gently for a further 10 minutes or so. Then remove from the pan and leave to one side.
2. Briefly wipe the pan and pour in the oil. Heat until smoking. Add the minced beef and bacon and briskly fry until golden. Add the mixed herbs and tomato purée and cook for 5 minutes over a fairly high heat until the purée loses its very red colour.
3. Return the vegetables to the pan, together with the tinned tomatoes, stock, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, season and simmer very gently, uncovered for about 1 hour, stirring from time to time. The final consistency should be thick and rich and not at all too liquid.
4. Serve with ‘Creamy Colcannon Potatoes’ (recipe below).

Creamy Colcannon Potatoes (Serves 4)

This great recipe for Colcannon is a classic from Delia Smith’s Winter Cookbook…

700g potatoes (such as Desiree or King Edward), peeled and cut into chunks

225g firm green cabbage, very finely sliced

12 spring onions, trimmed and very finely sliced including the green parts

75ml single cream

75g butter

Freshly grated nutmeg, sea salt and black pepper

1. Steam the potatoes with a little salt until completely cooked through. Drain and cover with a clean tea-cloth whilst you prepare the cabbage.
2. Melt 25g of the butter in a large frying pan and sauté the cabbage for about 3 minutes, keeping it on the move until it’s tender and slightly golden at the edges. Then add the spring onions and continue to cook for another minute.
3. Add a grating of fresh nutmeg, the cream and remaining butter to the potatoes and use an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy, seasoning with salt and pepper. Finally, stir in the cabbage and spring onions. Serve with or without extra melted butter.

Menu Two

Chicken with Lentils and Rosemary (Serves 4)

This is a wonderfully easy one-pot supper from Hugh Fernley- Whittingstall’s cookbook, ‘Light & Easy’. It just needs 15 minutes prep then an hour in the oven in which you can relax!..

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

4 garlic cloves, chopped

Leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary

200g red lentils, well rinsed

500ml chicken or veg stock

8 skin-on chicken thighs (or 1 medium chicken, jointed into 6-8 pieces)

Sea salt and black pepper

Flat leaf parsley, chopped to serve

1. Place a casserole dish over a medium-low heat, add the oil, then fry the onion, stirring regularly until it begins to soften – about 6-8 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, rosemary, and some salt and pepper. Cook gently for a further 5 minutes, then stir in the lentils and stock.
3. Season the chicken thighs and place, skin side up, in the casserole. You want most of the chicken skin to remain exposed above the liquid so that it browns.
4. Bring to a simmer on the hob then transfer to a preheated oven, 180’c fan. Bake for 1 hour, then check if the chicken is cooked right through and that the lentils are soft, if not return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes. Skim of any excess fat from the surface.
5. Add more salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Then serve as it is or with some steamed broccoli or spring greens on the side.

Menu Three

Bean Stew with Chorizo and Bacon (Serves 4)

This is a recipe from Claudia Roden’s ‘Med; A Cookbook’, it’s a soupy stew, perfect for a winter supper and any left-overs will reheat beautifully to make a fantastic lunch!

2 tablespoons olive oil

200g unsmoked bacon lardons or pancetta

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

1 tomato, peeled and chopped

2 x 400g tins of cannellini or butter beans, drained and rinsed

250g chorizo, cut into slices

500ml chicken stock

4 thyme leaves

Sea salt

Extra virgin olive oil to serve

1. Heat the oil in a wide pan and add the bacon or pancetta and the onion. Cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is golden and the bacon crisp.
2. Stir in the cinnamon, allspice, tomato, beans and chorizo. Pour in the stock, add the thyme sprigs and simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes.
3. Season with salt if necessary. Serve hot and pass round the extra virgin olive oil for people to drizzle on.