Midwinter is not quite the time for light salads bar some lovely sprinkles of sunshine in the form of citrus fruits. Right now, it’s all about comfort food – the types of suppers that you can come in from the cold, put something hearty on the hob or in the oven, and let the kitchen do its thing while you come back up to temperature.
A boeuf bourguignon pie is very much a slow-cook wonder. It takes time, yes, but it’s mostly a hands-off affair. Have patience browning the beef properly as deep colour equals deep flavour. The recipe for this classic French stew is good on its own but I like the idea of it in pie form.
Rough puff pastry is deliberately unfussy – my favourite kind of baking. You want visible butter flecks, not a neat dough. As the butter melts, it provides crispy layers without lamination. Let the stew cool fully before wrapping it in pastry. An impressive comfort food winner.
Next, a dish that is the epitome of lazy sophistication. For the confit chicken legs, everything goes into one dish, gets submerged in oil, and gently cooks itself into submission. The garlic becomes soft and sweet, the herbs become aromatic in the oil, and the chicken all but falls off the bone. A useful tip here: strain and keep the oil once it’s cooled. It’s liquid gold for roast potatoes, beans or anything that needs help in the flavour department. The final blast under the grill is essential – that’s where you transform the skin to become lovely and crispy after all that softness.
And since most of us will have fallen off the healthy eating wagon by this stage of January, I’ve included a sticky toffee banana pudding. Blitzing the dates (a hand blender is the quickest option) while they’re still hot gives you the smoothest batter, and the banana keeps everything moist without tasting like banana bread. The caramel should be poured while both sauce and pudding are warm – it provides deep soakage. Serve with vanilla ice cream and you’re in heaven.
Boeuf Bourguignon Rough Puff Cheese Pie
Time: 5 hours
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 450g chuck steak cut into 3cm cubes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 75g streaky bacon, sliced
- 1 small onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 small carrot, peeled and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 250ml red wine
- 150ml beef stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp tomato puree
- 8 pearl onions or small shallots, peeled
- 150g button mushrooms, wiped and left whole
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the rough puff:
- 250g plain flour
- 1 tsp flaky salt
- 170g very cold, unsalted butter (cut into small cubes)
- 50g gruyere cheese, finely grated
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 80ml ice cold water
- Good handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, to serve
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 150C/130C fan/300F/Gas Mark 2. Place the steak pieces on a plate and pat dry with kitchen paper. Dust each piece in a little flour.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy casserole pot with a lid over a medium-high heat. Add the steak pieces and brown on all sides so they have a deep brown colour. Don’t overcrowd the pot or you won’t get a good colour on the meat – it’s best to do this in batches. With the last batch, add in the bacon and fry until it is sizzling and golden.
3. Using a slotted spoon, remove the steak pieces and bacon and set aside on a plate lined with kitchen paper. In the remaining meat juices, fry off the onions and carrots for about 6 minutes or until softened and then add the meat back in with the garlic and flour. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring every now and then.
4. Pour in the wine, beef stock and the bay leaf, add the tomato puree and stir through. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper and bring to a steady simmer.
5. Cover the pot and place it in the oven to cook very slowly for 3 hours until the liquid has reduced by half and the meat is incredibly tender when pierced with a fork.
6. Meanwhile, for the pastry, place the flour, salt, butter and gruyere cheese in a large mixing bowl and, using a pastry blender or a butter knife, cut the butter into the flour until you are left with small, pea-sized lumps of butter.
7. In a measuring jug, whisk together one egg, vinegar and ice water until combined. Make a well in the centre of the flour and butter mixture and pour in the liquid.
8. Using two large forks, gently toss all the ingredients together until the dough takes shape and begins to hold together. Turn the dough out onto a layer of cling film and wrap. Place in the fridge to chill for a good 30 minutes before rolling out.
9. Fry the pearl onions and mushrooms in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat with the remaining oil for about 6 minutes until they are tender. Add these to the casserole 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Once cooked, remove the bourguignon from the oven and allow to cool completely. Transfer to a baking dish.
10. When ready to assemble, preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/Gas Mark 6.
11. Roll out the pastry to about 5mm in thickness, to the shape of the baking dish, on a floured work surface.
12. Brush the edges of the baking dish with beaten egg and then place the pastry on top of the beef before pressing it into the edges with a fork or by hand. Prick the pastry with a fork before brushing with the remaining beaten egg.
13. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp. Serve generous spoonfuls in deep bowls sprinkled with freshly chopped parsley.
Confit Chicken with 20 Garlic Cloves, Rosemary & Thyme
Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
- 8 chicken legs
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds, roughly bashed in a pestle & mortar
- 6 sprigs rosemary
- 6 sprigs of thyme
- 1 lemon, zest peeled
- 20 garlic cloves (roughly two bulbs)
- 750g baby potatoes
- 6 small onions, peeled and quartered
- 1 litre extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
To serve:
- Endive and winter salad leaves
- French mustard dressing
Method:
1. Place the chicken legs in a large ovenproof dish, sprinkle over the fennel seeds, herbs, lemon zest, garlic cloves and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Massage the aromatics into the legs and place them covered in the fridge overnight.
2. Remove the chicken from the fridge when ready to cook and preheat the oven to 150C/130C fan/300F/Gas Mark 2.
3. Place all the legs skin side up in the dish and nestle in the potatoes and onions around them. Pour over the olive oil and gently nudge the chicken legs to ensure everything is coated.
4. Place this dish in the oven and cook for 2 hours or until the chicken meat is almost falling off the bone. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before transferring the chicken and potatoes to a shallow-sided roasting tray.
5. Once the oil is cooled completely, strain into a resealable jar and keep in the fridge for other uses. Save a little of the oil alongside the lemon zest, herbs, onions and garlic cloves and keep warm in a small saucepan to garnish the finished chicken.
6. Place the chicken and potatoes into the oven on a high grill setting and allow to crisp and turn golden for approximately 10 minutes.
7. Serve the chicken and potatoes on a large platter garnished with a little of the oil, garlic, lemon zest, onions and herbs. Serve to the table with a bowl of freshly dressed winter leaves and French mustard dressing.
Sticky Toffee Banana Pudding
Serves: 10
Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 175g stoned dates (chopped)
- 160g butter (plus extra for greasing)
- 190g soft light brown sugar
- 2 large free-range eggs
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 200g self-raising flour
- 2 bananas, mashed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the salted caramel:
- 100g butter
- 150g soft dark brown sugar
- 3 tbsp golden syrup
- 150 ml double cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Generous pinch of sea salt
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan /350F/Gas Mark 4. Grease 10 small pudding moulds and divide them between two baking sheets.
2. Put the dates and 300ml water in a saucepan and place over a medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to the boil and then simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half and the dates have completely softened.
3. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer until light and pale. Add one egg at a time, mixing after each addition, until they are incorporated. (If you add the eggs all at once, the mixture can split.)
4. Blitz the dates with a hand blender while still hot, until smooth, then stir through the bicarbonate of soda. Fold the date mixture, flour, bananas and vanilla extract into the pudding mixture until you have a smooth batter. Divide the mixture between the 10 moulds and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make the salted caramel sauce. Place the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cream, vanilla extract and salt and whisk together. Bring to a steady simmer for 3 minutes until the sauce is sticky and thick.
6. Insert a metal skewer into the centre of one of the puddings; if it comes out clean, the puddings are ready. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before inverting them onto serving plates.
7. Serve covered in the hot salted caramel sauce.
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