10 Comfort food recipes for winter
5th Nov 2019 Recipes
The evenings are darker and the radiators are coming on, this is a time for warming comfort foods; bowls of hearty soups and stews. Here are some well-loved recipes from my childhood
The next time the weather is grim and an evening in is on the cards, why not make one of these recipes?
1. Homemade Takeaway Chinese Curry Sauce—Chip Shop Style
This homemade takeaway Chinese curry sauce is perfect for serving on proper British chip shop style fat chips is never going to look chichi enough for Instagram, but is so, so good. Thick, gloopy with no added nasties. A great fakeaway treat for a cosy night at home.
2. One-pot Creamy Chicken Casserole
I love that this chicken casserole is a one-pot dish. When I’m curled up on the settee, the last thing I want is a big pile of washing up. What’s more, unlike casseroles which require a long slow cooking time, this recipe is pretty speedy and ready in under an hour.
3. Traditional Lancashire Hotpot
Any dish that remains popular nearly 200 years after its creation has to be good. Simple ingredients, a bit of care and we can all be enjoying our take on hotpots as found at the Rovers Return, Coronation Street.
4. Crispy Pork Katsu Curry
An easy version of a Japanese tonkatsu curry (curries are very popular in Japan). Crispy panko-coated pork with a delicious sweet and tangy sauce with a little curry heat. A really tasty meal that’s ready in under 30 minutes.
5. Braised lamb shanks
You need to be a little patient to enjoy these braised lamb shanks, but there’s not much hands-on work and they are so worth the wait. Rich, tender and delicious, this is comfort food at its best. I love serving dishes like this with clouds of fluffy mash, made with lots of butter.
6. Mushroom Curry with Spinach & Chickpeas
A mild curry, so all can enjoy it, creamy from the coconut milk, and with big, meaty mushrooms for gutsy flavours. This recipe also adds chickpeas for protein. Serve with basmati rice, coriander leaves, lime wedges and extra slices of red chilli, for those who want more kick to their curry!
7. Prawn and Broccoli Coconut Red Curry
An Asian-inspired curry this time, with quick-cooking ramen noodles and pre-cooked prawns so it only takes about 15 minutes to get on the table. Using brown rice and millet noodles adds flavour.
8. Savoy cabbage soup with beef
Beef and cabbage is a classic combo, and classics exist for good reason. I think that this dish fits somewhere on the crossover between stew and soup, and I can just see myself enjoying a fragrant bowl full with a chunky wedge of brown home-baked sourdough bread.
9. Creamy Butternut Squash Gnocchi
A creamy recipe with no cream. Delicious and satisfying meal to cosy up with in colder weather months. Given the choice, I nearly always prefer gnocchi to pasta. They’re so quick and easy to cook—once they float up to the top of the saucepan, they’re ready to be drained!
10. Pressure Cooker Pasta Puttanesca—Dump and Start
Pasta puttanesca is the ultimate tasty, easy after-work dinner. Simply dump all the ingredients into your electric pressure cooker or Instant Pot and press Go! Huge flavours with barely any effort.
Helen Best-Shaw, is a freelance food & travel writer, recipe developer & photographer. She has been blogging at Fuss Free Flavours for over ten years.
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