Food To Love

This month, is hard enough as it is and without the promise of Christmas, with all its food and fun, winter can be a real slog for the senses. So with that in mind, our pledge is to bring you recipes to give you a food hug, come mealtime. There’s simply no other way to describe the ideas on the pages ahead! So whether you are looking for wholesome healthy meals (you’ll love the slow-cooker, soul soothing chicken soups on p70) or a bite of pure indulgence to get you through a cold, grey afternoon (look no further than the brownie delights that adorn our cover, p58, and the stylish cakes on p50), we have something to please all palates and January food requirements. Please do come in from the…

Q I DON’T LIKE COLD FRUIT IN THE WINTER – ANY IDEAS FOR OTHER WAYS TO EAT IT? A Apples are great baked. Core and score a line around the circumference of the skin. Then fill with a mixture of sultanas and cinnamon. Place on a baking tray and dollop on a knob of butter and a sprinkle of demerara sugar. Bake at 200°C/180°C fan for 20 minutes for a healthy pudding, which you can make less healthy with custard or ice cream Or stew them and use to top porridge in the morning for a double hit of warmth. Lastly, apples and pears add a wonderful sweet tang to vegetable soups, particularly parsnip and swede, so add a couple in at the vegetable cooking stage. Q EVEN THOUGH WE’RE BIG FANS…

WINTER vegetables BEETROOT BRUSSELS SPROUTS CABBAGE CAULIFLOWER CELERIAC CELERY CHICORY KALE LEEK PARSNIPS POTATOES PUMPKIN SWEDE WINTER fruit APPLES CLEMENTINES CRANBERRIES DATES GRAPEFRUIT PEARS ORANGES POMEGRANATE RHUBARB Potatoes Whether it’s fried and crunchy, perfectly fluffy, or coated in a creamy sauce, there’s not much a potato can’t do. But not all spuds are created equal! With a little bit of know-how you’ll be picking your best potato for the job. A waxy potato, lower in starch and higher in moisture, will boil beautifully and cut into clean slices for salad, but will not have that lovely mealy texture and crisp outside when baked or fried. Experts classify potatoes as floury or waxy – the higher the starch level the more floury the potato. The sugar/starch/moisture balance changes as the potato matures – sugar is gradually changed to starch as the tuber grows, and the final levels reached vary considerably from one variety to another. So…

Wash dirty potatoes well, and if you have a kitchen scrubbing brush, give them a good scrub as soil gets into all the eyes and crevices. Leave to dry on a clean teatowel. If peeling, don’t forget to remove the eyes with the tip of the vegetable peeler, by using a twisting action. Potatoes brown as their flesh is exposed to air, so drop them straight into water as you go. Chop into large, even-sized chunks if you are boiling or steaming for mash or gnocchi batter as they will cook more quickly that way.…

BAKING & FRYING VARIETIES include russet, apache, king edward, and most suitable for roasting is the rooster potato. MASHING VARIETIES include the all-rounders desirée and marabel. This is a contentious category as it depends on how you like your mash. Choose smooth and creamy, spuds for a firm-bodied mash, and the floury types which give fluffy mash – you may prefer to steam, rather than boil these before mashing, in case they break down in the boiling water. BOILING VARIETIES include new potatoes of any variety, including anya, ayrshire, charlotte and jersey royal. ALL-ROUNDER VARIETIES which will perform satisfactorily with any cooking method, include desirée, elfe, kestrel, osprey. Purple majesty lives up to its name and adds colour and perfect texture to any meal. Then there is the rooster potato, the deep red skin hides a creamy…

MARIS PEER With a light yellow flesh and skin, these are out most of the year and work best boiled, steamed and eaten hot or cold in a salad. Or hasselback them, and roast whole for crunchy mid-week spuds. VIVALDI With a velvety texture and butter-rich taste, these beauties are great for mashing as well as baking and boiling, as they hold their shape. They absorb flavours well so unleash oils and sauces on them! ROOSTER With a deep red skin and fluffy yellow flesh, these are the kings of roasting potatoes. The earthy flavour means they also take flavour well, so try in Eastern recipes such as Bombay Potatoes. PURPLE MAJESTY Stuffed full of antioxidants, these purple princes taste delicious when mixed with a buttery Vivaldi for a interesting coloured mash. Or roast them to retain…