If you’re wondering what to make for a cosy night in, look no further.
Here’s our round-up of heart-warming dishes to keep you warm on
chilly winter nights.
Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup
Makes: ± 1½ litres (4–6 servings)
1.2 kg ripe roma tomatoes
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 large onion, chopped
1 can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
30 g fresh basil leaves
1 Tbsp sugar
1.5 litres vegetable stock
250 ml fresh cream
Basil pesto or fresh basil leaves, for garnish (optional)
Cut the tomatoes in half lengthways and spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1–2 Tbsp olive oil, turning to coat all sides, and season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic cloves. Place in a preheated oven at 200°C and roast for 40–45 minutes.
Place 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, the basil leaves, sugar and the oven-roasted tomatoes and garlic.
Add the warm stock and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes.
Remove the pot from the stove. Using a hand-held blender or jug blender, blend the soup to a smooth consistency. Just before serving, gently reheat the soup and stir in the cream.
TIP
– To bring out the best flavours, use extra virgin olive oil for roasting the tomatoes.
Recipe extracted from Dinner at Matloha’s by Liziwe Matloha, out now.
FIND MORE RECIPES FROM Dinner at Matloha’s HERE >>
Curried cauliflower cheese filo pie
Serves: 4, generously
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 45 minutes
1 large cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-size florets (700g)
2 tsp mild curry powder
3 tbsp olive oil
100g unsalted butter, 50g cut into roughly 3cm cubes and 50g melted
75g plain flour
675ml whole milk
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 ½ tbsp English mustard
150g mature cheddar, roughly grated
6 sheets of good-quality filo pastry
salt and black pepper
1 tbsp roughly chopped parsley, to serve
1 ½ tsp lemon zest, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Line the bottom and sides of a 23cm springform cake tin with
baking parchment.
Put the cauliflower on a large, parchment-lined baking tray and toss with the curry powder, half
the oil, ½ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, until cooked through and lightly coloured. Set aside, and turn the oven temperature down to 170°C fan.
Meanwhile, make the bechamel. Put the cubed butter into a medium saucepan on a medium-high heat and, once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for 1–2 minutes – it should start to smell nutty (like popcorn). Turn the heat down to medium and slowly add the milk a little at a time, whisking continuously to prevent any lumps, until incorporated and the sauce is smooth. Cook, whisking often, for about 7 minutes, until thickened slightly. Off the heat, stir in the garlic, mustard, cheese and ¼ teaspoon of salt until the cheese has melted.
Keep your filo sheets under a damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out. In a bowl, combine the melted butter and the remaining 1½ tablespoons of oil and keep to one side.
Working one sheet at a time, brush the exposed side of the filo with the butter mixture and drape
it into your prepared tin (buttered side up), pushing it down gently to fit. Continue in this way with
the next filo sheet, brushing it with butter and then laying it over the bottom sheet, rotating
it slightly so the overhang drapes over the sides at a different angle. Do this with all six sheets.
Spoon half the bechamel into the base and top with the roasted cauliflower florets. Spoon over
the remaining bechamel, then crimp up the overhang so that it creates a messy ‘scrunched-up’
border around the edges, leaving the centre of the pie exposed.
Brush the top of the filo border with the remaining butter mixture, then transfer the tin
to a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes.
Using a tea towel to help you, carefully release the outer circle of the springform tin and
return the pie to the oven for another 20–25 minutes, or until the sides are nicely coloured
and everything is golden and bubbling. Leave to settle for 15 minutes.
Top the pie with the parsley and lemon zest and serve warm.
MORE RECIPES FROM Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love HERE >>
Flambéed Porcini
with Pappardelle
Serves: 4
50 g butter
A splash of extra virgin olive oil
½ medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
400 g frozen porcini mushrooms, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
10 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
A pinch of ground turmeric
15 ml cake wheat flour (optional)
25 ml bourbon whiskey or brandy
400 ml fresh cream
Cooked pasta of your choice, but we recommend homemade pappardelle
30 g parmesan cheese, grated
Melt the butter and olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add the onion and sauté until sweet and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté until tender.
Add the mushrooms and cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper, and add the parsley and turmeric.
For a thicker sauce, add the cake wheat flour now and cook well.
Flambé the mixture by pouring in the whiskey and tilting the pan towards the gas flame (if using a gas stove) or lighting the whiskey with a lighter. Allow the alcohol to cook off.
Stir in the cream and cook the mixture over low heat until it coats the back of a spoon.
Mix in the drained pasta and some of the parmesan cheese. Adjust the final seasoning if necessary.
Serve with the remaining parmesan cheese.
TIP
If the cream is too rich for you, dried porcini dust can be added to vegetable stock to make a mushroom brodo. Alternatively, make the sauce with half stock and half cream for a deeper flavour yet a lighter sauce.
MORE RECIPES FROM Our Italian Legacy of Love HERE >>
My Easy Peri Peri Chicken
Garlic, smoked paprika, harissa, mint & chunky potato wedges
Serves: 6
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Difficulty: Not too tricky
2 onions
10 fresh mixed-colour chillies
1 bulb of garlic
2 tablespoons rose harissa
1 heaped teaspoon smoked paprika
red wine vinegar
olive oil
1 x 1.5 kg free-range whole chicken
1.2 kg potatoes
4 sprigs of mint
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Peel and quarter the onions and place in a large roasting tray. Prick and add the whole chillies. Halve the unpeeled garlic bulb across the middle and add to the tray with the harissa, paprika, a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Use a large sharp knife to carefully cut down the back of the chicken, so you can open it out flat. Add to the tray and toss well, rubbing all that flavour into the bird.
Place the chicken, breast side up, directly on the top bars of the oven with the tray of onions beneath it. Roast for 1 hour, or until the chicken is golden and cooked through.
Scrub the potatoes, chop lengthways into chunky wedges, toss with 1 tablespoon of oil and a pinch of seasoning, then arrange in a single layer on your largest roasting tray and place in the oven below the onions.
After 30 minutes, remove the onion tray from the oven, basting the chicken with any juices from the tray. Shake the wedges and move up to sit under the chicken for the remaining 30 minutes.
For the sauce, halve and deseed the chillies, squeeze half the soft garlic flesh out of the skins, then blitz both in a blender with the onions and all the tasty juices from the tray, half the mint leaves and 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar until smooth, adding a good splash of water, if needed, then season to perfection.
Serve the chicken with the wedges and peri peri sauce, scattered with the rest of the mint leaves and roasted garlic.
TIPS
– If you want to up your veg count, add parsnips and carrots to the potatoes.
– Make a super-fast rainbow slaw to serve on the side by coarsely grating crunchy veg and fruit such as white cabbage, carrot and apple, maybe even some corn on the cob, then dress with natural yoghurt and wholegrain mustard. A total joy.
Recipe extracted from 7 Ways by Jamie Oliver, out now.
FIND MORE RECIPES FROM 7 Ways HERE >>
Vodka Lemon Drizzle Pancakes
with blackberry compote
Serves: 4 – 6
Blackberry compote
250g fresh (or frozen) blackberries
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1–2 tbsp caster sugar (depending on sweetness of berries)
Pancakes
125g plain flour
Pinch salt
1 egg, beaten
300ml milk
1 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for cooking
Vodka lemon drizzle
4 tbsp caster sugar
4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2–3 tbsp vodka
To serve
Clotted cream or vanilla ice cream
First make the batter. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the egg together with a little the mixture is the consistency of thick cream, add the tablespoon of oil and beat in the remaining milk. Set the batter aside for a few minutes while you make the compote.
Put the blackberries, lemon juice and sugar in a pan. Heat gently until the berries start to soften and release some of their juice and the sugar dissolves. Stir gently until you have a syrupy mixture but the berries are still holding their shape. Take the pan off the heat and set aside.
Heat a 20–23cm non-stick frying pan and swirl in a little oil, then pour out any excess. The pan should be just coated. Pour in enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan evenly and place over a medium heat. After about a minute or so, loosen the edges and flip the pancake over to cook the other side. Repeat to cook the rest, placing each one on a warm plate and covering with a clean tea towel to keep warm.
Mix together the sugar, lemon juice and vodka. To serve, drizzle each pancake with the vodka mixture, roll it up and spoon over some compote. Serve with cream or ice cream.
Extracted from Rick Stein at Home by Rick Stein, out now. Photography by James Murphy
MORE RECIPES FROM Rick Stein at Home HERE >>
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