Classic comfort food will see you through the last days of the cold season, writes Hugo Arnold
Choice, innovation and change are all very well, but sometimes I crave classic food. You might call it comfort food: food without fuss, food where the focus is on honest execution, the finest ingredients and not much more. Irish stew, chicken-and-ham pie, seafood gratin: these are dishes that have stood the test of time, in essence the same today as they were long ago. Shepherd's pie, lasagne and a good beef-and-carrot stew all have that high comfort quotient, too. What better way to end the day than with their gentle but complex aromas seeping into your consciousness?
There's nothing wrong with a little experimentation, by the way. Try a chicken pie with an organic bird, for example, or alter the seasoning. You will quickly see quite dramatic differences. Try seasoning meat before you fry it this time; next time, season it only when you add the other ingredients. It has a marked effect.
Or try reducing the sauce more. The concentration of flavour, even after 20 minutes, gives more punch and weight. Just remember to remove the meat and vegetables first or, better still, transfer the sauce to a wide pan - a frying pan is ideal.
I've used this route with coq au vin, a dish too often fashioned mistakenly from breast meat. You need thigh and leg meat from a good, flavourful bird. Keep the breasts for another day, frozen in pairs for ease. Then you get to work on extracting as much as possible from what is, after all, the stronger and more succulent meat. Winter satisfaction at its best.
All you need in addition is a baked potato, perhaps, or a bowl of winter leaves - lamb's lettuce, watercress and frisee are good at the moment. Just keep it simple.