Comfort for the Cold

Here comes the cold weather again! We've all noticed the slight edge to the air recently. Autumn. Soon, the blanket of brown leaves will be on the ground again and it will be time for wellies and raincoats. But of course, the perfect remedy for cold weather is comfort food. Going out, walking the dog and coming back to a roast dinner or a steaming bowl of stew really cheers you up. A flask of warm soup keeps you going through a football match and even just a piece of warm, buttered toast makes you happy after being out in the cold.

Roast Chicken

I reckon a roast chicken, fresh out of the oven on a Sunday afternoon has to be one of my ultimate comfort foods- at any time of the year! Slow roasting is great for chicken because it keeps the moisture in and guarantees it's tender. You can chuck in vegetables to roast along side the chicken for some lovely roasted veg which will also help make a fantastic tasting gravy at the bottom of the pan. I like to use some Mediterranean flavours in this dish, which livens up your roast with some extra flavours, such as lemon, garlic and parsley.

Ingredients:                                            
1.6kg Chicken
1 Lemon
1tsp Black Peppercorns
Sea Salt
200ml Chicken Stock
100ml White Wine
2tbsp Parsley, coarsely chopped
150g Small Shallots, halved
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled
2 Large Carrots, cut into sticks
3 Sticks of Celery, cut into sticks
100g Cherry Tomatoes

Start by heating an oven to 150'c/gas 2. Take a large, deep sided roasting tin and lay your chicken in the centre. Prick your lemon all over with a fork and stuff in the cavity of the chicken. This will release its flavour as it cooks. Around the bird, arrange the carrots, celery, garlic and shallots. Sprinkle over the peppercorns and a little sea salt over the skin of the chicken, along with the parsley. Finally, pour in the wine and the stock, cover with foil and place in the pre-heated oven. Roast this for 1 1/2 hours. After 1 1/2 hours, remove the foil and through in the cherry tomatoes to the pan. Place back in the oven. Turn up the heat to 170'c/Gas 3, and continue to roast for a further 40 minutes. It will be ready when the chicken has a lovely golden, crispy skin, and the vegetables will be slightly crispy on the outside, and deliciously soft inside.Prick with a knife to see if the juices run clear, which indicates whether it is cooked. Remove from the oven and wrap the chicken in foil, keeping the veg warm. Leave to rest for 20 minutes. Serve with the vegetables and any pan juices.

Mussels with Cider and Smokey Bacon

A warm fish broth is perfect to warm you up from the inside on a cold night.  Currently, it is the perfect season for mussels to be at their best. They should be cooked within the day you buy them to ensure they are still alive.  Before cooking, wash the mussels under a cold tap and pull out the fibrous "beards" from the opening in the shell, discarding any mussels that wont close when lightly squeezed. I am cooking the mussels in cider and smokey bacon, both of which are lovely local favourites of ours here in Suffolk. The salty flavour from the bacon really highlights the fishy taste of the sea from the mussels, which is nicely complemented with the cider which is sweet.

Ingredients:
1kg Fresh Mussels
Large Knob of Butter
50g Smoked Suffolk Bacon, cut into cubes about fingernail sized
2 Shallots, finely chopped
1tbsp Parsley, coarsely copped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
200ml Dry Cider
2tbsp Creme Fraiche

In a large, deep bottomed saucepan (big enough to fit all the mussels, but still with space above them) and heat the butter. Fry the bacon for about 4 minutes or until crisp. Now, add the shallots, garlic and parsley and fry for 3 minutes, until the shallots and garlic are soft. Place the mussels in the pan, above your bacon and shallots, and pour over your cider. Cover, and turn the  heat to a gentle simmer. Leave your mussels to steam for 10-15 minutes. When the mussels are all open, spoon them into separate bowls or a serving dish. Bring to the boil the sauce that's left behind in the pan and add the creme fraiche. Stir to make the sauce creamy and pour over the mussels. Serve with crusty bread or chips (or both!)

Apple, Blackberry and Elderberry Crumble

The smell of a crumble baking in the oven is a truly glorious thing indeed. Cutting open a thick, crunchy crust, going through the soft middle and into the soft, stewed fruit beneath leaves you salivating, so of course, the classic crumble has to appear on my list list of comfort food. Apples, blackberries and elderberries can all be foraged for in woodlands and hedgerows this time of year, especially blackberries which are in abundance. Elderberries are a somewhat lesser used fruit and grow in bundles with purple/red stems and feathery green leaves. They are very delicate black berries which must be cooked before eating as raw they contain a poison which, when eaten in large quantities, can upset your stomach. Of course, before foraging for fruits you are unaccustomed to, you must make sure you do your research first to know what you are picking!

Ingredients:
300g Plain Flour
150g Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes
3tbsp Rolled Porridge Oats
75g White Caster Sugar
75g Soft Brown Sugar
1tsp Orange Zest, finely grated

3 Large Cooking Apples, peeled and diced
100g Blackberries, washed
3tbsp Elderberries, stalked and washed
2tbsp Soft Brown Sugar
2tbsp Water
1tsp Cinnamon

Pre-heat an oven to 180'c/Gas 4. In a large mixing bowl, rub together the flour and butter into fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the sugars, oats and orange zest. Set aside. In a saucepan, heat the apples, 2tbsp brown sugar, water and cinnamon. Stew the apples on a gentle heat for 5 minutes, just to soften the apples. Now, in a large, deep baking dish, mix together the apples, blackberries and elderberries. Tip the crumble topping over the fruit and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden and crispy. Try serve warm with custard or ice cream.