Winter warmers

Hasn't it been just so so cold? I don’t know about you, but because it is freezing at the moment, all I can think of is slow cooked or spicy dishes. Or even slow cooked spicy dishes. I know we are in the middle of winter but the weather really needs to give us a break now, what with the pouring rain, the snow, the freezing temperatures and now the high winds. Summer feels so long away that for me, the only way to get through this is to eat warming things.

Things you always think of are soups and stews, both of which I love. Soups are great for lunch as they are warming and filling, and stews are wonderful for cold days because they are usually thick, unctuous and hot. My favourite kind are slow cooked dishes with a little spice. The spice in the air as they cook already make you feel warm and then when you eat them the subtle heat just warms you.

There are a few dishes that as soon as you start cooking them you know they will warm you though such as slow cooked chilli con carne, the chilli spice is always heavy in the air as you cook and with the right amount of heat you can’t help but push up your sleeves as you tuck in.

My favourite soups in this weather are tomato and sweetcorn as both can be spiced up, tomato with some peri peri, harissa or chilli paste, sweetcorn with different chilli powders or flakes or, fresh green chilli which really is a match made in heaven. I usually make my tomato soup but if you buy in, just swirl a tbsp of paste through before you heat, you’ll be amazed at the difference.

Stews are also great when it’s cold and, if you cook more than you need, you can turn the leftovers into a pie. You could also top leftovers with mash, neeps and tatties or root vegetable mash for an easy take on shepherds pie. And whilst I think you can’t beat home made mash, you shouldn’t feel bad if you by ready made from the chiller section at the supermarkets. Great stews we make are beef and Guinness, bbq beef and beef and chorizo.

By far my favourite winter warmers however are chilli con carne and beef short rib in ancho sauce. I use different chillies in both dishes with different heat and flavour profiles but both would be good with plain chilli powder - especially the chilli con carne. I use chillies a lot so have a big selection but if you don’t, don’t spend a lot on ingredients you may not use again.

Try some of the recipes and let us know how you go. In a couple of weeks we will be sharing your triumphs on here so be sure to send your photos over.

Stay warm.

Kelly x

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