Comfort food does well in a pandemic, when restaurants are closed and no one can go anywhere. Who would have guessed it? But here is the evidence.
Profits are booming at Premier Foods, the company behind such familiar brands as Bisto gravy, Ambrosia custard and Mr Kipling’s cakes. Premier says it has increased its UK customer base by a million in six months, the BBC reported.
It makes sense. We could all do with a hug from the inside out right now. But instead of reaching for the gravy granules or custard powder, why not prep for a cosy night in or a long weekend lunch with some comforting recipes you can make yourself. It’s not like we don’t have time to cook right now.
Try an easy one-pot pumpkin and egg bake, a seafood chowder to warm the cockles, or some indulgent maple and pecan chocolate granola cookies. This is food to soothe the soul and beat off the blues during the cold winter months.
Pumpkin, tomato and egg one-pot bake
Serves: 2 | Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
4 medium eggs
400g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp olive oil
400g tin of cherry tomatoes
400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
150g baby spinach
Small handful parsley, roughly chopped
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas Mark 6.
2. Place the pumpkin into a microwavable bowl along with 2 tbsp water and the olive oil, ground cumin, and coriander. Cover with clingfilm and cook in the microwave on high for 10 minutes, until soft.
3. Place a 20cm oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat and add the pumpkin, along with the cherry tomatoes and chickpeas. Bring to a simmer, then stir through the spinach.
4. Make 4 indents in the pan mixture and crack an egg into each one.
5. Place the skillet into the oven for around 10 minutes, or until the whites are set. Remove from the oven, season the eggs with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the parsley.
Recipe from: British Lion eggs
Seafood Chowder
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 15 mins
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1 onion
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
2 tbsp plain flour
500ml fish stock (or chick or vegetable)
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
150ml milk
450g salmon, diced
220g smoked haddock, diced
200ml double cream
250g winkles, cooked
50g rainbow chard, chopped
Fresh parsley, to garnish
Method:
1. Heat the butter in a soup pot and gently cook the onion and carrot, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes, until it softens.
2. Sprinkle over the flour and cook for a further minute, stirring constantly.
3. Add the fish stock and potatoes. Simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
4. Add the milk, salmon and haddock and cook a further 10 minutes until the fish is cooked.
5. Add the double cream and rainbow chard and heat through until the chard has wilted.
5. Serve with the winkles, fresh parsley, and buttered sourdough bread.
Recipe from Elizabeth Atia in partnership with Jason’s Sourdough
All-day one-pan breakfast
Serves: 1 | Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
2 medium eggs
15g unsalted butter
150g chestnut mushrooms, halved
100g cherry tomatoes, on the vine
75g baked beans
Small handful of rocket
1 slice brown sourdough, toasted to serve
Method:
1. Heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat and add the butter. Once melted, add the mushrooms and cook for 7-10 minutes, until soft.
2. Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, until soft. Add the beans to the pan and heat up.
3. Crack in the eggs and fry for 3 minutes, or to your liking.
4. Remove the pan from the heat, season, and scatter over a handful of rocket. Enjoy immediately with the toasted sourdough.
Recipe from: British Lion eggs
Maple and Pecan Chocolate Granola Cookie
Makes: 15 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 10-12 mins
Ingredients:
110g unsalted butter
100g soft light brown sugar
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 egg, lightly beaten
150g plain flour
150g maple and pecan granola
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
100g milk or dark chocolate chips
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C/gas mark 5 and line two flat baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, place the butter, sugar, maple syrup. Cream together with a wooden spoon.
3. Add in the egg and beat well to combine.
4. Add in the granola, flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda. Gently mix together.
5. Add in the chocolate chips and mix further.
6. Place the mixing bowl into the fridge to rest for around an hour.
7. Use a tablespoon to scoop the dough into equally sized balls (around the size of a large walnut) and roll in your hands to shape.
8. Push each ball into the handful of granola and place onto the lined baking tray granola side up. Make sure these are well spaced on the tray as they will spread when baking.
9. Place the tray of cookies into the fridge to chill for five minutes. Take out the fridge and place it in the middle of the preheated oven to bake for around 10-12 minutes.
10. Once cooked, remove the tray from the oven and leave the cookies to cool down on the tray for around an hour before moving them.
Recipe from Lizi’s Granola
Kiwi and Pear Crumble
Serves: 4-6 | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 40-45 mins
Ingredients:
4 pears, peeled and cored
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 kiwis, peeled
200g plain flour
100g caster sugar
100g chilled butter, cubed
Mixed nuts and seeds (optional)
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas Mark 6.
2. Roughly chop the pears and add to a saucepan with the dark brown sugar, lemon juice, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon. Add a splash of water to the pan and heat gently.
3. Over a low heat, heat the mixture until it starts to bubble, the sugar has dissolved, and the pears have softened. If needed add a splash of water to make sure the mixture does not burn.
4. Roughly chop the kiwis and add to the pan, stirring to coat them in all the sticky sugary mix.
5. Take off the heat and pour into a baking dish.
6. Make the crumble topping: In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and caster sugar. Add the cubed butter and using the tips of your fingers, rub the butter through the flour mix to form a breadcrumb-like consistency. Be careful not to overwork it or the crumble will become heavy.
7. If using, roughly chop a selection of mixed nuts and seeds and stir through the crumble mix.
8. Spoon the crumble mix onto the top of the baking dish and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.
9. Serve warm with ice cream, cream, or custard.
Recipe from Zespri Sungold Kiwi