As the nights draw in and the news outside is often troubling, we need to nourish body and spirit with food that imbues warmth, security and happiness. Claire Thomson explores the magic of traditional comfort food and shares two favourite recipes
Comfort food, for many of us, is our favourite food; wholesome, convivial dishes that make us want to gather in a group, sit down and share a meal together. From children to adults alike, when asked “what is your best, most-craved-for meal?” the answer is almost always a dish that is steeped in nostalgia, in feelings of warmth and security, of being provided for.
This might be your mum’s famous cottage pie made with comfort a secret splash of this and that, or a great big bowl of gently spiced lentil soup with good-quality bread spread generously with salted butter or a roast rib of beef with all the trimmings. Perhaps it is the crisp rustle of an epic roast potato or the vaunted puff and creamy wobble on a perfect Yorkshire pudding that really thrills; it might even be something as simple as a big bowl of pasta. These are sentimental dishes that make us sit up and smile, as if to say, all is right with the world. The satisfaction we feel from eating such dishes is precious, it is emotive, but to be just a little pragmatic here, it is also physical. Comfort food is often characterised by meals with a high calorie content, hearty dishes that sate our appetites, helping to send us off into a sleepy, at-ease oblivion.
For me and my family, Sunday lunch is one such mealtime when comfort food especially resonates, bookending the week as it does, but also recharging for Monday morning and the week ahead. It is a mealtime that demands a more leisurely ease, to be enjoyed at a different pace from the hustle and bustle of the working week.
I think the arrival of autumn heralds the absolute apex of comfort eating. It’s a season steeped in romanticism and routine, whatever our age. I find the shift in climate and the food we want to eat inextricably linked. With the turning of the leaves, the creep of cooler mornings and the evenings turning darker and darker still daily, a craving is stirred deep within our collective make-up, a fundamental need to be nurtured, to be matchready for the winter ahead.
Autumn is a time of bounty that lends itself well to the food we can then enjoy preparing in our kitchens at home. Still with the glut of summer ingredients, there are jobs to be done, bottling and preserving for the months ahead, but also a whole new raft of seasonal ingredients that we can get enthusiastic about: apples and pears, hedgerow berries, sweetcorn, runner beans and the first of the root vegetables. Stands at the veg shop soon seem to be toppling with an assortment of squash and pumpkins.
“The symbiosis between people and the land is perhaps now more important than ever before”
I find these cyclical, seasonal loops in our diet inherently comforting. There is a sense of solace in the rhythm of seasonal foods and why we like to enjoy certain dishes at distinct times of the year. These seasonal traditions are entrenched, and the harvest here in the UK is a time that resonates especially. Traditionally, this was a time when farmers and all those who worked the land would be especially busy, gathering crops and ensuring there was enough produce stored to last everyone through the more dormant months ahead.
This symbiosis between people and the land was important then, but crucially, going forward, perhaps it is also now more important than ever before. Having a deep sense of connection with the agricultural world and its ability to sustain the population in a balanced and holistic way is just as essential now as it was centuries ago.
And so, when the time comes to hunker down and cook meals that will help to prompt these feelings of seasonal joy and blissful sustenance, my advice is twofold: try and make an occasion of it by cooking for family and friends, encouraging everyone to appreciate the here and now.
The Danish and Norwegian concept of hygge has become popular here in the UK in recent years. Hygge is the notion of promoting a mood of cosiness and comfort, with feelings of wellness and contentment at the fore. Creating a cosy environment and cooking nourishing food to eat within it go hand in hand – this is a happy fact for everyone.
My other suggestion is to look for warmer, richer flavours in the food you cook at home, seeking slowcooked dishes, ingredients that perhaps take more time in the oven to yield, rendering them utterly delicious.
Also, too, recipes that require just a modicum more effort in their preparation, such as lovingly handmade pastry for an apple pie, perhaps, with a beautiful latticework top, the apples beneath bubbling and molten, turning tender and sweet with the heat of the oven.
Enjoy this time of year; cook recipes that make you happy and food that makes the people who eat it beam big, grateful smiles. And just as Mary Poppins arrives when the winds change, the winds will turn soon enough, bringing with them a healthy change of appetite.
Claire Thomson is a chef and food writer. Her latest book is Tomato (Quadrille, £22).
A simple supper treat
TOMATO BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING WITH RICOTTA AND MUSTARD
SERVES 4
If daubing day-old focaccia with a mustard butter on one side and thick clouds of ricotta on the other, then baking with an egg custard all dotted with cherry tomatoes and sage leaves sounds up your street, then this is the recipe for you. Serve it warm, never piping hot, for the flavours to fuse and the different components to settle and slump all together, as one. A green salad, dressed with a light vinaigrette, or some steamed vegetables (green beans would be nice), make a fine serving suggestion to compensate for the dairy in this recipe.
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp Dijon mustard, plus more to serve
60g butter, softened, plus more to grease the dish About
200g day-old focaccia or baguette, thinly sliced
250g ricotta
350ml whole milk
300ml double (heavy) cream
About 8 sage leaves, chopped, or ½ small bunch of chives, thyme or oregano, leaves picked as relevant and finely chopped
5 eggs, beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
400g cherry tomatoes, halved
80g Cheddar, gruyère or comté cheese, coarsely grated
METHOD
1 Preheat the oven to 165°C/145°C fan/320°F/ gas mark 2–3. Butter a 25cm baking dish.
2 In a bowl, beat together the Dijon mustard and butter.
3 Butter the slices of bread on one side with the mustard butter. On the other side, spread each with a layer of ricotta. Arrange the bread, buttered side up, in overlapping rows to fill the dish.
4 In a mixing bowl, whisk the milk, cream, herbs and eggs and season well with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and a good pinch or two of salt. Pour this mixture over the bread and leave the dish for 15 minutes.
5 Add the tomatoes evenly over the top, then sprinkle over the cheese. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the custard is set, but still a bit wobbly in the centre of the dish, the top golden brown and the sides bubbling.
6 Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10–15 minutes before serving with extra Dijon on the side, if you like.
A luxurious pudding
BANANA AND DULCE DE LECHE CRUMBLE
SERVES 4
Possibly lurking around the same territory as Elvis’s famous banana, bacon and peanut butter sandwiches, this is a pudding to eat on a cold day; a rib-tickler and by no means one for those who don’t have a sweet tooth. It is so easy to put together and I love how the banana slumps into sweet obliteration as it cooks with all the dulce de leche – a magical caramel sauce of sweetened condensed milk. You could use wholemeal or spelt flour in lieu of the plain white, if you want to salvage any sense of nutritional credibility.
INGREDIENTS
80g plain (all-purpose) flour (or use wholemeal or spelt)
40g light brown soft or demerara sugar
Pinch of salt
100g cold unsalted butter, diced
30g rolled oats 4 large ripe bananas, peeled and thickly sliced
120g dulce de leche
30g roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped (optional)
Double (heavy) cream, ice cream or crème fraîche, to serve
METHOD
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/ gas mark 4.
2 Make the crumble topping. Combine the flour, sugar, pinch of salt and butter in a large bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then stir in the oats. Alternatively, pulse the mixture in a food processor until just combined.
3 In an ovenproof dish, combine the sliced bananas, dulce de leche, and the nuts (if using). Scatter the mix with the crumble topping, then sprinkle over a few drops of water.
4 Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crumble is golden brown and the mixture beneath is bubbling at the sides. Remove from the oven and serve warm