Comfort food – olive Magazine

The comfort zone

Some of our favourite chefs and food writers share their nostalgic comfort dishes that bring a touch of warmth to the cooler autumn months

Recipes ZORAWAR KALRA, SPASIA DINKOVSKI, TOMER AMEDI, JOHN CHANTARASAK and SOFIAN MSETFI
Photographs YUKI SUGIURA

Zorawar Kalra, Farzi Café

Belonging to a Punjabi family, homemade goat curry and rice was always the highlight for Sundays. It was a meal that, when growing up, we always looked forward to. Surprisingly, even now, after having visited so many restaurants around the world and eaten so many different cuisines, this is the very definition of comfort for me. It’s not overly spiced but a very comforting curry that’s more like a stew with a thinner consistency. It’s perfect served with homemade raita and pickles. Passed on from generation to generation, even my children find it extremely comforting. Whenever we have a hard time getting them to eat food, this is the one thing we know they will consider eating if served. farzilondon.com

Punjabi mutton curry

SERVES 4 | PREP 10 MINS | COOK 2 HRS | EASY | GF

500g mutton, cut into chunks

5 tbsp ghee

4 whole cloves

8 whole black peppercorns

5 green cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

3 large onions, thinly sliced

2 tsp ginger paste

2 tsp garlic paste

2 tbsp ground coriander

2 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp ground turmeric

3 tomatoes, finely chopped

125g full-fat natural yogurt

handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve

1 tsp garam masala rice or naans to serve

1 Rinse the mutton pieces. Melt the ghee in a large pan over a medium heat, then toast the whole spices for 1 min until fragrant. Add the onions and a large pinch of salt, and fry for 10-12 mins or until the onions are light brown. Add the ginger and garlic pastes, and continue to cook for 2-3 mins or until fragrant.

2 Add the ground coriander, chilli and turmeric, and mix well. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 5-7 mins or until the oil has separated from the masala in the pan.

3 Add the mutton pieces and stir to combine, ensuring they’re evenly coated in the masala mixture. Pour in the yogurt and mix well. Cook for 4-5 mins, then stir in 300ml of water. Taste for seasoning. Add the chopped coriander leaves and garam masala. Stir, then cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 hr 30 mins or until the mutton is cooked through and tender throughout. Serve hot, garnished with the remaining coriander, with rice or naans on the side.

Spasia Dinkovski, Mystic Börek

For me, Balkan kjufte represent the comfort we find in togetherness. A noisy house on a Saturday afternoon, with the whole family talking over each other while one person stands in the kitchen, rolling each ball of meat – ablend of pork, beef, onion, garlic and spices – and frying them off to rich, salty perfection. With crunchy chips, a creamy tomato sauce that packs a little heat and cold feta, I serve mine as a platter and pile it all on top of each other – an affair in sharing and hands grabbing from all sides. As per tradition, there’s also a constant conversation over how many kjuftes we have all eaten. mysticborek.com

Kjufte platter with chips, feta, creamy tomato and garlic sauce and pickles

SERVES 8 | PREP 45 MINS PLUS OVERNIGHT MARINATING | COOK 1 HR 30 MINS | MORE EFFORT

KJUFTE

500g pork mince

500g beef mince (at least 12% fat)

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

150g fine breadcrumbs

2 eggs

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1½ tbsp vegeta seasoning (you can find this in most large supermarkets and international food shops but, if you can’t find it near you, replace it with salt)

1 tsp baking powder

150ml vegetable oil

50g plain flour

CREAMY TOMATO AND GARLIC SAUCE

1 tbsp olive oil

100g tomato purée

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

50g plain flour

large pinch of dried chilli flakes

CHIPS

1kg Cyprus potatoes (or use Maris Piper)

vegetable oil, for deep-frying

sea salt flakes and dried oregano, for seasoning

TO SERVE

200g feta

thinly sliced pickles (you can use gherkins, pickled onions, pickled peppers, pickled jalapeños or any other pickle of your choice)

1 The night before serving, combine both minces, the onion, breadcrumbs, eggs, garlic, seasoning, baking powder and 1 tsp of ground black pepper in a large bowl. Mix with your hands for a couple of minutes to break up the mince and combine the ingredients. Cover and chill in the fridge overnight.

2 The next day, start by making the sauce. Heat the oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Once hot, cook the tomato purée for 3 mins, stirring. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the garlic and cook for another minute. Whisk in the flour, 1 tbsp at a time, until incorporated and a very stiff paste forms. Repeat with 400ml of cold water, whisking in a little at a time until you have a thick, creamy sauce. Stir in the chilli flakes and season well. Set aside.

3 For the chips, slice the potatoes into 1cm-thick chips and pat dry with kitchen paper. Fill a deep pan a third full with oil and heat to 140C or until a small chunk of bread dropped in browns within 8 seconds. Fry the chips in batches for 10 mins per batch, then remove and drain on kitchen paper.

4 Remove the meat mixture from the fridge and weigh out into roughly 24 balls. Working with one at a time, pinch each ball in the palm of your hand to bring the meat together, then roll into an oblong shape, patting each side a little flat as you go. Heat the oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Tip the flour into a wide, shallow bowl and gently roll each kjufte in it, shaking off any excess until lightly coated. Fry in batches for 8 mins per batch, turning often, and removing to a plate using a slotted spoon when crispy. When all the kjufte are cooked, turn up the chip oil to 180C. Fry the chips for a final 4 mins, then drain on kitchen paper. Season with sea salt and dried oregano.

5 Reheat the tomato sauce over a low heat, whisking until warmed through. Pour half the sauce over a large serving platter, smoothing it out with a spatula. Arrange half the chips on top, then crumble over half the feta and repeat with the rest of the chips and feta. Arrange the kjufte on top with dollops of the tomato sauce and pickles. Enjoy as is, or stuff into pittas or eat with a green leafy salad.

Tomer Amedi, Pascor

My go-to comfort food is definitely chicken schnitzel. It’s like chicken breast nuggets but way better – thin and crunchy! It was my favourite food as a child because it was an excellent excuse to have as much ketchup, mayonnaise or BBQ sauce as I wanted. I always keep it ready to go in the freezer at home. pascor.co.uk

Chicken schnitzel

SERVES 4 | PREP 15 MINS | COOK 15 MINS | EASY

70g plain flour

2 eggs

1 tbsp dijon mustard

85g panko breadcrumbs

600g chicken breasts, thinly sliced lengthways

500ml rapeseed oil

green salad and lemon wedges to serve

1 Tip the flour into a shallow bowl or tray. Whisk together the eggs, mustard and a pinch of salt, and pour into a second bowl or tray, and tip the breadcrumbs into a third bowl or tray.

2 Season the chicken breast pieces and coat first in the flour (gently shake to remove any excess), then the egg mixture and finally the breadcrumbs. Repeat until all the pieces are coated.

3 Heat the oil in a large, wide frying pan to 180-190C or until a cube of bread browns in 5 seconds. Fry the chicken pieces for 2 mins per side until golden and cooked through. Serve with a green salad, lemon wedges for squeezing over and your favourite condiments for dipping.

John Chantarasak, AngloThai

Jok, or rice porridge, is a hugely popular comfort dish in Thailand that’s eaten at any time of the day to cure sickness and, in some cases, extreme hangovers. Although the name ‘rice porridge’ can sound dull, in fact the dish is packed full of flavour and is incredibly moreish. Broken rice is the by-product of the rice milling process. These shattered or broken grains are unfit for use as steamed rice, as the grains will leach their starch, making a gluey mass. But that’s perfect for making jok. You can make your own broken rice grains at home by gently grinding the required amount of jasmine rice with a pestle and mortar or quickly pulsing in a food processor. anglothai.co.uk

Jok Thai porridge

SERVES 2 | PREP 15 MINS | COOK 45 MINS | EASY | LC

1 tbsp chopped coriander stems, plus 2 tbsp chopped leaves to serve

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

½ tsp white pepper

2 ½ tbsp light soy sauce

80g pork mince

125g broken rice (or jasmine rice that has been pulsed in a food processor so the grains shatter)

½ tsp oyster sauce

1 tsp caster sugar

2 tbsp thinly shredded ginger

2 tbsp thinly sliced spring onion

2 eggs

1 Bring 1 litre of water to the boil in a large pan, then reduce to a simmer. Using a pestle and mortar, pound the coriander stems, garlic, white pepper and a pinch of salt into a smooth paste – or do this in a mini food processor. Add ½ tbsp of light soy sauce and stir to combine. In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the mince with the garlic mixture. Pinch the mixture into 2cm balls, then drop these into the water and cook until they float to the surface and are firm and slightly bouncy – this indicates they are cooked through. Remove to a bowl using a slotted spoon and set aside.

2 In the same pan, bring the poaching water to the boil. Add the broken rice, stirring to prevent it sticking. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting, then cover and simmer for 30 mins, stirring occasionally, until the rice resembles porridge. You may need to add water as it cooks to reach your desired thickness.

3 Add the remaining soy sauce, the oyster sauce and sugar. Taste for seasoning. Add the pork balls to the rice porridge, along with the shredded ginger and spring onions. Crack the eggs into the rice porridge and simmer gently for a minute to slightly set the eggs. Stir to fold the eggs through, then serve immediately, sprinkled with the coriander leaves.

Sofian Msetfi, Ormer Mayfair

Growing up in a Moroccan household, family dinners on Sundays were a massive routine for us. My favourite go-to comfort meal is braised chicken with lemon and olives. You cook all of the ingredients together in a clay tagine, which really brings out the flavours of everything – ginger, cumin, coriander and saffron. Traditionally, the meal is shared from the tagine and eaten with Moroccan flatbreads. flemings-mayfair.co.uk

Whole braised chicken with lemon and olives

SERVES 4-6 | PREP 25 MINS PLUS RESTING | COOK 1 HR 55 MINS | EASY | LC

1 whole chicken

50ml extra-virgin olive oil

2 onions, roughly chopped

7 garlic cloves, finely sliced

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp saffron powder or a pinch of saffron strands

2 litres fresh chicken stock

3 lemons, halved

300g jar pitted green olives

2 tbsp each chopped coriander and flat-leaf parsley, plus extra of each to serve

3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 Season the chicken by rubbing salt all over, then set aside to rest. Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Heat the oil in a very large, wide, deep ovenproof pan over a medium heat and fry the onions, garlic and spices with a pinch of salt for 6-8 mins or until golden brown and soft. Add the stock, turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer.

2 Squeeze the lemon juice into the pan, then add the spent lemons. Drain the olives, reserving 30ml of the brine from the jar. Add the reserved brine and olives to the pan along with the herbs.

3 Add the chicken to the pan and cover with a lid or foil. Transfer to the oven and cook for 1 hr. Add the chopped potatoes and roast for a further 45 mins until the potatoes are tender. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 30 mins before serving.

More go-to comfort dishes

AKWASI BRENYA-MENSA, TATALE

My comfort food of choice is waakye. It’s a Ghanian rice and beans dish often served with stew, meat or fish, gaari, spaghetti – or macaroni as it’s called back home – shito and, of course, a boiled egg. I really love it, as it’s a super-authentic street-food dish in Ghana and, if I want to get a really good one in London, I go to Waakye Joint in Seven Sisters, Tottenham, or my auntie Ama, who makes my favourite version. tataleandco.com

CHAVDAR TODOROV, SLOWBURN

One of my comfort foods is a meal I connect with my very first cooking experience. I’ve always liked toasted bread, and one day – Imust have been seven or eight – Idecided to toast the spaghetti before cooking it. It was so good, I have been toasting spaghetti ever since. I now make toasted spaghetti al olio with the fattiest brined white cheese you can find crumbled on top. I prefer it when made with either sheep or buffalo milk – you can try to leave the cheese uncovered in the fridge to dry a little for extra punch. I know some Italians will be rolling their eyes but, growing up, I had no access to parmesan or pecorino, so my memories are strongly tied with this type of cheese, which is very popular in Bulgaria and present at any meal. slowburn.london

DANIEL WATKINS, ACME FIRE CULT

This is a tricky one for me, as I try to eat very well and load myself up with nutritional food where I can. Outside from my work, I consume very little dairy and no meat or fish. So eating well is, in such a way, comforting – Ihave never eaten a KFC or McDonald’s burger. So, having said that, when I’m in work, comfort food is easy – anything buttery and cheesy. The best has to be a proper cheese on toast with lots of worcestershire sauce, or a Dusty Knuckle sausage roll with brown sauce – both packed with fats, umami, sweet, sour and deliciousness. Comfort eating should be what it says, and all food should have some comfort when eating, but as our diets have changed so dramatically over the decades, we crave the carbs, fats and sugars for comfort. acmefirecult.com

CELESTE WONG, olive COFFEE EXPERT

Whenever I miss my family or home, or want to share some of my personal culture with new friends, I make my mother’s wontons, which I call WONGtons. I even have a tattoo of a wonton! It’s one of the few things my mother taught me to make. She has a style of cooking where there’s never a recipe, it’s all about instinct and balance. So, I guess that style has also translated into my own cooking and coffee-making to an extent.

Find our collection of the most comforting dishes at olivemagazine.com, from silky risotto to creamy dhal and luxurious mac ’n’ cheese.

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