Winter Food

[joe cassidy]

One of the things I like about winter is the traditional heavy food we eat here in France.

Pot au Feu is a weekly event in our house. It is basically boiled beef and carrots, with the addition of other vegetables such as leek, turnip, celery, white cabbage, etc. The essential ingredient is several pieces of marrow bone.

Last Sunday my wife made the first pot au feu of year.

I've got the last serving heating up on the stove while I drink my "apero" 

What's your favourite winter dish ?

[Newportnobby]

Liz Hurley

And maybe followed by a good chilli con carne

[joe cassidy]

Presumably she wears more clothes in winter ?

Maybe that adds to the mystery of her attraction ?

[Jim Easterbrook]

Pot au Feu is a weekly event in our house. It is basically boiled beef and carrots, with the addition of other vegetables such as leek, turnip, celery, white cabbage, etc. The essential ingredient is several pieces of marrow bone.

I did a lamb navarin last Saturday. (Although it had swede rather than turnips as my local shop didn't have any turnips.) I used slices across the leg (like osso bucco, but that's usually veal) so got plenty of marrow from that. Good rib-sticking stuff.

This weekend will feature the first artichoke soup of the season, which is my favourite winter dish. That's Jerusalem artichokes, not the thistle kind. They originated in south America, not the middle east, and are related to sunflowers. These turn to face the sun, so the Italians call them girasole which became "Jerusalem". The French call them topinambours.

[Southerngooner]

You don't need to wait for winter. Rice pudding, steamed jam suet sponge, jam roll poly are all on play depending on weather while Roast dinners, stews and all-ins in the slow cooker are also year round if it's the right time.

Having spent ten years in the Correze it was clear that a Correzian diet was not a healthy one. Our doctor had put a lot of weight on since he'd moved from Normandy, and to go to a Correzian local do was a sure recipe for all parts of any animal to be used along with prodigious quantities of way de vie. I do miss it though!

Dave

[Jack]

From where I come from you can't beat a fresh, hot, proper Cornish pastie from our local butcher!*  
None of those Greggs or Gingsters poor excuses!

Proper job on a cold winters day!

*Or most local butchers and pastie makers this side of the Tamar.

[joe cassidy]

Lancashire hotpot fan club, are you there ?

[Papyrus]

Christmas pudding. 

There is absolutely no point to Christmas dinner without it. Freeze any that's left over in portions and reheat them when you want some good healthy stodge a few weeks later.

Cheers,

Chris

[stevewalker]

I'm not a fan of lamb, so no Lancashire hotpot for me. At this time of year, we start doing beef casseroles in the slow-cooker. Diced beef from the butcher's around the corner, chunks of potato, sliced onion, sliced peppers, Guinness, wine or port, gravy mix, top up with water, add whole peppercorns. Mmmm. We've just done our shopping, except for the beef, and we have that planned for Friday night.

Chicken, red chilli and veg stir-fries, with a pre-made stir-fry sauce, also go down well.

[Jim Easterbrook]

Christmas pudding. 

There is absolutely no point to Christmas dinner without it. Freeze any that's left over in portions and reheat them when you want some good healthy stodge a few weeks later.

It's delicious fried in butter on Boxing Day. I wouldn't bother freezing it - mine have already been stored unchilled for up to 15 months.

[honestjudge]

Despite my Italian roots, Oxtail stew, Home made Steak and Kidney pudding with suet pastry. Any British Stodge food as winter comes, delicious. 

[joe cassidy]

I used to love my late mum's lamb stew with pearl barley and suet dumplings

[Newportnobby]

Despite my Italian roots, Oxtail stew, Home made Steak and Kidney pudding with suet pastry. Any British Stodge food as winter comes, delicious.

Do you boil, fry or roast your roots and what do you serve them with, please (and don't say 'tongs' or 'spoons' )

[joe cassidy]

@Trainfish I'm waiting for your contribution about winter warmers/ales ?

[Trainfish]

Mr president in Brewdog Basingstoke @ 9.2%