Deep winter is my favourite time to be in the kitchen. January brings roots to roast, fat apples to stew, blood oranges and fennel to slice thinly into salads, porridge and rice pudding to stir. My winter cooking is done softly, sometimes slowly, the flavours gentle, round and warm; turmeric, saffron, buttery garlic, mellow ginger and the warming hum of star anise. Of all the cooking I do in winter, a deep pot of stew is what I find myself drawn to most often – sometimes merely the sum of what I have in the fridge, other times more layered and considered. Time to hunker down.
Braised January roots with orange, chilli and turmeric
Neither of the winter roots used in this recipe – celeriac and swede – will ever win a beauty contest, which is probably why, by and large, they get overlooked in favour of parsnip or sweet potato. This stew uses a generous amount of olive oil, which adds depth and richness, backed up by the sunny haze of turmeric and a pep up from the pul biber. Giant couscous adds a pleasing bite.
Prep 10 min
Cook 40-45 min
Serves 4
150g giant couscous (wholewheat, for preference)
1 kg celeriac (ie, 1 big one or 2 small)
1 small swede
1 fennel bulb
4 carrots
8 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 orange, juiced
Salt and black pepper
1 tbsp pul biber (Turkish flaked chilli), or 1 pinch other dried red chilli flakes
1 tsp ground turmeric, or fresh, peeled and grated
1 small bunch parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
1 x 400g tin or jar butter beans, drained
First put the couscous in a bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak while you get on with the rest. Peel the celeriac and swede, and cut both into irregular, bite-sized pieces. Cut the fennel bulb into thin wedges and finely slice the stems, reserving any of the feathery fronds. Peel and cut the carrots into coins.
Heat half the oil in a heavy-based casserole, then sweat the celeriac, swede, carrot and fennel for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften and pick up a little colour. Add the cayenne, cumin, the juice from the lemon and orange, a good pinch of salt and 400ml cold water. Bring to a simmer, cover, turn the heat to low and leave to simmer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make a dressing by mixing the rest of the oil in a small bowl with the lemon zest, then stir in the pul biber, turmeric and parsley.
Once the vegetables have been cooking for 30 minutes, they should be soft, with a decent amount of thick, soupy broth; if the stew looks a little lean on liquid, add more hot water, because the couscous will absorb a lot of liquid, too.
Drain the couscous and stir into the pot with the butter beans, put the lid back on and cook for 10 minutes more until the couscous has fluffed up and softened. Season to taste and serve hot, with a drizzle of the lemony dressing to finish.
A six-ingredient squash stew – and five ways to eat it
I’m aware there are nine components if you count the oil, salt and pepper, but everyone has those, so they don’t really count. I usually have most of the rest of these ingredients to hand at home, but the dish is very adaptable. This is the kind of base I use when I’m cooking on autopilot, with my imagination low, but my need for flavour and warmth the opposite. I’ve suggested some swaps to make it more accessible; a tin of beans is another great addition – add one to the leftovers, so they go further.
Prep 6 min
Cook 30-40 min
Serves 4
Olive oil, for frying
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 fennel bulb (or 2 sticks celery), finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
1.5kg squash or a 1.5kg piece of pumpkin (I used a crown prince)
1 small bunch thyme (or rosemary, or a few sage leaves)
1 handful split red lentils
Heat a glug of oil in a large casserole, add the chopped veg and a big pinch of salt, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring, until soft and sweet.
Meanwhile, chop the squash into bite-sized pieces (there’s no need to peel it). Once the onion mixture looks good, add the squash, thyme, a handful of lentils and boiling water just to cover, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the squash is tender and the stew has thickened.
To serve, the choice is yours:
1 Add some chickpeas, and top with yoghurt, mint and nigella seeds;
2 Instead of adding it all to the pot, bash some thyme leaves in a mortar with good olive oil and chopped chilli, and serve on top of the stew;
3 Finely chop half a clove of garlic, roughly chop a small bunch of parsley, and mix with the zest of an orange and some salt and pepper. Spoon on top of the finished stew;
4 Fry a finely sliced onion in olive oil, then pile on to the stew with chopped coriander and mint;
5 Tear some good bread into chunks, drizzle with oil, season and bake at 180C/350F/gas mark 4 for eight minutes, until golden. Tumble all over the stew and top with some pesto (homemade, if you can muster the energy).
Photography: Emma Lee for the Guardian. Food and prop styling: Anna Jones. Food assistant: Anna Shepherd.
