Dinner Foods that warm for cold days

As the chill of winter sets in, there’s nothing quite like the warmth and comfort that a hearty dinner provides. In this article, we’ll delve into the world of dinner foods that are not only delicious but also perfect for warming you up on those cold, wintry nights.

Roast vegetables with sticky vinegar

Often I will just have roast vegetables for dinner. I like to roast a tray of vegetables and then use what I don’t eat in a soup or a frittata or on top of a tart. I don’t waste time peeling the vegetables as the skin is where the fibre is.

• 2 bunches of baby carrots, trimmed
• 500 g French shallots, unpeeled
• 4 parsnips
• 1 garlic bulb, broken into cloves, unpeeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 small pumpkins
• 4 heirloom tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Arrange the carrots, shallots, parsnips and garlic on a baking tray and drizzle on the olive oil. Put the pumpkins on another baking tray. Bake for 40–50 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

Add the tomatoes to the vegetables and drizzle with the vinegar. Return the tray to the oven and bake for 15 minutes more, until the vegetables are soft and sticky.Serves 4–6Gazing at a candle flame for 15 minutes before bed or on rising is a wonderful way to balance the pineal and pituitary glands and to calm and align the energy.

Slow-roasted lamb shoulder with rosemary and orange

I don’t eat a lot of meat, basically because I prefer vegetables and I love cows. I do, however, sometimes feel I need a boost of iron, so I will cook some red meat. I prefer it to be slow-cooked and to be served with plenty of vegetables. As a rule of thumb, nutrition experts say we only need as much meat as would fit in the palm of our hand. This lamb is so tender that it does not need to be carved, it will simply fall apart.

• 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
• 3 red onions, cut into wedges
• 2 oranges, cut into wedges
• 4 rosemary sprigs
• 1 × 1.8 kg organic lamb shoulder olive oil, for drizzling
• sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 250 ml (1 cup) white wine
• roast vegetables of your choice, to serve

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Arrange the carrot, celery, onion, orange and rosemary in a roasting tin and put the lamb on top. Drizzle the olive oil over the lamb, season generously with salt and pepper and pour the wine over the vegetables. Cover with foil and roast for 4 hours. Remove the foil and roast for 1 hour more, until the lamb slips away from the bone when touched with a fork.

Serve the lamb accompanied by the oranges and roast vegetables.Serves 6

Poached chicken with ginger and spring onion sauce

Another ginger-worshipping recipe, this one is my special light dinner I serve to guests. I know the preparation may sound a little dodgy: cooking the chicken for only 20 minutes, then allowing it to cool completely, but trust me, I have cooked this a gazillion times and never had any worries. This method of cooking gives you the most succulent chicken you will ever taste. I love to serve it with lots of steamed Asian greens and baked sweet potato with black sesame and maple.The sauce is also delicious served over fish or tofu.

• 1 × 1.6 kg free-range chicken
• 4 spring onions, chopped
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 slices of fresh ginger
• 125 ml (½ cup) Chinese rice wine
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• coriander leaves, to serve
• steamed Asian and mustard greens, to serve
• steamed brown rice, to serve

Ginger and spring onion sauce

• 2 tablespoons finely shredded fresh ginger
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
• ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons tamari

Place the chicken, spring onion, star anise, cinnamon, ginger, rice wine and tamari in a large saucepan, cover with water and simmer over low–medium heat for 30 minutes. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, then leave the chicken to poach for 2 hours. (Don’t freak out, it will be cooked after this time.)

To make the sauce, combine the ginger, spring onion, 3 tablespoons of warm stock from cooking the chicken, the sesame oil and tamari and mix to combine.

Pour the sauce over the chicken, scatter on the coriander and serve with the steamed greens and brown rice.Serves 4Both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine have been using ginger for the past five thousand years to warm, cleanse and stimulate the body. In India and throughout Asia, ginger is added to foods that are cooling to make them more digestible.

Mussels with spicy tomato broth and herbed millet

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 long red chilli, seeded and sliced
• 4 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 2 star anise
• 250 ml (1 cup) white wine
• 1 kg black mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley, oregano and basil leaves, to serve
• 1 ancho chilli, finely shredded

Herbed millet

• 305 g (1½ cups) millet, rinsed
• a handful each of flat-leaf parsley, oregano and basil leaves, chopped

To make the herbed millet, put the millet into a saucepan, cover with 750 ml (3 cups) of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 25 minutes, until the millet is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the chopped herbs, cover and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and chilli and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato, orange zest, star anise and wine and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, add the mussels and cook for 5 minutes more, until all the shells have opened. Discard any unopened mussels.

Spoon the herbed millet into four serving bowls and top with the mussels and broth. Scatter on the herbs and chilli.Serves 4

Fish baked in salt, pepper and chilli crust

• 2 large plate-size white fish (bream, snapper), cleaned but not scaled
• 1.5 kg cooking salt
• 4 free-range egg whites, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons pink peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 2 tablespoon finely shredded dried ancho chilli
• zest of 1 lemon
• a handful of parsley
• a handful of oregano

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Rinse the fish and pat dry.

Mix the salt with the egg whites, pink peppercorns, chilli and lemon zest – it should look like wet sand. Spread half the salt over the base of a baking dish large enough to fit the fish. Arrange the fish on top. Fill the cavity of the fish with the herbs. Cover with the remaining salt, pressing down to ensure there are no holes.

Bake the fish for 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the fish comes out hot.

Crack the salt crust with a large spoon and lift it away. To serve, transfer the fish to a large plate and remove the skin.Serves 4–6

Salmon with charred corn quinoa salsa

Quinoa is the new superfood. It is heating and high in protein, and a great source of energy. You need to rinse it before cooking to wash off the saponin. Cook it only until the tails start to separate; overcooking will make it watery and mushy.

• 200 g (1 cup) tricolour quinoa, rinsed
• 150 g broad beans, peeled
• 2 corn cobs
• 1 red capsicum
• 75 g baby kale
• 200 g cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons pepitas
• a handful of basil leaves
• a handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon pink peppercorns
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• pinch of sea salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• 2 large handfuls of watercress
• 4 salmon cutlets

Dressing

• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon verjuice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Cook the quinoa in a saucepan of boiling water for 15 minutes, until white tails appear. Rinse under cold water and drain well. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, cook the broad beans in a saucepan of boiling water for 5 minutes. Rinse and allow to cool, then peel off the skins.

Heat the barbecue or a large frying pan to hot. Add the corn and capsicum and cook for 10 minutes, until tender and slightly charred on all sides. Allow to cool slightly, then slice the capsicum.

Shave the corn kernels off the cob and place in a bowl, add the quinoa, broad beans, capsicum, kale, tomatoes and pepitas.

Combine the herbs, peppercorns, garlic, salt and olive oil in a mortar and pestle and pound to a coarse paste, then stir into the corn salsa.

To make the dressing, whisk the ingredients together, then pour over the quinoa mixture. Gently stir in the watercress.

Heat the barbecue chargrill plate or a large frying pan to medium– hot and lightly brush with some oil. Add the salmon cutlets and cook for 3 minutes on each side, until cooked to your liking.

Serve the salmon on top of the salsa.
Serves 4

Preserved lemons

• 1 kg lemons, scrubbed
• 210 g (⅔ cup) coarse rock salt
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
• juice of 1 kg lemons

Cut the lemons into quarters lengthways, taking care not to cut all the way through, and stuff the cavity of each lemon with salt.

Put the lemons, bay leaves and peppercorns into a clean 2 litre (8 cup) glass jar, pressing down firmly. Leave unopened on the kitchen bench for 3–4 days.

Press down again on the lemons and pour in the lemon juice, making sure the juice completely covers the lemons. Seal the jar and leave in a cool, dark place for at least 1 month.Makes 1 × 2 litre (8 cup) jar

Moroccan chicken with preserved lemon and olives

• ½ teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 × 1.6 kg free-range chicken
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 brown onions, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 300 ml chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

peel of 1 large preserved lemon, thinly sliced

12 green olives

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Put the saffron threads into a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of boiling water and allow to stand for 20 minutes.

Cut the chicken into eight pieces, discarding the back bone.

Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish over medium heat, add the chicken, in batches, and cook on all sides until browned. Remove from the dish. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes, until soft and golden. Stir in the garlic and spices and cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Return the chicken to the pan, add the saffron and soaking liquid, the stock and bay leaf and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven to bake for 1 hour, until the chicken is tender.

Stir the lemon juice, parsley, preserved lemon and olives into the chicken and simmer, uncovered, on the stovetop for 10 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and thickened slightly. (You may need to remove the chicken pieces to avoid overcooking them.)Serves 4

Beef tagine

The secret of a good tagine is in the spices. Try to ensure that your spices are fresh. The longer you leave the meat in the marinade, the more intense the flavour will be.

• 500 g organic chuck steak, cut into 4 cm cubes
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• pinch of saffron threads
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 red capsicum, chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into thick slices
• 3 small Japanese eggplants, sliced in half lengthways
• 1 zucchini, cut into thick slices
• 2 tablespoons whole almonds
• 420 g (2 cups) millet, rinsed
• 2 teaspoons harissa
• 250 ml (1 cup) Greek-style yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped coriander leaves

Put the steak into a bowl, add the ginger, chilli powder, allspice, turmeric and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight, if time allows. Return to room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.

Soak the saffron in 2 tablespoons of boiling water for 10 minutes.

Heat the remaining oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium–high heat, add the meat, in batches, and cook until browned on all sides. Remove from the pan.

Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 10 minutes, until golden. Return the meat to the pan, add the saffron and its soaking liquid, the cinnamon stick, tomatoes and 400 ml of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

Stir the capsicum, carrot, eggplant, zucchini and almonds into the pan and cook for 30 minutes, until the meat is tender and falling apart.

While the tagine is cooking, put the millet into a saucepan, add 875 ml (3½ cups) of water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes. Fluff the grains with a fork to separate.

Swirl the harissa into the yoghurt.

Sprinkle the chopped coriander over the beef tagine and serve accompanied by the millet and the harissa yoghurt.Serves 4