January tends to be a time where many of us turn to nights in after the indulgence of the festive season.
It’s a time to seek out warming, often healthier dishes to enjoy in the cosy comfort of home.
This time of year is a great chance to try some new things, experiment with the season’s best flavours and savour those satisfying, warming dishes you can appreciate in the company of family and friends.
At this time of year we love to head out for a walk as a family and explore the wonderful Scottish countryside. There’s nothing better than coming home to a warm, tasty supper to satisfy everyone’s hunger after a long walk.
As we begin to approach the end of the game season, it’s a great time to make the most of the last of the season’s partridge.
It’s an easier bird to cook than you might think and it has a much milder flavour than other game birds, so it’s a good place to start if you’re cooking game for the first time. The secret is to make sure you don’t overcook partridge as it needs very little cooking time.
Fish is often overlooked as a winter warming dish, but hake is a lovely meaty fish that stands up to winter’s leafy and root vegetables. It can make a really simple, filling and healthy supper served with some beans and fresh, sweet tomatoes.
Another of my winter favourites is this classic lentil broth. The kind of dish your granny would have served to warm everyone’s tummies, it’s hard to beat on a chilly January evening, served with some warm, crusty fresh bread to soak up every last drop.
Lentil broth
SERVES 4
300g Puy lentils (rinsed)
2 whole carrots, diced
1 small celeriac, diced
1 ham hock, smoked
1tbsp chopped parsley
Salt to taste, if required
Cracked black pepper
FOR THE MIREPOIX
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 stick of celery, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 bouquet garni
1) Bring it to the boil, and skim the surface. Add the mirepoix vegetables, and simmer for two to three hours until the ham is just falling off the bone – tasting the liquid to see if it needs additional seasoning. Leave the ham to cool in the broth.
2) After 35 minutes, add the diced vegetables and cook for another 10 minutes. Once cooked, and the ham hock is cool enough to handle, shred the meat from the bone, and remove any fatty sinew so you have lovely chunks of meat.
3) Add the meat back into the pan with the lentils and vegetables, and bring to the boil.
Roasted hake, beans and kale with kale pesto
SERVES 4
FOR THE KALE PESTO (makes 250ml)
50g toasted pine nuts
60g kale leaves
1 clove garlic (de-germ)
50g grated parmesan
125ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 x 180g portion of Hake fillets, skin on
300g dry white beans (eg coco beans/tarbis beans)
100g kale (for garnish)
10 cherry tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot
2 litres chicken stock
Chopped parsley
Sherry vinegar (to taste)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Few sprigs thyme
Large pinch of sugar
50g butter
Dash of lemon juice
FOR THE KALE PESTO
1Refresh in ice water briefly. Chop the leaves finely.
2Season with salt and pepper to taste.
FOR THE DISH
1) Slice the cherry tomatoes in half – sprinkle with salt and pepper, sugar, thyme leaves and olive oil – leave in a warm oven at 60°C for approximately two hours or until nicely dried, then set the tomatoes aside.
2) Drain the soaked beans and add to the shallots. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently until beans are just soft. Add salt to season the beans and set aside.
3) By this time, it should be almost cooked through. Depending on the thickness of fillets – you can put them in a hot oven until ready; or flip in the pan and finish on the other side. When the fish is almost cooked through, add 10g butter and a dash of lemon juice to baste the fish for the last 10 seconds in the pan.
4) Heat the beans and stir in the remaining butter and parsley to create a nice sauce coating the beans.
TO SERVE
1) Drizzle on some Kale pesto. Arrange the cooked hake, kale and cherry tomatoes atop the beans and drizzle with olive oil.
2) Serve in large bowls and garnish with parsley and cracked black pepper.
Spatchcock grilled partridge served with apples and raisins
SERVES 4
4 partridge (oven ready)
Bamboo skewers
Olive oil
50g golden raisins
2 green apples, diced
100ml chicken stock
Knob butter
1tbsp chopped chives and chervil
1 large cabbage
TO SPATCHCOCK THE PARTRIDGE
1) Turn the bird over and flatten it out with the palm of your hand and using kitchen paper, remove any blood from the carcass.
2) Now place on to a dish and cover with olive oil, cling film and set aside.
FOR THE SAUCE
1) Add the raisins and half of the diced apple. Deglaze with calvados and reduce until dry before adding the chicken stock.
2) Bring to the boil and reduce by half again before adding a knob of butter and chopped herbs.
BBQ
1) Now season the partridge all over and place it skin side down – it’s really nice if you can get the skin crispy but not burnt.
2) Cook the partridge for 3-4 minutes on the skin side and then turn and cook for a further 10-12 minutes.
3) Once cooked, place the cabbage on a plate and then the partridge with the sauce over the top. Garnish with fresh sliced apples.
