Funviralpark W.We’ve made it through another year – well done! There are many ways to welcome 2022, but whether it’s dressing up for a party or slipping on slippers for comfort, it’s all about what you want in your kitchen a few weeks away. Only one is allowed. It’s comfort food. What that means varies from person to person, but often there’s something about that texture that hits the spot: crispy, all-butter pie crust, warm sponge, duvet-like. Polenta, soft prunes, melty cheese…these are just a few. I hope you do too, by 2023.
Chicken, Prunes and Split Pea Pie (above)
this is, Horesh, an Iranian stew that is as festive as it is comforting. It makes a great centerpiece and just needs a little green salad on the side.
Preparation 20 min
cooking 1 hour 15 minutes
serve 6
100g yellow peasSoak in boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain
30g red lentils
3 black limeseach lightly pierced three times with the tip of a sharp knife
1 x 325g sheet of pre-made all-butter puff pastry
1 eggbeaten
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
2 onionspeeled and finely sliced (365g)
3 tbsp olive oil
fine sea salt
Boneless skinless chicken thigh 1kgcut into 4cm squares
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cumin
3 tablespoons cake flour
55ml apple cider vinegar
20g coriander leaveschopped
200g prunesmake a hole and roughly cut each into 6 equal pieces
Place the first three ingredients in a medium pot with 850ml of water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 35 minutes until the peas are tender. Squeeze the limes to the sides of the pan to release as much liquid as possible, then remove and discard the shells.
Roll out the pie crust to 23cm x 36cm, lightly brush with half the egg, and cut into 9 strips of 5cm width. Sprinkle with nigella seeds and place on a tray lined with baking paper to cool.
Place the onion, olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt in a large sauté pan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized, 15-20 minutes. Cook until opaque, then stir in spices and flour and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas. Pour into a 30cm x 20cm heat-resistant plate and cool for 10 minutes.
Brush the edge of the baking dish with the remaining egg and place 5 pastry strips diagonally across the dish, leaving a 1 cm gap between them. Tuck the edge of the pastry into the egg-washed side of the plate so that it sticks. Place the remaining 4 pastries on top diagonally in the opposite direction, forming a criss-cross pattern, again keeping 1cm intervals, and bake for 35 minutes, until the pastries are a deep golden color.
Remove pie from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving hot.
Apple and pear Eve pudding with vanilla cream
A combination of warm pudding and cold vanilla cream works like a dream here, but custard and ice cream work well too, if you prefer.
Preparation 25 minutes
cooking 1 hour 20 minutes
serve 6
for fruit filling
75g white sugar
75 g unsalted butter, chilled in the refrigeratorcut into cubes
2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar
1 lemonfinely grated zest, 1 tsp, juice, 1 tbsp
4 Granny Smith apples (480g), peeled, halved, cored and sliced into 1cm thick rings
3 medium conference pears (480g), peeled, halved, cored and sliced into 1cm thick rings
3/4 teaspoon star anise
15 green cardamom podsslam the pods open and grind the seeds into a fine powder in a mortar to obtain 3/4 teaspoon, or 3/4 teaspoon store-bought ground cardamom
flake sea salt
for cake dough
White sugar 190g
Room temperature unsalted butter 190g
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Self Raising Flower 130g
60g almond powder
1½ tsp baking powder
3 eggsseparate
30g almond flakes
in vanilla cream
Double cream 300ml
1½ tsp vanilla bean paste
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/Gas 4 and start the fruit filling. Place the sugar in a 26cm cast iron pan over medium heat and heat until golden brown, 3-5 minutes. Add butter, stir until smooth, remove from heat, and add vinegar, lemon juice, apples, pears, ground spices, and half a teaspoon of flaky salt. Mix well and cool.
Now for the batter. Place the sugar, butter, and vanilla bean paste in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and whisk on medium speed for 7 to 10 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
Meanwhile, combine lemon zest, flour, almond powder, baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add this 1/3 and 1 egg yolk to the bowl of the mixer and whisk over medium heat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and egg yolks two more times.
Transfer mixture to a large bowl and clean bowl of stand mixer. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat for 2-3 minutes until doubled in size and forming stiff peaks. Using a wooden spoon, mix one-fourth of his egg whites into the batter bowl, and gently mix the rest without removing any air. Spoon the dough onto the bread with the apple-pear mixture, sprinkle the flaked almonds on top, and bake until golden brown on top and nicely skewed, 45 minutes. to make it rest.
In the meantime, put the heavy cream and vanilla in a bowl and mix well. Serve the pudding warm with cream on the side.
Butternut squash polenta with rosemary chili oil
A staple of Italian store cupboards, polenta is a wonderfully comforting side dish, but it can also be the star of a meal.
Preparation 25 minutes
cooking half an hour
serve Four
Butternut squash 500gPeel, remove seeds, and cut into 3cm cubes (400g)
5 cloves of garlicpeeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
250ml chicken or vegetable stock
salt and black pepper
80g cream cheese
50g parmesan cheesefinely grated, plus an extra finishing touch
100g coarse polenta
30g unsalted butter
for fried pumpkin
200g butternut squashpeeled and cut into 1.5 cm squares
1 tablespoon olive oilplus ½ tbsp
½ teaspoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon lemon juice
10g parsley leaveschopped
For rosemary and chili oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
50g unsalted butter
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri chili
2 tsp Aleppo chili
First, cook the squash for polenta. Place pumpkin, garlic, and olive oil in a medium saucepan, cover, and heat over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pumpkin begins to soften and its juices begin to pool in the bottom of the pan, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in stock, 250ml water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and finely ground pepper and bring to a simmer, then cover and cook 7 minutes, until squash is tender and edges begin to crumble. Remove from heat, cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. and smooth with a stick blender.
Return the pan to medium heat and slowly pour in the polenta, beating quickly. Remove clumps and cook, whisking constantly to prevent mix from sticking to bottom of pan, until polenta is thickened, 8 minutes, then turn off heat and add butter. Cover the surface of the polenta mix with a circle of greaseproof paper to prevent the skin from forming, then set aside.
Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil, the remaining pumpkin, ½ teaspoon salt, and finely ground pepper, and cook the butternuts until the edges are lightly browned and tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in maple syrup and let cool for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, make the chili oil. Put the oil and butter in a small frying pan over medium heat, and when it’s hot and melted, add the rosemary and fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, stir in the Kashmir and Aleppo peppers and a pinch of salt and set aside for a while.
Lift the paper off the top of the polenta and spoon onto a rimmed platter. Mix the fried squash with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, lemon juice, and parsley and sprinkle on top. Spoon chili oil on top, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, and serve hot.
