I absolutely adore winter veg, and won’t hear a bad word said against them. Yes, they’re often big and white and root and raw. In so being, though, they positively necessitate the addition of heat, time and fat. The transformation of something such as a swede or a cabbage, for example – or indeed any other root vegetable that has to work a bit harder to be thought of as pure comfort – never fails to remind me of the wonder of cooking. Tease out the sweetness: it’s all there for the taking.
Roast cabbage with chana dal and sauerkraut
This is inspired by a dish that my colleague Michal Nowak cooks every Christmas. I know we’re very much over festivities by now, but this is an absolute keeper for all the winter months. The secret? The combination of butter, time and heat, which do all the work, comfort-wise, while the sauerkraut keeps everything fresh and in line.
Prep 30 min
Cook 1 hr 30 min
Serves 4
1 small cabbage (660g), cut into 6 wedges
2 tbsp olive oil
Fine sea salt and black pepper
400g ready-cooked chana dal (we use Oddpods), or 200g dried chana dal soaked overnight in plenty of water
3 bay leaves
150g sauerkraut, homemade or bought
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1½ tsp caraway seeds, toasted
60g unsalted butter
¼ tsp ground turmeric
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
To serve
60g creme fraiche
10g parsley leaves, finely chopped
Heat the oven to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9. Put the cabbage and oil in a round, 28cm ovenproof casserole dish with a half-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper, mix to combine, then roast for 25-30 minutes, until charred in places.
If you’re using dried chana dal, discard the soaking water, then put the dal in a pan with plenty of salted water, bring to a boil and simmer for 35-40 minutes, until tender. Drain and discard the cooking water.
Put the cooked dal in the cabbage pot, add all the other ingredients, season with a half-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper, and mix gently to combine. Cover the pot with a lid or foil, then bake for 45 minutes, until the mix is soft and buttery. Uncover and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the tops of the cabbage wedges have darkened.
Spoon over half the creme fraiche, scatter over all the parsley, and serve straight from the pot with the remaining creme fraiche on the side.
Swede and carrots with bulgur and preserved lemon
With its sweet and sour flavours and candied orange topping, this is inspired by a Persian khoresh, or braise. I’ve used coconut yoghurt, to make the dish vegan, but a Greek-style dairy yoghurt would work just as well.
Prep 10 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4 as a main
120g bulgur wheat
Fine sea salt and black pepper
10g coriander leaves, finely chopped
10g parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 large orange, 4 wide strips of zest pared off with a vegetable peeler and cut into fine strips, then juiced to get 100ml
2 tsp maple syrup
1½ tsp baharat spice mix
25g pine nuts, toasted
85ml olive oil
1 small swede, peeled and cut at an angle into 5cm pieces (350g)
6 carrots, peeled and cut at an angle into 5cm pieces (400g)
1 tsp apple (or regular) cider vinegar
100ml coconut yoghurt
½ small preserved lemon, seeds removed, skin and pulp thinly sliced into half-moons (8g), plus 1 tsp of the preserving liquid
Rinse the bulgur well, then put it in a large bowl and stir in a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Pour over 250ml boiling water, cover with a plate and leave to soak for 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the bulgur is soft. Transfer to a colander, to drain off any excess liquid, then leave to dry. Once dry, tip back into the bowl and stir in all but a tablespoon of the chopped herbs.
Put the orange zest in a small pan with 300ml water, bring to a boil then cook on a medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the zest softens. Strain into a small bowl and set the liquid aside. Put the softened zest back in the pan with two tablespoons of water, the maple syrup and a half-teaspoon of baharat, and cook for five minutes, until the water has evaporated and the zest is lightly candied. Take off the heat, stir in the pine nuts and set aside.
Put the oil in a large saucepan on a high heat, add the swede and a quarter-teaspoon of salt and fry for 10 minutes, stirring often, until golden. Using a slotted spoon, lift out the swede into a bowl and put the carrots and a half-teaspoon of salt in the pan. Cook for eight minutes, stirring often, then return the swede to the pan, along with the remaining teaspoon of baharat. Cook for 20 seconds, just until the spices smell fragrant, then add the orange juice, 100ml water, the reserved strained orange-zest water and the vinegar. Cook for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and coated in the sauce, then take off the heat.
Put two tablespoons of the sauce into the pan with the orange zest and pine nuts, and stir to combine. Mix the yoghurt with the teaspoon of preserved lemon liquid and half the preserved lemon slices.
Spread the bulgur over a serving platter and top with the carrots and swede. Dot the preserved lemon yoghurt on top, then spoon over the orange zest mixture. Sprinkle over the remaining tablespoon of chopped herbs and the rest of the sliced preserved lemon, then serve.
Lentils with roast butternut squash and feta yoghurt
It’s easy to think that any dish that involves roasting veg will inevitably take a fair bit of time. Butternut squash, however, particularly when sliced thin, is surprisingly quick. Keep the peel on, though: without it, the squash will collapse, plus it’s lovely to eat once roasted. All the elements can be made ahead of time, ready to put together in a minute.
Prep 10 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 4 as a main
1 small butternut squash, halved lengthways, seeds removed, flesh and skin cut into ½cm-thick slices (650g)
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
Fine sea salt and black pepper
1 tsp maple syrup (optional)
1 onion, peeled, halved and finely chopped (180g)
The seeds of 5 cardamom pods, finely crushed in a mortar; discard the empty pods
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp tomato paste
¼ tsp ground turmeric
1½ tsp ground cumin
2 x 400g tins beluga lentils, not drained
1 x 400g tin borlotti beans, not drained
70g chopped kale, tough stalks removed and discarded
100g Greek-style yoghurt
200g feta, half broken into 2cm pieces, half finely crumbled
1 lime, half juiced, to get 1 tbsp, the other half cut into 4 wedges, to serve
¼ tsp aleppo chilli flakes
Heat the oven to very high – 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9. Put the sliced butternut squash, two tablespoons of oil and a half-teaspoon of salt on a large baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper, toss to coat, then roast for 15-20 minutes, until the squash is cooked through and lightly browned. Taste the squash for sweetness, and if necessary season with maple syrup.
While the squash is baking, put the onion, ground cardamom seeds, a tablespoon of oil, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a good crack of black pepper in a medium saucepan and cook on a high heat, stirring regularly, for three minutes, until the onions have started to soften and turn slightly golden. Turn down the heat to medium-high, add the garlic, tomato paste, turmeric and cumin, and fry for a minute, just until the spices start to stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the lentils, beans and all the liquid from the three tins, and cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes, until the liquid has thickened and is coating the pulses. Take off the heat and cover to keep warm.
Put the kale in a medium bowl, and season with a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of oil.
Once the squash is cooked, take it out of the oven and tip into a bowl. Turn down the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7, put the kale on the now-empty tray and roast for seven minutes, until it crisps up. Remove from the oven.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the yoghurt, crumbled feta, lime juice and three tablespoons of water until the mix has a spoonable consistency; if need be, loosen with more water, a teaspoon at a time.
Divide the lentil and bean mixture between four bowls (or spread it out on one large platter), then top with the roast squash and kale and the feta pieces. Dollop the feta yoghurt on top, then drizzle over some olive oil. Finish with a sprinkling of chilli flakes and serve with the lime wedges on the side.
