Comfort Food Challenge!

Sod spending January nibbling away on some rocket detox diet crap, the winter months with the cold, the dark and the economically enforced hibernation mean comfort food is the order of the day. Don’t get me wrong, I love a decent salad [although I loathe rocket] – on a sunny day, in the garden, with a glass of something cold and pink. But not in any month where I can see my own breath outdoors, or when I’m to be found wearing a scarf more for warmth than dramatic effect.

We’ve had quite a mild start to the year so far but if the downward temperature trend forecast for next week follows a linear progression throughout February even the nitrogen in the atmosphere will be falling as solid snow by the 29th. So I’m retreating to the kitchen, in a cardigan, making food as warm and comforting as a duck down duvet.

In the past week alone we have seen:

• Fish finger [US translation = fish sticks] sandwiches with the a compulsory splodge of salad cream for Sunday lunch – see picture above. A double whammy of winter woes and a hungover heads demanded nothing less than this king of comfort foods.
• A baked Vacherin for supper with the sort of dipping ingredients I’ve already mentioned in this fondue recipe.
• A surprise roast turkey dinner from the Shopkeeper – an unexpected weekday treat – and cauliflower cheese has accounted for around three of my ‘five a day’ for most of the week since.
• A whole roast crispy duck’s worth of pancakes.
• The remains of said duck with some mushrooms, wine, mustard and rosemary in a creamy pasta sauce the next day.
• And tonight we’re heading for some slow braised steak and buttered baked potatoes.

I’m booking my arteries in for a re-bore sometime in March, but that’s the point – now is not the time to stint on culinary comforts! So your challenge is this…

Leave a comment listing your favourite comfort food between now and the 4th of February, after which I’ll pick my favourite and come up with a version of it to publish here. Feel free to leave just the name of a dish or a whole recipe, and if you want to tell me why it’s your comfort food of choice so much the better.

Over to you…

Newsflash – Kenwood Mixer Competition

Our good friends at lovefood.com are giving away one of these limited edition ‘firecracker’ mixers from Kenwood – and all you have to do is vote for your favourite recipe from their database.  There’s one of mine in there if you dig around, but I’m in pretty illustrious company and there’s plenty more besides to tempt the curious and the peckish [PS there’s no prize for the recipe authors so please don’t feel obliged to go for mine!]. Lovefood.com has grown to become quite an impressive resource since I was helping out with some early articles less than 18 months ago, and their regular newsletter always has me clicking on at least one link. Why not add it to your foodie favourites folder?

I’d love a Kenwood, but then I’d also love a kitchen big enough to house one without having to get rid of the oven first. One day…