Food: The best feelgood dishes to eat in January
January is punishing enough without depriving ourselves of dishes which bring both comfort and joy. Our local food heroes share their favourite feelgood recipes
Hannah Gregory
Chef, founder of WanderSups, Bury St Edmunds, and Velvet columnist
Chicken soup/Jewish penicillin/soup for the soul – I have heard them all. I actually don’t care what you call it, as long as it consists of the golden elixir of chicken broth, juicy (not stringy) meat and bouncing kneidlach (dumplings made from Matzah meal). Growing up in a Jewish household, a bowl of this was lovingly shoved in front of me to cure colds, aches and pains and heartbreak and it succeeded every time.
Cooking this in adult life, not only do its magical powers heal any ailment, but it also instantly transports me to my childhood home: running into the kitchen with blue-tinged fingers from mucking out ponies in fingerless gloves, warming up by the Aga, ladling the steaming soup into bowls, fighting over the last dumpling with my brother, being flicked with the corner of a tea towel by my grandmother for fighting with said brother. . .
That is the ultimate feelgood food: one that is not only delicious, but also has the power to move you to another time and place; one that evokes memories and happiness and makes both your belly and your heart sing.
Jin Yee Chung
Baker, founder of The Baking Jin, Cambridge
Surprisingly, it's not a sweet dish! My feelgood food has got to be Malaysian Laksa - any kind of Malaysian Laksa. I like the spicy, rich coconut broth with seafood noodles, or the other sour version with tamarind, pictured here. This is my top pick every time I return home to Malaysia. Recently, it has become my must-have straight after disembarking the plane! It has a real hit of flavour and texture, soft noodles, tender seafood, fragrant herbs and spices. . . all in a bowl with a hearty, spicy, hot broth.
Riadh Falvo
Chocolatier, founder of Bumble & Oak and Cambridge Chocolate Festival
The food that actually does make me feel GOOD is, of course, chocolate in every way. It is still my passion to make, and more so to share, as it can and does make others feel good too! These are almond and amaretti vegan caramels, made with oat mylk white chocolate ganache, enrobed in dark mylk and topped with a golden almond sliver.
Alison Wright
Owner of Fitzbillies, Cambridge
My feelgood food is a grilled cheese sandwich. I didn’t even need to think about it. Several reasons really. . . As the owner of Fitzbillies, I’m lucky to have access to fantastic sourdough bread - and toasted sourdough with a melty cheese filling has just got to be one of the best things on earth. It’s my go-to order at Fitzbillies and I also make it at home.
It’s also one of my daughter Liberty’s favourites. She has spent the past few years perfecting her grilled cheese game: butter the outside of the bread before grilling; the best mix of cheeses for melty gooey strings. She went to uni this autumn, taking our sandwich toaster with her. I don’t need to worry that she’s hungry. (Although I do worry she may not have eaten any vegetables all term.)
Tine Roche
Chef, founder of Cambridge Cookery School and Velvet columnist
My ultimate feelgood food has to be a classic Swedish dish: Jansson’s Frestelse or Jansson’s Temptation. It’s embedded in Swedish food traditions, being part of the smörgåsbord of dishes served for our three main holidays: Christmas, Easter and Midsummer. It is also built with three food groups underpinning Swedish food: potatoes, fish, dairy.
Jansson’s is also loved for “vickning”, a concept as essential to Swedish life as the by now well-known “fika”. “Vickning” could be translated as “midnight feast” - but it is much more than a snack. For big gatherings and parties, when dancing follows dinner, guests will be ready for some sustenance around midnight. This will usually mean cold lager, iced Aquavit and Jansson’s Temptation, all of which were part of the big student balls I attended while studying in Uppsala.
My grandmother, Greta, made an amazing Jansson, as did my mother, Brita. It is a recipe handed down the generations, of which we never tire.
RECIPE
Ingredients: for a gratin dish serving 4-6
8-10 medium King Edward potatoes
1 knob butter
1 onion
12-15 anchovies*
A little sea salt
A good grinding of black pepper
1 small carton of whipping cream
1-2 tablespoons dried white breadcrumbs
* Swedish anchovies, or sprats, are pickled and tinned in a highly aromatic and delicious brine including sherry and allspice. Anchovies made by Abba (yes, the band’s name caused some amusement when they first started, as Swedes only knew Abba as the main brand name behind pickled herrings) can be bought online. When I crave Jansson and there are no Abba anchovies in my pantry, I stir some allspice, a drop of sherry and a little sugar through anchovies in olive oil and get close to the classic flavour.
Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 190C.
2) Peel the potatoes, slice lengthways into 4-5mm slices, stack a few at a time and cut fine matchsticks.
3) Halve, peel and finely slice the onion. I add mine raw, but some cooks are passionate about softening the onion in butter before they are added.
4) Rub some butter around an oven proof ceramic dish. Arrange half the potatoes and onions in the buttered dish - enough to give a good ground layer. Season.
5) Scatter the anchovies over the potatoes and onions.
6) Top with remaining potato and onion.
7) Pour on enough cream to almost cover. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and dot a few small knobs of butter over the dish.
8) Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
Rob Burling
Head chef at The Black Bull, Balsham
For me, feelgood foods are all to be found in the autumn and winter months - slow-braised meats are just perfect. I have recently done a starter of slow-braised pig cheeks with celeriac and crispy onions. The sauces you get from slow-braising are always full bodied and full of flavour.
Another would have to be a traditional roast. There is nothing quite like carving a joint of meat for the family to enjoy - then dunking the Yorkshire pudding into the gravy. . .
Vhari Russell
Founder of The Food Marketing Experts and Grub Club Cambridge
For me, it’s mac and cheese all the way. I love the fact it is so easy to make, plus you can make it with so many variations, from changing the cheese/s you use to adding some diced chorizo or breadcrumbs on top.
You also have the added advantage that you can make it with delicious fresh pasta too. It's also a great dish to use up odds-and-sods of cheese and a bit of bread. Our whole family loves it.
Melanie Hanspall
Plant-based chef, founder of lovenutritioncambridge and Velvet columnist
Tofu scramble with spinach and mushrooms is my go-to for a nutritious, comforting 'feelgood' brunch! Delicious, filling, super-quick and easy to make, it uses only three main ingredients and provides a colourful and balanced meal.
Tofu is always a staple in my fridge as it's a great source of plant protein and incredibly versatile. The spinach provides iron and Vitamins C and K and the mushrooms are a great source of fibre and B-Vitamins.
RECIPE
Ingredients: to serve 2
1 pack 300g firm tofu (I use Sainsbury's organic)
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
Extra virgin olive oil
Handful spinach
Handful sliced chestnut mushrooms
Sea salt and pepper
Method:
1) Drain the tofu (leaving a little moisture) and put in a non stick frying pan on medium heat - mash up with a potato masher or wooden spoon.
2) Add the turmeric to the tofu and season with sea salt and pepper.
3) In a separate pan, add a little oil and gently fry off the mushrooms for 3-5 minutes.
4) Add the spinach to the tofu and stir in. Stir in the mushrooms and serve. Drizzle with a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil.
5) Optional: sprinkle with nutritional yeast flakes and serve with sourdough toast. Enjoy!
Shane Barker
Head chef at The Red Lion, Hinxton
My feelgood food has to be Shepherd’s Pie. It was the first dish I made with my nan. Still now it is the dish that I turn to after a tough day or needing a pick-me-up.
It was one of the first dishes that I taught my wife, Alisha, and she can now cook it just how it should be and it has become the family dish for us and our girls.
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