- Nov 22, 2024
- 7 min read
I don’t know about you, but Instagram seems to flood me with recipes I didn’t ask for. What I do want is a good old-fashioned recipe swap—real recommendations from people I genuinely admire rather than whoever the algorithm decides I should be listening to. So, here’s a collection of cooking tips and recipes from the most dazzling, inspired minds of our age—a gathering so divine, it could make even Escoffier weep.
Fee Greening
My partner Dan and I love a party. Nothing gives me more joy than seeing our home full of merry faces wailing along to Purple Rain in the wee hours. We’re not refined enough for canapés. Instead we usually make bath tub sized proportions of stew and mash potato and have them on the side. Nigel’s beef bourguignon is a winner and easy to make for the masses.
Mad for Somerset Pomona, can’t get enough of this wench.
Maxim Egger
My favourite winter recipe would have to be Traybake Lemon dal with pickled green chillies by Anna Jones. The ingredient list is substantial, but is predominantly store cupboard based and the actual dish is a dream to make. Deep and hearty, you can serves this up for lunch or supper with guests or enjoy over successive days by yourself. Any vegetarian who’s been to India has probably had their fill of paneer, I have made this with tofu as well and it’s equally delicious.
When it comes to a tipple, I’m generally a martini man. When festive is in order, Nigella Lawson’s Poinsettia is easily my winner. You can get all the ingredients in your local corner shop and assembly couldn’t be more simple. It also makes multiple servings, so you’re not constantly tied to the shaker. Prosecco is not for everyone, myself included, but the bitterness of the cranberry take the edge of that syrupy sweetness. If you really can’t stomach it, switch out for something like Crémant. Don’t you dare substitute for Champagne though, that’s a despicable waste!
Lonika Chande
My favourite winter recipe is Spiced lamb shepherd’s pie from Ottolenghi’s Simple book. It’s delicious, warming stuff, and can be made in advance, so it’s a good choice for a winter dinner party. I make it a lot.
Giving you a second one, a vegetarian one. Also, make this one a lot. It takes 30 minutes. My husband, Theo, adapted it from a recipe by Natalia Rudin.
Cavolo Nero and Cannellini Bean Stew
Ingredients:
1 bunch of cavolo nero
2 tins of cannellini beans
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 a white onion
1 chilli
1 lemon
1 heaped tablespoon of mozzarella cut into chunks
Salt and pepper
Method:
Dice the onion and gently fry in olive oil. Blanch the cavolo, stalks and all, in hot water for a couple minutes and then submerge in ice cold water to stop the cooking process and keep the vibrant green colour. Squeeze out most of the water and blend in a blender, with a dash of olive oil, and salt, and blitz until smooth. You may need to add some water to loosen it. The onions should be cooked by now so crush the garlic, add it in, fry for a couple minutes, and then pour in cannellini beans in their brine. Pour in the blended cavolo nero and bring to a gentle simmer for 5-10 minutes. Top it off with mozzarella, lemon juice and zest, chopped chilli and olive oil. Scoop up with bread.
My favourite winter tipple is a negroni. I don’t like sweet drinks, so love the bitterness of the Campari.
Luke Edward Hall
As Christmas approaches, I love to spend a good amount of time in the kitchen with my medieval carols blaring and candles burning. It's a tradition of mine to make spiced biscuits just before Christmas - I love the smell of warming ginger and icy cardamom in December. I like the idea of hanging my biscuits on the tree, but in reality they all get eaten in a matter of hours. I use an old Nigel Slater recipe:
I'm not a massive whisky man but I make an exception for the hot toddy in winter. Besides, I feel like all that lemon and honey practically make it a healthy drink. I also love a silky black velvet served in a pewter tankard in front of a roaring fire with a dog on my lap:
Elizabeth Metcalfe
@elizabethjmetcalfe / New English Interiors - her new book
A hug in pie form. There is a lot of prepping, roasting, and pastry making, but boy, is it worth it. I love how it masquerades as a regular pie from the outside—then you cut into it, and it's full of colour. It makes a nice change from all the meat at Christmas, and I'm sure you could adapt it to work with veggie leftovers.
Negroni sbagliato—This is basically a negroni with the gin swapped for fizz—so it's one part Campari, one part sweet vermouth, and one part fizz. Not only do I love the bitterness of Campari, but its bright red colour also feels fittingly festive. If you can track down some early-season ones, I love mine with a slice of tangy blood orange.
Georgie Stogdon
'Penne with Adam's slow cooked sausage sauce' from the River Cafe '30' book. It is just perfect.
It's always a PG tips for me.
Hazel Collins
Winter Recipe
To Prep 0:15
To Cook 1:45
INGREDIENTS 12
DIFFICULTY CAPABLE COOKS
SERVINGS 8
Ingredients
2 oranges
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups (315g) caster sugar
3 cups (300g) almond meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Mascarpone, to serve
Orange blossom syrup
1 orange
1/2 cup (100g) caster sugar
1/4 cup (60ml) water
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
Method
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease a 20-cm round springform pan and line the base with baking paper.
Step 2 Place oranges in a large saucepan; cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes. Drain. Return to pan and cover with fresh cold water. Bring to the boil. Cook for a further 15 minutes. Drain and repeat once more or until very tender. Drain. Coarsely chop and discard any pips.
Step 3 Place orange in a food processor; process until smooth. Use an electric mixer to whisk eggs and sugar until thick and pale. Add orange, almond meal, baking powder, cinnamon and cardamom; gently fold until combined. Spoon into prepared pan; smooth the surface. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside in a pan to cool completely.
Step 4 To make syrup, use a zester to remove the rind from the orange. Juice the orange. Place the juice, sugar, and water in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the sugar dissolves and the syrup thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Add orange blossom water and zest. Set aside to cool.
Step 5 Drizzle the cake with syrup. Cut into wedges and serve with mascarpone.
On xmas day I love a cold bottle of Puligny Montrachet or Clase Azul tequila if I am partying on boxing day (no hangover).
26 Grains
Pumpkin & Porcini Porridge
A hearty, savoury porridge bringing a warming bowl of wintery goodness to the colder days ahead.
We make a stock of porcini &pumpkin to cook off our 5 grains mix, then bolster with an umami hit of parmesan both through and on top of the porridge. Sautéed wild mushrooms are scattered over
alongside Cavolo nero, kale& more robust Italian cousin, as well as lightly spiced pumpkin seeds.
Finally we round it off a light grating of lemon zest for a citrus lift and a spoon of brown butter for
good measure.
500g Oats (Cover with water and soak overnight)
Pumpkin & Porcini Porridge portions
720ml Oat Milk
25g Porcini Powder
1 Cinnamon Sticks
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 Shallot
1 Bay Leaves
1 Tsp Dry Sage
10 black peppercorns
250g Pumpkin puree
100g Parmesan
1 Lemon for testing
Combine all the ingredients in a pot, except the parmesan, and bring
to the boil, leave to simmer for 30 mins then strain. In a pot combine the soaked oats (plus residual
liquid), and the porcini stock, cook for 10/15 minutes or until soft, on a low heat, adding water if needed.
Grate the parmesan and lemon zest into the now cooked porridge then season with salt and pepper to
taste.
Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
100g Pumpkin seeds
2g Black Pepper
2g Cinnamon
2g Salt
2g Nutmeg
1 Tsp Olive Oil
Lightly toast the pumpkin seeds in a large pot, then coat with a small splash of olive oil and toss in spices.
Cavolo Nero
200g Cavolo Nero
Bring a pot of water to the boil. Whilst the water comes up to the boil, strip the leaves from the stalks of
the cavolo nero and wash. Season the water with a good pinch of salt, then add the leaves. Cook for
roughly 7 minutes or until tender to bite. Strain and refresh the leaves in a bowl of ice water.
Wild Mushrooms
200g Mixed Wild Mushrooms
30g Olive Oil
1 Tsp Dry Thyme
Salt & Pepper to taste
Slice the mushrooms. Gently heat up a pan and add the mushrooms in dry to cook off some of the
excess water content, then add remaining ingredients and bring the heat up to high. Cook for a minute
then take out the pan.
Brown Butter
250g Butter
In a small pan, add the butter and cook on a medium heat. Do this for roughly 10 minutes or until the
butter becomes dark and smells sweet/nutty. Strain off the solids.
Tipple
Mulled Wine
1 Cinnamon stick
16 Cloves
20 Cardamom pods
100g Caster sugar
1 Orange (sliced)
40g Fresh ginger
2 Bottles of red wine
250ml Whisky
1. Toast all the spices for 3 minutes.
2. Add everything except the whisky and boil
for 15 minutes.
3. Take off the heat and add the whisky.
4. Cover with lids and leave to infuse for at
least 1 hour or overnight.
5. When ready to serve, gently bring up to the heat and garnish with an orange slice
Charlie Porter
Tat London
Meal
Some years ago, my brother-in-law stationed himself in the kitchen for what felt like an eternity. I couldn’t fathom why anyone would need that much time to prepare a meal. Hours passed, with much clattering and muttering, until finally, supper was served. Meatballs. Meatballs? All that fuss for something so ordinary? Oh, what a doubting Debra I was. These were no mere meatballs; they were a revelation—sweet, salty, and so heartwarmingly good they could charm the most cynical diner. Be warned: this isn’t a recipe for the impatient. But persevere, and the spoils will be utterly worth it.
Tipple
If a dirty vodka martini is within reach, you’ll find me utterly delighted—a picture of contentment with a cocktail in hand. And, dare I say, it’s the ideal partner for those glorious meatballs. The briny sharpness of the martini cutting through the sweet, salty richness? A match made in culinary heaven.
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