Let'sget cosy
Easy to cook and low on washing-up, these one-pot winter wonders are comfort food at its best!
Beef & pumpkin stew
■ Serves 6 ■ Prep 25 mins ■ Cook 2 hrs 20 mins
2 tbsp vegetable oil
500g stewing beef, cut into chunks
2 onions, chopped
600g carrots, cut into chunks
1 celery stick, roughly sliced
¼ small bunch of thyme
2 bay leaves
1½ tbsp tomato purée
1½ tbsp plain flour
1 litre vegetable stock
250ml ale or beer
1 medium pumpkin (about 500g),
peeled, deseeded and chopped
mashed potato or crusty bread,
to serve
1 Heat the oil in a large, lidded pan over a medium-high heat and fry the beef in batches for a few minutes until browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Fry the onion in the same pan over a medium heat for 6-8 mins, or until softened.
2 Stir in the carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaves, and cook for a few minutes more to soften slightly. Return the beef to the pan, then mix in the tomato purée and flour.
3 Pour in the stock and ale, season well, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hr. Stir in the pumpkin and cook for a further 30 mins-1 hr, until the veg and beef are tender. Serve with mashed potato or crusty bread.
PER SERVING 259 kcals, fat 10g, saturates 2g, carbs 20g, sugars 14g, fibre 8g, protein 18g, salt 0.6g
Golden onion & spring veg pilaf
You can stir cooked prawns or chicken into this pilaf if you want to change it up. Just add with the spinach and peas, and make sure everything is piping hot.
■ Serves 3-4 ■ Prep 10 mins ■ Cook 50 mins
50g butter
2 large onions, thinly sliced
100g fine green beans, halved
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
6 cardamom pods, squashed
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 bay leaf (optional)
250g basmati rice
450ml vegetable stock
100g frozen peas, defrosted
100g spinach, chopped
1 Heat the butter in a large, deep, lidded frying pan. Add the onion along with a good pinch of salt and cook over a medium heat, stirring, until really golden and caramelised. Be patient – the onion should be soft enough that you can squash a piece between your fingers.
2 Stir in the green beans and garlic and cook for 2 mins, then stir in the spices and bay leaf, if using, and cook for 1 min more.
3 Add the rice and stir until coated in the spices. Stir in the stock, cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 15 mins, stirring in the peas and spinach for the final 3 mins.
PER SERVING (4) 405 kcals, fat 13g, saturates 7g, carbs 59g, sugars 10g, fibre 7g, protein 10g, salt 0.6g
One-pan roast duck
