Come in from the cold to restorative recipes from Winter Wellness, the new book from River Cottage expert Rachel De Thample
Meet Rachel
Award-winning author and cook Rachel De Thample is also the fermentation expert at River Cottage HQ.
Like a lot of people, I didn’t always have the most positive relationship with winter. I grew up in Texas, which is really warm and sunny, and I found I hated the winter slog in England. It was so grey and miserable. But writing my new book, Winter Wellness, I realised that, while summer is seductive, we need winter to replenish and recover. It’s important that we don’t resist the call to be still and quiet, and we allow ourselves to hibernate a little bit. This book is a cordial invitation to embrace the essential transition of a winter wind-down.
Being still means being stiller in the kitchen, too, and discovering the culinary treasures that fortify the immune system when we need it most, without making you sweat it out in the kitchen. Some ingredients, like citrus fruits, shine especially brightly in winter, while root veg and shellfish are at their sweetest. Nature does give us what we need at the right times. I love blood oranges, and it’s only once it gets cold that the colour starts to come… all that vitamin C is exactly what we need. The squashes that we store over winter are rich in beta carotene, which supports our immune system. In my kitchen, I have a long shelf of squash. I’ll take a whole squash without cutting it and stick it in the oven until it starts to caramelise, then cut it open. Or I’ll throw a whole tray of roast veg into the oven, then blend it into a soup or dip, or use it in a curry. The winter kitchen is about using what you’ve got, and all these foods not only taste delicious – they can make you feel better and boost your mood, too.
We do feel like we have to constantly be on – our phones are always on, the shops are always open. Sometimes we need to unplug, and winter offers the opportunity to do that. We need it to reflect and rejuvenate. It is, after all, the season that bridges the old with the new.
‘While summer is seductive, we need winter to replenish and recover. It’s important that we don’t resist the call to be still and quiet.’
SERVES 4 V GF
HANDS-ON TIME 35 mins
TOTAL TIME 1 hr 10 mins
Only £1.70 PER SERVING
CAULIFLOWER ‘LASAGNE’
◆ 2 cauliflowers
◆ 3 tbsp ghee, butter or olive oil
◆ 1 onion or leek, finely chopped
◆ 1 tsp fennel seeds
◆ 2 tbsp fresh thyme or rosemary leaves, finely chopped
◆ 100g mushrooms, chopped, or 25g dried porcini, rehydrated
◆ 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
◆ 250ml stock* of your choice
