Well known faces in food share their favourite comfort food recipes
What feelgood food have we been turning to in recent months? Well known faces in food share their favourite recipes with .
Ignoring the calls from inside your fridge is a difficult task on any given day, never mind during the challenging time of the Covid-19 crisis.
We open the fridge, pick at some cheese, go to the cupboard to grab some crisps, while we ponder what we’ll make for dinner tonight and then, possibly, reach for the freezer.
Our emotions are high, our spirits low and our routines are, are well, non-existent. (Walks back to the fridge, opens it, again.)
Given the stress and uncertainty inherent in living through a global pandemic and the unfamiliarity of staying in and working from home, it makes sense that many of us may turn to food for comfort.
You’ve probably already been inundated with memes in your ‘Wine not?’ WhatsApp group chats about how we’re all eating during our first experience of quarantine.
Or taking to the internet, more than once, to google ‘Can I have chocolate for breakfast, again?’ It’s important to remember that this is an unprecedented experience that requires some degree of coping. Reaching out for our go-to comfort foods - or even a glass of wine or two - has been helping to manage or alleviate anxious emotions.
We talked to some well-known foodies about how they’ve been balancing their eating habits and comfort food during this time.
Colm O’Gorman
Hearing the cries from kitchens all over the country, Executive Director of Amnesty Ireland, Colm O’Gorman began to think of things he could do that would provide a fun distraction for people during this difficult time.
A keen foodie, the 54-year-old decided to post some of his go-to comfort recipes on his various social platforms with the tag #Coronacooking.
“I started #coronacooking back in mid-March as a way of encouraging people to be creative and a bit bold in the kitchen during the shutdown,” he said.
“It was a way to encourage and engage people, to give them something to look forward to.” Growing up on a farm in rural Wexford, Colm praised his mother for his introduction to different kinds of food.
I began cooking at the age of eight or nine, my mother was always so adventurous when it came to different types of food and always stressed to us the importance of good quality ingredients. We were lucky enough to be exposed to coleslaw at a time when it was such a foreign concept.
The basis behind his recipes stems from the undertaking of a new fitness regime a few years ago. He began to notice people’s challenging relationship with the kitchen and their investment in “nonsense talk” about food. So he decided to blend his love and knowledge of food with his newfound love of healthy eating, thus creating a range of ‘healthy version of’ recipes, he now considers his comfort food. Something he feels is perfect for people right now.
Colm conjures up a brand new recipe every day, all of which are designed with ingredients widely available in our local supermarkets.
“I’m just a home cook, if I can do it so can you.”
This recipe got an amazing response online, including from followers overseas who had never heard of this takeaway dish. So here it is, a healthier take on that Irish takeaway classic - The Spice Bag. None of this is deep-fried, so it is much lower in fat and really tasty.
8-10 chicken wings
180g raw king prawns
6 medium potatoes
1 carrot
2 onions
1 red pepper
2 cloves garlic
100g flour
1tsp Salt & some black pepper
1-2tsp Szechuan pepper or chilli powder
A few red chillis
3tsp flaky sea salt
1/2tsp chilli powder
1tsp white pepper
1tsp onion salt
1tsp Chinese 5
spice powder
Heat your oven to 250c. Peel & cut potatoes into chunky chips, rinse thoroughly. Bring a pot of water to the boil and pop in the chips. Blanche for 3 minutes, then drain. Toss in olive oil and some fine polenta if you have any. If not, just the oil is fine. Put them on a baking tray and toast for 30 minutes, turning once halfway through.
Mix the flour with salt, Szechuan pepper or chilli pepper and some ground black pepper. Whisk an egg. Discard chicken wing tips and separate remaining two sections. Dip wings and prawns into the egg, one at a time. Now toss them in the flour to lightly coat. Put the chicken wings in the oven once chips are halfway through their cooking time.
Do not cook the prawns until the chips are cooked, this temperature is too high for them. Your wings should be cooked after 15 minutes, but if they need a little longer, just reduce the heat to 180c and give them another five minutes.
Make up your spice bag mix by mixing the spices together well. You will not need all of this for one meal, but it will keep in an airtight jar or container for future use. Chop the onion, pepper and garlic. Finely slice the carrots into very thin strips. Thinly sliced will do if this is too fiddly for you.
Pop the prawns on a baking tray into the oven for 10 minutes. Do not overcook them or they will be very tough. You can bake your veg at the same time, tossed in a little olive oil or cook them in a wok with a little oil. Sprinkle the vegetables with a teaspoon of the spice bag mix while cooking them.
Once the prawns and veg are cooked, you are ready to plate up. You might want to give the chips a quick blast in the oven to ensure they are good and hot. Toss the chips in some of the spice bag mix. Throw in the chicken and prawns and mix well. Taste, and add more spice mix if needed.
Add the veg, toss up a bit and plate up. Finish with some finely sliced red chilli and onion if you wish. Tuck in. For an even healthier version, use chicken breast instead of wings, sweet potato instead of regular potato or even a baked sweet potato. Delicious and nutritious. Friday night take way made at home.
I almost hesitate to tell you that it is a healthy take on that classic dessert in case that puts you off. Do not be concerned, it is sublime.
Crunchy delicious base, creamy tart topping, sweet blueberry compote and flaked almonds to top it all off. A real treat, and with zero refined sugar and no butter.
This makes an 11cm cheesecake, which is perfect for 3-4 servings. If you do not have an 11cm cake tin, or want to make a larger version, simply double the ingredients and use a 23cm springform cake tin.
500g non-fat Greek yoghurt
2tbs Sweet Freedom Syrup or honey
125g blueberries plus an additional handful to finish.
A small handful flaked almonds
50g oat flakes
40g whole almonds
1tbsp coconut sugar
2tbsp coconut oil, melted.
First, make the labneh. Line a sieve with muslin cloth and scoop in the yoghurt. I use a clean new pop sock instead of muslin for this, either will do. Sit the sieve on top of a bowl and pop in the fridge for at least four hours. Leave overnight if you can, the labneh will be a little firmer if you do.
Make the base. Blitz the oats and almonds in a food processor to a crumb. Add the coconut sugar, coconut oil and 1/2 tsp mixed spice. Pop in a handful of flaked almonds as well, they add nice texture. Stir well to combine.
Heat your oven to 170C. Spoon the base mix into your cake tin. Cover the whole base, pressing down firmly. Pop it in and bake for 15 minutes. Take it out. You will see that the base may have risen a little. Use the base of a glass or mug to press it down firmly again. Raise oven temperature to 190C & bake for five minutes. Take it out and set aside to cool.
Remove the Labneh from the cloth (or pop sock). Add 2tbsp of Sweet Freedom syrup or honey and mix well. You can find the syrup some local supermarkets; it is low calorie, but tastes good. Spoon this mixture into the tin over your base. It will fill it to the top. Smooth it over and pop it in freezer for about 30 minutes.
Wash the blueberries, keeping aside a small handful to finish off the cheesecake. Pop them into a small saucepan. Add 2tsp of syrup or honey and cook over a medium heat until you have a nice compote, with the blueberries retaining some of their shape. Set aside to cool. Toast the flaked almonds in a pan. A medium heat for about 5 minutes, tossed regularly, will get them nicely toasted.
Remove the cheesecake from your cake tin. Spoon the compote on top, add the fresh blueberries, they bring a lovely extra texture to the dessert. Finish with the toasted flaked almonds, and you are ready to serve up.
This is so good. Tasty and luscious, but only 1tbsp of coconut sugar, and no refined sugar. No butter either, and the topping is made from non-fat Greek yoghurt! Most importantly though, it tastes wonderful.
You can find coconut sugar in most supermarkets now. Lidl, Aldi and Tesco all stock it. It is a lovely ingredient and has the benefit of being unrefined. It also has a lovely buttery, caramel flavour.
Darina Allen
Darina Allen has found herself back in her own kitchen, which has given her a nostalgic sense of comfort during these times.
Running Ballymaloe Cookery School, a lot of Allen’s cooking takes place as part of demonstrations, surrounded by students and teachers, along with ready-prepared ingredients.
“I found myself cooking and prepping my own ingredients, in my own kitchen, and I’m loving it,” she said, speaking about the initial cocooning phase.
I’m walking our farm and foraging for wild ingredients, such as watergrass and nettles to include in a big pot of risotto.
This is a dish that she claims can not be beaten when it comes to comfort.
“Few dishes are more comforting than risotto and the added comfort of saving the remainder to make arancini the next day.” This Italian snack consisting of balls of rice coated with bread crumbs and then deep-fried is a staple dish of Sicilian cuisine.
Darina is sure to make a point of laying the table, lighting some candles, and making an occasion of mealtimes, to help create a routine around lockdown eating habits.
This helps us reignite our love affair with home-cooked food as these strange times have shown us the importance of healthy, nutritious food.
Allen also takes comfort in knowing so many young people have cooking for the first time and believes having practical knowledge of cooking is essential.
“No one should be awarded a Leaving Certificate without sitting a practical cooking exam,” she said. “It should be embedded back into the national curriculum. Food is medicine.”
The rice dishes of the Veneto region are famous. Rice was introduced there by the Arabs and many varieties of short-grain rice still grow in the marshlands around the river Po.
In Venice, risotto is made almost liquid, its great quality is its immense versatility. The Veneto is richer in vegetables than any other area in Italy so all sorts of vegetables and combinations of vegetables are included in the dish as well as herbs, poultry, game, chicken livers or shellfish. There is even a risotto made with squid ink and another with pine kernels and raisins which is actually a legacy of the Arabs.
1 - 1.3 litres (1 3/4 – 2 1/4 pints) broth or homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock
25g (1oz) butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
400g (14oz) Carnaroli or Arboria rice
25g (1oz) butter
50g (2oz) freshly grated Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano is best)
sea salt
First bring the broth or stock to the boil, turn down the heat and keep it simmering.
Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan with the oil, add the onion and sweat over a gentle heat for 4-5 minutes, until soft but not coloured.
Add the rice and stir until well coated (so far the technique is the same as for a pilaff and this is where people become confused).
Cook for a minute or so and then add 150ml (5fl oz) of the simmering broth, stir continuously and as soon as the liquid is absorbed add another 150ml (5fl oz) of broth.
Continue to cook, stirring continuously. The heat should be brisk, but on the other hand if it’s too hot the rice will be soft outside but still chewy inside.
If it’s too slow, the rice will be gluey. It’s difficult to know which is worse, so the trick is to regulate the heat so that the rice bubbles continuously. The risotto should take about 25-30 minutes to cook.
When it is cooking for about 20 minutes, add the broth about 4 tablespoons at a time. I use a small ladle. Watch it very carefully from there on.
The risotto is done when the rice is cooked but is still ever so slightly ‘al dente’. It should be soft and creamy and quite loose, rather than thick. The moment you are happy with the texture, stir in the remaining butter and Parmesan cheese, taste and add more salt if necessary.
Serve immediately.
Risotto does not benefit from hanging around – the texture should be soft and flowing.
Destalk and cook curly kale, red Russian or cavalo nero kale in boiling salted water until almost cooked. Drain well, stir in the risotto about 5 minutes before the end of cooking. Taste and correct the seasonings and serve sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Or try
Chop some wild garlic leaves finely (110g/4oz) approximately, add to the risotto 3 or 4 minutes before the end of cooking. Scatter with wild garlic flowers and serve immediately.
Blanch and refresh 110g (4oz) nettles, drain and season well. Add to the risotto with 50g (2oz) fresh sorrel. Taste and add another lump of butter if necessary.
Arancini are crispy rice balls usually made from left over risotto (spread the risotto onto a baking tray to cool), coated in bread crumbs and then deep fried. The name literally translated means ‘little orange’. There are regional variations in shape, the Sicilian version tends to be more conical rather than round.
Flavour the risotto as desired – they can be plain or flavoured with a myriad of tasty additions – ragu, wild mushrooms, mozzarella, aubergines, wild fennel, shellfish, pistachio... They sometimes have a little surprise filing in the centre though not always.
Scoop up a fist full of cold mixture, shape into a round slightly oval or conical shape. Dip in breadcrumbs and deep-fry in hot oil until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot.
In Rome, crispy rice balls are called supplì and often have a cube of mozzarella melting in the centre. Originally they were sold at Friggitorie, typical Roman fried food shops.
Trisha Lewis
“Kitchen pickers, bigger knickers!” Trish Lewis exclaims, speaking about her eating habits during this unprecedented time.
And like all of us, she too is, “trying to call [herself] out as much as [she] can.”
The Cork chef, better known as ‘Trisha Transformation’, began documenting her weight loss journey on Instagram in 2017, a few days prior to her 30th birthday. Today she looks on at over 100K followers, a book deal, appearances on The Late Late Show, and a loss of over eight stone.
“It is a very overwhelming time but what I have found in this lockdown is I have to have structured meal times.”
Which is something she isn’t quite used to working as a chef.
You eat when you get the time and if it’s busy in the kitchen you focus on feeding others over yourself. So, during this time I have my breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks and it’s been lovely to sit and enjoy a meal as opposed to standing up eating.
While trying her best to stay ‘on plan’, Trisha is reaching for her nana’s chicken and tarragon broth. “It always makes me feel good and it is very nutritious as well so it’s a bonus,” she says. “This can be made in advance as well and it will only get better in the fridge overnight.”
The Instagram star chooses savoury over sweet foods for comfort but says: “If your vice is chocolate, then have your bar of chocolate with a cup of tea but leave it at that. If you are buying the multipack you are setting yourself up for failure.
Covid-19 has pulled the rug from under all of us. Also, sometimes when you have eaten too much you feel like you’re the only one in the world that does this but trust me, I know from the hundreds of messages on my Instagram page, we are all the same.
“When this is all over, the last thing you want to do is be full of regret and feeling disheartened so grab the bull by the horns and start getting the structure back into your day.”
This is a lovely winter warmer perfect for either lunch or dinner. You can remove the baby potatoes and serve with rice if you would like to change it up.
Olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 chicken stock cubes
700ml water
1 onion, chopped
1 stick of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
10 baby potatoes a bunch of fresh tarragon, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
50g frozen peas
salt and black pepper
Heat a stew pot on the hob and sear your chicken in some oil until turning golden.
Crumble in your stock cubes and pour in the water, mixing everything well.
Add in your onion, celery, carrots, garlic and baby potatoes.
Bring to the boil, then add the tarragon.
Simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
Stir in your frozen peas until heated through, then season with salt and pepper.
Serve in bowls, with some more fresh tarragon sprinkled on top.
