What's for dinner? Healthy comfort food ideas that are perfect for cold winter days

Warming dinners that are full of nutritious ingredients - take inspiration from the dishes we'll be cooking this week 

Cosy comfort food perfect for cold winter nights.

Cassoulet

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

This is a quick and easy way of making the classic French peasants' stew of sausages, beans and duck - enjoy with crusty bread to soak up the deliciously rich sauce

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 4 large Toulouse Sausages

• 1 duck breast

• 250g smoked bacon or rashers, cut into lardons

• 1 large onion, sliced

• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 1 tbsp tomato purée

• 80ml red wine

• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes

• 2 tins of butter beans, drained

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 tbsp grain mustard

• sea salt

• freshly-cracked black pepper

• a little olive oil

• 60g coarse breadcrumbs

Method

1. In a casserole, over a medium-high heat, brown the sausage and duck breast until they are golden and sizzling on all sides. Take the meat out of the pan and set aside. Add the onions, bacon and garlic to the pan cooking for 5-6 minutes until the onion is softened and the bacon is turning crisp.

2. Pour in the red wine, allowing it to sizzle away until it begins to evaporate and thicken with the cooking fat. Add the tomato purée, stirring it in well before adding the tinned tomatoes. Add back the sausage and duck breast, bringing the whole lot to the boil.

3. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the beans, bay leaves, mustard and a little sea salt and black pepper. Simmer gently for around 15 minutes.

4. Scatter over the breadcrumbs on top, drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with sea salt before placing under a hot grill for a minute or two until golden. Serve hot.

Pearl Barley with wild mushrooms

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

This is a great dish for knocking up mid-week. It has minimum ingredients, takes no time at all and is very filling. The leftovers make ideal lunchbox fillers too

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 200g pearl barley

• 2 shallots, sliced thinly

• 200g mixed wild mushrooms, torn or sliced thin pieces

• a few sprigs of fresh thyme

• 1 clove of garlic, crushed

• Handful of fresh coriander, chopped

• Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

• Juice of half a lemon

• 50g butter

• Olive oil

• Sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Cook the barley in a pot of boiling salted water over a medium heat for around 20 minutes until cooked through but still with a little bite. Drain and leave aside while you prepare the rest of the dish.

2. Using a frying pan, heat a little olive oil over medium-high heat and cook the shallots for around five minutes, stirring them around the pan regularly until they have softened and starting to caramelise.

3. Remove from the pan to a plate and wipe the pan clean. Return the pan to a medium-high heat with another tablespoon or so of olive oil and place the sliced mushroom in, seasoning them with sea salt and black pepper.

4. Let them sizzle away for around five or six minutes. Add the butter to the pan along with the crushed garlic and move the mushrooms around the pan so that everything gets coated in butter and garlic. After a minute or two add the thyme sprigs and cook for around 10 minutes at a slightly lower temperature.

5. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and add to the barley and onion in a medium-sized, bowl and mix everything together including the chopped herbs. Squeeze in a little lemon juice and check the seasoning. Serve warm in bowls.