The winter season can bring along some particularly chilly nights up here in the mountains, where each evening can feel more brisk and bitter than the one before. As tempting as it is to keep dinner quick easy while it’s cold, curling up underneath a blanket as it soon as it gets dark, we actually think one of the best ways to keep warm can be as simple as a new homestyle meal around the dining table. It’s always exciting to mix things up and improve on familiar skills at the same time, even if it pushes you out of your culinary comfort zone at first. Whether it be sharing a flavoursome bully beef stew with loved ones or enjoying a nice bowl of apple crumble to yourself around the fire, here are some of the finest winter warmers to spice up your recipe routine.

 

Creamy Mushroom Risotto

This hearty dish has roots that can be traced back to fourteenth century Italy, where short-grain rice was introduced and grain cultivation thrived due to the humid and relatively flat environment. Risotto as a European delicacy has evolved in many ways over the years, with the eventual addition of mushrooms making this the perfect blend of earthy goodness and energy-rich flavours. Check out Inspired Taste’s recipe for a flavoursome Creamy Mushroom Risotto below.

 

What you’ll need (serves 4): 

  • 4 tablespoons of butter
  • 2 cups of button, cremini, or wild mushrooms
  • 8 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
  • 1 finely chopped onion
  • 1 ¾ cups of arborio risotto rice
  • 3/4 cup of dry white wine
  • 1/3 cup of mascarpone cream cheese
  • 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (put some aside for serving)
  • Salt and fresh ground black pepper
  • Fried sage leaves
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 12 sage leaves for garnish

 

Directions:

  1. Clean mushrooms with a dry paper towel. Remove the stems, slice up and set aside for later use. Cut up the mushroom caps into quarter-inch slices. If larger in size, cut into bite-sized pieces.
  2. Prepare the mushroom broth. Pour your chicken or vegetable broth into a 2.8lt saucepan. Add the sliced mushroom stems, thyme, bay leaf, and soy sauce. Boil, then reduce temperature to a simmer. Uncovered, then cook at a low simmer for 30 minutes. Strain stock and dispose of those stems, thyme, and bay leaf. You should have about 6 cups of broth remaining. Add water or more broth if necessary.
  3. In deep saucepan, melt your butter over medium to high heat. Add the mushroom and onion slices, then cook for 5 minutes. Stir the rice and cook for 1 minute. Pour in your chosen dry white wine then cook until contents reduce by about half.
  4. Add 1/2 a cup of the mushroom-infused stock and cook over medium to high heat, stirring until rice has absorbed all the liquid. Repeat this until 5 to 5 ½ cups of broth have been added and your rice is cooked but also slightly chewy in texture.
  5. Stir in the Mascarpone and grated Parmesan cheese then season to your desired taste with salt and pepper.
  6. Prepare the fried sage leaves. Start by heating the olive oil over medium to high heat in a skillet. Then add the leaves, just a few at a time. Fry for 15 seconds, be careful not to burn them. Transfer those leaves from the skillet onto a paper towel and lightly top up with a pinch of salt.
  7. Serve your homemade risotto in individual bowls and garnish each with a few sage leaves and shavings of parmesan cheese. Perfect! 

 

Bully Beef Stew

Similar to early iterations of risotto, the traditional beef stew is a dish that has an incredibly long and storied history, generally considered to be one of the earliest recorded cookbook recipes from first century Rome. While a popular form including the use of red wine can be traced back to fourteenth century France, it’s clear that the base components of diced meat combined with vegetables and potatoes that rest in a broth stand the test of time. Popular during the colder months due to the temperature at which this one can be served, as well as the bold and hearty flavours that the ingredients offer, it’s another one of our favourite wintertime comforts. Check out SBS Food’s recipe for a beef stew, featuring tender and succulent bully beef as the main protein. While this one doesn’t include the aforementioned red wine, we recommend pairing a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon alongside it when it’s serving time!

 

What you’ll need (serves 6):

  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 650g of corned beef
  • 6 peeled and halved eschalots
  • 4 peeled and chopped garlic cloves
  • 4 potatoes
  • 1 trimmed and peeled bunch of Dutch carrots
  • ½ a small cabbage, cut into pieces
  • 2 thyme sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 500ml of beef stock
  • 500ml of water
  • Freshly cracked pepper
  • Salt or soy sauce

 

Directions:

  1. Heat up a large pot to a medium to high heat. Add your olive oil and lightly cook the corned beef to a light brown on all sides.
  2. Once browned on all sides, add in the eschalots and cook to a light brown as well. Then add the rest of the vegetables, herbs, stock and some water.
  3. Bring the pot to a simmer, place over a cartouche and close with the lid. Reduce heat to a low temperature and cook for 2 to 4 hours, or until meat is tender.
  4. Serve when hot, adding some salt or soy sauce as a seasoning if you prefer. Corned beef is already quite salty, so this last step is optional!

 

Eggplant Parmigiana

A staple of traditional Italian and Italian-American cuisine, with the chicken-based iteration being known as modern classic in Australia, the eggplant parmigiana is a flavoursome dish known for its layered taste profile and hearty attributes. The use of cooked eggplant as the main ingredient make it not only quite healthy, but surprisingly filling and satisfying as a homestyle offering. The tomato-based topping with the inclusion of parmesan cheese makes it a great vegetarian option or those willing to embrace something a bit more earthy and organic. While preparation is a bit more in-depth than the previous meals on our list, Gourmet Traveller’s Eggplant Parmigiana recipe is ideal if you’re up for trying your hand at something distinctly unique this season.

 

What you’ll need (serves 8):

  • 5 sliced eggplants, about 6mm in thickness
  • Olive oil
  • Seasoned plain flour
  • 200gm of finely grated parmesan, with extra for seasoning
  • 2 cups of basil leaves
  • Bitter leaf salad
  • 60ml of extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 diced onion
  • 6 chopped garlic cloves
  • 600gm of vine-ripened tomatoes
  • 400gm of canned chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons of coarsely chopped oregano

 

Directions:

  1. Place your sliced eggplant in a large bowl, add 2 tablespoons of fine sea salt, toss spread and set aside for 20 minutes for liquid to drain.
  2. For the sauce, heat your oil in a frying pan over a high heat, add diced onion and stir occasionally until it starts to caramelise for 3-5 minutes, then add garlic cloves and stir until it starts to caramelise for 1-2 minutes. Add the fresh and canned tomato, oregano and some of the basil stalks, bring to the simmer, then reduce heat to medium and stir occasionally until tender and thick (this may take about 30-40 minutes).
  3. Discard the stalks. Transfer to a blender, season to desired taste and blend until smooth.
  4. Heat olive oil to about 3mm deep in a frying pan, season the eggplant slices with flour, shake off excess, then fry in batches. Add more oil (if necessary) until golden brown for 2-4 minutes. Drain onto absorbent paper.
  5. Preheat oven to 180°C and spoon some sauce into a small baking dish. Top with a layer of eggplant and scatter with parmesan and basil. Repeat until all ingredients are used, finishing with a layer of sauce. Season with extra parmesan and bake until golden and bubbling for 20-30 minutes. Add some extra basil then serve with your bitter leaf salad!

 

Homestyle Apple Crumble Slice 

You’ve just filled up on one of your best savoury creations to date, but why not treat yourself to something a bit sweeter? The much-loved apple crumble was initially made up in Britain during the Second World War when there was a big shortage on ingredients typically used in the more traditional apple pie. It started off as quite a simple dessert but eventually evolved to include sides like ice cream and a variety of different toppings, causing an explosive contrast of flavours. Check out one of Taste’s recipes below, this time for the tasty Apple Crumble Slice.

 

What you’ll need (18 pieces): 

  • 2 ¼ cups of plain flour
  • 1/3 cup of brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of mixed spice
  • 180g of chilled and sliced butter
  • 2 tablespoons of cool water
  • 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced (removing core)
  • 1 tablespoon of caster sugar
  • ½ a lemon, juiced
  • 1/3 cup of sultanas
  • ¼ of cup rolled oats
  • 1/3 cup of shredded coconut

 

Directions: 

  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C, then lightly grease a deep, slab-based pan. Line it with baking paper, allowing a few centimetres of an overhang at both long ends. Use a food processor to process the flour, brown sugar, mixed spice and butter until the mixture starts to resemble breadcrumbs. Add 1 ½ tablespoons of cool water and process until the everything comes together, adding more water if required.
  2. Wrap ¾ of cup dough in greaseproof paper and refrigerate until firm. Press the remaining dough into your prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a nice, light golden brown. Then allow to cool in pan.
  3. Meanwhile, place the apples, caster sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to a medium to low. Cover and cook, stirring intermittently, for about 15 minutes or until soft in texture. Then stir in your cup of sultanas.
  4. Spoon the apple mixture over the pastry base and coarsely grate chilled dough into a bowl. Add your oats and coconut and stir to combine. Sprinkle over apple mixture and bake slice for 35 to 40 minutes or until a rich golden brown. Allow to cool completely in pan then serve with any desired sides, yum!

 

Still have a sweet tooth this winter? 

Make sure to check our daily dessert cabinet at Gather | Click here to book your table

 

Be sure to check out our other blog posts, including the art of winter self-care