Roasting, fires, dark nights

Beetroot, roasted slowly with coriander stems

I had my first mince pie(s) of the year yesterday. Hallowe'en and bonfire night have gone and now it's open season on the festive fun. So many films to watch, so little time. 

We are most definitely into the cosier meals. The slow roasting and the richer sauces, the gradual disappearance of lettuce and delicately vibrant greens. We had a chilli last weekend, simmering slowly, full of spices and a hint of chocolate. Sunday afternoons are less guiltily filled with chocolate cake or toasted crumpets, the fire crackling and a general air of sloth.

I've been roasting things a lot, too. Red peppers with shallots and garlic, sweetening and softly caramelising in the dish. These beetroot, wrapped in foil, laying on a bunch of slightly past its best coriander stems and remaining leaves were sloshed with olive oil and salt and left for about and hour and a half in a medium-hot oven until tender. The oven trays have their chance to shine with 'sheet-pan' dinners a regular thing.

Perhaps the beetroot will be served warm in wedges with gunpowder spices or a generous dusting of ground cumin and mixed through with the remaining peppers. I may cube them and serve warm with coriander creme fraiche and lemon oil, or maybe cut into large chunks and used in a Sri Lankan beetroot curry while we watch the cricket in Galle on the telly.

It's these things, usually seen as a sideshow which really bring dishes alive so make sure to treat them with care and you'll always have good food. Most of the work is just done by time and heat leaving you free with the Griswolds or Fozziewig's Christmas party.

Roast Vegetables

Throwing a load of vegetables in a tin with some herbs, oil, salt and pepper is about as easy as cooking gets. Easier than boiling an egg, even. It's a great accompaniment to roast meat and steamed fish and gets a load of different colours on your plate. I love picking out the caramelised, sticky and juicy bits that have caught in the pan while roasting, it's such a comforting and delicious treat that the cook gets all to their sneaky self.Often I'll roast a chicken or joint of pork on top of the veg, that's a real treat. The meat takes on a deep flavour, and the juices in the pan are so rich and delicious, you just pour them over, there's no need to make a sauce.I've even roasted a load of sausages in among the vegetables, a perfect one pot meal. All it takes is a little peeling and chopping then the oven does the rest.  You can throw in some tomatoes too, they give off their juices and mingle deliciously with the other veg. Fennel softens beautifully, giving off its light, mellow aniseed to the pot and onions turn golden, sticky and sweet.Use what is available at the time and keep an eye on it while cooking so it doesn't burn. 35-45 minutes at 180c is normally about right, depending on what veg you use. One tip I'd give is to have the more delicate vegetables at the bottom and harder ones such as beetroot, carrots and the like on top.Drizzle everything in olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Mix through some hardy herbs such as rosemary, sage and bay leaves and finish off with some young thyme and perhaps chilli flakes as it comes out the oven. Put it straight on the table and dig in.

Rib Tickler

As Phil Collins once said in Genesis, "He took one of his ribs, and from the rib he made a woman."Now I'm not as talented as Phil, so I took a rib rack from the butcher's, covered it in spices and cooked it for four hours on a low heat. I could have put some potatoes in too, but I thought there was no jacket required.And at the end, I hadn't made a woman, just a delicious manly supper. Bee was out with the 'Rock Mums' for the evening, so while this portion could have been for two, I ate the whole lot in one messy session. I didn't leave a rib spare.To stay on the healthy side, with one hour's cooking left I put in a tray of vegetables to soften and caramelise. Bright rainbow chard, patty pan squash, red onions (one of my favourite roasted things), garlic and a load of tarragon, olive oil, salt and pepper.Ingredients1 rack of pork ribsLove rub seasoning2 bunches of rainbow chard6 patty pan squash. Failing that, use baby courgettes1 bulb of garlic, halved2 red onions, quarteredA few tarragon sprigsOlive oilSalt and pepper to seasonMethodTo cook the ribs, heat the oven to 140c. Get your friend Linda Schindler to send you a jar of California's finest 'love rub', rub it all over the ribs, stick them in a tray with an inch of water and roast away.You can make your own rub if Linda has run out, from sugar, salt, pepper, mustard, garlic, oregano, smoked paprika, cinnamon and cumin.  About three tablespoons of each, apart from the cinnamon. Hold back on that a bit.Rub that all over then pour on some olive oil and give it a good juicy massage.Put all the veg in a roasting tray, season and drizzle over olive oil and the tarragon. After the ribs have been in for three hours put the veg in the oven. One hour later, it's all ready.Serve with chilli sauce and paper towels and eat in private.

Kasha with spiced roast vegetables

This vibrant dish can be served warm or cold. Kasha, or roast buckwheat is so good for you and has a nutty taste and texture that complements the sweet roast vegetables.

What I really like about this dish is it has loads of flavour, texture and colour and is healthy too. I didn’t this time, but in future I think I’ll serve it drizzled with a basil and cumin yoghurt.

Serves:                               2Preparation time:            20 minutesCooking time:                  30 minutes

Ingredients2 tbsp rapeseed oil2 eggs, boiled for 6 ½ minutes then run under cold water to refresh2 garlic cloves150g buckwheat1 red pepper, seeds removed and cut into chunks1 fennel bulb, sliced thinlyA handful of button mushrooms, halved1 red onion, peeled and quarteredA large handful of kale, stems removed4-6 cherry tomatoes½ tsp rosewater1 tbsp chilli flakes1 tbsp ground coriander2 tsp ground cumin2 tsp ground turmeric1 tbsp toasted fennel seeds3 tbsp each of chopped coriander, chives and parsleySalt and pepper to seasonMethod1. Bring a small saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the buckwheat, return to the boil and simmer for five minutes. Drain and set aside2. Place the garlic and vegetables – apart from the tomatoes – on a roasting tray and drizzle with the oil then season generously. Roast at 220c until they start to char – about 25 minutes.3. Stir in the buckwheat, spices, cherry tomatoes and rosewater, check the seasoning and keep warm.4. Peel and halve the eggs. Divide the vegetables between two plates and serve with the eggs and chopped herbs.