Is it possible to have comfort food with fewer carbs? Yes. It is. Whether it’s gnocchi made from white beans, or the edible hug which is a blue cheese soufflé, all it takes is a few sneaky tricks here and there to turn the food that you crave on duvet days into stuff that still makes you feel good. Whether it’s using chickpea flour in a béchamel, omitting the potatoes from your choucroute or stuffing cabbage rolls with a combination of quinoa, mince and mushrooms, there are plenty of ways to make your winter warmers a little lighter.
This is the sort of food I want to make again and again when the wind is whipping and I’m searching for an excuse to turn the oven on. We’ll raid the pantry and settle in with lentil meatballs with ajvar, or a lamb and fig tagine. We’ll turn on the television. Occasionally we’ll get to huddle by a fire. We may even get around to cracking a good bottle of red. Winter may be coming, but it doesn’t have to be that bleak.