Comfort Cooking
Crisp, cold days call for heart-warming fare. Slow-cooked meats, hearty soups, and delicious pastas to warm you up and nourish your household. Plus some baked goods and sweet treats for rainy days.
Firstly, welcome to our new subscribers! It’s lovely to have you here. This is The Langbein Newsletter — a monthly (ish) update from Annabel & Rose sharing recipes, travel tips, garden guides, home inspiration, and much more. For more information about what you can expect here and how this newsletter works, you can visit our about page.
It might be nearly spring, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it down in Wānaka. As the snow settles on the southern Alps, these crisp, cold days are the perfect opportunity to potter at home and cook delicious, comforting meals. It’s so satisfying to get multiple meals from one dish. A cozy Sunday afternoon is an excellent time to get ahead on your home cooking for the upcoming week.
A whole chicken is always a good place to start. It’s much more economical to buy a whole bird and break it down, rather than buying individual cuts. Here’s a helpful how-to video if you’re wondering where to start.
If you’re cooking for a household of four, we suggest to roast the chicken whole for one dinner — our Ultimate Roast Chicken is a fab and foolproof recipe. Serve it alongside creamy mash, Roasted Vegetables, and a fresh salad or some wilted spinach. Then, keep the frame to make chicken stock which you can use to make a tasty Chicken Laksa, a tender Prawn & Bok Choy Risotto, or a Creamy Mushroom Risotto.
For smaller households, we recommend breaking down the bird into quarters. Roast two leg quarters (the Maryland cut) and serve with accompanying vegetables, then use the remaining meat to make a Chicken Pot Pie — you can make the meat go a long way by adding more vegetables to your pie. Carrots, celery, and peas are all welcome in this recipe, and you can add more mushrooms too. Finally, make stock with the frame for your laksa or risotto.
To make chicken stock, place the frame in a pot with water to cover, along with a peeled onion, some chopped carrot, leek, and celery, a bay leaf, and a few peppercorns. A squeeze of lemon juice or a spoonful of apple cider vinegar provides acid to help draw the minerals out of the bones. After a couple of hours, strain off and discard the solids. Stock will keep frozen for months.
A good Bolognese sauce is so versatile. We love it served with pasta; layered into a Moussaka; baked in a Shepherd’s Pie; and finally, in a homely Lasagne. We shared an excellent recipe for a Lentil & Mushroom Ragu that can be used in the same way as a bolognese sauce in What to Cook Tonight.
Other winter warmers we love this time of year are a classic Osso Bucco — made with veal shanks, vegetables, and dry white wine, is also excellent alongside mashed potatoes or creamy polenta and seasonal greens. A flavourful Egyptian Koshari is also very hearty and delicious this time of year and makes a great vegetarian option.
Making your own pasta from scratch is incredibly satisfying and is a great way to impress at a dinner party without blowing the budget. This recipe for Potato Gnocchi with Rich Tomato Sauce is fabulously easy — toothsome pillows of gnocchi are tossed through a thick tomato sauce, sprinkled with cheese, and baked. The end result? Quite possibly the ultimate comfort food. On the quick and easy side of things, you can’t beat a classic Pasta Carbonara.
If you’re feeling run down and in need of some TLC, our Moroccan Lentil Soup is economical, tasty, and nutritious. Annabel’s mother, Anne used to make huge pots of Hearty Bean & Kale Soup and keep it in the fridge for whenever the kids were hungry — like after school on a cold day. It’s great as a winter weekend lunch or dinner when you come home tired and late. We’ll often make a double batch as it freezes well too.
We’ve used a ham hock here as they are inexpensive and full of flavour, but you can use this idea to transform any kind of leftover stew or roast the following day — you’ll need about a cup of shredded meat, and if you have any leftover large bones you can throw them in the pot as well. Just add your favourite beans, whatever winter vegetables you have in the fridge, and a few cups of well-flavoured stock and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Discard bones before serving.
We love both of these soups with some generously buttered toast.
In terms of baked goods — these Wānaka Cheese Scones, adapted from a famous recipe of our dear friend Brona at Federal Diner are exceptionally yummy, as are our Spinach & Feta Pinwheel Scones. If you’re after something sweet, Annabel’s Spiced Apple Cake is truly such a crowd pleaser and is perfect for this time of year, or perhaps a decadent Sticky Date Pudding with caramel sauce is more up your alley. For winter adventures and lunchbox treats, you can’t beat these power-start Breakfast Bars.
The Late Winter Garden
Right now, there’s not a lot to do in the garden, as the soil temperatures are still too low for most seeds to germinate. Annabel has been busy collecting horse manure — her favourite fertiliser — to feed the garden before starting the seasons plantings. It is surprising just how much food there still is to harvest — even through the coldest months there are always lots of pickings of leeks, and sturdy greens like cavolo nero, kale, winter and Chinese cabbages, and spinach as well as overwintering beets and carrots, and all the stored harvests of alliums, potatoes, and pumpkins.
The brassica beds are covered with frost cloth, to protect the soft heads of broccoli and cauliflower from getting frozen and burnt. Right now the self-seeding miner’s lettuce and lambs lettuce are emerging of their own accord and will soon be ready to harvest, bringing their fresh chlorophyll flavours to early spring salads.
Some vegetables withstand the cold better than others — you’ll be amazed to discover whole spinach plants that have frozen overnight, defrosted, and are perfect for eating by mid-afternoon.
Last year Ted built cloches from old window frames and we enjoyed loads of rocket and spinach in September and October. We’re doing the same this year. We are busy planting seeds in the greenhouse, which we will transplant into the beds once they are seedling size, so we can have lettuces and salad greens in October and November.
After over 20 years in Wānaka, we’re finally getting the knack of the winter vegetable garden and the unpredictable nature of the seasons. We've learned that it is best not to get over-enthusiastic about spring planting too soon. It’s easy to think that spring is here, but usually, we will get an Antarctic blast in October.
The landscape is stark but beautiful — with golden hues, soft light, and long shadows. There’s the feeling of spring in the air, and the first new buds of the almonds are bursting, but it’s still cold and wintery out and the skiers are still enjoying the slopes. This is a time for community and shared comfort — our winter hibernations are over, and we are ready to go out in the world again. As we welcome in the first days of spring, it’s a time to come together, care for one another, and share what we have.
What to Cook Tonight
We’ve been very busy and having a lot of fun developing recipes for What to Cook Tonight! It’s been exciting for us both to see this community grow. Some highlights from the past couple of months include — a tender Galette with Mushrooms & Leeks, Baked Pasta Shells with Ricotta & Spinach, Sicilian Cauliflower Salad, Turkish Pilaf, Spanish Baked Chicken with Creamy Polenta, Best-Ever Lentil & Mushroom Lasagne, Cavolo Nero & Brussels Sprouts Salad, a Prawn, Fennel & Harissa Pasta, Greek Lemon Chicken & Potatoes… the list goes on.
Just $8 a month gives you access to the full library (already 51 recipes!) plus a weekly meal plan with three recipes and an integrated shopping list every week. We aim to have a balance of hearty winter meals, speedy midweek dinners, and some lighter salads and soups as well.
We also include lots of tips and tricks to help you be a better, more resourceful (and versatile) cook, plus ideas for substitutions and additions as much as possible. Our hope is for us to all eat well, together.
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut, cooking the same things week after week. What to Cook Tonight aims to solve the “what’s for dinner” dilemma once and for all and provide you with fresh, flavourful inspiration.
If any of this sounds like your cup of tea, consider supporting the work we do by upgrading to a paid subscriber (and to those who already have — thank you!). If you have any questions about the subscription or how it works, please don’t hesitate to reach out at hello@langbein.com or comment on this post. Regardless, thanks for being here, whether or not right now is the time to upgrade to paid!
Gifts for the Gourmands
With Father’s Day fast approaching, we thought it would be a lovely time to remind you of our beautiful wild plum gin elixir, Bella. As delicious as she is gorgeous, we’ve found this delectable drop to be particularly loved by the men in our lives.
We’re also excited to share that Bella recently picked up a gold award at The Junipers, New Zealand’s gin awards!
This juicy drop is perfect for cozy evenings around the fire, winter adventures, and makes for an excellent present or addition to a special Father’s Day celebration. New Zealand customers can purchase a bottle here, and Australian customers can use this link.
For the foodie fathers in your life, you could also gift a subscription to What to Cook Tonight — fresh recipes and meal plans that the whole family will benefit from.
Thanks to all who participated in our Matariki giveaway! Our prizewinners were Elizabeth from Te Atatū, June from Whangārei, and Peter from Pukekohe.
That is all from us this time. We hope these recipes keep you warm and cozy in the upcoming weeks. If you have any questions, thoughts, requests, etc. — please don’t hesitate to reach out, we love to hear from you.
With love,
Annabel & Rose xxx