Comforting foods for wintery days

This week I enjoyed a drive up to Gairloch for work. It was a stunning drive. The winter weather meant clear skies, bright sunshine and a view of snow-covered mountains in the distance. It is a great time of year by all accounts.

When I arrived in Gairloch I was due to give a talk at a local hotel and was just in time for lunch. Given the cold weather and shortness of time being my talk I thought the best plan of action would be to order some soup and was given the choice of Scotch Broth or Cream of Celeriac. I love celeriac, and having made good soup with it in the past, I thought this would be a good choice. I should mention that other delicacies on the hand-written menu consisted of “Deep Fried Battered Beetroot” and “Brest of Duck” but my expectations were high.

When my soup arrived however it was more like a bowl of puréed celeriac, very thick and lacking any of the subtly which celeriac offers. Nevertheless the soup was a real ‘stick to your ribs’ substance.

Driving back towards home I noticed my dog was getting very excited about the smells coming from the countryside as we whizzed past. I realised it was because she could smell all the deer that had come down from the hills. The cold weather has been driving them closer to the roads in search of foods where the snow isn’t so heavy or the ground so frozen. Their presence was making my pooch crazy because of their scent. I on the other hand started to think about delicious venison meals I’ve eaten in the past. Venison is by far my favourite meat. It is so lean, tasty and also there are a lot of deer around, over populated in fact so we should be eating more venison where possible. Because of my strange gloopy soupy at lunch time I was reminded of one of my favourite comfort food meals which I thought I would share:

Venison with Celeriac Gratin
Works with most cuts of venison, try a steak for ease those or roast a nice haunch or for a lovely twist eat with cold smoked venison.

• 1 large celeriac, peeled and chopped into large chunks
• 1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
• 25g salted butter
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 125g Cheddar cheese (or to taste), grated
• 600ml carton double cream
• a handful of chopped fresh parsley leaves

Start by pre-heating the oven to 200°C.
Par-boil your celeriac in boiling water with a pinch of salt until soft. Drain and allow to cool. In the mean time cook the onion and garlic in butter until soft and just starting to turn golden (you want the sweetness of a slightly caramelised onion) and season. Slice the celeriac thinly and place a layer in an ovenproof baking dish. Sprinkle this layer with cheese, add another layer and repeat until you have built up a nice gratin. Pour the cream in with the onions & garlic and mix them together. Finally pour the creamy mixture over the gratin and finish with a sprinkle of cheese on top. Pop it in an oven and bake for about 30 - 40 minutes or until golden brown on top.
If you are eating with venison steak you can prepare these about 20 minutes before the gratin will be ready. Remember to give them time to rest before eating. If you are going for the smoked venison option (which I recommend!) then leave the venison out of the fridge for a good couple of hours so it reaches room temperature when serving.
When your gratin is ready, add some parsley to the top and serve all together with green vegetables, braised cabbage or crusty bread! Great with a nice Pinot Noir or Bordeaux.