fine February foods

Welcome to February, the month of cold drizzly nights and Valentine's Day (possibly, by the way, the worst night of the year to go out to dinner). During this shortest of month, the best thing to do is wrap up warm and get in the kitchen to cook up filling dishes that keep everyone happy.

By now, hopefully the zeal of New Year's Resolutions have worn off. The goal here is not to eat just salads or those "healthy" ready meals from the supermarket. Firstly, eating just salads is not very seasonal at the moment - though I do eat as wintry a salad as possible for lunch most days. The goal is to make nutritious meals that are mouth-wateringly savoury.

Unfortunately, February doesn't bring very much new produce to the table. We'll have to wait until March or April for new herbs like parsley and mint to come into season, and spring vegetables are still awhile off. But for now, let's continue making the most of the good stuff we do have.

cabbage

One of the best things about cabbage is the variety: savoy, green, white, red - take your pick, they're all good. But if you're a regular around here, you'll know that this isn't the first time I've lauded the virtues of cabbage.

-a crunchy stir fry with leeks (another excellent winter vegetable). Just a few sprays of olive oil and a splash or two of water in the wok with these ingredients is all it takes. Season before serving, of course.

-braised red cabbage with apples or pears is an excellent side dish to poultry and game.

-fancy a salad? Try this red cabbage and warm spinach salad from Epicurious. I'd recommend using fat-trimmed bacon medallions and a lot less oil, but overall, it sounds like a great dish to me.

-this broiled chicken with braised porcini and savoy cabbage recipe sounds divine. I wouldn't recommend changing a thing. According to the site's nutritional info, one serving is a mere 250 calories. That leaves enough room for an appetizer or a dessert!

leeks

I adore leeks. For one, I don't cry when I chop them, which is always useful.

But on a more relevant note, onions in the UK are not having a good year. Remember all that rain we had during the summer? Well, it waterlogged a lot of our onions. And Dutch onions, generally our back up supply, didn't do so well either. Luckily, our leeks are fine. So eat more of them - they're just as tasty, just as healthy, and since they're in better supply, they're likely to be cheaper.

-watercress and leek soup is a very easy one to make. Braise the leeks in stock, then add the watercress and puree. It's really very tasty, and very low-calorie.

-try the chorizo, leek and bean stew I made just this past week.

-a skillet dish is a good option for a cold night. Toss in leeks, potatoes and herbs - top with a bit of grated cheese or a dollop of creme fraiche.

-try them in place of white onions in any other recipe you'd like to try.

-grill them as a side dish - just be sure to parboil them first (a little trick I learned from Jamie Oliver; if you don't the outer layers will go very tough and stringy)

-stir fry them all on their own. Serve as a side dish to any protein you fancy.

squash, celeriac and parsnips

You know the drill with these lovely root vegetables. They are a vegetarian's saving grace. Puree them, mash them, mix them together: it all works. Just in the last few weeks I've done:

-roasted butternut squash and leek soup. Roast them for 45 minutes, and then puree with some stock. I served this soup for my lunch for six days straight, with two more servings in the freezer.

-squash and celeriac bake. This dish is what will get you (and me) through the long winter. Next month, I'm going to work more on lovely gratins, excellent bakes and filling casseroles. It got our ancestors through the long months, and it will get us through too.

-steam and puree any of these for an excellent side dish. I find the savoury squashes hold up well with beef and lamb, whereas I'm more likely to use parsnips with fish. And don't forget carrot and swede - they work a treat too.

-roast any of these in small chunks and keep refrigerated. Use them to bulk up lunchtime salads.

chicory

These bitter salad leaves are bang in season, and really tasty too. Their flavour will need to be tempered however; either with something sweet, like a dash of honey or a slice or two of pear, or something nutty and tangy, like a vinegar and oil mixture. Their crunch will hold up with a quick stir fry too.

-just last week I served a chicory side salad with grilled gammon.

-make a lovely dinner-sized salad with chicory, watercress, walnuts and oranges - bulk up with leftover roast chicken or a just-grilled chicken breast.

mussels

The "poor man's seafood": these little gems are lovely. They're best straight from the shells; the frozen types have "been handled a little too much", in my husband's opinion.

-steam a couple kilos of these mussels with white wine and herbs. Serve with wholegrain bread.

-cook them in a tomato and chilli sauce and serve with linguine

frozen vegetables

Frozen can mean freshest; but it can also mean we can eat food that's in season when it's technically not in season, if that makes sense. The nutritional value is about as high as possible, as the vegetable was placed in the freezer immediately after being picked. These are always in my freezer:

-peas: fantastic as a puree as a side dish with fish or shellfish.

-green beans: a great green vegetable option in the middle of winter when we begin to tire of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.

-frozen spinach: perfect for gratins. On my menu this week - sausage and cannellini bean gratin.

So enjoy! Get eating.