Winter Warmers

When days shorten, nights darken and the temperatures cool, sometimes all we need to cheer us up is a big bowl of wintery food and a crackling fire.

While winter is pretty mild in Porthleven, blue skies and calm seas can be followed by driving rain and full-on south-westerly gales that can blow you off your feet. On days like this, there is nothing more comforting than a hearty soup, stew or pot roast to warm up your body and soul. I always use my slow cooker in winter as it is so great for cooking stews, curry and other braised dishes that take time. It does mean you have to prepare your meal before you go out for the day, but you get to return home to the aromas of a delicious dinner when you get back. The great thing about slow cookers is that you can braise so many different kinds of meat with many different cuisines. Think of beef short ribs Korean style, Indian curry braised lamb shanks, French-style braised ox cheeks with red wine sauce, Moroccan tagine, bolognese, Peking pork ribs, coq au vin… the list is endless. You can get pretty experimental with the dishes adding different spices and herbs to your liking and serving with rice, mash, polenta or pulses. We still have plenty to forage in November to make it a worthwhile effort to get outside. With things such as nettle tops, Alexander’s, three-cornered leek, wild cress, mustard cress, pennywort, mushrooms, chestnuts, sloe berries, quince and the last of the damsons to fill our baskets. It’s a great time to start making a sloe gin, or maybe a damson vodka for a Christmas tipple or present. The seafood is really abundant at this time of year if the weather allows the boats to go out. Shellfish is prime as well with oysters, mussels, scallops and clams now at their best. Of course, there is also plenty of game around with deer fattened up on berries as well as game birds such as pheasant, partridges, wood pigeon and mallard. Our organic farms are producing plenty of brassicas, squash and root vegetables, ingredients that go so well in hearty dishes. It’s a great time to be a chef and have so much in the larder.

This November sees the continuation of our ever-popular Asian nights every Thursday at Kota Kai. Sunday roasts will include all the lovely seasonal produce, served as a long lunch beside the fire with our winter warmer wine list and cheese board. Be sure to look out for our seasonal cocktail deal, wine nights and lunch specials that will be happening throughout the colder months. In addition, the first of our dine and dance nights kick off on the 30th November when the Kai Christmas menu starts, so do book early as it’s filling fast.

At Kota, we have had a complete change to our tasting menu to complement the colder weather and changing of the season. We are very much looking forward to using the Cornish larder in November and matching each course with a fantastic wine. We also have two special Sunday Roast Feasts taking place on November 3rd and December 1st. We had such a fabulous response from our first ever roast event and were thrilled with the feedback – we recommend early booking as they sell out super quick!

Braised Short-Rib Beef Cottage Pie

This is a lovely version of a classic cottage pie. I love the texture of braising short ribs from their long, slow cook, with the meat falling off the bone. I have added a lot of ingredients from my Asian background – such as cinnamon sticks, clove and star anise – to give the ribs a rich, deep flavour. It’s a long process but thoroughly worth the effort. This is another great party dish, as you can make a huge batch the day before and then reheat it on a low heat while you entertain your guests. To make it look even more tasty, finish the pie under a hot grill to bubble and colour that cheese.

Serves 4
PREP TIME: 75 minutes 

INGREDIENTS

For the Filling:

• 8 short ribs
• Rapeseed oil
• 2 white onions, diced
• 4 carrots, diced
• 2 sticks celery, diced
• 1 leek, diced
• 8 cloves garlic, crushed
• 100ml Port
• 300ml red wine
• 3 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 whole cloves
• 50ml soy sauce
• 50ml Worcestershire sauce
• 5 sprigs thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 litres chicken stock
• Salt and pepper

For the Mash Topping:

• 1.5kg floury potatoes
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 125ml hot milk
• Salt and pepper
• Grate of nutmeg
• 200gm Cheddar cheese, grated

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C. Season the ribs with salt and fry in a pan on a medium heat. There’s no need for any oil here, the beef fat will work perfectly. Cook for around 10 minutes turning them until they are caramelised all over. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. In a casserole dish on a medium heat, fry off the onions and carrots in some rapeseed oil until caramelised. This should take about 20 minutes. Add the celery, leek and garlic and cook until soft. Turn the heat up and add the Port and wine. Burn off the alcohol and reduce by half, and then add all the rest of the ingredients to the pot, including the caramelised ribs. Wait for the pot to simmer and then put some parchment paper over the top to keep the ribs covered. Put the lid on the dish and place in the pre-heated oven for 2 hours and 45 minutes.
3. Check the ribs are cooked and pull out the bones. Leave to cool in the liquid. When cool enough to handle, take out the ribs and pull the meat until it’s completely shredded, then set aside. Strain off the sauce, making sure to push on the veg to get all the liquid out. Return the sauce to the pan, and on a medium heat, reduce until it has thickened to a consistency you’re happy with. Mix the meat back into the sauce and season. Spread out the mix in a pie dish.
4. To make the topping, cut the potatoes evenly and add to a boiling pot of salted water. Cook until tender, strain and mash them, or put through a ricer. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat with a wooden spoon until super smooth. Put into a piping bag and pipe on top of the meat. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the mash and grill until golden brown.

KOTA & Kota Kai
Harbour Head, Porthleven TR13 9JY
01326 562407 / 01326 727707
www.kotarestaurant.co.uk
www.kotakai.co.uk