Our Tried and Tested Recipes to Keep you Warm Through Winter

Do you find throughout the winter months cooking homely warming meals become a little repetitive? That you often find yourself cooking the same recipes each week? We’re hoping to break that trend and inspire you with a selection of quick and easy, recipes to keep you warm in colder months. We’ve even included one of our favourite Aga recipes.

Chicken Pasta Bake

Perfect for families

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves , crushed
  • ¼ tsp chilli flakes
  • 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 6 tbsp mascarpone
  • 4 skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
  • 300g penne pasta
  • 70g mature cheddar , grated
  • 50g grated mozzarella
  • ½ small bunch of parsley, finely chopped

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7.
  2. In a pan over a medium heat, heat 2 tbsp of the oil and fry the onion gently for 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for 1 min. Tip in the tomatoes and sugar and season to taste. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or until thickened. Stir through the mascarpone once thickened.
  3. In a non-stick frying pan heat 1 tbsp of oil. Season the chicken and fry until it is cooked through.
  4. Cook the penne pasta following pack instructions. Drain and toss with the remaining oil.
  5. Add the pasta into a medium sized ovenproof dish, stir in the chicken and pour over the sauce. Top with cheddar cheese, mozzarella and parsley.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.

Source

Meatballs & Black Bean Chilli

Perfect one-pot recipe

Ingredients

  • 12 beef meatballs
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 2 peppers, sliced
  • ½ large bunch coriander, leaves and stalks chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 heaped tbsp light brown soft sugar
  • 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
  • 2 x 400g cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  • Cooked rice, to serve

Method

  1. In a large flameproof casserole dish heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the meatballs and fry for 5 minutes until browned, then transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.
  2. Add the onion and peppers to the now empty casserole dish with a pinch of salt and fry for 7 minutes. Add the coriander stalks, garlic, paprika and cumin to the dish and keep frying for an extra minute. Tip in the sugar, tomatoes and black beans, and allow these to begin to simmer. Return the meatballs to the pan, season as required and cover. Leave to cook for 15 minutes.
  3. Serve the chilli with the rice and the coriander leaves scattered over.

Top tip: Leave any leftovers to cool completely and transfer to large freezer proof bags or containers

Source

Roasted Vegetable and Tomato Soup

Perfect for lunch or dinner

Ingredients

  • 4 red peppers
  • 2 red onions
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 vegetable stock cubes
  • 2tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tins of chopped tomatoes

Method

  1. Pre-heat oven to 240°C/220°C (fan)/gas 9
  2. Remove the pepper stems and seeds. Peel the onions. Chop both the onions and peppers into large chunks around 5cm.
  3. Peel and crush the garlic and combine with the onion and pepper in a mixing bowl. Add 2-4 tbsp of olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the cayenne pepper to suit the amount of heat you prefer.
  4. Add all the vegetables to an oven tray and roast for 20-25 minutes or until soft and charred.
  5. Make your stock using the cubes and boiling water and add into a blender with the chopped tomatoes and the tray of cooked vegetables. Add the balsamic vinegar and sugar to the soup and blend until smooth.

Italian Veggie Cottage Pie

Perfect for vegetarians

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 aubergines, cut into chunks
  • 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
  • 16 sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped, plus 1 tbsp of their oil
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 400g spinach, washed
  • 50g plain flour
  • 400ml milk
  • 125g cheddar, grated, plus extra to top
  • 800g mashed potato

Method

  1. Pre-heat oven to 240°C/220°C (fan)/gas 9
  2. Remove the pepper stems and seeds. Peel the onions. Chop both the onions and peppers into large chunks around 5cm.
  3. Peel and crush the garlic and combine with the onion and pepper in a mixing bowl. Add 2-4 tbsp of olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the cayenne pepper to suit the amount of heat you prefer.
  4. Add all the vegetables to an oven tray and roast for 20-25 minutes or until soft and charred.
  5. Make your stock using the cubes and boiling water and add into a blender with the chopped tomatoes and the tray of cooked vegetables. Add the balsamic vinegar and sugar to the soup and blend until smooth.

Sausage and Leek with Mash Pie

Perfect for cold winter evenings

Ingredients

  • 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 6 pork sausages
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 450ml chicken gravy
  • 150g kale, shredded
  • 3 leeks, finely sliced
  • ½ tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 2-3 tbsp whole milk
  • 50g smoked or ordinary cheddar, grated

Method

  1. Boil the potatoes for 12 minutes or until tender. Drain and leave to steam-dry.
  2. In a shallow casserole dish  or deep skillet heat 1 tbsp oil. Remove the sausages from their skins into large pieces, directly into the pan, and fry over a medium heat for 7-8 minutes or until golden brown. Add the flour and stir everything together, cooking for 1 min.
  3. Pour in the gravy and 100-200ml water (depending on how thick you like your gravy), bring to a simmer.
  4. Add the kale and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  5. In a separate pan, add the remaining 1 tbsp oil, then the leeks and fry for 5-10 minutes until tender, to help them cook, add a small splash of water.
  6. Heat your grill to its highest setting.
  7. Mash the potatoes until smooth. Stir though the leeks, mustard and milk, and season. Spoon and swirl the mash on top of the sausage mixture, then scatter over the grated cheese and grill for 3-5 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Source

Simmering Pork Stew

Perfect for Aga’s

Ingredients

  • 25g (1 oz) dripping or lard
  • 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
  • 700g (1½ lb) potatoes, diced
  • 225g (8 oz) turnips, diced
  • 4 sticks of celery, chopped
  • 8 pork chops
  • 25g (1 oz) seasoned flour (salt and pepper)
  • 600ml (1 pint) chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 bay leaf

Method

  1. Melt the dripping in a frying pan and fry the onions, turnips, potatoes and celery until they have softened and the onions are slightly golden. Drain away the fat and transfer to an Aga proof casserole dish.
  2. Dip the chops in the seasoned flour and brown in a very hot frying pan. Lay the chops on the top of the vegetables in the casserole dish.
  3. Place the stock to the pan bring to the boil, pour over the meat and add the bay leaf. Cover the casserole and bring to the boil on the hob.
  4. Transfer to the simmering oven for 1-1 ½ hours.
  5. Remove the dish from the Aga and check there is still enough gravy. Lightly stir the stew then replace the lid and put the casserole on the shelf on the floor of the roasting oven for 20-30 minutes.
  6. Remove and serve.

Apple Crumble

Perfect for cosy nights in

Ingredients

  • 6 apples
  • 250g caster sugar
  • 200g plain flour
  • 120g butter
  • 1 clove or cinnamon stick (to flavour)

Method

  1. Peel, core and dice your apples and place into a pan with three quarters of the sugar. Add the cinnamon stick or clove to flavour and allow to gently stew for half an hour stirring occasionally. Once the fruit is cooked, mash it slightly with a spoon to ensure they are soft.
  2. Add the stewed apples into the serving dish and allow to cool.
  3. Set the oven to 150°c/gas 2
  4. In a bowl, mix the flour, remaining sugar and butter using your fingers until it becomes a breadcrumb consistency. Cover the top of your apples with the crumble and bake for 30 minutes (or until the crumble is golden brown).
  5. Remove from the oven and serve.

There you have it our favourite recipes for keeping this winter. Should you require any additional AGA cooker fuel or home heating oil during the winter period, then please contact your local depot for more information.