Slow-Simmered Spaghetti Bolognese
A patient meat ragu built on a proper soffritto, milk and a two-hour simmer, for a sauce that coats pasta instead of sitting on it.
Hearty plates worth the time
Comfort Food
Generous, deeply savoury mains from pasta and burgers to slow-braised Moroccan tajines, with the technique that separates each one from a mediocre version explained.
12 recipes
Average 1 hr 12 min
Fastest 25 min
Comfort food is where technique hides in plain sight. The difference between a good ragu and a grey one is browning the meat in batches; the difference between silky macaroni cheese and a grainy pan is melting the cheese off the heat; the difference between a burger and a smash burger is how hot the pan gets. None of these recipes is difficult, but each turns on one step that is easy to skip, so every one of them says plainly which step that is. Some are on the table in half an hour and some ask for two unhurried hours, and each says so before you start.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Yogurt-marinated chicken charred hard, then folded into a spiced tomato and cream sauce built on bloomed whole spices.
Classic Smash Burgers
Thin beef patties smashed onto a screaming hot pan for a lacy browned crust, stacked with melted cheese and a two-minute burger sauce.
Baked Mac and Cheese
A proper baked macaroni cheese with a silky three-cheese bechamel and a crisp buttered breadcrumb top that never turns grainy.
Beef Stroganoff
Fast-seared steak strips and browned mushrooms in a mustard and sour cream sauce, over buttered egg noodles.
Seafood Paella
Saffron rice cooked flat and undisturbed with prawns, mussels and squid, finished with a crisp socarrat on the base.
Creamy Tomato Rigatoni
Rigatoni in a deeply savoury tomato sauce enriched with mascarpone, built on caramelised tomato paste rather than cream alone.
Greek Moussaka
Layers of roasted aubergine and cinnamon-scented lamb under a thick baked bechamel, rested until it slices clean.
Moroccan Chicken Tajine with Olives and Preserved Lemon
Chicken thighs slow-braised with saffron, ginger and green olives, finished with preserved lemon for a bright, savoury Moroccan classic.
Lamb and Apricot Tajine
Lamb shoulder braised until it falls apart with ras el hanout, dried apricots and honey, finished with toasted almonds and sesame.
Swiss Cheese Fondue
Gruyere and Vacherin melted into white wine with a whisper of kirsch, kept smooth by a spoon of cornflour.
Raclette with Potatoes and Pickles
Melted raclette cheese scraped over hot waxy potatoes, with cornichons and cured meats to cut the richness.
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