The February Funk

Stumped, sluggish & stirrings of stews

Oh, hiya Feb!
I won’t lie, I barely noticed its arrival - not because I was swept up in a whirlwind of dazzling social plans (I wasn’t, I was happily hibernating most evenings watching The Traitors) But because, well, nothing feels all that different.
Is there meant to be a big shift after the January slump? The days don't get longer, they certainly don't get warmer, and weirdly, I feel like I’m in a bit of a funk.

Sorry, that was a dull way to start a Sunday morning! But I have a feeling some of you might relate. And if you do - please take comfort in knowing that it’s totally okay to still feel a bit bleurgh. My culinary creativity has curled up under a blanket and I’m longing for a bite of a juicy summer tomato while the sun sizzles my skin. But we’re not quite there yet - and that’s okay, it’ll come in time :)

But one thing we can take full trust in to ease any funk is food. And so today's recipe leans into this mood with a soft, simmering, slightly spicy stew - one with spiced cod & chickpeas with a lemony, olive salsa.

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But first - keeping the funk at bay

Just before we get onto the recipe, I wanted to share a handful of comforts that have helped me keep the funk at bay. And no, these aren’t as generic as every Instagram reel is telling us - exercise! eat well! socialise! - I’ve just leaned into these in a subtler, slower, softer way that are hopefully much more achievable but still enjoyable for us all.

1. Store cupboard saviours & fridge foraging
The best cooking technique this time of year? Making the most of what you have. Fresh produce can be a little..uninspiring in winter. But there’s something very satisfying and rewarding about rummaging through forgotten jars and back-of-the-cupboard spices and tinned-can magic that can turn the mundane into something marvellous. I’m talking tinned fish! pasta! jars of beans! tinned tomatoes! spices! condiments! olives! nuts! seeds! See - you can find real comfort from the cupboards. This is a nice recipe for that.

2. Kitchen dancing
If even the thought of going outside to exercise makes you shiver, next time you’re having breakfast, cooking dinner, making a cuppa, pop on a great soundtrack and just have a boogie. You’ll feel a little silly and it’ll feel amazing.

3. Get a snoodie
Also known as snuddies, oodies - basically a giant, oversized fluffy hoodie. (I literally mean a down-to-the-ankle hoodie). The most unflattering thing I own, for sure. But as soon as I slip it on, the shoulders I’ve not noticed I’ve been tensing from the cold instantly ease.

4. Fairy lights are not just for Christmas
A flick of a switch and suddenly everything feels softer, warmer, cosier. Same works with a candle. Easy wins. (No big overhead lights, ever, please & thank you)

5. Voice-notes: low-energy socialising
Seeing or just speaking to friends and family is SO important to feeling good - even when we don’t feel like it, we should try to do it when we can. But when it’s a little less achievable, the act of just pressing record and rambling to a friend can still bring a little connection but a lot of comfort.

6. Tea-up
My array of herbal teas is something I get very excited about. Why have a standard mint when you can have 3 types? And while we’re at it, I’ll have 3 gingers too, please.

7. One big pot & plenty of tupperware
Sunday is my slow-cooking day - the day where I fully allow myself to not rush into getting a meal on the table and into my gob in 10 mins. I’m talking proper time to get the cookbooks out, weave my way into the back of cupboards and just slowly stir and simmer. Right now, it’s lending itself to stews, soups, dhals, broths - anything warm I can ladle into a bowl and inhale with a spoon. Cook once, eat all week with slightly different tweaks, to still make the meal feel exciting every time.

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On Today’s Table

Spiced Cod & Chickpea Stew with Lemony, Olive Salsa

A gently spiced stew to warm the cockles. It’s sort of tagine-like in it’s flavours, with flaky white fish and juicy chickpeas providing the main heartiness. You could totally keep it entirely plant-based by omitting the fish altogether and upping the chickpeas - get your hands on the jarred kind, if you can. But the salsa is pretty non-negotiable - olivey, lemony and nutty with flaked almonds - a nice way to lift it all.

Feeds 4 | Takes 40 mins