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Sometimes comfort food means a glorious mulch of courgettes with creamy ricotta

Enjoy with good bread or toss through pasta - Eleanor Steafel
Enjoy with good bread or toss through pasta - Eleanor Steafel

It’s hard to believe that from tomorrow our kitchens will no longer be the only places we can eat dinner. Even the idea of sitting in a distanced dining room with non-limescaled glasses and unchipped plates feels wonderfully glamorous. More to the point, someone else is making dinner? And laying the table? And then doing the washing up? Pure magic.

As restaurants and pubs begin tentatively to open their doors tomorrow, I’m sure many of us will feel torn about whether or not to venture out. The food world has been hit badly by lockdown, and though some will be keen to support favourite restaurants, rushing to book a table may not be possible for everyone. On some level, I suspect we have also become a little institutionalised at home. Cooking has felt like an never ending cycle at times over the past four months, but it’s also been a balm - a calming ritual to help wash off the day or, quite simply, something to look forward to.

For me, this strange time has redefined the whole idea of comfort food. It’s so often categorised as something “naughty” (can we all agree there is no such thing as naughty food?). Mac ‘n cheese, mashed potato, ice cream and cake all tend to get this particular label. But when all you have to look forward to is what you’re making for dinner, it takes on a different meaning. The process of cooking becomes just as important. Actually, mash is a bit of a faff - all that peeling and elbow grease - and I wonder if comfort food shouldn’t also be simple and soothing to make. Like the risotto you stand over stirring slowly, the carbonara you can make with your eyes shut, or the cheese on toast you watch greedily as it bubbles under the grill.

I’ve realised a truly comforting meal can be something like this pan of lemony braised courgettes which cook down to a glorious mulch with no effort from you other than a bit of judicious seasoning, plenty of lemon and chopped garlic. The creamy ricotta, mint and fried crumbs make this a complete dish in itself, especially with a bit of bread for mopping. But if you wanted to, you could stir it all through pasta, or even have it alongside a roast chicken.

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