At this time of year, even in the Mediterranean, inspiration from kitchens further to the north are just what is needed to ward off winter chills. Slow-cooked meat casseroles, together with plenty of flavoursome root vegetables are the order of the day, in our house at least. Thick vegetable soups, healthy and restorative, like the garbure from the Pyrenees, make the perfect lunch.

In winter in Andalucia, bull breeders make a wonderful oxtail stew flavoured with sherry to keep out the cold. Shepherds on the cold, barren hillsides of the Spanish meseta cook pimenton-flavoured lamb stews over wood fires.

It was there that I learned a neat trick when adding potatoes to a casserole. Instead of cutting them with a knife, insert a heavy knifepoint and break them open. These broken potatoes give a larger surface area, the potatoes cook more quickly and absorb more of the cooking juices.

Pimenton or paprika, the ground red powder of the dried ripe Capsicum annumm, is one of my favourite winter spices. Both mild and hot peppers are used and you need to check the label carefully to see what it is you are buying, but it is always much milder than cayenne or chilli powder.

As well as being widely used in Spanish cooking – in sauces, sausages, fish dishes and casseroles – paprika is important in Hungarian and Austrian cookery, where it is used in goulash and other meat stews.

Because of its mild flavour and striking appearance, it is often used as a garnish on pale creamy dishes like egg mayonnaise, but here I use it in a rich and warming goulash. Pork or beef can be the meat of choice.

For puddings at this time of year, if you are already using the oven for a casserole or two, use another shelf for a rice pudding or bread and butter pudding, just the thing served with a spoonful of mascarpone.

Cheese is one of the most concentrated foodstuffs, and when cooked makes wonderfully comforting, rib-sticking winter food. Even the humble cheese grill and rarebit will warm you, first with its toasty, caramel smell, and then its molten savoury quality. Swiss fondues and raclette and the Italian fonduta are all dishes to try at this time of year, as well as the French aligot from the Auvergne, where grated Cantal cheese is beaten into mashed potatoes.

This, with some grilled Italian or Toulouse sausage, makes a very superior ‘bangers and mash’.

Garbure

(Serves 6 to 8)

Garbure, a typical and traditional soup from the Pyrenees, consists mainly of white beans, green cabbage, vegetables and preserved goose or duck.

1 tsp duck fat, or extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
250g carrots, peeled and diced
250g green cabbage, shredded
1.5l- 2l turkey or ham stock
250g broccoli and/or cauliflower florets, broken up into small pieces
150g green beans, cut in 4 or 5 pieces
1 medium courgette, diced
200g flageolet, or cannelini beans, soaked and cooked, or canned
Meat additions, as described below
Gozo salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Generous pinch of paprika, or pimenton

I usually make this soon after Christmas, using some of the saved duck fat, a little of the confit I often make, some sliced spicy sausage, such as chorizo or a few shreds of ham, as well as the stock left over from the bird.

In France you might get some diced foie gras in the garbure. If you do not have confit, you can use leftover turkey or duck, and olive oil replaces the fat very well. Many people might find it preferable.

Heat the fat or oil in a large saucepan, or casserole and lightly brown the onions. Add the carrots, cabbage and stock. Simmer for 20 minutes, then add the remaining vegetables. Cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the meat, simmer for two to three minutes, season to taste, and serve.

Goulash

(Serves 6)

1.5kg pork shoulder or shin beef
2 large onions, peeled and cut into wedges
1 tbsp olive oil or lard
2 tbsps sweet, not hot, paprika or pimenton
1 tbsp flour
Small or large pinch of chilli powder, cayenne pepper, or hot Hungarian paprika, to taste
1 tsp dill seeds
150ml pork, beef or chicken stock
330ml dry cider or red wine
Gozo salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Fry the onions in the oil or lard in a large casserole until golden brown. Remove and put to one side. While the onions are cooking, cut the meat into cubes and brown them in the oil. Sprinkle on the paprika, flour, chilli and dill and stir in well, continuing to cook. Pour on a little stock, and vigorously scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom. Add the rest of the stock, cider or wine and any pork skin, if using pork.

Bring to the boil, cover and simmer very gently for two-and-a-half to three hours, seasoning after an hour. Sometimes I like to use potatoes, peeled, cut up and added to the stew about half an hour or so before the end of the cooking, or you might serve the goulash with boiled or steamed potatoes, broad noodles or dumplings. I also serve mine with potatoes mashed with finely chopped fennel tops. In fact, if you cannot get dill, use some of the flower and seed tops of wild fennel, which goes very well with both pork and beef.

Cook’s note:

To make a goulash soup from the leftovers, cut up the meat into smaller pieces, together with any potatoes. Put them and the gravy in a saucepan, together with stock – 500ml will serve two. Stir well, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with sour cream and chopped fresh dill or fennel.

Fonduta

(Serves 4 as first course, 2 as a main course)

50g butter
125g hard cheese, such as Parmesan, Pecorino, or asiago, thinly sliced, or coarsely grated
300ml full cream milk
3 free-range eggs
Gozo salt
Freshly ground white or black pepper
Nutmeg

Put the ingredients, except the seasoning, in a heavy non-stick saucepan, set over a very low heat, beating the eggs with half the milk before adding them to the saucepan. Stir continuously until the cheese has melted and a thick cream is produced. Serve with small boiled potatoes or toasted ħobża.