German style sausage rolls & an aromatic baked rice

Plus a giveaway: 3 copies (!!) of the beautiful new book Comfort, by Ottolenghi

Hello, and welcome to the first installment of holiday goodies here at Stories from Catbird Cottage! I have many wonderful things in store for you. There will be a few wonderful giveaways, holiday cocktails to whet your appetite, and some utterly gorgeous (and giftable!) bakes - just for you, coming straight to your inbox. I’m giddy just thinking about the terrific lineup and look forward to all that is to come here.

If you were considering upgrading to paid, now is the time: I extended the holiday 20% off annual and group subscriptions for *one more day* in case you missed it - get this special offer before it expires. Even if you live far away from a family member or a dear friend, reading these stories together - and cooking from them too - will bring you closer. If you’ve been considering a subscription or upgrade, now is the perfect time. Your gift means you and your giftee will cook and eat more deliciously! Plus, share in the layers of the beautiful world I invest in daily here at Catbird Cottage.

Today I am sharing two fantastic recipes from the new release, Comfort by the great Yotam Ottolenghi, AND I am giving away *three* copies of this beautiful - and extremely approachable - new favorite. Packed with over 100 recipes, brought together by co-authors Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller, and Tara Wigley, there are vastly differing takes on foods that represent “what exactly is comfort?” From ramen, to pizza, to mac-and-cheese, there are family recipes and personal journey comfort food dishes contributed by each, spanning recipes that reach into many regions around the world:

“Yotam takes Italy and Germany, Jerusalem, Amsterdam, and London. Helen stretches from China to Malaysia to Melbourne, and west London. Verena’s trodden ground takes in Germany and Scotland, plus New York. Tara’s more London through and through, but the amount of tahini, eggplants, lemons, feta, and olive oil she’s cooked with over the past twenty years means she’s pretty good on the subject of Levantine food.”

This book is everything comfort, and every single recipe is captured in gorgeous photographs by the great Jonathan Lovekin. I’ve already pored over the pages and earmarked a slew of delicious things... Here are a few I plan to make soon: cheesy bread soup with Savoy cabbage, salmon fishcakes with chermoula remoulade, fresh turmeric and peppercorn curry with shrimp and asparagus, poached chicken congee, and the sausage ragù lasagne for one.

So, who wants a copy of Comfort?

An alternative cover, revealing more of its peppy design

Enter to win Ottolenghi’s new book
Don’t miss the chance to win this collection of achievable and delicious recipes. Bonus, you have easier chances, as there will be THREE lucky winners! (The next giveaway will be for all subscribers, but today’s is for paid.) For a chance to win a copy of Comfort by Ottolenghi, leave a comment on this post, sharing the dishes that conjure “comfort” in your own life from when you were a child, and what comfort food is to you now, in your adult life. I’ll pick three winners at random by 11am EST, Tuesday December 10th, so leave your comment below by then. I’ll let you know you’ve won in a reply to your comment - stay tuned! Scroll to the bottom for full giveaway details, and click the button below to leave a comment. Best of luck!!

This recipe feels like something I could see serving during the many holiday gatherings. It’s unfussy but also a bit unusual. It hits all the right notes - sweet, savory, crispy, juicy - and brings enough of a special vibe that I hope it gets you excited to gather the ingredients, call a few friends, and celebrate good tidings together.

German style sausage roll with honey mustard
Serves 6

If you want to spot a “Verena recipe,” the inclusion of butter and pastry are often clues, as is the use of mustard. These are no exception: inspired by everything she associates with German sausages—the spices in bratwurst, for example, the mustard dipping sauce, the pretzels—and a celebration of all the wonderful things that can be wrapped up in all-butter puff pastry.

Getting ahead: These can be made a day ahead of baking and kept in the fridge (or further ahead, if baking from frozen).

¼ tsp white peppercorns
¼ tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp caraway seeds
1¼ tsp dried marjoram (or thyme)
¾ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground mace (or nutmeg)
½ tsp English mustard powder
1¾ oz/50g salted pretzels, roughly crushed
¼ cup/60ml milk
1 egg, beaten, ½ tablespoon reserved for brushing
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 onions, chopped into roughly
½-inch/1cm dice (2¼ cups/325g)
2 tsp dark brown sugar
12¼ oz/350g good-quality pork sausage meat (or start with pork sausages, and remove the casing)
½ oz/15g chives, finely chopped
1 package of pre-rolled all-butter puff pastry (11¼ oz/320g) flour, for dusting
kosher salt

Honey mustard dipping sauce
3 tbsp yellow mustard (we like French’s)
1½ tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp honey
½ oz/15g chives, finely chopped

Put the peppercorns, coriander seeds, and 1 teaspoon of the caraway seeds into a medium sauté pan and place on medium-high heat. Cook for 1 minute, until fragrant, then transfer to a spice grinder (or a mortar and pestle). Blitz to form a semi-fine powder, then add the remaining spices, along with the mustard powder and ¾ teaspoon of salt. Set aside.

Combine the pretzels, milk, and egg in a bowl and set aside to soften. Add the oil and butter to the same sauté pan and place on medium high heat. Add the onions, along with ¼ teaspoon of salt, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often, until softened and starting to caramelize. Add the sugar and cook for 5 minutes, stirring a few times, until fully caramelized. Set aside to cool.

Add the sausage meat to the bowl containing the pretzel mixture, along with the chives, spices, and cooked onions. Mix well to combine.

Mix together all the ingredients for the dipping sauce and set aside. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Unroll the puff pastry and place on a lightly floured work surface. Slice it in half, lengthwise, to form two long, wide strips, about 4½ x 15 inches/11½ x 38cm. Arrange half the sausage meat in a long log shape

down the middle of one of the pastry strips, then lift one edge of the pastry over the meat. Brush the remaining free edge with some of the reserved egg, then lift and slightly pull it up and over the pastry, overlapping a little to ensure that it sticks. Repeat with the remaining pastry and sausage meat, then roll each log over so that the seams are both underneath. Brush all over with egg wash, sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds, then lightly score the top of each log, each cut about ¾ inch/2cm apart. Arrange the logs on a large parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 32–35 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through, until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before cutting into 12 portions. Serve warm or at room temperature, with the dipping sauce alongside.

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As I was leafing through the book, this next recipe immediately seized me. I love the combination of aromatics - it made me realize, honestly, I don’t use cloves enough in my savory cooking. As someone who forages wild ingredients, seeing the inclusion of sumac made my eyes light up - I stored some in my pantry from an outing last summer and this recipe sounds like the perfect way to make a dent in it. Also, the decadence of the various cheeses felt like a way to transform my association of rice as sustenance food (a pot of rice saves me regularly), into a dish that becomes its own destination. All of this was real enticement for me, so I thought, why not see how you like it! If you make it I’d love to hear about your experience and anything that struck you in the process making it, or how delicious the results turned out.

Cheeseball lemon rice with chile butter
Serves 6