Relish the last throes of winter with a simple, warming stew. The joy of these slow-motion casseroles is that they are fantastic value and the cook is almost redundant

Winter is turning into spring. All my favourite bits of winter are still here: waking up in a freezing bedroom; the sight of snowdrops at the dark end of the garden; the clear thinking that seems to go hand in hand with ice-white skies. But here and there are the occasional signs of the new season emerging, the odd shaft of sunshine on your back or a redcurrant leaf unfurling in the fruit patch.

Spring is a long way off in the kitchen, and winter food is still what I want on a daily basis. Thick stews and bean casseroles, sticky puddings, bottle-green cabbages and root vegetables all the sweeter for spending a little time subzero. Spring may be in the air, but for those who cook from locally grown ingredients there might as well still be snow on the ground.

All this means there is time to indulge in big food from deep, steaming pans. A chance to bask, for just a little longer, in the heart-warming glow that comes from cooking cheap ingredients slowly. The sort of food you need a ladle and a bowl for.

What I really like about this slow-motion cooking is the way so much of it comes into being with so little help from us. We may spend a little time putting these dishes together, but after that the food tends to get on with things for itself. The cook becomes virtually redundant. I'm talking about the sort of recipes for which only cheap cuts will work. Cuts with a bone. A ham hock or a lamb shank. A row of neck chops or a ring of oxtail. The bits of the animal that come with jelly and cartilage, fat and sinews to break down in the long slow cooking and enrich everything they touch.

This is sublime winter's afternoon cooking: a few onions softened slowly in bacon fat, dripping or butter then used to add sweetness to the bargain-basement cuts of meat and bone, a chorizo maybe or a Toulouse sausage heavy with garlic, pancetta in the piece or a lump of Polish sausage. Suppers that involve cheap meat made luxurious by slow cooking and a backbone of some sort of pulse or another – boiled black-eyed beans, butter beans, haricots or borlotti. Little more is needed in the way of shopping: a bunch of herbs including bay, thyme, a stick of celery, perhaps, then covered with water or some very light stock. It needs a peaceful skimming with a draining spoon to remove any froth, followed by a long, slow session in the oven.

Rhubarb aside, there is little to please the fruit lover at this point in the year (though there are truly amazing pineapples about), so I raided the pantry again this week for plump dried fruits. Figs will bake to a silky mouthful or sit calmly plumping up on the hob in water, apple juice or wine. This week I paired them with honey and redcurrant jelly, a sweet, shining sauce to be eaten as it is, or perked up with a mixture of orange-scented yogurt. Winter food with just the tiniest hint of spring.

I say black-eyed beans, but you could use haricot or chickpeas if that is what you have to hand.

Serves 4
500g black-eyed beans
2 bay leaves
a little olive oil
4 lamb shanks
3 medium onions
3 small sprigs of thyme
4 plump cloves of garlic
2 heaped tbsp plain flour
750ml stock or, at a push, water

For the crust:
150g fresh white breadcrumbs
a handful chopped parsley
a little olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Soak the beans in cold water overnight to plump them up. The next day, drain them and bring to the boil in deep water together with the bay leaves and a good glug of olive oil. Boil hard for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat so they simmer merrily till they are tender yet retain their shape and some bite – a matter of 30-35 minutes or so. Drain the beans in a colander and set aside.

Season the lamb shanks and lightly colour them in a little oil – 2 tbsp should do – in a heavy-based casserole. Once they are pale gold, remove them, but leave their cooking fat behind. Peel the onions, cut them in half and then cut each half into thick segments. Let these soften in the pan over a medium heat, adding a little more oil if there is less than a couple of spoonfuls of fat left. As the onions soften, add the thyme sprigs and the garlic, peeled and finely sliced. When all is soft and translucent, stir in the flour and leave to colour lightly for 2 or 3 minutes before gradually stirring in the stock to make a thick, oniony sauce. Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4.

Tip the cooked, drained beans in with the onions, then tuck in the lamb and any juices from the plate, and season with salt and black pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes partially covered with a lid, stirring from time to time to check that the beans are not sticking. Add more stock if you feel it needs it.

To make the crust, mix the breadcrumbs and parsley with 3 or 4 tbsp of olive oil, then scatter over the top of the casserole. Transfer to the oven, covered loosely with foil, for 60 minutes or until the lamb is tender. Remove the foil and let the crust crisp up for 10-15 minutes or so.

Serves 4
350g plump dried figs
100g dried cranberries or cherries
1 vanilla pod
2 tbsp honey
3 heaping tbsp redcurrant jelly

DIRECTIONS
Sit the dried figs, cores up, in a saucepan – there is no need to soak them first. Scatter over the cranberries or cherries and tuck in the vanilla pod. Pour over enough water to reach the neck of the figs, then spoon in the honey.

Bring to the boil, then immediately turn down the heat, partially cover with a lid (you don't want the liquid to boil away) and leave to simmer for 20 minutes or until the figs are full and soft.

Remove the fruit to a bowl or individual serving dishes. Turn up the heat and get the liquid boiling. Add the redcurrant jelly and continue boiling until the liquid has reduced to a few rich tablespoons – a matter of 5 minutes or so. Keep your eye on it.

Spoon the warm syrup over the figs and serve with the yogurt cream below.

For the yogurt cream:
100ml double cream
150ml strained yogurt
grated zest of a small orange

Whisk the cream till thick. Stir in the yogurt and orange zest

Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk or visit guardian.co.uk/profile/nigelslater for all his recipes in one place.

• Food & drink

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