First aid cooking for heartbreak

Nauseous, a rock in your stomach and heartache? Heartbreak is anything but conducive to your appetite. These heartwarming dishes will (hopefully) help you get back on your feet soon.

No effort
We get it: you have no appetite, your stomach is tied in knots, and now you’re supposed to stand in the kitchen too? Yeah, right. But believe us; it doesn’t have to take long or be complicated to make something nutritious and shovel it into your gob, as you can see from these five tips.

Soup
Sometimes you do want to eat, but it feels as though your body has simply switched off all the reflexes involved. Chewing? How?! Soup offers relief, and pumpkin soup especially, because it actually fills you up somewhat too. Prefer something lighter? A steaming bowl of Chinese chicken soup works wonders too. But the very best? A good Turkish lentil soup. As if you’re getting a comforting hug from a hundred mothers at once.

Pasta
There’s little as comforting as a comfort food pasta. Whether you go for a meaty classic like spaghetti and meatballs or a spicy and speedy cacio e pepe. Throw a kilo of Parmesan on top and mmmm; your worries disappear like snow in the sun. For a little while, anyway.

Ragù
Creamy, savory, meaty, juicy; ragù is comfort in edible form. The Italians—and the late Anthony Bourdain—know this all too well, as proven by this slow-cooked oxtail ragù with sausage. But the Taiwanese know what they’re doing too. Lu rou fan—braised pork with rice—is everything you need when you’ve just been dumped.

Chocolate
Merci for being here, even without a woman or a man. You don’t need anyone at all to stuff your mouth with chocolate; you can do that perfectly well yourself. Still no chewing reflex? Then simply drink a delicious cup of hot chocolate (with or without a generous splash of rum)? Or spoon your way through a bowl of super-easy chocolate mousse. Prefer to sink your teeth into something? This peanut butter chocolate fudge (oh lordy) is your best friend in these difficult times.

Datelife
So, are you ready to date again now? Then be sure to check out Emma’s what-to-cook-for-your-date tips; success guaranteed.