Winter Recipes

Many people find it fun to cook for the holidays, whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or anything else. A warm meal and freshly fallen snow always get everyone in the mood for the holidays. But what if you don’t know what to cook? What if you’re tired of making the same recipes every winter? These 6 cultural winter recipes will help you break that routine of making the same old foods, year after year. Hopefully you will be inspired to make some of these recipes, or even to search for more recipes on your own! Happy holidays, and happy cooking!

Pan-Roasted Cassava with Ginger-Peanut Stew

Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday created in 1966, and contrary to popular belief, Kwanzaa has nothing to do with religion, and is instead meant to celebrate African-American culture. Fittingly, Kwanzaa typically ends on the sixth day with a feast called Karamu. This recipe is a dish eaten at Kwanzaa which consists of starches–cassava–that were found in West Africa some time ago, and have since become a vital part of the African diet, and flavorful stew. This simple recipe takes roughly an hour to make.

½ cup tomato puree
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons unsweetened all-natural smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon fenugreek
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon ground allspice
3 cloves garlic
1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
½ small habanero or Scotch bonnet pepper, sliced and seeded (optional)
Blend ingredients in food processor and add ¼ cup water until becomes smooth paste
Add 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil & paste in Dutch oven on medium heat
Let cook for 3-5 mins, stirring continuously, until mixture becomes dry and thick
Add 3 cups vegetable stock to mixture, stirring continuously until fully mixed
Turn down heat and let simmer until reduced by ⅓ and beginning to thicken (5-7 minutes)
1 sweet potato, finely diced
½ cup diced green bell peppers
½ cup diced red bell peppers
½ cup diced yellow bell peppers
Season potatoes and peppers with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cook until potatoes are tender (15 minutes)
Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat
Add 5 tablespoons grapeseed oil and heat until hot
1 ½ pounds cassava, peeled and cut into rounds
Fry cassava on all sides until golden (5-7 minutes per side)
Remove cassava from skillet and salt
Place salted cassava in oven at 250 degrees F to keep warm until ready to serve
Scallion greens, thinly sliced (for garnish)
Plate stew on bottom of dish, place cassava on top
Garnish and enjoy!

Arroz con Leche

Arroz con leche is often eaten during a Spanish and Latin American holiday: Three King’s Day. Three King’s Day represents the day that the three wise men met baby Jesus and gave him gifts. On Three King’s Day, children set out grass and snacks for the wise men. Arroz con leche isn’t a snack that children set out, but it’s still a delicious Three King’s Day celebration meal! This recipe is meant to take 20 minutes to make.

Get medium saucepan
Add in rice, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk
Cook rice mixture over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil
Reduce heat to medium-low
Cook mixture, stirring occasionally (15 minutes/until mixture is thick & most of the mixture is absorbed)
Add raisins
Add cinnamon
Stir in raisins and cinnamon
Take off heat
Enjoy!

Holiday Berry Meringue Wreath

Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December and celebrates the birth of baby Jesus. Christmas represents a day of holiness that is meant to be spent with family and friends–eating delicious foods! One of these foods is the berry meringue wreath. Below is the recipe to make all of the parts of the wreath–if you want to know how to construct the wreath, follow the link under “sources.”

Wreath:

Add eight large egg whites at room temperature
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon fine salt
Combine in bowl with mixer (whisk) attached
Put whisk on medium speed until foamy (1 minute)
Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat mix until thick and opaque (1 minute)
3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar added ¼ cup at a time
Beat until stiff, shiny peaks form (13-15 minutes)

Cranberry Sauce:

One 10oz bag fresh/frozen cranberries (thawed and drained if frozen)
⅓ granulated sugar
Juice from ½ a lemon
Bring ingredients to a simmer in medium saucepan
Cook until cranberries are soft and just begin to burst and the sugar is completely dissolved (10 minutes)
Let cool completely
After cooled, fold in 4 cups fresh raspberries and ½ cup pomegranate seeds
Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form
Add leaves from 1 bunch of fresh mint over top of meringue, whipped cream, and cranberry sauce

Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
Whip until stiff and fluffy

Kasha Varnishkes

Hanukkah is a Jewish celebration which honors the miracle of a single candle burning and giving light for 8 days. Hanukkah is celebrated by lighting candles, praying, and eating delicious foods. A popular and comforting food eaten during Hanukkah is kasha varnishkes.

4 cups uncooked bowtie pasta
Cook pasta according to directions on packaging
2 large onions, chopped
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
In a large skillet saute onions and mushrooms in oil until lightly browned (9 minutes)
Remove mixture from pan and set aside
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup roasted whole grain buckwheat groats (kasha)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Combine kasha and egg in a bowl, then add to skillet
Cook and stir continuously over high heat until kasha is browned (2-4 minutes)
Separate kasha grains with back of spoon
2 cups chicken broth, heated
½ teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
Add the three above ingredients to kasha and egg mixture
Bring kasha mixture to a boil and add in onion mixture
Reduce heat and cover and let simmer until liquid is absorbed (10-12 minutes)
Drain pasta, add to pan, heat
Add minced fresh parsley as garnish
Enjoy!

Kalakand

Diwali is an Indian holiday that is celebrated in honor of the Indian prince Rama defeating the demon Ravana. The people of prince Rama’s kingdom lit lamps to guide him home, thus beginning the tradition of lighting lamps on Diwali, and giving the holiday its second name: The Festival of Lights. This simple-to-make dessert melts in your mouth, and takes only 20 minutes to make!

2 tablespoons ghee
Melt ghee over medium heat in a nonstick pan
Add 1 cup full-fat ricotta cheese
Add 1 cup milk powder
Add ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
¼ teaspoon ground cardamon
Stir mixture continuously until it thickens and starts to leave sides of pan (8-10 minutes)
Transfer mixture to greased tray/plate, and spread evenly
Add chopped pistachios and dried rose petals for garnish, pressing them down so they stick
Let cool completely or refrigerate 30-45 minutes for less messy slices
Cut into squares, serve, and enjoy!