Frost-Kissed Harvest: Winter’s Fresh Picks and How to Use Them

Exclusive, premium and imported foods do have their own charm when we choose what to eat, but seasonal and regional foods beat them head-on. Why, you ask? Seasonal produce grows during particular times because of the natural ways of the soil, the water and the air. And, most importantly they are meant for a season to give you maximum nutrition, nurture, and help your body adapt to the weather. 

Root vegetables are prominent during winter as they contain minerals that keep you warm and aid in digestion during the cold. Similarly, seasonal fruits like berries and varieties of apples are a go-go.

This chilly winter season, we bring you a menu of regional and international cuisine to enjoy.

1. Chilli Cheese Sweet Potato Casserole

A hint of sweet, spice and everything nice can be your dinner-time favourite this season. Dig into a fulfilling and yummy delight filled with sweet potatoes, cheese and the tanginess of the tomatoes. A hot casserole is just the dish to woo yourself and your loved ones during the cold nights. 

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Origin: American
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 3 sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped) 
• 1 onion (peeled and finely chopped) 
• 1 red bell pepper (seeded and chopped) 
• 2 spring onions (finely chopped) 
• 400 gms red beans
  5 tomatoes (chopped) 
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels 
• 10-12 tbsp tomato sauce
• 2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded) 
• 1 cup sour cream 
• 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped) 
• 1 tbsp chilli powder
• 1 tbsp cumin (crushed) 
• 1 tsp dried oregano 
• 4-5 tbsp oil (preferably vegetable oil)
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. While you prep the veggies, preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Grease a 12×12 or 13×9-inch baking dish with oil.
3. Place a baking sheet on top, add potatoes, 2 tbsp oil, and sprinkle 1/2 tsp salt. Roast potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes till they turn golden brown. Set it aside to cool.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 350° for the next baking.
5. Meanwhile, take a large pan and heat 2 tbsp oil. Toss in onion and some salt and sauté till they turn light and soft.
6. Add bell pepper, garlic, chilli powder, cumin, and oregano and continue to sauté and cook for a few minutes.
7. Toss in beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, and salt to taste. Mix and cook for 2-3 minutes.
8. Pour half of the above mixture into the prepared dish which contains the baked potatoes. 
9. Layer that with some more potatoes on top and repeat layering with the mixture and potatoes.
10. Cover the dish with foil and bake the casserole for 20-25 minutes until it starts bubbling around the edges.
11. Remove the foil, sprinkle the cheese on top, and continue to bake until the cheese melts.
12. Garnish with scallions and serve with sour cream on the side.

2. Beetroot Brownies

Make your desserts a tad bit healthier with seasonal red beetroots. Chewy and gooey, this brownie recipe can elevate your mood anytime. The simple steps and ingredients of this recipe can accompany you through weeks of winter. Bake and store them to enjoy as you wish.

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 45-50 minutes
Origin: Fusion
Serves: 16

Ingredients:

• 2 large beetroots 
• 1/4 cup plain buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter 
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  2 tsp vanilla essence 
• 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks 
• 1 1/4 cups sugar (adjust as per taste)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Method:

Puree:

1. Wrap one cleaned and peeled whole beetroot in aluminium foil and roast it at 400° for around an hour.
2. While the oven cooks beet, take a steamer and add water to the rack. Cover and let it come to a boil.
3. Place the other whole beetroot on the rack and let it steam for 15-20 minutes.
4. Puree both beetroots using a hand blender in a deep bowl till soft and smooth. You can add buttermilk for a creamy consistency.

Brownies:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Grease and line a baking tray. Consider the tray size based on the batter quantity.
2. Take a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Add the unsalted butter. Let it bubble and turn lightly brown. Turn it off, pour it into a large mixing bowl and set it aside to cool a bit.
3. Take a small bowl and mix sugar, cocoa powder and salt and mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs till smooth and creamy.
5. Pour the egg mix and the dry mix into the melted butter.
6. Add vanilla essence and 1-2 cups of beetroot puree based on your taste preference.
7. Add flour and baking powder and stir to combine.
8. You can chop the dark chocolate chunks into smaller pieces or melt them with a bit of milk before combining them with the batter mix.
9. Pour the batter into the greased tray and bake for 25-30 minutes. Check if it’s cooked through by inserting a toothpick.
10. You can drizzle some crushed nuts on top or desiccated coconut before serving.

3. Muji Gaad Fish

A unique dish with contrasting flavours from the breathtaking lands of Kashmir. Get your hands on the local and seasonal produce to enjoy this soft and juicy fish for lunch or dinner. While fish brings you a ton of good nutrients, the spices and veggies that go into this recipe add to it. 

Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Origin: Kashmiri
Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 kg salmon with skin 
• 500 gms radish (chopped) 
• Mustard oil (based on cooking preference) 
• 2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder 
• 1/2-inch ginger (crushed) 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 
• 3 tsp fennel (crushed) 
• 1/2 tsp shahi jeera
• Salt to taste

Masala:

• 1/4 tsp carom seeds 
• 2-inch cinnamon stick 
• 4 black cardamoms
• 2 green cardamoms 
• 8 cloves 
• 1 tsp cumin

Method:

1. Take a large pan and heat the mustard oil (add the oil based on how you want to cook the fish – deep fry or pan fry).
2. Clean and slice the fish based on the preferred size.
3. Deep fry or pan-fry the fish in batches.
4. Once the fish is fried, add the chopped radish and cook till golden.
5. Take a large pan and heat the leftover oil from the fish fry or use fresh oil.
6. Add and roast ginger, turmeric powder, fennel seeds and shahi jeera.
7. In a small bowl take a bit of water and add the Kashmiri chilli powder. Stir and pour into the pan. Stir and cook until the oil floats.
8. Add 3 cups of water and salt to taste. Let it boil.
9. While the above is cooking, grind the masala ingredients to a fine powder.
10. Add the radish, cover and cook this mixture for about 10 minutes on medium heat.
11. Next, add the fish and sprinkle the masala powder. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
12. If you want to mix the powder into the water, stir carefully as the fish might break.
13. Turn the stove off and set it aside for 30-40 minutes so the flavours soak into the fish.
14. Serve it with plain rice or any Indian bread of your choice.

4. Strawberry Cobbler

There’s no single reason to munch on a good dessert any time of the year. But, when you can get your hands on some fresh winter fruits that are sweet and sour, bright and juicy, and packed with immune boosters and anti-oxidants, it is even more of a reason to bake yourself something sweet. As strawberries can be found with ease this season, try this classic cobbler recipe to enhance its taste.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
Origin: British American Fusion
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 800 gms strawberries 
• 2/3 cup sugar (about 100-150 gms based on sweetness preferred)
• 2 tbsp cornstarch 
• 2 tsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed) 
• 1/4 tsp salt

Topping:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  1 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 10 tbsp butter (cold and cut into cubes) 
• 3/4 cup plain buttermilk
• 2 tsp sugar (powdered)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Set aside an oven rack. Grease and layer baking paper on a 12×12 or 9×13-inch baking pan.
3. Clean and pat dry the strawberries. Make sure they are dried well. Cut them into halves. You can cut the bigger ones into 4.
4. Take a medium bowl, and toss in the strawberries with the sugar, cornstarch, salt and lemon juice. Spread the filling evenly in the prepared baking pan.
5. Take a medium bowl, sieve the flour, and mix it with sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.
6. Add the cold butter pieces and blend them into the flour mixture using your fingertips or a pastry blender till the mix turns into a crumb-like form.
7. Add buttermilk and stir gently until the dough is combined; do not knead as the biscuits might become flat and lose texture.
8. Form small dough balls flatten them gently into 1-inch shapes and arrange them on top of the strawberry filling in the tray. If the dough is too mushy, you can just lay it out on parchment paper, roll it flat gently and then flip the paper with the dough onto the strawberry filling. Then remove the parchment paper on top.
9. Sprinkle the powdered sugar on top.
10. Bake the cobbler for 20 minutes. The biscuits need to turn golden on top and the strawberry filling has to bubble.
11. Do a quick check on the biscuit after 20 minutes by gently lifting a piece and seeing if it has cooked through using a toothpick or a knife. You can further bake it for 5-10 minutes as required.
12. Let the cobbler rest for 10-15 minutes.
13. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla or butterscotch ice cream. You can also top it with fresh whipped cream while serving.

5. Custard Apple Rabdi

Custard apple? Yes! Rabdi? Yes! 2 delicious things coming together is a big win for your taste buds. Try this offbeat rabdi with the goodness of this season’s special – custard apples. The creamier the dessert, the better, right? This easy-peasy recipe lets you indulge in a combination of subtle flavours and is as healthy as it comes.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes + 3 hours refrigeration
Origin: Fusion
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 ltr whole cream milk 
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 4 big custard apples 
• 3 tbsp almonds (chopped finely) 
• 2 tbsp pistachio (chopped finely) 

Method:

1. Clean and de-seed the custard apple. Place the flesh in a bowl and set it aside.
2. Take a deep medium-sized pan and heat the milk. Once it starts to boil, reduce the flame and let it simmer. Stir and simmer till the milk portion is half its original quantity.
3. Add the cardamom powder and mix.
4. Continue to cook till the milk thickens further. Switch it off and set it aside to cool.
5. Once the milk cools entirely, add the pulp of the custard apple and mix well.
6. Refrigerate it for 2-3 hours or till it sets in.
7. Sprinkle the nuts and set it for 30 more minutes before serving or serve immediately.