Oh winter food how I adore you. We all know I love home cooking, but come winter there is something so comforting and homey about the fresh produce the season brings. There’s something so nostalgic about eating a delicious cosy meal to keep you warm on a chilly winter night. I love hearty food and generally the winter month itself (for food and fashion purposes) so its no surprise you find yourself reading this extensive list of my favourite and slightly carby list of Winter Recipes.
APPETISERS/LIGHT MEALS:
Cauliflower Soup:
If you grow your own rosemary I highly recommend steeping cuts into olive oil, preserving in a jar and voila! Homemade Rosemary olive oil.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020764-creamy-cauliflower-soup-with-rosemary-olive-oil
Broccoli soup:
Artichoke Gouda tart:
Flaky puff pastry, melty gouda cheese, marinated artichokes, and fresh garlic and herb… need I say more? This is a perfect share plate to bring for a dinner party or a great appetiser paired with a Cab Sav (gouda’s best wine pair).
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/artichoke-gouda-tart/
Ham, blue cheese and Pear Quiche:
A recipe from David Lebovitz’ ‘My Paris Kitchen’, this Tarte Salée (salty savoury quiche) is utterly rich in flavour and to be honest, the perfect meal paired with a glass of red on a rainy night. I would recommend to reduce the quantity of blue cheese slightly as it was very potent and if you’re not a lover of blue cheese, it could be overpowering to the palette.
COCKTAILS-
Winter Spiced Pear:
The pear syrup you make for this recipe in general is great for puddings or any winter dessert. The leftover steeped pears is also a great addition to morning oats or porridge.
https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/entertain/winter-spiced-pear-cocktail
Winter Blanket:
My sisters winter recipe:
- 1.5 shot dark rum
- 1 shot Irish cream liquor
- 1 shot almond milk
- 0.5 shot maple syrup
- ice
- Shake all ingredients in shaker with ice, pour into coupe glass. Garnish with cinnamon stick, star anise and grated nutmeg.
Cinnamon Maple Whiskey Sour:
You cannot go wrong with any sour in winter really. My Friday night winter treat lately is a classic whiskey sour with a titch of cinnamon and maple syrup. Heres my recipe:
- 3 tbs Whiskey (I use Gentlemen’s Jack)
- 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbs maple syrup
- pinch of cinnamon
- Shake in cocktail shaker with ice, strain into cold whiskey glass.
MAINS-
Butternut Squash and Beefy Mushroom Pot Pies w/Flakey Parmesan Crust:
I cannot stress enough how much of a MUST this recipe is for Winter. It makes so much (leftovers yay) and is so mouthwatering!
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/butternut-squash-beefy-mushroom-pot-pies-wflakey-taleggio-crust/
One Skillet Creamy Artichoke Chicken Marsala and Orzo:
This meal is the perfect any night of the week dinner that feels extra special. One Skillet, so minimal cleaning and relatively minimal ingredients. If you love a good chicken marsala, you’ll love this slight twist even more with the lemony fried artichokes.
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/artichoke-chicken-marsala-and-orzo/
Prosciutto Apple and Sage Butter Chicken with Cider Pan Sauce:
It was on last years Cosy Winter Recipe blog post, its on this years, and it’ll be on every years to come cause damn this dish is simply amazing. This is such a comforting dish; the cider pan sauce, garlic, apple flavours is such a flavour bomb! I honestly don’t need to say anymore than: Oven roasted, cheesy prosciutto-wrapped chicken, crisp apples, roasted garlic, crispy sage, and browned butter… You’re welcome.
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/prosciutto-apple-and-sage-butter-chicken/
Thai Style Sweet Chilli Ribs:
An easy slow cooker recipe that packs some great Thai flavours.
Massaman Beef with Thai-Style Gremolata:
Massaman is indeed a crowd pleaser and this dish is even better with the beautifully enriched Thai flavours of shallots, lime, peanuts, chilli and corriander. Like most Thai dishes, this meal tastes even better the next day once the flavours have infused. This dish reminds me of one of my all time favourite meals, Thai Rendang. You can find the recipe in last years winter blog post.
Slow cooker Soy braised Pork:
It should be a known fact that I utterly abuse my slow cooker in winter. I mean, minimal cooking effort, hours of the house smelling like divine and succulent tender meat that falls off the bone? It’s a win-win situation always. This recipes from the Slow Cooker edition of Better Homes and Gardens.
Chicken Pot Parmentier:
A classic French meal from David Lebovitz’ My Paris Kitchen, this meal has all those richly infused French flavours such as tarragon, parsley, shallots and Parisian mash.
PASTAS-
Creamy butternut pumpkin gnocchi with sausage, thyme and sage:
This meal is the ultimate comfort food, so creamy and flavourful. If you have never handmade gnocchi before, now is your chance! Don’t be disheartened by homemade pasta, its very straightforward and takes less than an hour.
https://juliasalbum.com/creamy-butternut-squash-gnocchi-with-sausage/
Sunday Night Gnocchi Bolognese Bake:
I made this last night and darn it was good, so its a last minute edition to this list. I would recommend cooking the mince hours before to let the flavours absorb. I also added an extra can of tomatoes in as I felt it wasn’t saucy enough.
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/sunday-night-gnocchi-bolognese-bake/
Roasted Red Pepper Alla Vodka Pasta with Cheesy Oregano Breadcrumbs:
Alla vodka with a spice bomb twist. I’ve made this 3 times this winter.
Roasted Red Pepper Alla Vodka Pasta with Cheesy Oregano Breadcrumbs.
Slow Cooker Saucy Sunday Bolognese Pasta:
For the bolognese lovers, this is the perfect slow-cooked recipe. Rich red wine, tomatoes, herbs, spicy meat and vegetables… now that sounds like a winter dream come true.
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/saucy-sunday-bolognese-pasta/
Zha Jiang Mian:
This is THE perfect Asian Winter dish in my opinion. Also known as ‘fried-sauce noodles’, this dish is popular in the markets of Beijing. It’s essentially a meaty ragù served with chewy noodles. Served with crunchy fresh vegetables, this adds a bite of freshness to the rich deep Zha Jiang sauce. From the cookbook Dumpling and Noodles by Pippa Middlehurst.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS:
If you don’t like sprouts from childhood trauma, I urge you… no, I beg you to reconsider. The following two recipes are nothing like your Mums boiled sprouts. When cooked right, sprouts can be such a perfect highlight or even stand alone dish. I once cooked an entire feast and everyones highlight was the sprouts with watermelon reduction and yoghurt.
Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Dates and Halloumi:
Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Dates and Halloumi.
Roasted Bacon Brussels Sprouts with Salted Honey:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/roasted-bacon-brussels-sprouts/
DESSERT-
Apple. Raspberry, Rhubarb and Macadamia Crumble:
This dessert satisfies all your winter fruit cravings. The best part is, its healthy!
Sticky Date Pear Pudding:
I cannot think of a better winter meal than this one.
https://www.bhg.com.au/sticky-date-butterscotch-tray-bake
Creamy Ginger Rice Pudding With Honeyed Roast Pears And Walnuts:
Can you see the theme here is pears? Honestly poached pears is such a winter delight. This bowl of creamy sweet goodness will warms you from within. The leftover honey pears I added to my morning porridge.
Creamy Ginger Rice Pudding With honeyed Roast Pears And Walnuts
Caramel Croissants Pudding:
When I say this is the most iconic winter dessert, I mean it. So it’s no surprise this beautiful creation comes from Nigella, THE domestic goddess. What’s better is this recipe calls for stale croissants, so any leftover from Sundays breakfast is perfect. Now, name a better duo than croissants and bourbon… you can’t!
https://www.nigella.com/recipes/caramel-croissant-pudding
Cheese board:
You simply cannot go wrong with a cheese board in winter. Winter truly is the time to indulge in a smooth Cab Sav or a sticky rich Port, so you may as well pair some glorious cheeses with it. My favourite picks lately is StormFlower Sparkling (in my opinion top 2 best WA sparkling, second to Howard Park Jeté), Xanadu’s Cabernet Sauvignon, (only $17 at Dans which is such great value for the quality) and Clairault’s 2016 Cab Sav $25 at Dan’s). My favourite port is Fermoy’s muscat- it tastes like sticky date pudding.
BREAKFAST:
Dulce De Leche Pear buns:
Heres a winter treat for sure. These gooey warm buns are the ultimate comfort dessert, or if you’re feeling slightly audacious- a breakfast indulgence.
Baked Oats:
Every morning for breakfast I have my baked oats. Now this is such a simple recipe with minimal ingredients and it’s healthy. You also have the luxury of spicing it up with toppings each time. My favourite is the classic dark choc chip walnut or PB&J. But here’s a few other variants I’ve made:
- Raspberry & Dark choc chip
- Blueberry lemon zest
- Peanut butter Jelly
- Chocolate chip
- Carrot cake
- Apple cinnamon
- Morello Cherry
- Walnut, banana & dark choc chip
Here is my recipe: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSR8cLSAU/?k=1
