Fennel salad, butternut soup, brownie… 6 green recipes for winter

♦ Contrast

Fennel salad

As in music or painting, certain chords or, conversely, certain tasteful dissonances tickle our senses more than others. This fennel salad with contrasting colors and flavors is proof of that, and you can almost see them fighting to finally form a happy union on the plate.

•Peel 3 beautiful oranges raw, leaving only the juice that flows out during the operation (the most delicate, the rest is child’s play…).

• Finely chop 1 onion of fennel and mix with 3 nice handfuls of iceberg lettuce, also cut into strips

•Take about twenty black Kalamata olives from the stones and cut them into quarters

•Make the dressing by mixing 1 large tablespoon of mustard, 2 tablespoons of orange juice, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 4 turns of a black pepper mill and 1 teaspoon of curry powder.

• Do not add salt, the olives will take care of that…

• Divide the fennel-lettuce mixture mixed with the dressing into soup plates, then arrange the orange slices and olives neatly on top.

•Enjoy with handmade olive sticks.

→ RECIPE Leek, attention in our kitchens!

♦ Warm

Two soups

Alongside the classic watercress soup, these two soups are ideal for warming the table and fighting the frost.

► Parsnip and caramelized onion soup:

• Fry 3 large chopped onions in olive oil

•Add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and let the onions caramelize over low heat

•Add 25 cl of dry white wine and 3 large parsnips cut into pieces, cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes

•Add 1 good liter of vegetable broth, let it boil and cook for 10 minutes under the lid on a low heat.

• Faucet

•Add fleur de sel, pepper, a little almond cream or hazelnut oil for smoothness

•Sprinkle with fresh thyme.

► Butternut, onion, turmeric and curry soup:

• Fry 3 large chopped onions in olive oil, add peeled and grated turmeric, two spoonfuls of lightly seasoned curry powder and pepper

•Add unshelled, seeded and chopped butternut

• Barely cover with vegetable stock

•Cook in a casserole for 20 minutes

•Stir, add a can of coconut milk, salt and fresh coriander.

♦ Comforting

Thai vegetable curry

Today, it is not forbidden to delight, while warming hearts and spicing up the taste buds. A little gastronomic detour through Thailand is therefore essential, improvising a comforting and super simple vegetable curry.

• First, brown 3 potatoes and 2 carrots cut into large cubes (for 4 people), 1 stick of lemongrass cut in half lengthwise, 1 clove of garlic and the same amount of ginger, cut into small cubes, in a little water and a little sunflower oil for 15 minutes

• You can also add peas, green beans, 1 eggplant,
according to wishes

• Then cover with 400 ml of coconut milk

• Add a drop of soy sauce and another of lemon

• Sprinkle curry powder, turmeric, cayenne pepper (or sweet pepper) to taste

•You can replace these spices with a spoonful of yellow curry paste

•When the vegetables are almost cooked, you can add 2 zucchini cubes

•When serving, add fresh coriander to the dish, which we put next to the rice.

→ KITCHEN. Japanese cuisine is much more than sushi!

♦ Sunny

Mango and pineapple gratin

In the dead of winter, we are suddenly seized with nostalgia for summer fruits, impatient as plump strawberries, tart cherries and velvety peaches! Here is a very easy to make and wonderfully comforting mango pineapple gratin that proves that even the cold season has its treasures.

•Heat the oven in the grill position

• In individual ramekins (those used for crème brûlée), place mango slices and pineapple chunks about one centimeter thick, choosing very ripe fruit

• Lightly sprinkle each ramekin with brown sugar or granulated sugar

•When the grill is red, turn off the oven and put the gratins in there for a few minutes: remove them as soon as the sugar browns, the fruit must not be cooked.

• Sprinkle the gratins with organic lime zest, the subtle flavor of which is wonderful with the pineapple

•Taste immediately on the side if you want a more festive dessert, with a scoop of mango or coconut sorbet

•The symphony of flavors can also be crowned with a glass of “late harvest” gewurztraminer!

♦ Nomads

No-bake Brownie

Sunny, sweet and coppery dates come with the frost just in time to tantalize our taste buds and teleport us south. Conceived by a pioneering organic brand (1) and customized just for us, this no-bake cookie brings out a refreshing bouquet of exotic flavors.

• Stone 200 g of fresh Deglet Nour dates (our favourites) and cut into pieces

• Chop 120 g of pecans, walnut kernels or cashews in a food processor

•Then add the dates and puree with 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame puree), 1 raisin, 2 rice syrup, 4 chia or sesame seeds, 6 cocoa powder, a vanilla pod with seeds and a pinch of salt.

•When the dough ball is obtained, spread the mixture on a baking paper covered form

• Press, smooth until you get a 2 cm thick plate

•Reserve 4 hours in the fridge or 1 hour in the freezer

• Slice and serve with a salad of oranges, cinnamon and chopped mint leaves to add a tangy freshness to the dessert.

→ PRACTICAL. Dates make our dishes beautiful days

♦ Party

Roast lentils with cranberries

Discovered at Christmas by German blogger Bianca Zapatka (2), this lentil roast with cranberries has won over all generations.

•Boil al dente 130 g of green lentils in 260 ml of water

Fry for 4 minutes in olive oil, chopped onion and then 4 chopped garlic cloves for 1 more minute

• Turn on the oven at 180°C

•Grind 75 g of oatmeal and 2 tablespoons of flax seeds into flour in a food processor.

•Add drained lentils, 400g drained canned red beans, 100g walnut kernels, 100g sunflower seeds, onion and garlic, 3 tbsp water to a large bowl.

•Mix lightly, the mixture should remain lumpy

• Add 120 g grated carrot, 200 g chopped mushrooms, 1 tbsp thyme, 1 rosemary, 1 parsley, 2 tomato puree, 1 mustard, 2 soy sauce, 1 tsp paprika, salt and pepper

•Place a cake tin covered with baking paper and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

• Brush the top with 2 tablespoons of cranberry jam mixed with 2 tablespoons of ketchup

•Cook for another 20 minutes. Leave on for 15 minutes

• Garnish with rosemary.