Salad with fennel, nut soup, cakes… 6 green recipes for winter

♦ Contrast

Fennel salad

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

• Peel 3 beautiful oranges raw, saving the juice that will come out as you work (the most delicate one, the rest is child’s play…).

• Finely chop 1 fennel bulb and mix with 3 nice handfuls of iceberg lettuce, also chopped into strips.

• Pit and quarter about twenty black Kalamata olives

• Make the sauce by mixing together 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 among the soup plates, and arrange the orange and olive slices nicely on top.

• Enjoy artisan olive breadsticks.

→ RECIPE. Leeks, attention in our kitchens!

♦ Warm

Two soups

Along with the classic watercress soup, these two soups are perfect for warming the table and getting through the cold.

► Parsnip and Caramelized Onion Soup:

• Fry 3 coarsely chopped onions in olive oil

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

• Add 25ml dry white wine and 3 large parsnips, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

• Add 1 good liter of vegetable stock, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, covered, over low heat.

•Mixer

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

•Sprinkle with fresh thyme.

► Nut, onion, turmeric and curry soup:

• Fry 3 coarsely chopped onions in olive oil, add peeled and grated turmeric root, two spoons of curry powder with spices and pepper.

• Add the butternut, unshelled, seeded and cut into pieces

• Barely pour vegetable broth

•Cook in a saucepan for 20 minutes

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

♦ Comforting

Thai vegetable curry

In our days, it is not forbidden to raise the mood, warm the soul and give the taste a piquancy. So a little gastronomic detour through Thailand is in order, improvising a comforting and very simple vegetable curry.

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

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

• Then pour 400 ml of coconut milk

• Add a splash of soy sauce and another squeeze of lemon

• Sprinkle with 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 cubes of zucchini

• When serving, add fresh coriander to the dish, which we accompany with rice.

→ KITCHEN. Japanese cuisine is much more than sushi!

♦ Sunny

Mango and pineapple gratin

In the dead of winter, we are suddenly overcome with nostalgia for summer fruit, impatient for plump strawberries, tart cherries and velvety peaches! Here’s a Mango Pineapple Casserole that’s super easy to make and wonderfully comforting, proving that the cold season has its treasures too.

• Preheat the oven to the grill position

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

• Lightly sprinkle each grater with verjuice or granulated sugar

•When the rack is browned, turn off the oven and put the casseroles in it for a few minutes: take them out as soon as the sugar is browned, the fruit should not be cooked

• Sprinkle the gratins with organic lime zest, whose subtle flavor is associated with delicious pineapple

• Try it right away if you want a more festive dessert, with a scoop of mango or coconut sorbet

•A glass of “late harvest” Gewürztraminer can also complete the symphony of flavors!

♦ A nomad

Brownies without baking

Sun-drenched, sweet and coppery dates arrive just in time for frost to pamper our taste buds and transport us south. Made by an innovative organic brand (1) and adapted to our way, this no-bake cake reveals an invigorating bouquet of exotic flavors.

• Pit 200g of fresh Deglet Nour dates (our favourite) and cut into chunks.

• In a food processor, grind 120 g of pecans, walnuts or cashews

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

•When you get a ball of dough, put the mixture in a pan lined with parchment paper

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

• Order 4 hours in the refrigerator or 1 hour in the freezer

•Slice and serve with a salad of oranges, cinnamon and chopped mint leaves to enhance this dessert with a touch of tangy freshness.

→ PRACTICAL. Dates make our dishes wonderful days

♦ Event

Fried lentils with cranberries

Opened for Christmas, this Lentil Roast with Cranberries from German blogger Bianca Zapatko (2) has won over all generations.

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

• Saute chopped onion in olive oil for 4 minutes, then 4 cloves of garlic, chopped, for another 1 minute

• Turn on the oven at 180°C

•In a food processor, grind 75 g of rolled oats and 2 tablespoons of flax seeds into flour.

• Add the drained lentils, 400g drained tinned red beans, 100g walnuts, 100g sunflower seeds, onion and garlic, 3 tbsp water to a large bowl.

•Mix lightly, the mixture should remain lumpy

• Add 120 g grated carrots, 200 g chopped mushrooms, 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 rosemary, 1 parsley, 2 tomato puree, 1 mustard, 2 soy sauce, 1 teaspoon paprika, salt and pepper

• Place in a baking dish lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

• Spread 2 tablespoons of cranberry jam mixed with 2 ketchup on top

• Cook for another 20 minutes. Leave for 15 minutes

• Garnish with rosemary.