Sandra’s Guatemalan Pollo en Jocon
A Guatemalan tomatillo stew from the kitchen of Sandra Gutierrez, The Culinary Latinista™.
More Recent Winter
Braised and Seared Fennel Wedges
These are the ultimate cross-over food. Served warm, they'd be be lovely on a cold night with Simplest Roast Chicken or Spiced Pork Roast. Served cool, they're terrific finger food for a picnic. This recipe is based on one from the Gotham Cookbook, by Alfred Portale. I've always loved how the braising in this dish makes the fennel silky and tender, while the finishing sear gives it savory caramelization; a luscious juxtaposition.
Frisee Salad with Lentils and Duck Confit
It's amazing what you can pull together when you've spent time creating tasty basics. Long-roasted duck legs with fall-of-the-bone meat can live in the freezer until you're ready for them, and lentils come together in a flash and can keep nearly all week. The result? One nourishing meal.
Colcannon Soup with Oven-Roasted Kale
This soup is inspired by colcannon, a traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale. Buttery Yukon golds are medium-starch potatoes, which makes them particularly versatile. You could use russets or fingerlings instead. Leeks, too, have a wonderfully complex flavor and are a traditional component in colcannon. If you can’t find them, sub two yellow onions in the recipe. Yellow onions have more intricate flavor than white onions (and they tend to be cheaper). Roasting the kale enhances its flavor and yields a crunchy texture that makes it a pretty garnish for the soup. Use any variety of kale you find, from curly to dinosaur (also known as lacinato).
Garlic Parsnip Fries
Parsnips have an earthy sweetness to them, making them an interesting alternative to same-old, same-old potato fries. These, with sliced garlic and Parmesan, are downright addictive.
Blood Orange Granita
A granita is a light, simple, refreshing iced treat that doesn’t require an ice cream maker. Stirring the mixture periodically as it freezes gives the granita its characteristic fluffy, granular texture. Blood oranges are in season right now; they have a wonderful ruby flesh and pleasant sweet-tart juice. You can substitute regular fresh orange juice or tangerine juice. This three-ingredient dessert has an added benefit: One serving provides more than 100 percent of your vitamin C needs for the day.
Fennel and Granny Smith Salad with Blue Cheese
A mandolin makes easy work of this salad. Use the flat blade to thinly slice the fennel and onion as thinly as possible, and the julienne blades to cut the apples; or slice the apple and then cut lengthwise into long planks. I like to use Point Reyes Blue Cheese, which is a farmstead cheese made locally in Marin County.
Slow Cooker Carrot Soup with Warm Spices and Blood Orange
In wintertime especially, there’s nothing more comforting than coming home to a pot of simmering soup. This carrot version has a secret ingredient–a cup of diced, kabocha squash–which plays beautifully with the spices and citrus drizzle.
Braised Chicken and Chickpeas with Smoked Paprika
This recipe works wonders with the Valu-pak of frozen chicken thighs you bought last month at Costco (or was that me?). If you don't have smoked paprika on hand, just use a twist of freshly ground black pepper. Or experiment with other combinations of spices in your pantry.
Roasted Winter Veggies
This basic recipe is one we turn to again and again with different mixtures depending on what's at the market. I love how, after about 15 minutes, the kitchen is perfumed with a deep, sweet scent that lingers well past dinner. They're super versatile too. Serve them with anything--or on their own--or fold them into pasta or a frittata. And it's a perfect recipe to practice your knife skills.
White Bean and Kale Ragout with Turnips and Sausage
This ragout is meant to be a throw-together-fast-on-a-weeknight kind of meal. If you have sweet potatoes instead of turnips, use them. If you have Swiss chard in the fridge but no kale, sub it instead. You may be surprised by how much flavor you can coax, with the help of a well-stocked pantry, out of the ingredients you have on hand.
Revelationary Duck Confit
This recipe, originally inspired by the Revisionist Confit of Duck Leg in Sarah Schneider’s A New Way to Cook, is one that has been repeated over and over again in our house. I normally kick off winter by cooking up a dozen and freezing them. Whole, they’re delicious crisped up in a frying pan or the oven. Or shred their meat into salads, soups, pasta--even dumplings or tacos.
Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad with Pecan-Coated Goat Cheese
If you have a wee one, put them to work seeding the pomegranate. Fill a deep bowl with water, cut the pomegranate in half, and show them how to keep their hands below water while they work. The seeds will drop to the bottom and the peel will float to the top, and you’ll have a neat and happy helper come mealtime.
Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal with Toasted Pecans
This breakfast is downright decadent; like a pumpkin pie in a bowl. Don't let its sumptuousness rob you of pleasure though, this dish is super-healthy too. It's loaded with fiber from the pumpkin and whole grain goodness from the oats.
Sweet Potato-Kale Bread Pudding
You can bake these little bread pudding muffins a few days ahead; cool and refrigerate. Reheat them in a low oven while the turkey rests. You also can cook this in a 2-quart baking dish instead of a muffin pan, if you prefer.
Lentil Soup with Roasted Pumpkin
Lentils are a staple food in Eritrea, and every time I prepare them I recall my years there. Adding cubed roasted pumpkin lends this soup vibrant color and transforms it into an ideal Thanksgiving starter.
favorite finds
Spicy Hatch chiles have begun to arrive in markets across the country! These babies are key to Southwestern cooking, and they have a very short season. Stock up now, roast 'em and stash 'em in your freezer to enjoy throughout the year.
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