These winter recipes from around the world will provide a hearty winter dinner and fill you up with a warm and comforting dish. This article highlights 4 winter dishes: Carrot steamed buns, Spanish bean soup, North African spiced winter vegetable couscous, and Venezuelan arepas. Grab your apron and get cooking!
Carrot Steamed Buns
Directions:
Special equipment: a large steamer basket
For the steamed bun dough: In a small bowl, swirl together the water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar and let it sit until it becomes foamy on top, about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, salt, and remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar.
Pour in the yeast mixture and oil and mix to form a dough.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, turning to coat, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
For the filling: While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Place the carrots in a baking dish and toss with the oil and salt. (I like baking them in a high-sided dish like a casserole so that I have room to add the other filling ingredients and then there's no need to transfer to a bowl.)
Bake until tender, 30 to 35 minutes; let cool for 5 minutes.
Add the teriyaki sauce, peanuts, rice vinegar, scallions, and a drizzle of sriracha to the carrots and stir together.
Fill with about 2 tablespoons of filling, and pinch the edges shut to seal well.
Place on an individual 3-inch square of parchment paper. Space the buns out in a steamer basket 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart. Cover and let rise for 30 more minutes.
Place the steamer over it and steam the buns in boiling water until light and fluffy, about 45 minutes.
To serve, top with another little drizzle of sriracha and some sprinkles of peanuts and scallions. Dip in teriyaki sauce and enjoy!
Steamed Bun Dough:
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
6 tablespoons plus
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup cake flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for the bowl
Filling:
1 1/4 pounds carrots (5 to 7 large), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons teriyaki sauce, plus more for serving
1/4 cup salted roasted peanuts, plus more for topping
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
6 scallions, minced, plus more for topping
Sriracha, for drizzling
Spanish Bean Soup
Delicious Spanish soup is found on most menus in southern Spain. Good for snowy, cold days.
Ingredients needed - chickpeas, potatoes, onions, garlic, cloves, chicken meat, smoked ham, and chorizos & to add flavor add some thyme, rosemary, oregano, and ground cumin.
Directions
Fry all vegetables and the chorizo in a frying pan
Pour that inside a pot with two liters of water, the chickpeas, the chicken stock, and the smoked ham
Let all ingredients boil together for 30 minutes and add some diced potatoes
Once potatoes are cooked
Add spices, and enjoy
North African Spiced Winter Vegetable Couscous
This soup is a healthy winter recipe that can double up as either lunch or an evening meal. Packed with plenty of seasonal vegetables, including parsnips, carrots, and pumpkin.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 cinnamon sticks, ½ tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, ¼ tsp dried chili flakes, salt flakes, 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 4 med parsnips, cut into large chunks, 4 med carrots, diagonally cut into halves, ½ kg pumpkin, peeled & cut into large chunks, 1 red onion, peeled & thickly sliced lengthways, 1 x 400 g tin chickpeas, 170 g couscous, 250 ml vegetable stock, 1 tbsp butter, 1 lemon, ¼ cup dried sour cherries, 1 cup coriander leaves, harissa, to serve (a Tunisian hot chili paste)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200˚C.
Place all the spices except the saffron threads with little salt flakes in a large bowl together with the extra virgin olive oil and toss through the prepared parsnips, carrots, pumpkin and red onion to coat.
Transfer to a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes.
Toss through the chickpeas and roast another 15 minutes.
While the vegetables and chickpeas are roasting, put the couscous and saffron in a bowl with a little salt flakes and pour over the hot stock. Cover and leave for 10 minutes.
Stir the butter through the couscous with a fork to fluff up.
Serve the roasted vegetables and chickpeas on top of the couscous and garnish with the dried sour cherries, preserved lemon and coriander leaves.
Venezuelan Arepas
Arepas originated in Columbia and Venezuela and can filled with meat, cheese, vegetables, and more. These golden, crispy cornmeal pockets are a delightful combination of simplicity and flavor, making them a beloved dish enjoyed around the world.
Ingredients
2 cups masa, also known as mascrepa or corn flour
2 ½ cups water
1 tsp salt
Instructions
Making the dough
Place water and salt in a bow, stir to dissolve the salt
Add 1 cup of masa to the water and stir with a spoon. Add the remaining masa and mix it well. As the dough thickens, you will need to begin working the dough with your hands.
The dough is ready to shape into arepas when it is firm and no longer sticky. To begin shaping the arepas, wet your hands with clean water and take a ball of dough (about ¼-⅓ cup) and begin to roll it in the palm of your hands.
Once you get to a round ball, you can begin flattening the dough ball as you move it around using just the palm of your hands. The finished arepa should be about the size of your palm and around ¼” thick with smooth, round edges.
Cooking the arepas
Place pan over medium heat with a bit of oil
Once the pan is hot, add the arepas to the pan and cook without moving them in the pan for 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and cover the pan with a lid.
Flip the arepas over when lightly brown and allow them to cook on the other side for about the same amount of time.
You may need to cook for an additional few minutes until the are done. To tell if the arepa is done inside is to tap it, it will make a hollow, thumping sound.
Filling ideas
Refried beans
Cheese
Shredded jackfruit
Avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms
Seasoned beef or chicken
I love these recipes and will definitely be trying them out this winter!