Recipes to make in January
January festivities
January often looks bleak… Barely over Christmas, you have to put away garlands and party favors until the end of the year, even if some people prefer to leave their festive decorations in place, at least to go beyond the fateful date of the “Blue Monday” (January 16). However, January never comes alone. First feast of the year: Epiphany. What a pleasure to find puff pastry, frangipane or almond cream, and well-hidden beans, in the most beautiful galettes des rois 2023! The advantage of this festival is that it certainly begins on January 6 (official date), and is celebrated on Sunday January 8, but often continues until the end of the month, accompanied by laughter and smiles.
But the Epiphany is not the only celebration of the month, the Chinese New Year celebrated on January 22, will make the plate travel at the end of the month. Whether you prefer har gao, yau gok, dim sum, baos, spring rolls, or another recipe rich in flavors, there is bound to be a dish that will seduce you. Even if the folding of certain ravioli like homemade gyozas can impress, rest assured, it is not so! Just get started. And in January, that’s good, between the cold and the night falling early, cooking remains one of the best remedies against seasonal depression. And what a pleasure to declaim at the service “it was I who did it” in front of the amazed faces of your family and friends.
Seasonal products
Obviously this month, we are still going to diversify our contributions on the plate – even if the galette can be considered a vegetable for some -, we will surely alienate people, but it is not so! It hurts, but the truth had to come out. In addition to the divine frangipane which wins almost all the votes, in this winter month, we give pride of place to seasonal fruits and vegetables. Leek ; cauliflower; carrot ; various squash; chicory; parsnip; beet ; celery; mushrooms ; all are found on the plate in a gourmet soup, an enticing gratin; or complete family meal. On the fruit side, citrus fruits in majesty put the sun on the menu from breakfast to dinner. Orange ; clementine ; grapefruit ; blood orange ; lemon, all are foods rich in vitamin C, ideal against winter ailments but also for its beneficial effect against stress and fatigue, its antioxidant action, and the regulation of cholesterol levels.
Soups, soups, soups
“Eat your soup or you won’t have dessert!” If, as a child, we balked at the steaming plate of mixed or unmixed vegetables, in adulthood, the situation is quite different. Broths; soups with pieces; winter vegetable soups generously enhanced with legumes or pieces of smoked meat; sea soups; soups with flavors of undergrowth, we take advantage of this winter month to mix at all costs, like the best DJ in summer in an Ibiza club. The soup, we like it or we adore it, period!
While waiting for the fine sandy beaches or Candlemas which arrives on February 2, here are already 30 recipes to enjoy in January.