December 15 — January 31
The holidays are over, winter weather’s here in earnest, and darkness still falls too soon each evening. Now more than ever, we welcome the pleasures of a good dinner. There’s nothing as comforting as sitting down with your loved ones in a warm kitchen fragrant with the aroma of a home-cooked meal. Dining together is an essential element of hygge, the Nordic concept of creating a cozy, comfortable atmosphere—especially in winter. This is the season when we instinctively draw inward: closing the curtains, lighting a fire (or at least a few candles), sitting closer together to feel protected and content. It’s about keeping out the cold and dark, holding in the warmth and light.
This is the time for winter-season foods: sturdy root vegetables, winter squashes, brassicas, dried beans and other legumes. It’s time for richer, more substantial dishes to fortify us against the weather and all its tribulations. Stews, casseroles, and hearty pastas are perfect cold-weather comfort food. It’s also a good time for all-season world cuisines dishes to spice up your winter repertoire.
If you, like me, find it difficult to summon up the energy to cook once darkness descends, the PrepHoldCook system really helps at this time of year! Dedicating a few daylight hours on your weekend to prepping ahead makes weeknight cooking a pleasure rather than a chore. Persuade your household to help with prep by creating a hygge atmosphere in your kitchen. Play some music, provide some seasonal drinks, assign the tasks, give plenty of praise, and make an afternoon of it.
New England Seafood Chowder with Winter Greens Salad
Warm up the season’s cold, blustery nights by serving up steaming bowls of fish and shellfish in a rich, creamy sauce. It’s not just a soup! Our version of this classic coastal dish combines substantial portions of salmon, shrimp, clams, and mussels with diced potatoes to make a hearty seafood stew. Winter-greens salad tossed with apple cider vinegar is the perfect complement. Pair this dish with a dry hard cider or unoaked chardonnay.
Beef and Woodland Mushrooms over Noodles with Carrots and Kohlrabi
Inspired by the cuisine of France’s Burgundy region, this restaurant-style sauté dish transports you to a fireside table in a vineyard village relais, or country inn. Pan-seared sliced beef and wild-type mushrooms are napped with a savory brown sauce and served over wide noodles—a classic combination enhanced with buttery batonnets of bright-orange carrot and jade-green kohlrabi. Cabernet sauvignon complements this entrée’s deep, complex flavors.
Chicken, Cashew and Broccoli Stir-Fry with Jasmine Rice
When nature’s muted winter palette makes the outside world seem dull and gray, cook up an Asian stir-fry and bring color to your life! Crisp, jade-green broccoli florets and firecracker-red bell peppers team with tender chicken and crunchy cashews in this bright and spicy all-seasons dish. Our classic ginger sauce is spiked with Sriracha, a sweet-hot condiment originally from Thailand but now beloved across the globe. Bedded in steaming mounds of fragrant jasmine rice, this stir-fry is sure to please your palate and lift your spirits. Spicy, fruity Gewurztraminer stands up to the bold seasoning.
Daube Provençal of Lamb with Creamy Polenta and Winter Vegetables
In the south of France this classic ragoût is a favored recipe for chilly days when the Mistral wind sweeps down the Rhône Valley to the Mediterranean Sea. On a blustery winter evening, fill your kitchen with the irresistible aroma of meat simmering with red wine, Provençal herbs, and orange zest. Served atop soft, creamy polenta, and accented with carrots, leeks, olives and orange segments, this piquant stew will become your new comfort-food favorite. Provence is known for it’s rosé wines; for this dish choose a fruit-forward variety.
Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples, Wilted Spinach, and Creamy Potato Purée
Apples are not just for pie! From the German Rhineland to Pennsylvania Dutch country in the USA, cooks traditionally pair them with pork in classic wintertime dishes. In our version, the flavor of slow-browned caramelized apples and onions infuses a light velouté sauce with savory-sweet flavor. Napped over pan-roasted pork chops, the sauce also enhances a side of fluffy, creamy purée potatoes. Flash-wilted baby spinach seasoned with lemon zest cuts the richness and adds color and texture contrast. German-style lager beer or Riesling wine work well with this dish.
Sautéed Gnocchi with Sausage and Brussels Sprouts in Winter Tomato Sauce
Pasta dishes are beloved throughout the year but, in winter, they’re especially satisfying. Take a break from standard wheat-flour pastas with gnocchi, a specialty of northeastern Italy. Plump, golden-brown potato dumplings team brilliantly with sausage meatballs and roasted Brussels sprouts. Tossed with a slow-simmered sauce of San Marzano tomatoes, these tasty morsels make a one-bowl dinner sure to liven your cold-weather repertoire with its bright color and tangy flavor. Choose a light, acidic red wine, such as Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.
Counterfeit Cassoulet with Winter Mesclun Mix
Envision a steaming earthenware crock crowned with a layer of crunchy golden breadcrumbs. Break the crust to reveal slices of smoked sausage and hearty chunks of poultry nestled among tender white beans in a thick, savory sauce. Unlike true southwestern French cassoulet, our version doesn’t require esoteric ingredients or days of preparation—hence the name. Nonetheless, you’ll enjoy this satisfying version crafted for a weekday dinner. Vinaigrette salad of radicchio, Belgian endive, and arugula rounds out your meal. Pair this dish with an American Cabernet Sauvignon or a French Bordeaux.
Risotto con Pollo with Latin American Salad
Warm up a chilly evening with the classic combination of chicken and rice. This hybrid dish combines the bright, spicy flavors of Latin America with the chewy, creamy texture of Italian risotto. Braised, oven-crisped chicken thighs nestle atop a plateful of rice flavored and tinted sunny yellow with achiote seasoning. Colorful peppers, piquant chiles, ripe tomatoes, and green olives enhance this entrée’s piquant flavor. Teamed with a tart and crunchy salad, this all-seasons dish makes a lively winter meal. Beer enthusiasts might seek out Dominican Presidente pilsner or a highly-carbonated Puerto Rican Medalla Light lager to accompany this dish. Wine lovers will enjoy a fruity pinot grigio.
*PrepHoldCook.com debuted on Jan 1, 2025. According to our seasonal recipe rotation, early winter begins on December 15.