Winter demands to be experienced through food. From celebrating Christmas with desserts and cocktails to enjoying the seasonal fruits and vegetables in various dishes — there's a lot for our taste buds to relish. It's time to wake up the foodie in you and tap into your culinary skills to whip up some delish winter treats at home. My Kolkata brings you a few winter recipes from the world of Instagram for this edition of Reels of the Week.
Pepper chicken soup to warm your soul
The nip in the air calls for a big bowl of chicken soup with the kick of pepper. You don't need fancy ingredients or complex techniques to feel the comfort of soups for dinner. @dillifoodies shares an easy pepper chicken soup recipe that will make you feel warm on wintery nights. All you need to do is boil some chicken legs, add some basic seasoning and herbs, and enjoy a delicious pepper chicken clear soup. Get the full recipe below!
Holiday Charcuterie Board
As Christmas approaches, house parties are going to be a thing. Level up your snacking at house parties this festive season with a holiday special charcuterie board. Instagrammer @nicolconcillio assorted a board with seasonal berries, cheese and cold cuts. To add that Christmas touch, she adds a pine wreath. You are surely going to impress your guests with this!
Handy Mimosa ice
Hosting a pre-Christmas house party soon? Need some cocktail tips? This trick by @thehillarystyle will save you a lot of hassle and allow you to spend more time with your guests. Just prepare your Mimosa ice by freezing dried cranberries, orange slides and sprig of rosemary in pomegranate juice. While serving, just put the ice in the glass and pour your favourite spirit or beverage and enjoy!
It’s a candy cane cookie!
Make Christmas fun for the little ones by making these cookies in the shape of candy canes! @arinakysh gives the regular cookie dough a twist (quite literally) to make cute candy canes. These will go perfectly as a side to a cup of hot chocolate for the munchkins. You can also make them for yourself if you love cute Christmassy stuff.
It’s the real strawberry season!
Strawberries might be available all throughout the year now (thanks to preservative techniques) but one can get the fresh ones only in winters. The perfect juicy, tangy and sweet strawberries can be used to make various desserts. @burrpet_by_dhruvijain makes super-easy strawberry tarts that look absolutely delicious! Fresh strawberry compote with fresh cream and white chocolate, topped with fresh strawberry slices — what else do we need? Check out the recipe below.
How about a Gobi Musallam?
Cauliflower is another favourite vegetable that is available in abundance during winter. When you're done making all the fritters, bhajis and curries — try this gobi musallam recipe by @ohcheatday. This vegetarian musallam was also made by Chef Vikas Khanna during one of his Christmas get-togethers at home. There was chicken and gobi musallam, but people enjoyed the vegetarian version of the dish more!
A recipe for the seasonal flu
While we get ready to enjoy winters, the changing weather has also brought along the ills. Everyone around you might be suffering with a sore throat and runny nose. To get some relief, one can try @nehadeepakshah's simple two-ingredient ginger cough drops. Keep them stored in a jar and pop one every time you get a coughing fit.