When temperatures dip below freezing, it’s nice to have a few tried-and-true recipes to whip up for gatherings with friends and family to enjoy either outside or inside. These are two of our staff’s favourite dishes to make ahead for cool/cold-weather get togethers!
Soup Staples: Spicy Apple Squash
Apples and squashes may be available year-round in the grocery store, but putting them together in a soup just screams of late fall and winter!
Ingredients:
- 2-3 large apples (any kind – staff recommends Ambrosia or Honeycrisp)
- 1-2 medium-sized butternut squash (you can also swap out for 4 acorn squash for a slightly different texture and flavour!)
- 2-3 jalapeno peppers (depending on your preferred spice level)
- 1 large red/purple onion
- 1 bell pepper (red, orange, or yellow work best)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups mire poix (buy it mixed or make your own: equal portions of carrot, white onion, and celery, diced into small cubes)
- 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground garlic
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Finely chopped greens for garnish (optional – cilantro or lovage go great with this dish, as do carrot greens)
Instructions
To start, preheat your oven to 350°F. While oven is preheating, cut your apples, jalapenos, onion, and bell pepper into quarters and lightly toss them in olive oil. Place in a single layer in roasting pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tender (approximately 30-40 minutes).
Place your mire poix in the bottom of your soup pot on the stove over low heat, allowing vegetables to start sweating. Once onions are almost transparent, add 2 cups of your preferred broth, garlic, and ginger, and allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes. Parboil your squash in salted water until fork tender, then add it and the remainder of your broth to your mire poix mixture. Mix in your cumin and a pinch of salt, and bring to a soft boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.
Once apples and vegetables are roasted, add them to your soup mixture on the stove and let simmer over medium-low heat for 30-45 minutes. When all vegetables are soft and cooked through, allow soup to cool slightly and blend with an immersion blender. After blending, return to medium-low heat for another 15-20 minutes. If the soup is too thick for your preference, add up to 1.5 cups water or more broth to thin it out.
Serve warm with chopped greens and naan or rustic sourdough. You can also serve the soup over rice and shredded chicken. This soup freezes very well, but be warned – the spice level will increase!
Traditional Snacks: Earl Grey Shortbread
Shortbread is a staple, especially around the holidays. This recipe can be made in advance and frozen (either baked or unbaked!) up to 2 months. Allow to thaw in fridge overnight.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp loose Earl Grey tea leaves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup + 1 tsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup finely grated lemon rind (or 1 packet True Lemon powder)
- 1 cup cold butter, roughly broken into eighths
Instructions
Either by hand or using a food processor, mix the flour, tea, and salt until the tea is just mixed throughout. Add the sugar, vanilla, lemon, and butter, and mix or pulse just until a dough is formed – it should be somewhat crumbly.
Place dough on plastic wrap and roll to form a log approximately 2 – 2 1/2 inches in diameter, then twist off edges of the plastic wrap and allow to set in a refrigerator for at least 45 minutes. (Or in a freezer for at least 20 minutes)
While dough is setting, preheat oven to 375°F.
After setting, remove dough from plastic wrap and slice into 1/3 inch discs, placing on parchment-paper lined cookie sheets approximately 2 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven just until the edges start to brown (approximately 12-15 minutes), then remove from oven. Allow to cool on sheet for 4-6 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies.
If freezing raw dough, place plastic-wrapped log in a sealable freezer bag. If freezing baked cookies, place cooled cookies in a single layer in a sealable freezer bag. Allow either to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking or serving.