It happens every year and the relationship is inversely proportional: when temperatures drop, the desire to eat substantial and comforting dishes increases. Think about it, what comes to mind when you’re hungry in winter? Stews, stews, pasta, sausages, meats, cream, butter, creamy or sweet sauces, among other things, are most likely to appear.
It’s logical, we look for flavor and comfort in fats and carbohydrates, but by now we already know that we cannot sustain a healthy diet based on these pillars. Luckily for everyone, there are some tricks for cooking lighter and equally tasty without having to fall into winter heaviness.
Make vegetables the protagonists
Don’t always relegate them to the accompanying role. In spreads, stir-fries, roasts, creams or soups, salads or stews, vegetables can perfectly be a main course – remember that the ideal dish should contain 50% fruit and vegetables, 25% preferably whole grains and the remaining 25% healthy proteins. In order for them to play their leading role, they must be prepared with attention and care, i.e. choosing those in season because they are tastier and cheaper – pumpkins, sweet potatoes, cabbage, leeks, carrots, green leaves, cauliflower, broccoli, beets, radishes, turnips, parsnips -, combining flavours, colors and textures well and applying the cooking method correctly. Here we leave you some guides for sautéing them, roasting them, steaming them or cooking them in the air fryer. If you use frozen vegetables the world won’t end: they are just as healthy and you can have dinner in five minutes.
Use spices for flavor (and heat)
Ginger, curry, turmeric, nutmeg, cumin, different types of peppers, anise, cloves or cinnamon, as well as garlic, some dried herbs, chili peppers and other spicy ingredients produce that wonderful feeling of warmth in the body and add flavor to sweet and savory preparations in winter. You can make your own blends with powdered – or ground yourself – spices, herbs and more and then add them to different dishes as you like. For example:
- Blend for curries, stews, lentil stews or pumpkin soups: 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon cardamom, ½ teaspoon cloves, ½ teaspoon nutmeg and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- For roasted vegetables, couscous, sautéed or roasted chickpeas: 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds (optional, if you can’t find it, no problem), 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, ½ teaspoon hot paprika or cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon dried mint.
- For grilled or baked fish or chicken, roasted vegetables (tubers or roots), or marinated tofu: 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. A little lemon zest before serving goes well with dishes that use this blend.
Remember that a touch of acid changes everything
All it takes is a squeeze of lime or lemon, a splash of vinegar, some crumbled feta, a yogurt dip or a few chopped pickles to wake up any dish, especially stews, casseroles and soups this time of year. Acids alter the colour, texture and flavor of foods by changing their pH and prevent dishes from being monotonous, which is why recipes such as vegetable soup with eggs and lemon, express lentil stew with pickled mussels, sautéed Brussels sprouts with mustard vinaigrette, cauliflower with asparagus or the typical splash of vinegar in a lentil dish are successful. You can also use acidic ingredients for marinating or brining.
Use the umami power of mushrooms
Chef Yotam Ottolenghi explains this very clearly in his book Flavors: “Vegetables are typically not as good at providing flavor as meat or fish due to their high water content and low fat and protein content,” he comments, “but mushrooms are pure umami – that deep, salty flavor that makes ingredients like tomato, soy sauce or cheese so irresistible – and are perfectly capable of providing plenty of flavor and powerful texture to vegetarian dishes.”
If you use fresh mushrooms, the best way to maximize their potential is to sauté them over high heat with oil and then add them to vegetable dishes, pasta, rice or whatever you like. Dehydrated mushrooms are also useful, especially when fresh ones are not in season, and are perfect to add to broths, stews, creams, flans or anything that requires a minimum of choo choo. Ottolenghi also recommends preparing a powder by chopping the dehydrated mushrooms with a food processor or food processor and having it ready to sprinkle on our dishes.
Learn to make light broths
Yes, bone broth is very trendy, but we swear by all the collagen in the world that there are much lighter and tastier ones too. A good vegetable broth is the basis of mid-winter cooking: soups, risottos, creams or simply a cup to warm up. There is no need to complicate things because with onion, leek, celery, carrot, some aromatic herbs, a few grains of pepper and a pinch of salt we already have a base rich in flavour, although you can always use seasonal ones such as broccoli – the trunk that you always throw into the broth – or a few cabbage leaves.
If you want it soft and light in color, just put the vegetables with the rest of the ingredients in a pan, cover with water, boil over medium heat for 30-40 minutes and adjust the salt level. You can also do this by adding a chicken breast to get a very light broth and use the cooked breast for the same soup, for a salad or a sandwich. To obtain a more intense broth in flavor and colour, do the same procedure but brown or cook the vegetables first. If you are insatiable and want even more, apply the previous advice and add some dehydrated mushrooms or a spoonful of tomato paste, a spoonful of miso, a spoonful of nutritional yeast or a peel of parmesan cheese to the water.
Don’t ditch the salads, they wouldn’t
They accompany you all year round and are the perfect dish to unleash your creativity, so there is no reason to leave them aside in winter. With sturdier leaves like endive, spinach or any type of kale, hot ingredients – legumes, roasted vegetables, cooked grains or cereals –, cheese, fruit, nuts, seeds and a dressing or vinaigrette that has one part fat, one part salty, one part sweet and one part acidic – the acid, don’t forget the acid! – you can make wonders that are almost as comforting as a stew. Here are some ideas for those who need inspiration: three salads to rediscover kale, six autumn salads, escarole, parsnip and beetroot, warm lentils, sweet potato and feta, beetroot with creamy herb dressing, kale and orange with thyme vinaigrette and a medley of eight fresh and colorful salads with winter ingredients.
Thickens without resorting to fats
We all know that fat, generally of animal origin, provides that point of greasiness and body that makes many dishes irresistible. But it is not the only nor the best thickener that exists in the world. There are a thousand ways to add texture and consistency without using butter, cream or sausages. In a stew of lentils or any legume, for example, you can take a ladle of broth with some legumes, crush it and put it back in the pan: the starch itself will do the magic. For a vegetable cream, forget the cream and use natural yogurt, evaporated milk, a potato or even a handful of oats, which thickens and gives a silky consistency. In sauces such as béchamel, replace part of the milk with broth or vegetable drink, and use olive oil instead of butter: the result will be lighter, but just as tasty. It’s also worth using a cauliflower puree, hummus or a spoonful of tahini to thicken soups or dressings without anyone suspecting.
Don’t underestimate the browning of foods
We return to the wisdom of Ottolenghi in the same book, where he explains that browning has to do with the effect of heat on the sugars, proteins and amino acids contained in foods. “Once the cooking process begins and the temperature rises, these sugars, proteins, and amino acids don’t stay where they are. Instead, they react with each other to generate large numbers of molecules that provide flavor, aroma, and color,” he says. He also adds that for browning – or Maillard reaction in scientific terms – to occur, the temperature must be above the boiling point of water, normally above 110ºC. It is obtained by baking but also by sautéing, frying, grilling or dry roasting. You can apply it to some vegetables, to a few slices of bread and then put them cut into cubes on a salad or a cream, on the browning of a chicken breast or a fish, on the gratin of a pasta dish or on the rice socarrat.
Adds a final crunchy touch
Another little trick to give life to a dish is to add a crunchy touch. A handful of chopped almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts can completely change a cream, a salad or a simple vegetable dish. If you toast them for a few minutes in a pan without oil, their flavor multiplies, and if you also mix them with lemon zest, minced garlic or a little parsley or some fresh herbs, you have a bite that improves almost everything. Try sprinkling them on a pumpkin cream, a cauliflower puree or a pasta dish: they add contrast, flavor and texture, and let you enjoy them without suffering from winter density.
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