Stop convoluted preparations: I want an all-in-one winter family dish!

How to make an all-in-one winter family dish?

Seasonal products

We are not going to reinvent the wheel, in winter like any other season, we focus on seasonal products. Local, ecological in every way, and inexpensive, these suit us in every way. Even if winter is less generous than the other seasons, there is still plenty to do. Between the squashes – pumpkin and butternut at the head of the line -, sweet potato, carrot, beetroot, spinach, parsnip, endive, leeks, watercress, or even the different cabbages, not finding happiness among all the winter vegetables available would amount to bad faith!

Read: 22 gourmet spinach recipes to stop saying it’s not good

Obviously, we know that children are not always the first fans of vegetables… which makes the exercise tricky. Pureed, velouted, roasted, with a little cream, or cream cheese, or even softened by the presence of a fruit like apple, vegetables are delicious. With little ones – as well as not so little ones – you always have to think about indulgence, especially if there are blockages. When simply steamed or boiled in water, vegetables are likely to make you grimace. Whereas by cooking thin carrot sticks over high heat with sesame oil to brown everything thanks to the Maillard reaction, we are more likely to have allies! Remember: technique is always at the service of cooking. And to add flavor, don’t leave the magic trio in your corner: spices – herbs – herbs. Garlic, onion, curry, cilantro, parsley, and co, add lots of flavor to a winter dish.

The right organization

On the organizational side, everything depends on your profile. Do you prefer to plan everything? In this case, the batch cooking method is for you. So you can prepare all your toppings in advance: rice, pasta, potatoes, cereals, legumes, cooking vegetables. When the day comes, you assemble everything into a gourmet curry, a garnished soup, or as a modified accompaniment to a quick snacked meat, and that’s it.

If, on the contrary, you prefer to cook everything on the spot for maximum freshness, then to make your life easier, opt for complete dishes that cook on their own, in a casserole dish or in the oven. So, you assemble all your elements in the dish in 10/15 minutes and get cooking, time to manage other emergencies (like homework but sitting in front of Netflix is ​​also an excellent excuse!)

The choice of recipe

During the week, honestly, few people take on the task of making a technically and mentally demanding dish when we have a hungry family to feed. It’s better to think about efficiency. Stews, quiches, savory tarts, parmentier, and even roast chicken which cooks itself in the oven, are easy, delicious and inexpensive solutions.

In this quest for ease/efficiency, we do not forget to respect the correct proportions on the plate, namely 1/3 fruits and vegetables, 1/3 animal or vegetable proteins, and 1/3 carbohydrates. If all the elements are not “physically” present on one and the same plate, it doesn’t matter, you have to see the menu as a whole.

Here is a selection of 25 recipes for winter family dishes that will delight you until spring.