What I'm Eating: January edition

A few recipes to try in the winter months.

I’ve never been one for January resets. No diets, no veganuary, certainly no “detox”. Not even once in my life have I done any of that.

Perhaps it’s the archetypical Scandinavian side of me coming through. I prefer the slow and steady, stoic even, approach. A sudden change based on a turn of the calendar isn’t for me.

So while, yes, I do usually crave more vegetables again in January after the fat and sugar overload that is Christmas holidays, even that, if I’m honest, isn’t what it used to be. We discussed this over Christmas in my family after we realised no one wanted second helpings anymore. In my childhood, this would be unthinkable. Knowing it would be a year until the next opportunity, we stuffed ourselves to the brim at every Christmas meal. Perhaps this is because we now eat so much better the rest of the year. We treat ourselves to the occasional restaurant visit (unheard of in my childhood) and we make much nicer dinners at home, too. Christmas food simply isn’t a culinary highlight above and beyond the rest anymore, and the craving for tradition is satisfied by a normal sized portion.

This January is therefore much like any other winter month in my kitchen. It tends to be a cold month in Istanbul – more so than November or December – so there are more warming foods, like soups and stews. I’m still excited by the winter vegetables, and try making things that involve root vegetables, cauliflower and greens, all of which are staples here at this time of year. I’ll leave the peak summer bounty (tomatoes, borlotti beans, peas) I “preserved” in the freezer last summer untouched for another couple of months, for when the winter vegetable fatigue inevitably sets in, weeks, months even, before the first signs of spring arrive.

With that, I’ll leave you with a few things I’ve enjoyed recently, and which you can find on my website. This week’s new recipe is a true winter warmer and will be for all subscribers. It’ll hit your inbox over the weekend, with a little preview below.

Until then,

Vidar

Chunky lentil vegetable soup

A perennial favourite, this is basically a Turkish lentil soup, but with plenty of vegetables added and left unblended. A great dish for using up lingering veggies.

Vegetarian shepherd's pie with Middle Eastern flavours

Ok, vegetarian and shepherd’s pie are essentially oxymorons, but bear with me on this one (and by all means call it cottage pie, if you like). The idea was to make shepherd’s pie more exciting, and I just happen to prefer a mixture of lentils and freekeh over a meaty one. Great on a cold day!

Turkish braised leeks (Zeytinyağlı pırasa)

A classic in Turkish cuisine, but strange sounding to anyone accustomed to more Western styles of preparing vegetables. I can only recommend you try it, however. This is part of what’s called zeytinyagli in Turkish cuisine (lathera in Greek – this is a shared tradition), which is essentially vegetables braised in plenty of extra virgin olive oil. The slow cooking brings out a sweetness and depth of flavour that the quicker treatment often given in the West can never match. forgive me for going on about these dishes. It won’t be the last and this one’s a great one for the winter months.

Turkish inspired meatball pomegranate stew

Not a traditional dish by any means, but inspired by similar stews of meatballs and small onions found on either side of the Turkish/Syrian border. Braising the meatballs and onion in a sauce made slightly sour with pomegranate makes for a beautiful winter dish.

🔜 Coming this weekend for all subscribers:

Chicken soup with leeks & risoni

This started as a classic Turkish chicken soup, but – with all due respect to the original – has grown into so much more. Leeks, herbs and a few carefully selected spices has made this a go to favourite when the winter cold creeps in.

This recipe will be for all subscribers and will hit your inbox over the weekend.