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We love discovering a recipe that seems to perfectly suit the season we’re in, and this Persian stew from Naz Deravian’s cookbook <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Bottom-Pot-Persian-Recipes-Stories/dp/1250134412" target="_blank">Bottom of the Pot</a> is a great example of that. Called Khoresh Ghormeh Sabzi, the dish is filled with lamb, black-eyed peas and loads of herbs and spices, making it filling enough to satisfy on cool nights but still so fresh-tasting — the exact combination we crave in the spring. While some ingredients, like limoo Omani, may not be available at your local supermarket, you’ll be able to pick them up from most Middle Eastern grocery stores.

Khoresh Ghormeh Sabzi | Fresh Herb Stew

By Naz Deravian

Beloved internationally, Khoresh Gormeh Sabzi could very well be the national dish of Iran. And understandably so, with its distinct Persian flavors and ingredients: a field of fresh herbs, succulent meat, dried limes, beans, the ever-present duo of saffron and turmeric, and woodsy, bitter fenugreek. Fenugreek — shanbalileh — is one of the defining flavors and aro­mas of Khoresh Ghormeh Sabzi. You can find fresh fenugreek at Iranian, Middle Eastern, and Indian markets, and dried fenugreek is available at most grocery stores. This is a Sunday supper kind of meal where the stew can lazily simmer away for a few hours and fill the house with the scents of the true embodiment of an Iranian khoresh.

In the Azari tradition and in homage to my mother’s family (from Azarbaijan) I use black-eyed peas instead of the more commonly used red kidney beans. And please do not retreat at the sight of the abundance of fresh green herbs used in this stew; see Prep Ahead for advice on sorting through your herbs.

fresh herb stew 

Khoresh Ghormeh Sabzi: A make-ahead fresh herb stew that feels positively spring-like

olive oil, divided (plus more as needed)

yellow onion, diced

Kosher salt

lamb

tsp turmeric

black pepper

parsley, tough stems trimmed, ﬁnely chopped

cilantro, tough stems trimmed, ﬁnely chopped

green onions, green parts only, ﬁnely chopped

peas,

limoo Omani, pierced

¼ tsp ground saffron, steeped

lemon juice (plus more as needed)

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If a lasagna is ‘special occasion food’ in your house, we get it. A layered casserole of that kind, with its all-day, from-scratch sauce is the stuff of Sunday cooking. Our cravings do not care about our busy, busy lives, however. They want what they want and they want lasagna almost <a href="https://d1ejxu6vysztl5.cloudfront.net/lasagna/lasagna_natures_perfect_food.jpg" target="_blank">as much as Garfield did</a>. This skillet lasagna — a downright delicious dinner in its own right and far more than a holdover — is your way to work lasagna into its rightful place, which is on the table any night you want it. Make this everyday tomato sauce whenever you must have some tagliatelle on Tuesday too.

Skillet Lasagna with an Easy Everyday Tomato Sauce

By Josie Malevich

Use this simple tomato sauce for pastas, pizzas, Chicken Parmesan or try it with this Saucy Skillet Lasagna. It’s a comforting weekday meal that’s quick and easy.

skillet lasagna with easy everyday tomato sauce

Skillet lasagna with an easy from-scratch tomato sauce you can make on a weeknight, promise

olive oil

garlic,

hot pepper flakes

tomato

(680 mL) strained and pureed tomatoes (passata)

plum tomato,

tsp sea salt

¼ tsp pepper

basil

noodles,

Easy Everyday Tomato Sauce

Parmesan cheese

ricotta

mozzarella

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At this point, we’re used to pumpkin popping up in every recipe imaginable as soon as fall hits. But this year, a dish from the new cookbook&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Cooking-Color-Vibrant-Delicious-Beautiful/dp/144345415X" target="_blank">Cooking in Color</a>&nbsp;by Vancouver&nbsp;<a href="http://www.foodgays.com/" target="_blank">food bloggers</a> Adrian Harris and Jeremy Inglett is turning our attention to another member of the gourd family.

Topped with grilled peppers, pancetta and a butternut squash sauce, this surreptitiously veg-forward pie will give your next pizza night the autumnal edge it never knew it wanted. And while you can certainly go the from-scratch route using Adrian and Jeremy’s recipe for ‘perfect’ dough, this ‘za will taste great on a store-bought crust if you’re short on time, too.

Butternut Squash Pizza

By Adrian Harris and Jeremy Inglett

Butternut squash is one of those vegetables that is often overlooked but is actually a very versatile ingredient. In the past, we’ve used it in everything from mac 'n' cheese to a tart filling. But we prefer it this way: as a creamy, luscious base for this delectable winter-inspired pizza.

ButternutSquashPizza

Bring an autumnal edge to your pizza with this butternut squash-covered pie

portion (½ batch) Perfect Pizza Dough (see below)

water

¼ tsp active dry yeast

all-purpose flour

salt

Oil,

butternut squash,

tbsp extra virgin olive oil

(see

garlic

flaky sea salt

parsley

oregano

tsp coriander

porcini mushroom powder

red bell pepper

yellow bell pepper

green bell pepper

¼ fennel bulb, thinly sliced

½ oz pancetta, thinly sliced

fior di latte cheese

(optional)

Fennel fronds, to garnish

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We were instantly drawn to Chef David Wolfman and Marlene Finn’s new cookbook&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Cooking-Wolfman-Indigenous-Fusion-David/dp/177162163X" target="_blank">Cooking with the Wolfman: Indigenous Fusion</a>, which blends modern elements with Indigenous cuisine. This traditional Métis meatball soup is no different. Enjoyed during Métis New Year’s Day celebrations, it’s sure to become an instant favourite in your family as well throughout the cold winter months.

Métis Boulettes

By David Wolfman and Marlene Finn

Marlene’s grandparents used to enjoy this soup on New Year’s Day back in the 1930s and ’40s, when it was customary for Métis to hold open houses so that friends and relatives could just drop in to wish a happy new year. In the Métis tradition, the young would bend down on one knee before their male elders, bow their heads and ask for a blessing. Marlene’s grandpa went to get his father’s blessing on New Year’s Day each year, even as an adult, but that Métis tradition is long gone now.

The Métis living on the outskirts of Saskatoon didn’t often have much food in those days, so their soups were very simple, even on special occasions. They used whatever meat they could get, and beef was the most common after the buffalo were nearly wiped out. Marlene’s grandmother kept this traditional Métis soup hot in a chodro (cauldron) that was set inside the back burner (hole) in the top of her black woodstove. The word boulettes is French and refers to the meatballs in the soup. To this day my mother-in-law, Marge, doesn’t know which words are French and which are Cree when she says things in the Michif language of her childhood.

Although Métis normally used water to make this soup, you could definitely use Brown Stock instead, and I recommend some rosemary for the meatballs and a bay leaf for the broth. Our niece Jenna Johnson made this and her 18-month-old baby got both hands in the bowl to enjoy every last drop!

MétisBoulettes

Métis Boulettes: A nourishing meatball soup perfect for this time of year

lb beef

small-diced onion

½ tsp ground black pepper

1½ tsp kosher salt, divided

tsp minced fresh rosemary (optional)

divided

potatoes

bay leaf (optional)

Salt and pepper

6.6 lbs bones

large-diced onion

large-diced carrot

tomato paste

gallons cold water, plus extra if needed

juniper berries

bay leaves

½ tsp crushed black peppercorns

rosemary

½ tsp dried thyme

large-diced celery

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We didn’t think brownies could get more enticing than the classic bake sale kind of our youth — that is until we met these ones from Renée Kohlman’s <a href="http://tastecanada.org/winners/2018-awards/" target="_blank">Taste Canada award-winning</a> cookbook <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/All-Sweet-Things-Stories-Sweetsugarbean/dp/1771512040" target="_blank">All the Sweet Things</a>. Kohlman’s recipe swaps regular flour for spelt, a whole grain alternative, and, in a genius move, uses browned butter to add a nutty essence. Just like that, our January baking list has a new top item.

Brown Butter Spelt Brownies

By Renée Kohlman​

I’ve been baking brownies since the days of big hair and bigger glasses—back when the AM radio station in my town played a lot of REO Speedwagon. If I could go back in time, I would tell my 12-year-old self to brown the butter first. And also, life, music, your hair, it all gets better. She would no doubt look at me like I was crazy, because brown butter wasn’t really a thing in 1985. But trust me. Brown butter adds a nutty richness that lingers and leaves you thinking you should brown all the butter all the time and add it to all the sweet things. (See what I did there?) These brownies are ever so fudgy, and because spelt flour has a much lower gluten content than all-purpose flour, the crumb is tender on the inside, yet has all of those desirable crispy edge pieces that we long to dunk into a glass of milk. Listening to “Can’t Fight This Feeling” is entirely optional.

brownies

These chocolatey spelt and browned butter brownies should shoot to the top of your January baking list

unsalted butter,

chocolate

sugar

brown sugar

eggs,

cocoa powder

tsp flaky salt,

tsp pure vanilla extract

spelt flour

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This tasty Thai crab curry dish from Canadian seafood king Matt Dean Pettit is surprisingly easy to make — once you’ve cracked the crab legs open, of course!&nbsp;If you’ve never done it before, fear not, the instructions walk you through&nbsp;how to master the meal in your own kitchen, for a special occasion dinner to remember.

Phuket Thai Curry Crab

By Matt Dean Pettit

Visiting Thailand for the first time was a life-altering experience; it made me view the world in a completely different way. I thought the entire country was incredible, from the big city hustle of Bangkok to the beauty of the beaches on the southern islands. One of my most memorable experiences was learning to make this delicious centuries-old crab recipe. If you’re ever in Phuket, go visit my buddy Jon, who owns the Crab House, and tell him MDP sent you. You’ll be treated like family!

PhuketThaiCurryCrab

Make a fresh Thai crab curry at home for a special occasion meal to remember

live Dungeness crab (about 1 lb)

white rice

canola oil

soy sauce

tsp yellow curry powder

tsp minced garlic

chicken stock

egg,

(400 mL) coconut milk, full-fat

Chinese celery, cut into large dice (found at Asian markets)

red Thai chili

cilantro, leaves only,

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When we were flipping through the pages of Lidia Bastianich’s new cookbook,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Lidias-Celebrate-Like-Italian-Foolproof/dp/0147529778" target="_blank">Lidia’s Celebrate Like an Italian</a>, and noticed this ultra cheesy, cabbage-stuffed polenta torta, it took us a few moments to recover. Make-ahead, fit for a crowd and just as tasty the next day — this decadent dish is the very reason to gather your friends for dinner at yours this weekend.

Polenta Torta with Gorgonzola and Savoy Cabbage

By Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali

This is an ideal preparation for a crowd. You can assemble the tart the day before and then bake it the day of your gathering, and it also reheats well. It’s delicious with Gorgonzola and cabbage, but you can vary the filling in this torta however you wish. I love vegetables with polenta but you can treat this cake like a pizza and stuff it with sliced grilled sausages, mozzarella, and some tomato sauce to moisten the filling. I also like using a leftover ragù or a combination of other sautéed vegetables with the potato-and-cheese base. Save the extra sauce and serve it on the side when slicing the&nbsp;torta di polenta.

Polenta

Lidia Bastianich's cheesy polenta torta is everything we want to eat this time of year

bay leaf

tbsp kosher salt

cornmeal

tbsp unsalted butter,

recipe basic polenta (see above), hot Fine dried bread crumbs, for the pan

Idaho potatoes, peeled and quartered (about 1 ½ pounds)

tsp kosher salt,

savoy cabbage

tsp chopped fresh thyme

red pepper flakes

cheese

Grana Padano

The star of any dinner, lunch or brunch, galettes impress with their flaky crusts and peek-inside centre, yet they are so easy to make. An unfussy dough folded over a simple filling, they are meant to be rustic. Read: no pastry prowess required. This vegetarian mushroom and kale version, with a little cream and cheese, however, is decadent enough to serve to guests.

See how this recipe fits into a five-part vegetarian dinner party menu <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/life/food/a-vegetarian-dinner-party-menu-for-the-weekend-ahead-1.5018488" target="_blank">here</a>!

Rustic Mushroom &amp; Kale Galette

mushroom and kale galette

Rustic Mushroom & Kale Galette: A savoury meat-free pie for those of us who shy away from making pie

onion,

brown beech mushrooms

dinosaur kale, destemmed and roughly chopped

gouda, grated

olives

heavy cream

tbsp Parmesan cheese

red chili flakes

Salt,

Pepper,

all-purpose flour,

whole wheat flour

½ tsp white sugar

tbsp unsalted butter, cold

tbsp ice water

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Start this recipe by soaking the lentils on a Saturday night if you want to sit down to this warming meal on Sunday evening. With a rich and savoury mushroom and tamari gravy, this is as close to a classic shepherd's pie with gravy as you can get, while being its own wonderful thing in both taste and texture.

See how this recipe fits into a five-part vegetarian dinner party menu <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/life/food/a-vegetarian-dinner-party-menu-for-the-weekend-ahead-1.5018488" target="_blank">here</a>!

Lentil Shepherd’s Pie

Start this recipe a day earlier, the lentils need to be soaked overnight.

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