Everything outside is frozen, it’s cold, and the days are short? There’s no doubt—winter is here! To keep the winter blues at bay, treat yourself to comforting homemade dishes. Soups, gratins, purées... And as soon as the sun peeks out, fire up your Kokko and let your creativity shine. Only one rule: cook with seasonal produce! Here’s the list of what to put in your basket this winter.
1 - Fruits
From January to March, you can enjoy without restraint: dried almonds, lemon, kiwi, orange, grapefruit, pomelo, apple, and pear. In the first two months, persimmon, clementine, and mandarin will also be in season.
Don’t forget exotic fruits as well. For some, the peak season is in full swing: pineapple, avocado, banana, mango—but be mindful of where they come from!
Not enough fruit in winter? Even if the selection at the greengrocer's is less varied than in summer, there’s still plenty to make delicious compotes or roast them on your Kokko!
Here are our favorite recipes:
Pineapple with caramelized ginger
Pineapple spring rolls with orange sauce
2 - Vegetables
Throughout the winter, you can enjoy without moderation: spinach, squash, garlic, beetroot, carrot, Swiss chard, celery, cabbage, turnip, leek, black radish, parsnip, endive, cabbage, white cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, salsify, Jerusalem artichoke, crosne, curly endive, lamb's lettuce, onion, turnip, potato, and watercress.
At the start of winter, during January and February, squashes (pumpkin, red kuri squash, pumpkin, butternut), kale, chicory, and red cabbage are still in peak season.
From March onwards, set these aside in favor of: pink radish, asparagus, artichoke, and lettuce.
3 - Fish
Eating fish in season means enjoying better quality products. It’s also a way to protect certain species, respect breeding periods, and avoid overfishing.
As for fish, you’ll find: sea bass, black bream, skate, salt cod, haddock, sea bass, monkfish, cod, red gurnard, pollock, dab, sole, hake, red mullet, dogfish, John Dory, cuttlefish, pouting, whiting, coley, and turbot.
For seafood: mussels, oysters, whelks, scallops, queen scallops, shrimp, and spider crab.
A few ideas to delight your taste buds:
Red mullet fillets on a bed of mango
Grilled shrimp marinated with spices
4 - Cheeses
Indeed, it’s not just fruit, vegetables, and fish that follow the rhythm of the seasons—cheese does too. Since pastures are less rich than in summer, the animals’ diet is less flavorful, and so is their milk.
So in winter, we turn to cheeses aged from summer milk or from the previous year, such as tomme, Gruyère, Ossau-Iraty, Beaufort, Laguiole, Cantal, Salers, Appenzeller, or Comté. One exception: Mont d’Or, traditionally made in winter. Blue-veined cheeses like Fourme, Roquefort, or blue cheese are also great choices.
We also try to choose them as locally as possible, avoiding products that travel thousands of kilometers. Why not start this holiday season by preparing eco-friendly meals? Here are a few tips to help you get started!
