Moscow restaurants have updated their menus. Now there are: hearty soups, dishes with truffles, Christmas pizzas, Soviet classics and winter sets. Just what you need on a cold winter day.

A famous chef comes to Moscow Silvio Nicolas, winner of two Michelin stars. The visit is timed to coincide with the winter session of the gastronomic festival Masters ofFood & Wine which takes place at the hotel "Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow". On December 11, guests will be able to try the set menu, and on the remaining days of the festival, guests can order signature dishes Silvio Nicolas performed by the hotel chef Sebastian Kellerhoff.The set menu includes the following dishes: duck liver “forest” (mushrooms/spruce/chocolate), Saint-Pierre (seaweed/beans/parsley), langoustine (kohlrabi/cilantro/Japanese broth), pork belly (carrots/ pearl barley/potatoes), plum (peanuts/yeast/malt).

Price: 6,200 rub. for the set menu.

Where: st. Neglinnaya, 4, Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow hotel, Conservatory bar, 10th floor.

meat dishes in C arne/ Vino

Not long ago a new restaurant about wine and meat opened from Julia Vysotskaya Carne/Vino. Beef ribs are prepared here (and served in pita with baked eggplant), roast beef, and pork belly is smoked over alder. What to look for on the menu? We recommend grain-fed beef tartare (420 rubles), beef liver pate with port wine jelly (310 rubles) and a sandwich on homemade brioche with orange zest, mozzerella, salsa and roast beef (490 rubles). They make their own bread, and the pate has an interesting presentation. As a first course, you can order bean soup with smoked pork belly (380 rubles) or beef broth with smoked potatoes and sweet peppers (380 rubles). Even more hearty dishes: stewed pearl barley porridge (420 rubles) with garlic and stewed beef and meat sauce with port wine, stewed beef cheeks (520 rubles) with smoked potatoes, thick meat sauce and garlic butter, pork ribs (870 rubles .) with BBQ sauce, beef ribs (980 rub.). And further. Be aware that the portions are large.

Where: st. Kuznetsky Most, 21/5.

Chef Anton Magdyuk introduced a winter set to the menu, in which each dish has its own role. First of all, guests are given a fragrant basket with spruce branches, cones, hazelnuts, bark and tangerines. A Christmas wreath serves as decoration throughout the action, and the chef hid some edibles in the herbarium. The set includes the following dishes: pate of elk, roe deer, wild boar with hazelnuts in candied tangerine on a gingerbread crumble; pastrami smoked in hay with chestnuts and hazelnuts with quince confiture and smoked paprika; baked chicken with a bouquet of herbs; New Year's dessert made of chocolate with Aperol sorbet and strawberries, which the chef made up beyond recognition.

Price: 1,900 rub.

When: until the end of January.

Where: Presnenskaya embankment, 12.

winter menu at Noah's Ark

By the beginning of winter, the restaurant chef "Noah's Ark" prepared a dozen new positions.
The restaurant now has more fish dishes: whitefish caught in Lake Sevan in crispy lavash (1,200 rubles), catfish from a farm nursery with honey-lemon sauce and salad of arugula, apples and cucumber (650 rubles). The first item on the winter menu is the hallmark of Armenian cuisine, aveluk and lentil soup with walnuts (520 rubles). Now in the establishment you can try julienne with porcini mushrooms and chicken (520 rubles) and mini manti with lamb or veal (680 rubles).

Where: Maly Ivanovsky Lane, 9.

truffle menu in BUONO

At an Italian restaurant Buono a seasonal enogastronomic offer from the chef has started Christiana Lorenzini. The menu has been supplemented with new items with truffle: beef carpaccio with truffle sauce (RUB 1,850), risotto with Parmesan, Fontina cheese and truffle (RUB 1,420), tagliolini « Alla Remo » with truffle (520 RUR), tagliatelle in Parmesan with cream sauce, ravioli with turbot and scallops in truffle sauce with potato mousse (2,200 RUR), Chilean sea bass « Mantecato » with potatoes and truffle (RUB 1,150), chocolate truffle (RUB 990), Dai-Dai parfait (RUB 220).

When: The menu is valid until the end of December.

Where: Kutuzovsky Prospekt, 2/1, building 1 (29th floor of Radisson Royal Hotel, Ukraine).

Christmas pizza in Scrocchiarella

Pizzaiolo Tiziano Casilo, brand chef of a Moscow cafe Scrocchiarella, has developed a seasonal menu of Roman pizzas for Muscovites. The peculiarity of Roman pizza is that the dough for it is prepared using flour of strictly selected varieties of wheat with sourdough according to a secret recipe 100 years ago. The dough takes four days to mature.

The pizza is first baked until half cooked without toppings, and then sauce, cheese and other ingredients are added and baked at high temperature until done.

New items: Christmas pizza (RUB 780). with caramelized apples and plums, cream cheese with walnuts, liqueur-flambéed pear with lingonberries, fresh strawberries, pine nuts and mint. In addition, there is pizza with smoked duck (RUB 780), TerraeMare pizza (RUB 650) with anchovies, grilled pineapple and chicken (RUB 650), turkey with tuna tonnato (RUB 650), pizza with pumpkin, spinach, goat cheese and dried beef carpaccio (RUB 780), beef carpaccio pizza (RUB 780).

Where: st. Pokrovka, 1.

new menu inBurger& Pizzetta

Three new dishes have appeared in the appetizers section: baba ganoush with tzatziki sauce and vegetable salsa (320 rubles), baked bell peppers with tzatziki and almond petals (370 rubles), Greek sirtaki cheese with fresh tomato sauce (290 rubles). The new burger with the self-explanatory name “Bolognese” adds hot jalapeno pepper and Mexican chipotle (420 rubles), and another original filling for the signature pizzetta is a combination of Bolognese sausage mortadella and pistachios (370 rubles). There is also a rich oxtail soup with celery and chickpeas (320 rubles). The hot dishes section was replenished with chicken thigh sous vide with tempura broccoli and sweet and sour sauce (420 rubles), risotto with porcini mushrooms and truffle oil (520 rubles) and “5 cheese” macaroni cheese with a mix of mozzarella, parmesan, fontina , emmental and gorgonzola (500 rub.).

Where: Shopping center "European", 2nd floor, atrium "Berlin", pl. Kievsky railway station, 2.

Neapolitan pizza at Pizzamento

You can try Neapolitan pizza at a new pizzeria Pizzamento. The dough is prepared according to a classic recipe based on Italian fine flour from soft wheat varieties, matures for 16-18 hours and is rolled out by hand. Pizza is baked in a wood-fired oven at a temperature of over 500 degrees in just 30-40 seconds. The resulting thin crust pizza with wide soft sides Pizzamento served with three sauces to choose from: green pesto, scarlet tomato or white truffle. The menu includes both hits of Italian cuisine and unusual pizzas (with tuna, spicy star-shaped pizza with pepperoni and ricotta, dessert “Strudel”).

Where: st. Tverskaya, 12/2.

Soviet classics in« Glassvodka»

The project has just recently opened « Glassvodka» (joint history Grigory Leps And Emina Agalarova). There are over 30 varieties of vodka, 27 of our own liqueurs and liqueurs. On the menu: Soviet classics (forshmak, sandwiches with sprat, lard with bread, sauerkraut, vinaigrette, Olivier salad, mimosa, herring under a fur coat, chicken broth, fish soup, Kiev cutlets, chicken tabaka, khinkali, khachapuri, dumplings).

Simple, clear and accessible - these are the three pillars of a real wine glass. The average check at the establishment is 500-1,000 rubles.

Where: st. Petrovka, 30/7.

steaks inBrisket BBQ

Restaurant menu Brisket BBQ has been replenished with classic and alternative steaks. Now here you can try meat dishes cooked on an open grill. To the already existing classic Ribeye steak (RUB 2,400), Filet Mignon steak (RUB 2,600) was added. Among the alternatives, we added Denver (RUB 1,350) - from a juicy, aromatic and quite multi-purpose cut. Also on the menu: Sirloin Flap (RUB 1,200), Top Blade (RUB 1,400), Vegas strip (RUB 1,600).

Where: Smolensky Boulevard, 15.

As you know, in winter our body experiences a lack of vitamins, minerals and other beneficial substances. Still would! After the summer abundance of fresh fruits and the autumn vegetable table, the winter menu seems too empty, boring, monotonous and devoid of any benefit.

We hasten to please you: a diet in the cold season can be rich and healthy. And we are not talking about insanely expensive overseas products, but about quite familiar and simple ingredients that add variety to any menu... I is in a hurry to offer you 5 ideas for a winter menu that will make it healthy and incredibly tasty.

Idea #1: include cocktails and smoothies in the winter menu

Smoothies are considered to be a fairly “young” drink, however, in fact, they were invented almost 100 years ago, in the 30s of the twentieth century. This drink contains an incredible amount of useful substances, and therefore it not only replenishes the body with vitamins, but also promotes weight loss.

A smoothie is a thick cocktail of fresh fruits, berries or vegetables. The peculiarity of the smoothie is the presence of pulp; this allows you to retain more nutrients. Today this drink is an integral part of proper nutrition.

Products for making smoothies are usually selected of the same type, combining vegetables with vegetables, and fruits with fruits. Winter smoothie ingredients can be used in the following combinations:

• Pomegranate, cranberry, natural yogurt and milk.
• Banana, dates, vanilla, cinnamon.
• Natural yogurt, persimmon and oatmeal.
• Orange, tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, yogurt, honey.
• Kiwi, banana, mint.

The beauty of making smoothies lies not only in its simplicity, but also in the absence of any restrictions. You can combine any natural products, inventing more and more new recipes. You can use honey as a sweetener, and a mint leaf or a pinch of cinnamon will add an unusual note to the drink.

You shouldn’t ignore regular natural cocktails and juices. Carrot juices, citrus cocktails and other fruit and vegetable drinks will bring many benefits during the cold season and help improve health and maintain youth.

Idea #2: It's Time to Try Grain Sprouts

Sprouted grains are an incredibly healthy and tasty product. The fact is that during germination, enzymes are formed in the seeds that are capable of breaking down complex proteins and carbohydrates. Thus, sprouted grains improve the absorption of other foods and promote weight loss. In addition, sprouts contain:

• Vitamins of groups A, B, C, E and PP are necessary to improve metabolism, slow down aging, improve the condition of hair, nails and skin and the normal functioning of the body as a whole.
• Chromium, essential for enhancing insulin action, eliminating toxins and strengthening bones.
• Lithium, which improves the functioning of the immune system, neutralizes the effects of alcohol and regulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism.
• Enzymes are enzymes that speed up chemical reactions. Enzymes can improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and establish metabolic processes.
• Fiber, which acts as an antioxidant, lowers blood sugar levels and cleanses the body of toxins.

Thus, sprouted grains are a storehouse of substances necessary for the body during the cold season. Almost any grain can be sprouted for consumption. Wheat, rye, oats, rice, lentils, as well as other grains and legumes will bring many benefits and add variety to the winter diet. Sprouted grains can be added to salads and soups, and can also be used to make yogurts and smoothies.

Idea #3: homemade sauerkraut is a storehouse of vitamins

Traditional winter sauerkraut salad contains a huge amount of vitamins and microelements. Cabbage pickled at home is without a doubt one of the healthiest dishes in the cold season.

How is this product useful?

• Vitamin C - participates in metabolic processes, improves blood circulation and vascular condition, and is also a powerful energy booster.
• Vitamin B6 is involved in almost all body processes, including being necessary for the normal functioning of the immune system.
• Vitamin U - prevents gastrointestinal diseases, participates in the production of collagen and has a rejuvenating effect.
• Vitamin P is an antioxidant and also improves the condition of blood vessels.
• Vitamin K prevents the formation of blood clots and is also necessary for the absorption of calcium.
• Iodine is necessary for stabilizing hormonal levels, normal functioning of the thyroid gland and the functioning of the immune system.
• Potassium is needed for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system and the removal of toxins from the body.
• Zinc - stops inflammatory processes, renews skin and strengthens bones.

Thus, cabbage is a storehouse of truly “winter” vitamins necessary to maintain immunity, fight pathogens and strengthen bones. A serving of this salad can saturate the body with a daily dose of nutrients.

It is worth noting that we are only talking about cabbage pickled at home. Store-bought alternatives may contain preservatives and sugar, which will negate the benefits.

Idea #4: raisins, dried apricots and other dried fruits. What would it be like without them?

Dried fruits can be an excellent alternative to all kinds of sweets in the winter season. Dates, raisins, dried apricots, figs and other dried fruits have a lot of useful properties and, moreover, have an amazing taste.

• Figs perfectly strengthen the immune system, improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, normalize cholesterol levels and replenish the lack of vitamins A, B and C.
• Dried apricots are a source of iron, which is very useful for low hemoglobin. It can also strengthen blood vessels, improve vision, and improve the condition of skin and hair.
• Raisins contain almost all B vitamins and deservedly belong to the healthiest dried fruits. It normalizes sleep, has a positive effect on the nervous system and improves immunity.
• Prunes help eliminate waste and toxins, improve metabolism and help fight stress.
• Dates can restore iron deficiency, improve brain activity and improve bowel function.

Dried fruits can be consumed either in their pure form or as an additive to salads, smoothies and cereals. Regular consumption of dried fruits can quickly improve the condition of the body and overcome the blues.

Idea #5: Kelp or seaweed. Add it to your diet

Kelp is an incredibly healthy product in the winter menu. Regular consumption of seaweed allows you to:

• Lose weight. Sea kale is one of the lowest calorie foods. 100 g of kelp contains only 5.2 kcal. A small portion of this salad can satisfy your hunger and saturate your body with vitamins without overloading it with extra calories.
• Cleanse the body. Laminaria is a source of alginic acid, which can cleanse the body of toxins, metals and other harmful substances.
• Prevent thyroid diseases. The high concentration of iodine in this product can improve the functioning of the endocrine gland and prevent the appearance of goiter.
• Improve the functioning of the nervous system. Sea kale contains a fairly large amount of bromine, which helps the body fight stress and improves the functioning of the central nervous system.

As you can see, our 5 products offer incredible benefits. Include them in your diet during the cold season and you will forget about ailments and colds..

Chicken is prepared into meatballs with tomato and chili pepper sauce, celery and stracciatella and an original version of shawarma; cutlet Kiev with a butter core, sea salt, sun-dried tomatoes, smoked suluguni and parsley; chicken wings are smoked over alder shavings and glazed with hot sauce; rustic homemade poulard is simmered in the oven with sherry, sage, ginger and sweet green grapes.

In the new seasonal Chicken Run menu, quail, duck, guinea fowl and ostrich from the Moscow region are on an equal footing with chicken.

Ravioli in porcini mushroom consommé and burgers are prepared with duck. Stewed guinea fowl is used to fill shepherd's pie. Quail is served with pasta, parmesan and truffle oil, and ostrich fillet is garnished with baked potatoes and garlic sauce.

Harvest in the Hills

New appetizers have appeared, including jellied veal cheeks with pickled radishes and rabbit liver pate. The chef prepares the meat delicacy pastrami himself: he marinates the beef, smokes it and seasones it with spices.

For cabbage soup with lamb tongue, chef Anton Kletarov prepared nettles all summer

The menu has been replenished with dishes from pumpkin (salad with fried sea fish Afiya, cream soup with smoked duck, ravioli and pastrami), meat, fish, poultry (duck with feihua, beef ribs with potatoes and chorizo, pink salmon on alder bark, swordfish with fennel and spinach cream).

Russian pickles in “Who Lives Well”

For an appetizer, the chef suggests trying mincemeat made from herring with singed onions and beets, a traditional appetizer with homemade smoked lard, jellied pork legs with cornichons, and a winter salad with smoked chicken, crayfish tails and pike caviar.

The restaurant's winter menu includes dishes popular among the Russian nobility and intelligentsia over the past two centuries.

Options for hot dishes are “Beef Stroganoff” from dairy veal with boletus mushrooms according to the old Russian recipe and Siberian dumplings with sturgeon and vegetable salpicon with asparagus and Parmesan.

Loyalty to traditions in “Aragvi”

The menu includes Odessa jelly made from veal and chicken, bean soup with lamb, baked eggplant, Kiev cutlet, dzhonjoli, fish cutlets with tarragon and broccoli puree.

There are two new desserts in the sweet section: profiteroles with custard and pistachio fondant with vanilla ice cream; significant changes are expected in the near future.

Burgers at Coyote Ugly

Ruslan Nazarov And Elena Salenko, owners of the Coyote Ugly franchise in the CIS, are confident that you can come up with a full menu based on cutlets and buns. The bar's kitchen prepares rabbit burgers in a creamy sauce with champignons, beef burgers with Gorgonzola, pear and lingonberry jam, and stewed pulled beef with barbecue sauce.

The new seasonal offer, winter and high-calorie, is based on burgers

The burgers are paired with hot alcoholic cocktails: spicy English Charlotte, thick Pumpkin Grog and classic Egg Nog. The confectioners prepare the signature dessert Coyote Ugly from hazelnuts with nougat and strawberry glaze.

Spices at Max Brenner

Chocolate bars are offering roasted corn, sweet onion and avocado lime salad this winter.

The desserts on the seasonal menu feature homemade apple confiture. Served with Belgian waffles - crackers, caramel, cinnamon and ice cream

Drinks include warming aromatic teas, thick apple pie milkshake and pumpkin spice mocha.

Echoes of the past in “Moskovskaya Kukhmisterskaya”

The winter menu includes “Shuvalovskaya fish soup with imperial” (potatoes, onions, carrots and tomatoes in a broth of salmon, pike perch and cod), mincemeat of herring with veal, spicy salted herring with new potatoes and onions.

Summer salads, okroshka and botvinya gave way to hearty dishes recreated according to ancient Russian recipes

The special section of appetizers “Supplied with vodka” was replenished with pike perch heads marinated in jellied veal tongues.

Persimmon at Limoncino

The updates affected all sections of the menu. Several dishes with persimmons have appeared - the healthy berry is found in a mixed salad with duck breast and feta cheese in honey-mustard sauce, and in the new pizza with bresaola and arugula, and pumpkin risotto with duck confit.

Chef Sergei Balashov has thought out combinations of ingredients: breaded mozzarella is deep fried with tomato sauce and pesto, confit duck leg is served with stewed pear in demi-glace sauce with the addition of star anise and cinnamon.

Among the new products are “Kalamarata” pasta with burata and grilled zucchini, “Alpitine” with squid and tajar olives in a shrimp bisque sauce, capers and anchovies, halibut ceviche with avocado in lime-pepper sauce, fish plateau in tomato sauce and halibut with sautéed vegetables and oyster mushrooms.

Asian motifs in the restaurant "Meat"

This winter, the Meat kitchen is making spaghetti with crab; salmon, tuna and halibut smoked over alder wood; udon with beef, shrimp and vegetables; baked lamb with mozzarella and spicy Thai chicken soup. The final chord is hot chocolate-glazed.

Chef Alexander Byshik decided to add fish and seafood to the menu

From December 1, guests are served a glass of red wine with the cheese platter, jamon, New Zealand steak and Uruguayan rib-eye.

Inspiration from Alsace at Honest Kitchen

The menu now includes wine appetizers: young cheese mousse with dry-cured venison and nectarine, foie gras mousse with Madeira jelly, raw smoked duck with figs and young salted cheese mousse.

New items among hot appetizers include soft young cheese fried in potato shavings and marrow bone baked with fragrant Provençal herbs.

Chef and restaurant owner Sergei Eroshenko stocked up on ideas in France, where he traveled in September

The main course section has been replenished with baked king crab phalanx, honey-glazed Chinook salmon fillet, wild pheasant cutlets with port wine sauce, and beef osso buco in tomato and red wine sauce. For dessert - the author's version of the "Flight" cake.

Which dishes should be included in the menu and which ones should you avoid? What do nutritionists advise?

“During the cold period of the year, the body requires more calories, which it needs not for playing in the fresh air or swimming in the river, but for heating its own body,” says nutritionist Alexey Dobrovolsky. - Fresh fruits, vegetables and grass will definitely not keep you warm. So follow your instincts... What do you usually want after a walk in the fresh, frosty air? Of course, not cold okroshka, but some hot rich soup, high-calorie goulash, piping hot cutlets, lard with garlic... As a drink - hot tea, warm compote or a warming cocktail.

The late autumn and winter diet should contain fatty meat foods. Don't give up on vegetables and fruits either - after the New Year there will be almost no vitamins left in them, so try to lean on them now. Add vegetables to soups, prepare a warm vegetable saute as a side dish for meat, and then nothing will threaten your figure.

German eintopf or Uzbek shurpa?

Soup is something you can’t do without during the cold season. It should be hot, thick and preferably a little spicy, so that the feeling of warmth will settle inside you for a long time. According to statistics, Russian housewives most often prepare borscht, cabbage soup from fresh cabbage and chicken noodles (by the way, chicken broth is an excellent remedy for colds!).

In the summer, okroshka with mushroom mushroom is introduced into this top three, and in winter, rassolnik, solyanka and pea. For some reason, other types of soups are not so popular in our country. And in vain - try to cook some new soup for your family, and they will certainly appreciate it.

Armenian rich khash, Hungarian goulash soup, German thick eintopf, Vietnamese chicken pho - there are many options for warming soups in world cuisine. For example, in eastern, Muslim countries, rich soups with meat broths such as shurpa, shorba, sorpa or chorba are especially popular.

For example, to prepare shurpa-kavurma, sauté 200 g of onion in a saucepan, then add 700 g of coarsely chopped lamb or beef and fry the pieces of meat thoroughly. Then add 300 g of chopped tomatoes, bell peppers and carrots, season the soup with classic Uzbek seasoning - 1 tbsp. spoon of cumin, pour boiling water over everything and simmer for half an hour. Then add 700 g of coarsely chopped potatoes, add the required amount of water and cook until the potatoes are ready. At the very end, add 3 tbsp to the soup. spoons of tomato paste, 2 crushed cloves of garlic and let the dish sit for at least half an hour. If you put rice instead of potatoes, you will get a type of shurpa called “mastava”.

Pot, cook!

One pot meals are another great option for a warming fall/winter meal. It’s convenient to cook in a clay pot, serve it on the table beautifully, and besides, the dishes in it turn out incredibly tasty and very healthy. True, for culinary success you need to know some of the subtleties of working with clay pots, otherwise the porridge will run away, the potatoes won’t cook and the meat won’t cause the expected delight.

One of the important rules for cooking dishes in pots: if you add sauerkraut, put a lot of tomatoes, pour in vinegar or lemon juice - in general, you create an acidic environment, add root vegetables (potatoes, Jerusalem artichoke, beets, turnips, radishes) almost ready or not at all refuse, otherwise they will not be cooked and will be half-baked. In everything else there are no restrictions!

In a pot you can cook fish, meat, vegetables and even make a sweet dessert. If you are just starting to master earthenware, cook a classic of the genre in it - roast meat with mushrooms. This is a classic, win-win option, because any, even the toughest beef, turns out tender after a long simmer. Pork in pots also turns out incredibly tasty. You can fry the ingredients separately in advance and then put them in a vessel, or simplify the task and fill it with raw ingredients.

First, place the meat in cubes on one third of the pot, salt it thoroughly, pepper it and make a layer of grated carrots and onions (for piquancy, add a little bacon or smoked pork ribs). Then add chopped mushrooms (preferably white, but champignons can also be used) and potatoes.

Pour sour cream or cream and a small amount of cold boiled water over everything. Then put the pots in the oven, set the temperature to 160°C and forget about them for a couple of hours. You can speed up the process by setting the temperature in the cabinet to 220°C, but then it will no longer be classic simmering.

You can cook any soup in portioned pots, but more often they are used for spectacular serving. Moreover, the pot can be closed with a bread lid.

To make it, you usually use puff pastry or yeast dough (the second is less preferable due to its fluffy volume), which is rolled out in a thin layer and cut out into a circle or square. Then the flatbread must be greased on both sides with egg: on the back it acts as glue, on the front it gives a beautiful, crispy surface.

Heat the dish in a pot with dough at 160°C until it is covered with a golden crust. The person tasting it must break it so that the pieces fall directly into the dish, or cut it off and eat it instead of bread - a freshly prepared flatbread, saturated with the aromas of food, turns out very tasty.

Dish in bread

The soup can be served not only in a plate or pot, but also in bread, as is customary, for example, in traditional Czech cuisine. Most often, specially prepared round rye bread is used, but you can also take Borodino or ready-made rye loaf with strong crusts. True, before pouring soup into them, you need to remove the pulp, and then dry the bread pan in the oven for at least 10 minutes. And it’s better to fill it not with liquid borscht or cabbage soup, which will instantly saturate the crusts and the “pot” may fall apart, but with puree soup. For example, goulash, thick cheese or cream of mushroom soup look great in bread.

Cottage cheese or porridge?

If in the summer yogurt or cottage cheese was an excellent option for breakfast, now it is advisable to switch to porridge. During the cold period, it is better that warm food enters the body in the morning. When you decide to cook porridge, first wash the cereal (except buckwheat, oatmeal and semolina). Rice, millet and pearl barley are first washed with warm (up to 40°C) and then with hot water. The first removes starch and dirt from the surface of the grain, the second removes fat that appears during storage and steams the grain. Then all types of porridge (except buckwheat) are placed in boiling water.

If you want to cook porridge with milk, it is better to bring it until half cooked, drain the liquid and add the same amount of milk. For the last 5 minutes, the porridge is cooked over low heat (except for semolina, which is cooked for only 1-3 minutes) so that the cereal has time to swell. Add sugar at the very beginning, but do not overuse it. And don’t be lazy to experiment with additives to make the porridge more interesting - boil it with raisins, sprinkle with nuts, fresh strawberries, candied fruits, seeds, serve with cherry jam.

Buckwheat porridge is considered the healthiest - it is rich in vitamins and minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and especially iron) and improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. In second place is oatmeal, and rice porridge closes the top three most healthy porridges and is a good “energy” boost. However, you should not give up other types of porridge - semolina, pearl barley, millet.

It’s also very good to mix different grains - in such a dish the beneficial properties of grains are combined, and a new taste is obtained. By the way, the most famous recipe for porridge mix was invented by A.V. Suvorov, when, during a difficult crossing through the Alps, he was informed that the soldiers were suffering from malnutrition and were freezing from the cold. He ordered that all the few food supplies (barley, millet, peas and a few vegetables) be collected and boiled in a common cauldron. As a result, the army received a nutritious porridge, which was called “Suvorov”.

Roast, stew, bigos

Meat with potatoes, cabbage, vegetables, with or without sour cream... Well, what could be better during the cold season? In Polish, Belarusian and Lithuanian cuisines there is a dish called “bigos”. In ancient times, it was prepared during royal hunts, and then they began to make it at home, putting fresh and sauerkraut, different types of meat, lard, homemade sausages, smoked meats, mushrooms and a dozen other ingredients in a pot. There are countless variations of bigos, but the dish always turns out thick and satisfying. First, sauté the onion, then add 400 g of sauerkraut, 3 tbsp. spoons of tomato paste and simmer for about an hour.

In a separate frying pan, fry 200 g of different types of meat (the more there is, the tastier the bigos will be): bacon, smoked sausage, beef, pork. Then mix everything, add 400 g of chopped fresh cabbage and a little bell pepper, tomatoes, apples and porcini mushrooms. Pour the mixture with wine, salt and pepper, place in pots and cook in the oven for at least two hours at 160°C. After this, bigos can be served immediately, but it is better to cool it, keep it in the freezer overnight and only then serve - the sauerkraut in the Polish dish will become much tastier.

Pate

Delicious fatty pate will perfectly warm and satiate. Of course, you can buy it, but it’s better to prepare it yourself from fresh ingredients. Preparing pate is not difficult at all. First, chop 250 g of onions and carrots and fry them in vegetable oil. Then randomly chop 0.5 kg of beef or chicken liver and add it to the pan. Simmer everything together until cooked and add 250 g of butter. As soon as the fat has melted, remove the mixture from the heat, season it with salt and black pepper and grind everything in a blender. For a beautiful presentation, the finished pate can be placed in small shaped molds (can be used for cookies) in the form of bunnies, fish or hearts and put in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. This spectacular pate can be offered to a child or served for a holiday.

Cocktails

Mulled wine, punch, grog, Mexican coffee, hot mojito - there are a lot of options for warming cocktails. Dark rum, cognac, whiskey and wine are considered ideal alcohol for hot cocktails. You can also make strong drinks based on dry clear alcohol - gin or tequila, but only together with fruit liqueurs. But vodka is an undesirable “guest”; it has enough warming strength, but there is absolutely no aroma. In addition to alcohol, a hot cocktail should contain fruits - primarily citrus fruits, which contain fragrant essential oils, vitamins and sourness necessary to achieve the right taste.

It’s not difficult to prepare classic mulled wine: for one serving you will need 150 ml of dry red wine, 30 g of honey, several large apple and orange pieces, two sprigs of cloves and a cinnamon stick. Mix all the ingredients and heat over low heat in a Turk, remembering to stir so that the honey does not stick to the bottom and is completely dissolved. Pour the finished mulled wine, along with spices and fruits, into a glass glass with thick walls.

Beer soup with cheese and bacon

Ingredients:

Dark beer - 1 l
Bacon - 200 g
Grated cheese - 100 g
Brown bread - 6-7 slices
Garlic - 3 cloves
Green onions - 4 feathers
Butter - 80 g
Flour - 50 g
Yolks - 2 pcs.
Milk - 100 ml
Mustard - 2 tbsp. l.

Pour the beer into a bowl and leave for 1 hour.

Lightly fry the flour in a saucepan, then add oil and stir. Pour in beer and bring to a boil.

Add fried bacon and grated cheese to the soup. Wait until the cheese melts.

Beat eggs with milk. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour in the mixture in a thin stream, stirring.

Crush the garlic with salt and mustard. Cut the bread slices into cubes, coat them with the garlic mixture and fry on the grill or frying pan.

Pour the finished soup into a plate, put garlic croutons on top and garnish the dish with chopped onions.

Hungarian goulash

Ingredients:

Beef - 600 g
Potatoes - 600 g
Onions - 2-3 pcs.
Garlic - 2-3 cloves
Bell pepper - 1 pc.
Hot pepper - 1 pod
Cumin - 1 tsp.
Sweet paprika - 3 tbsp. l.
Vegetable oil - for frying

How to cook:

Clean the meat from veins, cut into pieces and fry in vegetable oil.

Add diced onions, fry and add cumin and garlic.

Cut the bell pepper into strips, potatoes into medium cubes.

Add pepper to the meat and onions, then paprika.

Pour boiling water or hot vegetable broth. When it boils, add potatoes and hot pepper cut into rings without seeds. Add salt.

Close the lid, reduce heat and simmer until fully cooked, about 30-40 minutes. Remove from heat and let the dish sit for another half hour.

Chicken pate with red wine jelly

Ingredients:

Chicken liver - 300 g
Butter - 50 g
Onions - 80 g
Carrots - 160 g
White bread - 60 g
Port (or any dry red wine) - 750 ml
Gelatin - 13 g
Cream 35% - 160 g
Egg white - 1 pc.
Orange zest - 15 g
Sugar - 50 g
Salt, nutmeg, rosemary - to taste

How to cook:

Melt half the butter in a frying pan and fry the chicken liver until fully cooked.

In another frying pan, fry the chopped onions and carrots in the remaining oil. Add three tablespoons of port, evaporate it, pour in the cream, add bread, nutmeg, rosemary, salt and sugar to taste. Leave on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring.

Soak 3 g of gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes. Add it, already soaked, to the pan with the vegetable mixture and turn off the heat and let cool. Add protein and mix.

Place chicken liver and vegetable mixture in a blender and blend.

Pour all the remaining port into a saucepan and evaporate it by two-thirds over medium heat. Add 50 g of sugar, orange zest, boil for 5 minutes and add the remaining soaked gelatin. Turn off the heat and strain through a sieve, cool.

Place the pate in a dish, pour wine jelly over it and let it harden in the refrigerator.

Mushroom puree soup in bread

Ingredients:

Mushrooms - 400 g
Onions - 2 pcs.
Flour - 2 tbsp. l.
Cream - 200 ml
Butter - 100 g
Garlic - 4 cloves
Salt, ground black pepper, nutmeg - to taste
Bread - 4 loaves

How to cook:

Melt butter, fry chopped onions and chopped mushrooms. If you use wild mushrooms, it is better to first boil them in salted water.

Add cream and flour, stir. Add seasonings and salt. If the soup is too thick, you can dilute it with milk.

Cut off the top of the round bread and scoop out the pulp from the bread. Rub the inside of each bread plate with garlic. Dry the bread in an oven preheated to 200°C for 10 minutes.

Pour the prepared cream soup into bread plates and serve.

Spanish stew "Fabada"

Ingredients:

White beans - 750 g
Smoked sausages (ideally chorizo) - 3 pcs.
Blood sausages - 3 pcs.
Bacon - 1-2 strips
Smoked pork knuckle - 150-200 g
Onions - 1 pc.
Garlic - clove
Salt, saffron - to taste

How to cook:

Soak the beans overnight. In the morning, drain the water and pour cold water over the beans so that it covers the beans. Place the pan over medium heat.

When the water boils, remove the foam, add sausages, meat, onion and garlic to the pan. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are cooked through and tender.

Add salt and saffron to taste. Allow the dish to steep before serving. By the way, the next day after preparing the fabada it will infuse and become even tastier.

Roast beef with potatoes

Ingredients:

Beef - 500 g
Potatoes - 500 g
Onions - 1-2 pcs.
Carrots - 1 pc.
Garlic - 2-3 cloves
Vegetable oil - for frying
Paprika - 1 tsp.
Salt, pepper - to taste
Green onions - a few feathers

How to cook:

Wash the potatoes, peel them, cut them into medium cubes.

Peel the beef from the films and cut into the same cubes as potatoes. Cut carrots into rings.

Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan, fry chopped onion and garlic in it.

Add meat, fry until golden brown. Put carrots.

Add water, salt, spices, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, close the lid and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add potatoes and simmer until all ingredients are fully cooked. Garnish with chopped green onions.