Lentils: simple and nutritious at the same time
Photo:Getty ImagesThe queen of the Mediterranean diet is perhaps the main product that is worth paying attention to in the cold. It is nutritious, but at the same time not as banal as rice or buckwheat, it is easy to prepare, and it is quite budget-friendly.When buying lentils, you need to pay attention to two things: size and color. The smaller the grain, the better the product. As for the color, the cooking time depends on it. Small red lentils are the fastest to cook: it takes about 20 minutes to cook them. With green lentils, you will have to tinker for at least 40 minutes, or even an hour. In any case, whichever variety you choose, the cooking technology is the same: pour the lentils into a large saucepan, pour a glass of red wine, add broth so that it completely covers the beans, and cook until completely soft, adding broth or hot water as needed. Once the lentils are ready, be sure to season them with good olive oil and a handful of chopped coriander leaves. Another
Pumpkin: sauces, pies and stew
Photo:Getty ImagesOf course, pumpkins first become popular during Halloween. But you shouldn't forget about them after October 31 either: the season for redheads lasts almost until early December, and whole pumpkins can be stored all winter long, so it's definitely worth stocking up on a couple of specimens. It seems that more has already been said than necessary about how versatile pumpkins are in the gastronomic sense: they are ideal both as puree - in soups, and in pies, and as a component of tagine, ratatouille, pasta sauce or vegetable stew. You can also marinate pumpkins. In general, you definitely won't get bored with them until at least the New Year!
Persimmon: the best way to please yourself
A photo: Getty Images If the previous participants in the list of seasonal November and December products are more likely to respond to nutrition, the persimmon is exactly the best way to please yourself. However paradoxical it may sound, the persimmon season begins with the first freezes. That, you will agree, is a very weighty argument, helping them to accept. If for some reason you are bored with absorbing persimmon by itself, fresh, try combining persimmon with salad mix, pumpkin seeds and goat cheese. You can fill this salad with almost any of the classic dressings: olive oil, balsamic or even just a mixture of lemon juice and honey.
Cranberry: vitamin records
Photo:Getty ImagesEven though the actual time to pick cranberries is September, not November, it’s still worth paying close attention to them now. Berries picked in September are sold frozen, but even so they break all records for vitamin C and antioxidant content. The main thing is to defrost the cranberries correctly. If you plan to use cranberries for sauce (with honey and cinnamon – a great option for baked meat), there is no need to defrost the berries: they should be placed in already boiling water or syrup. The same goes for adding cranberries to vegetable stew. And in the case of pie filling, cranberries should be taken out of the freezer in advance and allowed to defrost completely naturally; this will take 1–2 hours, depending on the volume.
