It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Bring out the decorations, hit play on the holiday classics, and cook your favorite festive dishes with fresh and original ingredients featured this month.
Black Salt
Want to add a little flair to dinner? A staple in South Asian cuisine, black salt is the ultimate way to add a whole new dimension to your Insta-worthy dishes.
The distinct shade and earthy flavour of this gourmet finishing salt come from a mix of sea salt flakes and activated charcoal — a natural water treatment solution and detoxifying agent. Roasted for an entire day to develop its unique profile, this mighty mineral blend also has less sodium than your average table salt.
To dial up the wow-factor, use black salt on contrasting, lightly coloured foods like deviled eggs, baked potatoes, roast chicken, fish, and seafood.
Kalette
If you’re as keen on kale as we are, then you’re going to love specialty kalettes (also known as kale lollipops) — a unique blend of kale and Brussels sprouts brought together using traditional, non-GMO cultivation techniques.
With vibrant purple stems and frilly leaves; a hearty, toothsome texture; and a nutty, mildly bittersweet flavour, you really get the best of both worlds with these adorable hybrid veggies.
Milder than Brussels sprouts, more tender than kale, and packed with the vitamins and minerals of their superfood parents, kalettes are equally delicious grilled, roasted, steamed, sautéed, or raw.
Carambola
The first star of dinner is (drum roll, please…) carambola! Funky, fruity, and fun, the carambola’s claim to fame is its star-shaped cross-sections — hence its nickname, star fruit.
Assuming you can resist gobbling up all the juicy stars while prepping, carambola adds a sweet and sour crunch to salads, curries, fish and seafood dishes, jams, cakes, and pies! Dry them out for delicious, nutritious chips or an eye-catching garnish for mixed drinks and sangria.
A star on the outside and the inside, this entirely edible fruit is low in calories, high in antioxidants, and loaded with fiber and vitamin C (over 50% of the daily recommended intake, depending on the serving).
Mosto Cotto
Whether you call it sapa, vino cotto or mosto cotto (“cooked must” in Italian), this timeless Mediterranean sweetener is like liquid gold, especially for grape lovers!
A product of Ancient Rome, mosto cotto is a rich, purple-hued syrup created from grape must during the winemaking process. Reduced for 12 hours, the grape must develops into a symphony of complex aromas and flavours: sweet, mildly tangy, with notes of dried fruit, caramel, and spice.
Drizzle mosto cotto on ice cream, yogurt, or salad, or use as a substitute for maple syrup, sugar, or honey. It’s a must-try!
Flavour of the Month: Beets!
Like cranberry, pecan, and pumpkin spice, beets are a top-tier seasonal flavour and the perfect ingredient for your holiday feasts! Loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, the many varieties of this sweet, crunchy vegetable can be enjoyed in so many ways, raw or cooked. Try them in a juice (Mauve Mood Cold-Pressed Juice) or as a spread (Beet & Dill Hummus) on your selection page and keep your eye out for beets featured in ready-to-cook recipes all month long.
There are so many unique and delicious ingredients to add to your cart this month! Which one are you most looking forward to trying? Let us know @goodfoodca!
Image Credits
Hero image, image 1-4: via Goodfood