Cosy winter sharing dishes: our best recipe ideas!

When winter sets in, there’s no excuse to let yourself go! Luckily, the season is made for sharing meals with friends. Stuck for ideas for a cosy winter get-together? Here are 4 sharing dish recipes to enjoy together: a scallop crumble, a minestrone, a fish curry and a chicken or turkey Parmentier, so you can welcome the season with pleasure and good company!

Winter sharing dish recipe No. 1: Scallop Crumble

A first winter meal idea that celebrates the best seasonal produce: scallops, leeks and mushrooms. This recipe, convivial yet refined, is sure to delight your guests. To make it you will need (serves 4):

• 12 scallops
• 200 g fresh button mushrooms
• 1 large leek
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 30 g ground almonds
• 30 g wholemeal flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 100 g softened butter
• 1 tsp mustard
• Salt and pepper

Here’s how to prepare it:

• in a bowl, mix together the butter, mustard and parsley, then season with salt and pepper;
• add the flour and ground almonds and rub together with your fingertips until you get a crumble mixture;
• preheat your oven to 180°C;
• wash the mushrooms and leek and slice them thinly;
• sauté them in a pan with a little olive oil and the crushed garlic until they have released their moisture, then set aside;
• in the same pan with the remaining oil, sear the scallops for 1 minute on each side;
• time to assemble: divide the vegetables, scallops and crumble mixture between 4 ramekins;
• bake for 10 minutes and, once the topping is nicely golden, serve!

Recipe No. 2: Minestrone

Who said soup wasn’t a sharing dish? Winter is cold, and nothing beats a warming bowl of soup enjoyed with friends. To make this delicious Italian minestrone, you will need (serves 4):

• 100 g green beans
• 1 carrot
• 1 courgette
• 1 tomato
• 1 leek
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 potatoes
• 50 g wholemeal pasta shells
• 1 x 100 g tin of white beans
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 litres vegetable stock
• Pesto

The preparation is straightforward:

• prepare all your fresh vegetables: wash, peel and cut them into small pieces;
• in a large saucepan, heat the oil and gently sweat the onion, garlic and leek;
• add the carrot, potatoes, tomato and courgette;
• cover with 2 litres of vegetable stock and simmer over a low heat for 40 minutes;
• 10 minutes before the end of cooking, add the green beans, pasta and rinsed and drained white beans;
• before serving, stir in pesto to taste and serve.

Recipe No. 3: Fish Curry

Here’s another sociable and exotic idea for a festive meal to enjoy with your mates! The spices and vibrant colours bring a touch of warmth to the chilly winter months and should delight your friends. To make this recipe, you will need (serves 4):

• 300 g salmon
• 300 g sea bream (or other white fish)
• A handful of bay scallops
• 300 g tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 bouquet garni
• 1 lemon
• 1 Golden apple
• 1 green pepper
• 3 dl fish stock
• ¼ l fat-free single cream
• Butter
• Curry powder
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander

Here’s how to prepare it:

• defrost the bay scallops and drain them;
• cut the fish fillets into large chunks and remove any bones;
• peel and deseed the tomatoes, cut them into pieces and cook in a saucepan with salt, pepper, crushed garlic and the bouquet garni until you have a thick sauce;
• peel and core the apple, cut into cubes, drizzle with lemon juice and sauté in a pan with a little butter;
• wash the pepper, slice it into strips and sauté in a pan;
• next, prepare the sauce – reduce the fish stock by half, add the cream and reduce again by half, then whisk in 60 g of cold butter to bind the sauce;
• season the sauce with curry powder, then add the tomato, apple and pepper;
• sauté the fish chunks and bay scallops in a pan with a little olive oil;
• once cooked and golden, arrange them on plates, spoon over the sauce generously and finish with a little chopped coriander.

Recipe No. 4: Chicken or Turkey Parmentier

Here’s a great classic with a twist: the hachis Parmentier. Because when it comes to winter sharing dishes, a hearty bake always springs to mind. This poultry version offers a fresh take on the original, and it’s also a handy way to use up leftover chicken. A tasty treat with less food waste. To make it, you will need (serves 4):

• 1 kg potatoes
• 800 g turkey or chicken thighs
• 2 carrots
• 1 leek
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 20 g breadcrumbs
• 1 chicken stock cube
• Olive oil
• Butter and milk for the mash

To make the recipe:

• wash the leek and chop it roughly, peel the carrots and cut into pieces, peel one onion and stud it with the cloves;
• place the meat in a casserole dish, add the leek, carrots and onion, along with the stock cube;
• cover with water and cook over a medium heat for around 40 minutes, skimming regularly;
• meanwhile, make a mash with the potatoes, making sure it is not too runny;
• once the poultry is cooked, remove it from the stock (which you will keep) and pull the meat away from the bones and skin;
• shred the meat into a frying pan, then add the second onion (finely chopped) and the carrots from the stock;
• sauté everything in a little olive oil for a few minutes, then add around 15 cl of stock;
• 5 minutes later, add 1 chopped garlic clove and the parsley, and adjust the seasoning;
• preheat your oven to 190°C;
• prepare your baking dish: butter it and rub it with garlic, spread a first layer of mash, then the chicken mixture, another layer of mash, a ladle of chicken stock and finally, the breadcrumbs;
• bake for 40 minutes, keeping an eye on the Parmentier until it is perfectly golden.

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