What’s more lovely than a pile of wrapped books underneath the Christmas tree, waiting to be discovered by their recipients? Here’s what I’ll be wrapping and reading this winter:

Maybe my head is broken, but I swear this Red Bull Winter Edition Arctic Berry Energy Drink smelled and tasted like blueberry with my first sip. Of course, that’s impossible because there’s already a blueberry-flavored Red Bull. And it clearly states it’s a “cool raspberry” flavor on the can. My recipe for the tastiest, juiciest Italian style meatballs is based on the classic Southern Italian meatballs, which Italians called polpette, made in Sicily and Calabria with ricotta, parmesan and pecorino cheeses, that are fried until brown then simmered in a rich classic Italian tomato sauce. Cook them in your favourite fry-pan or trusty skillet. Serve these meatballs with tomato sauce as the Southern Italian do, at the centre of the table, sprinkled with chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, celery leaves or fragrant basil, with a simple salad of fresh rucola tossed in extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar – or with your favourite pasta. We’ve also got a recipe for spaghetti and meatballs here. Our Irish beef and Guinness pie recipe with mashed potatoes will make you four addictive mini meat pies made in ramekins. This recipe was created to use up leftover Irish stew and mashed potato leftovers – or leftover colcannon if you prefer – and is a fantastic recipe to plan on making when you next cook Irish food. Don’t forget to pierce a small hole in the pie lid and brush on the egg wash. Set the timer for 30 minutes, though we found that while our little pies were ready at 30 minutes, they needed a few more minutes to brown nicely on top.In south India, “gunpowder”, or milagai podi, is considered similarly useful. A seasoned mix of roasted, ground coconut and lentils, it is best known for flavouring potatoes, but Avinash Shashidhara, the head chef at Pahli Hill in London says: “We use it on everything, even on ghee-buttered toast.” Powdered seaweed Warm Potato Salad Recipe with Anchovies, Capers, Chives and Celery Leaves That’s Also Delicious Cold This Winter Edition Red Bull started being available in Summer 2020. Yes, it’s a bit early, but not surprising anymore since the brand released its 2020 Summer Edition in Winter 2020. Ugh. I feel I broke my head a little more by typing the first half of this paragraph. I could really use something that vitalizes my body and mind. Arctic Berry replaces Plum Twist, which was the Winter Edition from 2018-2019 in the U.S. Using a blender, blitz the skin and a little coarse salt to a fine powder. Portion out your batch of powder – you could use an ice-cube tray or clingfilm “twists” – and freeze in an airtight container. Sumac

Arctic Berry is not my favorite Winter Edition Red Bull. Granted, there have only been two in the US, so it can either be the best or second-best (or worst) US Winter Edition Red Bull at this time. So I guess it’s the second-best. It’s definitely much lower down the list when it comes to all the brand’s flavors. A clue where some of the words do double duty, as in this case where “blown up” is the anagrind and part of the definition are called “semi &lit”, I believe.The energy drink looks like a pre-freezer or melted Louie-Bloo Raspberry Otter Pop, but it doesn’t taste like one was poured into a Red Bull. It’s a blue raspberry-flavored Red Bull, but its tartness is heavier than an Otter Pop. And, of course, there’s that medicinal aftertaste the energy drink is known for. The blueberry scent I initially sniffed turned into a cotton candy-like aroma as I nursed the can. After eight weeks of dumpings, recouplings and plenty of drama, Love Island 2021 final has come to an end, with the Majorcan villa shutting its doors for another year.

A versatile workhorse,” says Alex Rushmer, the chef at Vanderlyle, a plant-focused restaurant in Cambridge. Peel red or white onions, separate the “petals” on a roasting tray and bake them in a process of “dehydration, caramelisation and controlled burning” at 160-190C (140C-170C fan)/325-375F/gas 3-5 for approximately one hour, until dried and dark brown. Keep an eye on their progress: “They should turn to powder when you squeeze them in your hand.” If you’ve cooked our recipes and enjoyed them, please consider supporting Grantourismo by supporting our epic Cambodian cuisine history and cookbook on Patreon, which you can do for as little as the price of a coffee. Or you could buy us a coffee and we’ll use our coffee money to buy cooking ingredients for recipe testing.Terence has been making Singapore curry laksa since we first started slurping the spicy coconut curry noodle soup in Sydney in the 1980s, at a massively popular ‘Singapore Curry Laksa’ stall in subterranean food court in Chinatown food court. Big bowls of laksa served as dinner on many a cold winter’s night. While Terence has long been obsessed with recreating that original noodle soup we adored (he has 10 different curry laksa recipes in his recipe manager!) this recipe comes courtesy of legendary Sydney chef, Christine Manfield. Don’t be deterred by the list of 17 ingredients. The final result is well worth the effort of pounding your own curry paste from scratch.

This traditional Irish beef and Guinness stew recipe with cheese dumplings delivers a hearty beef stew made with Ireland’s beloved stout beer, with meat so tender you can pull it apart with a spoon and fork. It also includes a recipe within a recipe for savoury cheddar cheese dumplings that cook with the stew. Though you could serve it with mashed potatoes or greens if you prefer. If you enjoy this, also try our best Irish stew recipe, which makes an incredibly rich and deeply flavoured traditional Irish stew, arguably the national dish of Ireland. DALI– Cryptic definition. Roald is Dahl, so a little like Dahl would be Dahl-y, sounding like Salvador Dali, the painter. And the new AI image generator is called Dall-E a reference to the film about the robot Wall-E. A fantastic salt alternative, saysGrainger: “It gives another layer, umami and flavour impact, without tasting like pure salt.” In a blender, with a little salt to help the grind, blitz sheets of seaweed (“nori or dulse work best”) into fine dust. “It’s great on fish or vegetable dishes.” Dunn’s River all-purpose seasoning

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Now before I tell you about our 31 recipes to cook in January, the winter edition, I have a favour to ask. Grantourismo is reader-supported. There is a specific yaji for cooking sauces (this includes dawadawa, fermented locust bean), while peanut-boosted yaji-kuli is used on those suya kebabs, hot off the grill. “It adds texture to the meat,” says Bakare, who grew up using basic yaji to season salads or, in combination with mai shanu butter, rice pancakes and couscous. Nut parmesan When the first series of Winter Love Island debuted on ITV2, it was supposed to be one of two seasons to air in 2020, however coronavirus restrictions ended up cancelling last year’s main summer series. Our collection of 31 Recipes to Cook in January, the Winter Edition, is for our readers experiencing a particularly chilly winter in the northern hemisphere and are in need of warming dishes that comfort and nourish. It includes everything from spicy Southeast Asian soups and hearty European stews to comforting meatballs and filling pastas. VICTORIA– Double Def. And the name of my daughter, who failed to get this clue when I WhatsApped it to her this morning.