Here’s What Sonia Chopra Is Cooking This Month
I want to be the kind of person who eats nothing but cookies and cocoa all December, but really what I find myself craving the most at the end of the year is bold and bright flavors to cut through the cold weather and dark-way-too-early skies (though let’s be real, I’m certainly not turning up my nose at cookie tins and peppermint-flavored specialty drinks). So this month I’m making dishes that are punchy and warm—and most of all, easy—to sustain me through the hectic holiday season, whether I’m trying to spin up a quick weeknight dinner or host for a crowd.
Photo by Marina Delio1/12Sparkling Cranberry and Brie Bites
This is my kind of appetizer: nothing more than cheese and crackers fancied up with an over-the-top garnish—in this case, cranberries coated in maple syrup and sugar so they sparkle. Festive!
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Ali Nardi2/12Figs-in-a-Blanket With Goat Cheese
As a vegetarian, I’m always way jealous when pigs in a blanket show up as party fare—they’re just so cute. For some reason I’d never thought to find a meatless version until I came across this recipe, but now I’m scheming to have people over just so I have an excuse to try these sweet-spicy-creamy treats.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton4/12Cinnamon–Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie
Photo by Elena Heatherwick5/12Confit Tandoori Chickpeas
These low-effort, high-reward spicy, stewy chickpeas are in constant rotation in my home, because they are 1) easy 2) cheap 3) totally delicious and 4) so versatile. Peel some (okay, a lot of) garlic, crush some spices, open some cans and spice jars, throw everything into a pot, and, an hour and change later, dinner is ready. Eat them with rice or flatbreads and trust that the leftovers are just as delicious.
Photo by Eva Kolenko7/12Spicy Unstuffed Pasta Shells With Roasted Garlic and Chèvre
I love a nostalgic dish (see: figs in a blanket), and there’s something about stuffed pasta shells that takes me right back to childhood. This version is less fussy but just as fun. For another great-for-a-crowd red-sauce dish, try this vegetarian lasagna.
Photo by Johnny Autry8/12Paneer Korma
Until I read the headnote of this recipe, I couldn’t pinpoint why korma felt like a special occasion meal to me. But now I’m wondering if maybe it’s because of its very royal history! In any case, this version has baked paneer and a luxurious, creamy sauce that tastes like it took hours to come together (it does not), making it the ideal vegetarian main at your next winter dinner party.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton9/12Sonoran-Style Potato, Cheese, and Tomato Soup
I caught myself in a soup rut recently, making the same three recipes over and over again. So of course I turned to the new Epicurious app to find something different and came across Christian Reynoso’s version of caldo de queso. I skipped the optional splash of milk and the result is bright and nourishing.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne10/12Gâteau Chocolat-Menthe (Chocolate-Mint Cake)
Photo by Romulo Yanes12/12Toasted-Coconut Marshmallow Squares
We’re visiting close friends this month, and we’re already planning to make marshmallows with their kids. Flavor these to your preference, dip them in chocolate, or eat them plain—you can’t go wrong whatever you choose.
