Every year, I challenge myself to host a full feast for the Winter Solstice on December 21st. As an expat, the long, dark nights of winter can sometimes feel a bit too isolating. The holidays, in particular, amplify the absence of family and the familiar traditions from back home, so I decided to create my own tradition. Hosting this dinner has become my way of embracing the longest night of the year, offering a space for gathering and connection. It’s also my way of decentralizing Christmas, making it more of a celebration of the tangible shift in the seasons.
Cooking, however, is not my forte. I know. Honestly, I’m long overdue for some cooking classes. I’ve been known to bake strange cakes, mixing whatever ingredients I thought might make sense, and then only I would dare to eat them. The idea of cooking for anyone other than myself felt, and still feels, like a big challenge (seriously, I really should take those classes). In fact, I’ve avoided cooking for others as much as I could. First of all, I’m not picky, so I don’t mind eating whatever strange mix I come up with, but I’d feel shy imposing that on someone else. Secondly, I struggle with following recipes, so things rarely turn out quite as I hoped.
But then, I thought: why not make it a part of an annual ritual? Hosting this dinner was my way of making myself step outside my comfort zone. Despite the simplicity of the event, I started getting stressed out by the pressure I was putting on myself to cook a full blown feast. I decided to significantly lower the expectations and make something simple yet really delicious: a good old soup. Winter is the best season for soup, after all.
A close friend gifted me a cookbook. I flipped through it, searching for soup recipes. The concept of "simple" appealed to me, and I promised myself I would manage to follow at least one recipe a year.
A recipe caught my eye: Potage Petit Pois et Courgettes et Basilic (my recipe book is in French…). A green soup, great! I love the color green, and I love soup!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ kg zucchini
- 450 g frozen peas
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 200 g feta cheese
- 75 ml olive oil
- 1 liter vegetable stock
- 500 ml water
- some basil
- Lemon juice
- salt and pepper
- Peel and roughly dice the onions and peel the garlic. Wash and roughly chop the basil. Crumble the feta cheese. Wash the zucchini, cut into cubes.
- Heat the olive oil in a pot. Add the garlic cloves and onions and fry until translucent. Then add the zucchini pieces, season with salt and pepper and fry lightly brown over high heat while stirring.
- Add in the vegetable stock and water. Then add the peas and bring everything to a boil. When the zucchini is done (it works very quickly) add the basil. Puree everything finely and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
- Arrange the soup in bowls, put the feta cheese in the middle and serve!
It was hard to go wrong with this one and I ended up making a full meal, from appetizers to mains, all inspired by the cookbook !
It’s become a special date for me, where I gather important people in my life. Usually, they don’t know each other, and I love watching them meet. We talk, share memories from the year, and express our hopes for the next one. We play cards, listen to music, and just enjoy each other’s company.
Every year, I also try to make a new soup. One of my favorites is one with lentils, coconut milk, and curry. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Maybe I should start organizing a new culinary tradition for the summer solstice as well?
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