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Hygge cooking: 10 winter recipes that make you feel at home

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Pronounced "hoo-gah", hygge is more than just a word – it’s a fully fledged lifestyle which has gained worldwide popularity having started out in Denmark. In the unlikely event you’ve not yet heard of it, it’s time to discover the wonderful world of hygge!
Hygge is a lifestyle philosophy deriving from an old Norwegian term whose meaning sits somewhere between wellbeing and intimacy. Anything that brings comfort, happiness and relaxation within a private and pleasant setting is hygge. Hygge is enjoying being at home with a book while it’s raining outside, or watching a film with someone you love. Hygge is seeing the Christmas lights outside, is admiring the bright white of the snow or feeling the wind in your hair. It’s all those tiny things that add up to create a feeling of coziness – those moments of happiness which titillate your senses and cheer your mind as you enjoy the present.
You can create hygge in the kitchen too. All you need to do is pick your favorite recipe, get comfy and – why not? – turn off your phone or at least place it on silent.
The moment is all about you: the aroma of the food, the heat of the fire and the clinking of pans will help to create the perfect atmosphere and build a little nest where you can produce your own culinary “masterpieces” to share with your nearest and dearest.
Though all of us have “our own” personal and intimate idea of what hygge is, we’ve done our best to pick our 10 hygge winter dishes that you will enjoy preparing, tasting and sharing. Give them a go and sample the true meaning of the word hygge!

Black bread crostini with ventresca tuna

In honor of the birthplace of hygge, our first recipe is a new take on a Scandinavian classic: Smørrebrød, i.e. a slice of black bread topped with butter and salmon.

Our Italian-influenced version replaces butter with spreadable cheese and uses Ventresca Tuna in place of the salmon.

And if you want to take this one to the next level, sprinkle your finished crostini with a little chopped dill. Our first hygge recipe is served!

Spinach soup

Spinach soup with cheese croutons is a dish with Norwegian origins which is healthy and authentic and that will provide the perfect hygge tonic to those freezing winter days.

This soup is packed with spinach, cream and egg and is topped off with delicious cheese croutons.
In the space of just a few minutes, your kitchen will be thick with the aroma and warmth of the soup, which is great to serve in elegant ceramic soup dishes. And for a final flourish, we like to add a little taste of Italy by finishing with a spoonful or two of our very own Pesto.

Meat and potato pie

One of the best things about food is the way it can bring families and loved ones together around the table, but the real miracle is finding a recipe that everybody likes!

No such trouble with this meat and potato pie, a delicious dish which is quick to prepare: all you need to do is arrange layers of potatoes, ground meat and mozzarella slices in a dish.

The first thing to do is cover the bottom of the dish with a generous layer of our Pure Olive Oil, after which you can start with a layer of the boiled, sliced potatoes. Next comes a layer of the ground meat, then mozzarella, salt and rosemary, followed by a second layer of potatoes.

Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with some more Pure Olive Oil, then bake for around 30 minutes at 180°C. Once it’s ready, the dish will be scraped clean in no time!

Glazed duck breast

There are times when the simple act of cooking is enough to create a sense of serenity and to put us in a good mood. We bet that our glazed duck breast recipe is just the thing to make you rediscover the pleasure of cooking! This gourmet hygge dish features the extravagant-feeling duck paired with a sauce made from our very own Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP.

The first step is to prepare the duck by cutting off any excess fat. Next, score the skin of the duck in a criss-cross pattern.

Add a drizzle of Olive Oil to a pan, then sear the duck breast. Add some thyme, rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar, reduce and then cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the duck and place it on a board. Now for the most satisfying part: the glazed sauce! Pass the pan juices through a sieve, then return to the pan, add a big spoonful of honey and cook for a few minutes.

Rice and winter veg bowl

When we can’t travel but we’re desperate to get away, the only thing to do is to close our eyes and create an exotic and colorful dish which at least makes us feel like we’re on holiday!

This autumnal vegan poke bowl is a light and healthy dish that will take you to the other side of the planet in just a few minutes. First up, boil some jasmine rice in a mixture of water and coconut milk. While this is cooking, roast some squash and kale in the oven, sauté some broccoli in a pan and boil a handful of edamame beans for 10 minutes.

When the rice is ready, it’s finally time to assemble your bowl. Add the cooked veg, then squeeze over some lime juice and finish with a twist of pepper.

And if you love spice, add a final flourish with our Oil and Chili Pepper.

Broccoli and potato flan

Hygge cooking is about simple and seasonal ingredients which we generally already have in our cupboards or fridge – they're often the ingredients we don't really know how to make special!
To prepare this broccoli and potato flan, simply mix the two ingredients with some cubed fontina cheese, some grated parmesan, one egg and some breadcrumbs.

In the space of just a few minutes, you’ll have a succulent flan ready to serve warm on a winter night, when outside it gets dark early and all you want is a cozy embrace.

The mother of all hygge foods: kanelbullar

Returning to the Scandi theme, one of our favorite recipes is without doubt kanelbullar – traditional Swedish cinnamon rolls. Once you taste these, you’ll really start to figure this whole hygge thing out.

Dissolve 25g of yeast in 250ml of warm milk, then mix in 40g of sugar and 80g of melted butter. Next, add 400g of flour, some powdered cardamom and a pinch of salt. Right at the end, mix in a beaten egg to produce a soft dough, then leave to rest for 30-45 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the filling. In a bowl, mix 80g of butter with a spoonful of flour, some cinnamon, cardamom, Bourbon vanilla and 80g of sugar.

Once your dough has risen, deflate it and then roll out into a moderately thick rectangle. Spread the spiced butter filling over the pastry.

Using some baking paper to help you, roll up strips of the pastry, then brush with any remaining filling. Leave to rise for another 30 minutes.

Cook for around 15 minutes in an oven that has been preheated to 200°C.
The heady aroma of Christmas baking will waft through your home, drawing everybody to the kitchen to try these delicious rolls.

Pear and cinnamon clafoutis

There aren’t many things that instantly evoke the spirit of Christmas like the aroma of cinnamon, which is why we’re including it in our next recipe too: pear clafoutis!

To make it, slice 5 ripe pears and place them in the bottom of a lined baking dish. Sprinkle with a spoonful of cane sugar. In a separate bowl, mix 4 eggs, 70g of sugar, 170g of flour and 100ml of milk. Finally, add a couple of teaspoonfuls of cinnamon. Pour this mixture onto the pears and bake for around 40 minutes at 200°C.

Easy, right? In just a few simple steps, you’ll have produced a knock-out dessert which you can make even more hygge by serving it with hot tea infused with cloves and star anise!

Baked spiced plums

For an after dinner on the sofa in front of a good film, baked plums are a quick and easy solution for a fragrant and delicious dessert.

All it takes is a few, quality ingredients: very ripe plums, star anise and some good honey. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Wash the plums and slice them in half, removing the stone. Place in a baking dish. Spread a generous amount of honey on each halved plum and add some star anise too.
The rest of the magic takes place in the oven! After around 15 minutes, a delicate, fruity aroma will begin to waft through the house, amplifying the cozy feel. That’s it – your plums are ready!

Apple crumble with wholewheat flour

The last of our hygge recipes is a delicious and fragrant dessert which originates in England: apple crumble! This is a slightly healthier version made using wholewheat flour.

First of all, make your crumble. In a bowl, mix 150g of wholewheat flour with 50g of almond flour, 100g of cane sugar, the seeds of a vanilla pod and 120g of butter. Rub in all the ingredients to make a crumble, then place in the fridge to rest. While the crumble is chilling, peel and dice 5 apples and add 60g of sugar, the juice of one lemon and – of course – some cinnamon. Now simply butter a baking dish, place the apples inside then cover with the crumble mixture before baking.
As well as being delicious, this dessert can be prepared using whatever fruit you prefer – perhaps one that reminds you of your childhood! If you want to take the hygge-ness to the next level, finish with some cream or a scoop of ice cream.
Time to try all our hygge dishes to find the one that makes you feel cozy and content... Unleash your inner hygge!
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