Staying Warm When Boreas Comes to Call

Who is this? You may not know him, especially in this more modern guise I’ve created (well, the AI thought that up, to give credit where credit is due). He’s Boreas, the ancient Greek god of the North Wind, more typically depicted as a purple winged creature in horse-like form. I could have used Beira, the Celtic Queen of Winter. Or Tengliu,the Chinese goddess of Winter, wife of Feng Bo, god of Wind. Perhaps even Koraokami, a Japanese dragon god of snow, ice, wind, and rain. Come to think of it, he might be in charge of what my winters consist of. But I decided on Boreas because he is the most familiar to me. And a change from the usual goddess or woman starting beginning these posts. Handsome, too.

Ah, January. Now real Winter starts. This year, dare I say it, there has been less snow, the winds have been wild and unrelenting, stinging the face, creating twisters of fallen leaves and twigs, ruffling the feathers of birds already puffed up to stay warm, and nearly knocking over my old dog who slowly ambles along in his red plaid flannel coat.

Winter is the time for drinking mugs of coffee, pots of tea, cups of hot chocolate and for cooking caldrons of soups, stews and casseroles. I’m not taking this substack in the direction of listing recipes but I’m thinking you may be interested in trying a few new ideas, so here we go.

I had a memory of living on the Upper West Side of NYC and frequenting a rotisserie chicken place whose only other offering was kasha varnishkes, a classic Jewish dish of buckwheat groats and bow tie pasta with frizzled fried onions. Not having had it in over 40 years, I googled the recipe (you can, too) and made it this week and not for the last time). For whatever reason, I’ve been thinking of my Slavic ancestors on my father’s side and making Ukrainian mushroom soup, kasha and ground beef casserole, and buckwheat soup. Cabbage is prominent is Slavic cooking. My favorite is golabki or stuffed cabbage rolls. My next favorite is pierogis, either savory or sweet. My paternal grandmother, the one I thought was Bab Yaga in disguise, used to cook those foods. For dessert, honey cake was often available using the honey from the hives my grandfather kept.

Another soup I’m making is one of the most served in Finland: lohikeitto or salmon soup. You could consider this more elevated than the heavy Slavic dishes I’ve noted. Actually it’s quite elegant, consisting of salmon chunks, potatoes, leeks, and a lot of dill in a light cream base. It comes together quickly as well. Again, consult Chef Google for the precise recipe.

With all that rich food and the weather curtailing regular vigorous exercise, I’ve doubled down on beverages. My current favorite green tea is a roasted Japanese hojicha. For white tea, a Champs de Lavande from Upton Teas, a Chinese honey oolong tea from Upton, and a Nordqvist Tiikerin Paivauni black tea with elderberry, quince and honey flavors. Each of the teas require water boiled to different temperatures, hence the choice of a Cosori electric kettle. Guess work is no substitute.

For coffees, I use a small espresso machine, a Bialetti, or an Aero-press. Only one is a regular coffee, the rest are decaf so I can sleep at night. Adding whipped cream to decaf in the afternoon is a treat. It also goes on top of hot chocolate when temps plummet into the single digits.

Apparel wise (no fashion here), Uniqlo Heattech is a fabric I wear as a first layer (long sleeve crew neck tee and in frigid temps, the leggings under pants). And footwear, I can’t say enough good about Icebug boots to prevent face planting onto the ice and snow.

I’ve been reading Grimms fairy tales and rereading Women Who Run With the Wolves because the first time around in 1992, I was in a very different place in every sense of the word. I’m also reading more Marie Von Franz… “Psychological Meaning of Redemption Myths in Fairy Tales”. What an intellect she had. Working and collaborating with Carl Jung from 1933 until his death in 1961, she continued to write until her death in 1998. Finally, I have just begun Zoe Gilbert’s fantastical first novel “Folk”, set on in a world she names Neverness. It promises to be magical.

What I’m choosing on Instagram and shake my head in amazement at is Davidszauder. I recommend checking this one out. And I continue to subscribe to flower garden and bird posts because they are tidbits of beauty.

I have no TV (really), but streamed the last season of Vera (only 2 episodes, be forwarned) and am re-watching the horror-mystery-comedy years of Midsomer Murders. I ask myself how I could have watched them all but recall so little now. Hmm…

This is how my Winter is going. Now it’s your turn. How about about yours?