Winter Fruit and Veg: Top Picks and Easy Recipes for Seasonal Produce

The first day of winter marks the arrival of a fresh range of seasonal fruit and vegetables, with cooler weather bringing some of Australia’s best produce into abundance.

Top Winter Picks

Home cook and content creator Louise Arnold joined Sunrise to share the winter ingredients offering the best value at the supermarket right now. Drawing inspiration from her family’s fruit and vegetable business in Albury, Arnold is known for creating simple, veggie-packed recipes that make the most of what’s in season.

Among her top winter picks are Imperial mandarins, pears, oranges and kiwifruit, alongside vegetables including Brussels sprouts, pumpkin, cauliflower, broccoli and leeks.

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Easy Recipes to Try

To help Australians make the most of the season’s produce, Arnold demonstrated two easy recipes: a chocolate mandarin bark featuring sweet Imperial mandarins, and her viral crispy smashed Brussels sprouts, which have attracted more than 28 million views online.

Mandarin Choc Bark

Ingredients:

• 100g dark chocolate (about 1 block), melted
• 2-3 Imperial mandarins, peeled and sliced
• ½ cup pomegranate arils (sub fresh raspberries if pomegranate isn’t available)
• 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios
• 2 tablespoons shredded coconut

Method:

1. Line a flat tray with baking paper.
2. Peel and slice the mandarins at the cross-section and lay the rounds on a lined baking tray.
3. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.
4. Gently melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, or in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring until smooth.
5. Pour the chocolate onto the lined tray and spread into an even layer about 5 mm thick.
6. Working quickly while the chocolate is still soft, scatter the nuts and shredded coconut.
7. Chill in the fridge for around 20 minutes until firm, then break into shards to serve.

Crispy Smashed Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan

Ingredients:

• 700 g small Brussels sprouts, trimmed (leave most of the stem intact so the leaves hold together)
• Olive oil, to drizzle
• 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp cracked black pepper

Method:

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until fork-tender, 7 minutes. Drain, run under cold water to stop the cooking, then pat as dry as possible.
2. Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan-forced 200°C) and line a baking tray.
3. Spread the sprouts on a lined oven tray and use the base of a glass to gently but firmly smash each one flat. Pat dry again.
4. Drizzle or brush with olive oil, then sprinkle over the parmesan, salt and pepper.
5. Bake for 25–30 minutes until golden and crisp.