Already preparing for the upcoming New Year holidays? Then it's time to think about what you can cook and how to serve it, and we have compiled a list of seven essential products and ready-made dishes for you. Thanks to this article, you will find out what absolutely must be on the New Year's table 2021 in the Year of the Ox!
1. Vegetables, Berries, and Fruits
The symbol of 2021 is a peaceful, clearly non-predatory animal, so prepare plant-based products for the celebration. You can simply make a vegetable platter or, if you have time, decorate each dish with cucumber slices, tomato rings, carrot sticks, etc.
Underneath fish and meat dishes (except beef, which is taboo on the New Year's table), place a couple of lettuce leaves or Napa cabbage. This way, you can appease the Ox and impress your guests with beautiful presentation. Berries are also an excellent option for the festive table. And you can also use them to quickly decorate other treats.
2. Greens
In addition to vegetables, fragrant parsley, aromatic dill, vitamin-rich celery, healthy arugula, or fresh green onions are also suitable. They will not only serve as a kind of decor for the feast but also improve the digestibility of other, heavier foods.
A wonderful idea would be spinach soup or a sauce made from this ingredient. However, if you don't usually use these types of greens, opt for more familiar options. The conservative Ox doesn't particularly like experiments and delicacies.
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3. Grains
Buckwheat, rice, bulgur, millet, pearl barley, corn, peas – there are many options. You can choose a simpler method and cook any porridge as the main side dish for New Year's. If you have time to get creative, try adding these products to every dish. For example, cutlets with buckwheat, cookies with oatmeal, pilaf with pork, pea puree gravy for meat, etc.
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4. White-Colored Dishes
This shade will be symbolic in 2021. It is important that it is reflected in the festive treats. Salads with mayonnaise, béchamel, tartar or garlic sauce, casseroles with light cheese, cakes with snow-white cream, dishes with cauliflower, dishes decorated with egg whites, etc., are suitable.
5. Traditional Delicacies
The Ox will not appreciate exotic dishes or first culinary experiments. Therefore, for New Year's Eve, it is better to opt for familiar homemade dishes. If you cook something specific for every holiday, be sure to include this option in the festive menu again.
Try to choose dishes made from products that can be easily found in any store. Even better if they are 100% domestic products, not exotic items imported from abroad.
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6. Sweet Desserts
Oddly enough, astrologers agree that the White Metal Ox is quite a sweet tooth. This means that for New Year 2021, you must prepare a dessert, or even several.
The only prohibitions are jelly and marmalade, as they contain gelatin, which is highly undesirable for the New Year's table. However, if you find or prepare such sweets with agar-agar or starch, the Ox will be favorably disposed. Ideal dessert options for 2021 are homemade cakes or cookies.
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7. Homemade Drinks
Since the symbol of 2021 values everything family-oriented, familiar, and native, make sure that your New Year's table includes personally brewed drinks. Kissel (again, without gelatin), uzvar, homemade lemonade (without soda), compote, fruit drink, canned birch sap are best suited.
If you don't like such drinks or they don't fit the overall theme of the feast, offer guests loose-leaf tea or brewed cocoa with dessert. Avoid fancy cocktails and high-proof alcohol. But mulled wine would be a fantastic idea!
