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Buddha Belly Interiors

Mmm...toasty: Warm up your Winter with these hearty and tasty comfort foods

Jump to recipes:

Chicken Stew ● Banana Bread Pudding ● Three Cheeses & Macaroni ● Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes ● Cream of Anything Soup ● Chocolate Pudding

By Carol Dearth

Ahhh. Outside my window, the rain drizzles down and my mind wanders languorously to comfort food.

Like sitting next to a fire with a blanket and a great friend, I love the experience of cooking something from scratch…truly a labor of love—which provides comfort on so many levels. Comfort food takes me to childhood memories, past informal and often impromptu dinners with great friends. Comfort food sticks to your ribs…and also warms your soul.

Hearty country dishes are just the ticket for cold, rainy Northwest Winter evenings. I like foods that are easily prepared, but more importantly can be prepared in advance. To me, comfort food means warmth, and, almost as importantly, low-stress preparation. Meal choices that can be made ahead, and then reheated or (even better) frozen for later use—that’s what I call great comfort food. “Defrost and reheat,” three very comfortable words when it comes to Winter-warmth dinners.

For an ideal comfort-food menu, start with a heavenly (and hearty) chicken stew. But what to serve with the stew? My personal favorite—garlicky, cheesy mashed potatoes! Serve them on the side, in pasta bowls with the stew, or, when the stew is done and still in the Dutch oven, spoon or pipe the mashed potatoes over the top. Return the pot to the oven for ten-to-fifteen minutes, until the potatoes just begin to brown. Yippee—You’ve just made Chicken Herder’s Pie. The pie can be frozen, and will keep three months in the freezer.

Who can talk about comfort food without mentioning macaroni and cheese? At my house, it’s all about the cheese. And if you’re looking for an “elegance upgrade,” add one finely-grated or sliced truffle to the sauce with the milk for posh “Truffled Mac ‘n’ Cheese.”

No comfort-food meal is complete without a heart-warming dessert. One of my personal addictions comes from my grandmother’s kitchen. She ran a boarding house, and her food was legendary, especially her Banana Bread Pudding. My modified recipe adds a few flavors, and is almost as delicious as my grandma’s version.

Chicken Stew

Stews take time to prepare, but the end result is worth the extra cooking time. Start with the more flavorful and cheaper cuts of chicken thighs for this dish—They will be tender and succulent come serving time. One bonus: heavenly aromas from the oven.

Ingredients:

5 cups chicken stock

2 chicken bouillon cubes

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds), cut in 1-inch pieces

12 tablespoons butter

2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 whole onions)

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 1/2 cups frozen small white whole onions, thawed

Kosher salt

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup heavy cream

freshly ground black pepper

2 cups medium carrots, sliced

1 10-ounce package frozen peas (2 cups’ worth)

1/2 cup minced parsley

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Heat the stock to boiling, stir in the bouillon cubes. Set aside.

In large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the chicken. Brown on one side, turn and brown on second side, about 5 minutes total cooking time. Remove chicken from pan and add the chopped onions, red bell peppers and whole small onions. Sauté the onions and 2 teaspoons salt over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the flour; cook and stir over low heat for two minutes. Add the hot stock to the onion mixture, stir and cook until it begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon pepper and the heavy cream. Then add the carrots. Mix well. Transfer the stew to the preheated oven; bake 1 1/2-2 hours. Stir in the peas and parsley. Bake an additional 6-8 minutes.

Serves 6 to 8.

Banana Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 cup whole milk or half-and-half

1 teaspoon almond extract

dash freshly-grated nutmeg

6 cups bread, cut in 3⁄4-inch dice

1 banana (whole)

2 tablespoons butter, plus extra to coat the dishes

1⁄4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons amaretto liqueur

1⁄4 cup chocolate chips

1 tablespoon slivered almonds

2 teaspoons sugar, for tops

4-6 tablespoons caramel sauce (optional)

12 thin slices of banana

Generously butter insides of four ramekins or custard cups; place on baking sheet, set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine eggs, milk or half-and-half, vanilla, and nutmeg. In large bowl, pour egg mixture over bread cubes, stir to mix well. Set aside for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, quarter banana lengthwise, then cut into 3⁄4-inch pieces. Melt butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add banana pieces and brown sugar, cook until sugar is melted and bubbly. Remove from heat, stir in liqueur, and let cool.

Combine banana and egg mixtures, stir in chocolate chips. Spoon into prepared ramekins.

(This can be prepared to this point 4-5 hours ahead. Cover, refrigerate until ready to cook.)

Sprinkle tops of puddings with slivered almonds, then sugar. Bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes. Tops should be golden brown and crunchy. Serve warm, drizzled with caramel sauce, and garnished with banana slices.

Serves 4.

Three Cheeses & Macaroni

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter, divided, plus a little extra for the baking dish

4 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika, divided

2 1/4 cups milk

1/4 cup flour (Wondra or all-purpose)

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 clove garlic, peeled

4 ounces grated extra-sharp white cheddar cheese, divided

4 ounces grated Gruyère or Havarti cheese, divided

4 ounces grated Romano cheese, divided

1/2 cup sour cream

8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked al dente and drained well (Cook the macaroni about 1 1/2 minutes less than the recommended cooking time listed on the package. The macaroni will continue to cook and soften in the oven.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish, set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika; toss with melted butter. Set aside. Heat the milk—Microwave on high for about 2 minutes.

In large skillet, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Whisk in flour, mustard, salt, nutmeg, remaining paprika, and freshly-ground black pepper (to taste) until smooth. Cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes or until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Add hot milk, whisking until smooth. Add garlic clove, return to a simmer, and simmer about 10 minutes until mixture thickens. Remove saucepan from heat. Reserve 1/2 cup of each cheese for the topping, then stir the rest of the cheese into sauce until melted. Whisk in sour cream. Remove and discard garlic clove.

Place macaroni in baking dish; add cheese sauce, stirring to coat all of the macaroni with sauce. Sprinkle with half the breadcrumb mixture, then remaining cheese, and top with remaining breadcrumbs.

(You can put this recipe on hold here for up to two days! Just cover tightly and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before baking, and add an additional 5 minutes to the baking time.)

Bake uncovered about 20 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Allow mixture to stand 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 entrée or 8 side-dish servings.

Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup milk or low-sodium chicken stock, heated

1/4 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon freshly-minced parsley

salt and white pepper to taste

hot pepper sauce to taste

Cut potatoes into equal-size chunks, about 3⁄4 inch. Place in large saucepan; cover with cold water. Cover pot; bring to boil over high heat. When water boils, add salt. Continue to boil, uncovered, until potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes.

While potatoes cook, heat butter in small pan or in microwave until butter sizzles. Add garlic; cook just until fragrant. Stir in milk or stock; heat through. Remove from heat; keep warm.

When potatoes are done, drain well. Immediately press hot potatoes through ricer into a large ovenproof mixing bowl, or mash by hand. Continue mashing, or whip with electric mixer, adding hot-milk/stock mixture to thin and smooth to desired consistency. Stir in Parmesan and parsley. Season well with salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Serve piping hot.

This can be prepared in advance: To hold potatoes for up to two hours, place in 160° F oven, loosely covered. Whisk potatoes before serving.

Shortcut: Prepare the dish with instant potato buds: Using quantities from the box, melt butter and add minced garlic. Cook 1 minute. Add the milk (or prepare with stock) and water, heat to a boil. Stir in the buds. Then season the potatoes with the Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Serves 4 to 6.

Cream of Anything Soup

(Online Extra!)

Ingredients:

4-5 cups water or low-sodium stock

1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)

4 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1 large sliced onion

4 tablespoons flour (Wondra is best, all-purpose will work) OR 1 medium potato, cut into small dice

1 pound raw (or frozen and thawed) vegetable of your choice (choose from list below)

1/2 teaspoon seasoning (from list below)

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 cup heavy cream, or evaporated milk (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon Madeira wine or sherry

In medium saucepan, heat stock or water and bouillon cube to simmer. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and pinch of salt; cook until soft. Add flour, whisk until smooth; cook 3-5 minutes. Ladle hot water or stock and bouillon to flour mixture. Set aside some finely-julienned vegetables to add later as garnish. Chop remaining vegetables; add to stock mixture with the paired seasoning and thyme. Cook 10-to-30 minutes or until soft, depending on size and type of vegetable chosen. (More for bigger ingredients, less for smaller.)

Ladle hot soup mixture into blender jar, taking care to fill no more than half-full. Hold the lid on the jar tightly with a pot holder or kitchen towel. Then turn on the blender at low speed. Gradually increase the speed to purée the soup to desired consistency. For velvety-smooth soup, strain through a sieve. Continue processing the soup in batches until all has been puréed. Return purée to pan. Add cream or evaporated milk to desired consistency. Correct seasonings to taste and stir in Madeira wine or sherry. Serve topped with reserved vegetable garnish. Makes about 7 cups of soup.

Possible vegetable and flavor combinations:

mushrooms with white pepper
carrots with ginger
broccoli with nutmeg
cauliflower with caraway, thyme
asparagus serve sprinkled with Parmesan
winter squash with curry
15-ounce can chopped tomatoes with curry, marjoram, or oregano

These soups may be prepared 2-3 days in advance and chilled. Just reheat gently to serve. And they freeze beautifully for up to three months.

Chocolate Pudding

(Online Extra!)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups COLD milk

2 ounces semi-sweet or bitter sweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla

whipped cream, for garnish (optional)

In medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt, gradually stir in milk. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat; let stand 1 minute. Fold in chopped chocolate; let stand 2 minutes, then add vanilla and stir until the chocolate is well-combined. Pour into individual serving dishes; cover and chill, or serve warm.

Serves 4-5. ■

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