Favorite winter comfort foods

braumeister

braumeister

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Now that the colder weather is starting, I thought it might be fun to share some of our favorite wintertime comfort food recipes. I'll start with what I think is the best macaroni and cheese I've ever had. It comes from a place called Beecher's, across from Pike Place Market in Seattle. This is the actual recipe, as given away by the owner. Not that simple, but well worth the effort.

Mac & Cheese
(serves 4 as a side dish)
(if you double the recipe to make a main dish, bake in a 9"x13" pan for 30 minutes)
6 oz penne pasta
2 cups Beecher's Flagship cheese sauce(*)
1 oz cheddar, grated (¼ cup)
1 oz Gruyère, grated (¼ cup)
¼ to ½ tsp chipotle chili powder

Preheat oven to 350°F
Oil or butter an 8" baking dish
Cook penne 2 minutes less than package directions (it will finish cooking in the oven). Rinse in cold water and set aside.
Combined cooked pasta and Flagship Sauce in a medium bowl and mix carefully but thoroughly. Scrape pasta into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle grated cheeses on top, then the chili powder.
Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

(*)Flagship cheese sauce
(makes about 4 cups)
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
14 oz semihard cheese, grated (about 3½ cups)
2 oz semisoft cheese, grated
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ to ½ tsp chipotle chili powder
⅛ tsp garlic powder

Melt butter in heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Keep whisking and cooking for 2 minutes.
Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat. Add cheese, salt, chili powder, and garlic powder.
Stir until cheese is melted and all ingredients incorporated, about 3 minutes.
Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
NOTE: A single batch of sauce makes enough for a double recipe of mac & cheese.
 
Last edited:
Thank you! I mistyped that line. I fixed my OP now. The 2 oz is semisoft.
 
Pasta e Fagioli! I saw this on Cook's Country on PBS and have made it several times. The blended beans add a richness that is delicious. (I got the recipe from a blog to get around the Cook's Country enrollment)

Since I live alone, I make a full batch up to the point of adding the pasta, divide it into quarters, and freeze 3 of the 4 portions without the pasta. Then when I defrost a batch I cook the pasta in the soup.

Pasta e Fagioli

Ingredients:

2 (15-ounce) cans cannelloni beans, rinsed
1 cup water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 onions, chopped fine
2 carrots, peeled and chopped fine
2 ounces pancetta, chopped fine
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
4 cups chicken broth
4 ounces (1 cup) ditalini pasta
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup), plus extra for serving
1/2 cups finely chopped fresh basil


Directions:
1. Process 1 can of beans and water in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, carrots, celery, pancetta, salt, and pepper and cook until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.
3. Add tomato paste, garlic, and pepper flakes, if using, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, remaining can of beans, and pureed bean mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors have melded, about 10 minutes.
4. Increase heat to medium and bring to boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, about 12 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan and basil. Serve, drizzled with extra oil and passing extra Parmesan separately.
 
wow, that recipe looks wonderful, I love mac and cheese!

Here's one from my Amish cookbook, easy and you can adjust/add/subtract any seasonings or veggies to the main recipe.

Goulash

1 Cup elbow macaroni
1 lb ground beef
one onion
2 cups chopped celery
one can (2 oz) mushrooms, undrained
one chopped green pepper
1 (15 ounce) can tomatoes sauce or three cups tomatoe juice
1/2 cup ketchup
one teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup water
Boiling water

Place macaroni in bowl. Cover with boiling water, let set.
While macaroni blanches, cook beef and onion. Drain fat. Drain macaroni and add to meat along with celery and mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes sauce, ketchup, seasonings, and water.
Mix thoroughly. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Basic ingredients, I tend to add some hot sauce, and carrots to mine.
 
Here's another of my favorites. I learned this one in Newfoundland. Went for dinner at a little cafe, just six tables, and thought I had died and gone to heaven, it was so good. Made friends with the owner over the next few days and she finally gave me the recipe. This is one of those deceptively simple dishes that just works perfectly and is easy to make on a cold winter day.

Codfish au gratin, Newfoundland style

1 lb codfish, cut in 1" cubes
½ cup butter
½ cup flour
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups milk
½ tsp seasoned salt
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375°F
In a medium saucepan, melt butter, stir in flour until smooth
Whisk constantly, cooking for 5 minutes
Reduce heat, whisk in half the milk, stir for 2-3 minutes until smooth
Add remainder of milk, salt, pepper, and onion
Whisk until it starts to thicken
Mix cheese with breadcrumbs
Place cod in greased baking dish
Cover with sauce and top with cheese/breadcrumb mixture
Bake 20-25 minutes until golden on top
 
Raclette...

Raclette cheese
boiled and peeled potatoes
an assortment of cured meat (like coppa and dry-cured ham)
pickled veggies
black pepper


Place the boiled potatoes, meat, and veggies on a plate. Melt the raclette cheese and pour it over the potatoes. Season the cheese with pepper. Yum.
 
FIREd said:
Raclette...
Click to expand...

OMG!! Yes, not much better than that. If you're ever in Zurich, there is a really marvelous little place called (strangely enough) Raclette Factory. They do a wide variety of raclette dishes. Inexpensive (for Switzerland) and very popular.
 
It's still summer here, no sign of fall yet. But when it comes, I always make Coq au Vin. I have several recipes that are pretty similar. To save some typing, I will just link to the NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018529-coq-au-vin. It's much better with mashed potatoes though; skip the silly little toast points that are never going to soak up enough of the sauce.
 
Frito Pie (or just the Chili) & almost anything in a crock-pot. I like to be a lazy cook whenever possible.
 
cathy63 said:
It's still summer here, no sign of fall yet. But when it comes, I always make Coq au Vin. I have several recipes that are pretty similar. To save some typing, I will just link to the NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018529-coq-au-vin. It's much better with mashed potatoes though; skip the silly little toast points that are never going to soak up enough of the sauce.
Click to expand...

Cathy63, using the link, NYT requires creating an account (free, for a while, I guess). I'm reluctant to sign up due to them (and others) peppering my email with marketing. I get enough already. Can you cut and paste the recipe to your post?
 
aja8888 said:
Cathy63, using the link, NYT requires creating an account (free, for a while, I guess). I'm reluctant to sign up due to them (and others) peppering my email with marketing. I get enough already. Can you cut and paste the recipe to your post?
Click to expand...

Coq au Vin
By Melissa Clark
YIELD4 servings
TIME2 1/2 hours, plus marinating
Save to Recipe Box

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6:00
Recipe: Coq au Vin
Francesco Tonelli for The New York Times

A coq au vin is a classic French stew in which chicken is braised slowly in red wine and a little brandy to yield a supremely rich sauce filled with tender meat, crisp bits of bacon, mushrooms and burnished pearl onions. Traditional recipes call for a whole cut-up chicken, but using all dark meat gives you a particularly succulent dish without the risk of overcooked white meat. However, if you would rather substitute a whole cut-up bird, just add the breasts in the last 30 minutes of simmering. If you want to skip the croutons for garnish you can, but they do add a lovely, buttery crunch alongside the soft, simmered meat and vegetables. This recipe is part of The New Essentials of French Cooking, a guide to definitive dishes every modern cook should master. Buy the book.

French, Roasts, Soups And Stews, Chicken, Mushroom, Pancetta, Pearl Onion, Red Wine, Dinner, Main Course Mark as Cooked 1,714 ratings

INGREDIENTS
3 pounds chicken legs and thighs
2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste
3 cups hearty red wine, preferably from Burgundy
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
4 ounces lardons, pancetta or bacon, diced into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
8 ounces white or brown mushrooms, halved if large, and sliced (about 4 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brandy
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces peeled pearl onions (about 12 to 15 onions)
Pinch sugar
2 slices white bread, cut into triangles, crusts removed
¼ cup chopped parsley, more for serving


PREPARATION
Season chicken with 2 1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a large bowl, combine chicken, wine, bay leaf and thyme. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or, even better, overnight.

In a large Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot with a tightfitting lid, cook lardons over medium-low heat until fat has rendered, and lardons are golden and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer lardons to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving rendered fat in pot.

Remove chicken from wine, reserving the marinade. Pat chicken pieces with paper towels until very dry. Heat lardon fat over medium heat until it’s just about to smoke. Working in batches if necessary, add chicken in a single layer and cook until well browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. (Add oil if the pot looks a little dry.) Transfer chicken to a plate as it browns.

Add diced onion, carrot, half the mushrooms and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to pot. Cook until vegetables are lightly browned, about 8 minutes, stirring up any brown bits from the pot, and adjusting heat if necessary to prevent burning.

Stir in garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, then stir in flour and cook for another minute. Remove from heat, push vegetables to one side of pot, pour brandy into empty side, and ignite with a match. (If you’re too nervous to ignite it, just cook brandy down for 1 minute.) Once the flame dies down, add reserved marinade, bring to a boil, and reduce halfway (to 1 1/2 cups), about 12 minutes. Skim off any large pockets of foam that form on the surface.

Add chicken, any accumulated juices and half the cooked lardons to the pot. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, turning halfway through. Uncover pot and simmer for 15 minutes to thicken. Taste and add salt and pepper, if necessary.

Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons oil in a nonstick or other large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pearl onions, a pinch of sugar and salt to taste. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, shaking skillet often to move onions around. Uncover, push onions to one side of skillet, add remaining mushrooms, and raise heat to medium-high. Continue to cook until browned, stirring mushrooms frequently, and gently tossing onions occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove onions and mushrooms from skillet, and wipe it out.

In same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until bubbling. Add bread and toast on all sides until golden, about 2 minutes per side. (Adjust heat if needed to prevent burning.) Remove from skillet and sprinkle with salt.

To serve, dip croutons in wine sauce, then coat in parsley. Add pearl onions, mushrooms and remaining half of the cooked lardons to the pot. Baste with wine sauce, sprinkle with parsley and serve with croutons on top.
 
We love fresh Chestnuts. Score the shell, roast at 350 for 20 minutes, peel and eat when cool enough to handle.
 
More complicated than most recipes online (which won't be nearly as good), and I don't remember where I got it MANY years ago - but the BEST Aelplermaggrone recipe. Sometimes we refer to it as "adult mac & cheese" though there's much more to it - imagine fondue cheese flavored mac & cheese.

Aelplermaggrone

4 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces potatoes, quartered and sliced (we like red or baby yukons, we prefer skin on but you can peel)
  • 10 ounces macaroni or similar pasta
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 large onions, halved and sliced thin
  • 4 ounces Emmenthal cheese shredded (good Swiss is fine)
  • 4 ounces Gruyère cheese shredded (NO substitute)
  • 3 ounces Sbrinz shredded (VERY hard to find, Parmesan or similar is just fine)
  • 1¼ cups heavy cream
  • salt & pepper to taste (go easy, cheese is salty)
Steps:

  1. Slice onions. In a large skillet or pan, melt butter and oil over low heat. Add the onion and saute slowly to caramelize, turning every few minutes to evenly brown. The onions will reduce considerably. Cook about 20-30 minutes until the onions have turned a rich brown, set aside. [The onions can caramelize while you continue with next steps]
  2. In a large pot, bring water to a boil, add macaroni & potatoes and boil for 6-8 minutes (or whatever time pasta directions recommend, add potatoes with 5 minutes left if a longer pasta time is recommended). Drain in a colander and set aside.
  3. Mix together three cheeses in a bowl.
  4. Heat the cream in a small saucepan (we reuse the pan in step 1) just until it is barely simmering. Whisk in about a third of the cheese until the sauce is melted and smooth (you can take it off heat in a few minutes), set aside.
  5. Heat oven to 375°F.
  6. Butter the bottom and sides of a large, deep baking dish (at least 2 quarts).
  7. In a large bowl (we reuse the pot in step 2) toss together the pasta, potato, second third of cheese, salt and pepper, place in baking dish.
  8. Pour the cheese sauce evenly over the mixture, the sprinkle the remaining third of cheese over the top.
  9. Arrange the caramelized onion over the top. [You can stop at this point and bake the dish a few hours later]
  10. Cover the dish (alum foil or fitted cover). Bake for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and the mixture is thoroughly hot.
  11. Serve at once. Goes well with a good (toasted) bread and/or good applesauce, and dry white wine.
INCREDIBLE!!!

732160-960x720-aelplermagronen-mit-birnenspalten.jpg

 
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My winter comfort dishes are many. Mainly, in the winter I like food that is served piping hot, something you would not want to eat when it's 100F outside.

These include: chicken soup, beef stew, chicken cacciatore, ossobuco, red and green chili, oriental noodle soups, rice porridge, etc... If it is piping hot, I like it.

I will not post recipes. Too lazy. The Web has it all. Thought about linking in some Web photos, but I feel too lazy for that too. :)
 
Last edited:
Texas Chili - No beans

Good Texas Chili

Ingredients:

8 slices bacon
1 3- to 4-pound beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1” cubes
kosher salt
1 large onion, diced
2 jalapeños, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. ancho chili powder
1 tbsp. chipotle chili powder
1/2 tbsp. dried oregano
1/2 tbsp. ground cumin
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 c. lager beer
32 oz. low-sodium beef broth
2 c. water

Shredded cheddar, for serving
Sour cream, for serving
Chopped chives, for serving
Cornbread, for serving


Directions:

In a large pot, cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
Add beef cubes to bacon fat and sear until browned on all sides. Season with salt. Set aside.

Add onion, jalapeños, and garlic to pot and stir until soft, 5 minutes.

Add tomato paste and stir, then add spice mix and stir until combined, then return beef and bacon to pot and add crushed tomatoes, beer, beef broth, and water.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let cook until meat is tender, about 2 hours.

Serve garnished with cheese and serve with corn bread.
 
pacergal said:
wow, that recipe looks wonderful, I love mac and cheese!
Click to expand...

I've been faithful to my favorite mac and cheese recipe for over 35 years, from James Beard's "Beard on Pasta". I am trying yours today Braumeister, because it has the two features I always attributed to the deliciousness of the Beard recipe: a much heavier sauce to pasta ratio than usual, and a hit of chile. Beard's has a generous hit of tabasco at the end, which was never identifiable but really added something. I love chipotle so I am looking forward to that variation.

Thanks for the recipe!
 
aja8888 said:
Cathy63, using the link, NYT requires creating an account (free, for a while, I guess). I'm reluctant to sign up due to them (and others) peppering my email with marketing. I get enough already. Can you cut and paste the recipe to your post?
Click to expand...

Sorry about that. You can get to it with an incognito browser window, or I see MissMolly copied it for you.
 
Having home-made ham and bean soup tonight.

Boiled down the bone (with lots of meat left on) from a ham shank. Soaked the beans over night. Cleaned the meat off the bone and then DW then sautéed onions, carrots, celery and cooked it down. Added some chicken stock to thin it a little. I'm sure she puts some other spices in, but not sure what they are. Biscuits tonight, but corn bread is good too.

Next favorite is turkey soup.

Friends look at us like we are crazy to save the bones or carcass and make soup, but we love it.
 
CardsFan said:
Next favorite is turkey soup.

Friends look at us like we are crazy to save the bones or carcass and make soup, but we love it.
Click to expand...

We put the carcass in the slow cooker, make stock, then stew.
 
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