COMFORT FOOD FOR MANY OCCASIONS

Friday, December 2, 2005

This is what my Aunt Prissy had to say about this week's theme of comfort food: "Cooking is definitely more than just an activity we do to satisfy the need of hunger. It is saying I love you, I'm sorry, Congratulations, you'll do better next time, I understand." I couldn't agree more.

Chicken Pot Pie is a dish I have made often to say exactly those kinds of things; it's place in the comfort food category has as much to do with the comfort I am giving away by making it as with the comfort I receive from doing so. Whether for a friend who has a new baby, a church pot-luck dinner, new neighbors, or the loss of a loved one, Chicken Pot Pie has been a reliable staple. It's a safe-enough dish to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters, and kids usually like it too (especially if you cut the carrots into small enough pieces). Also, it goes a long way if you use a whole chicken, and most people I know have only had the frozen kind, so a homemade one is a real treat (sad, I know, but true!).

Different takes on the basic idea of chicken pie abound--Sara Foster and Ina Garten both make a version topped with biscuits, some people use puff pastry, other people use celery or green peas or potatoes or heavy cream. My way is pretty unfussy. When I make it for just us, for dinner, I make this recipe in a black cast-iron skillet, which dirties only one dish if the chicken is cooked already (the dishwasher around here really likes this recipe for that reason alone!) To take somewhere, I double the recipe, cook the filling in my biggest saucepan, and then dump it all in a big casserole. The key to its tasting really, truly homemade, I think, is in the stock, which imparts a richer chicken flavor than plain canned broth (but that works in a pinch too).

I'm going to give you the steps, from stock to finished pie, but I would never do this all in the same day. Usually, when I roast a chicken, I make stock from the carcass and reserve any leftover meat. This pie makes perfect use of both. If you don't have leftovers from a whole chicken, you can always cook breast meat in water with lemons, garlic, onions, and a carrot, and make a stock that way. However you make your chicken pie, I hope you will serve it to someone who could use a plateful of comfort. In my experience, this does just the trick.

Chicken Skillet Pie

To make stock:

In a roasting pan (I use the same one the chicken was originally roasted in), roast the bones and leftover drippings at 400 degrees for about an hour, until the bones are a deep, dark brown. Scrape everything from the roasting pan into a large stockpot; cover with water. Add a lemon, quartered, an onion, quartered, and a few cloves of garlic. Salt and pepper well. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for a long time (I never time it; I just let it sit all afternoon). Strain the solids and skim off any visible fat. You can keep it refrigerated if you plan to use it soon, or freeze.

To make pie:

1/2 T. butter

1/2 T. olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, sliced very thinly

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup diced carrot

1 T. butter

1 T. flour

1 1/2 - 2 cups stock

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken meat, chopped

1 refrigerated pie crust

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium-low. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until they begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and carrots and cook, stirring, until all the vegetables are very, very tender, about 20 minutes. Salt and pepper. Scrape the vegetables to the sides of the skillet, leaving the middle of the skillet open. Add the butter and flour, and mash together quickly to form a paste. Once they have combined, then stir into the vegetables to coat. Add the stock a little at a time to thicken, stirring constantly. You don't want it to be too thick because it will lose some of its liquid in the oven, but you don't want a runny pie either. The liquid should begin to coat your spoon. Stir in the chicken and remove from the heat. Cut the pie crust into long strips, laying them on top of the pie in a lattice pattern. (Of course, this is optional; I just think it looks pretty!) Bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until the crust is brown and the filling is bubbly. These quantities can easily be adjusted depending on how much chicken you have and how many people you plan to feed. This recipe easily serves 4.

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STIRRING THERAPY

Thursday, December 1, 2005

I love to eat risotto. It is creamy and hearty, perfectly satisfying on a cold night. What I love even more, though, is to cook risotto. In some recipes, the method is its own reward, and for me, the methodical stirring-and-adding process of making risotto is thoroughly rewarding. I think it's because I spend so much of my time researching, writing and reading that my mind is happy for the opportunity to unwind with the motion of my wooden spoon. And that's exactly what happens--when I have less than an hour to make dinner, this method is one I often turn to because the very act of making it relaxes me, a pretty challenging feat at this point in the semester. Nothing has to be done in a hurry, it's versatile enough to accommodate a wide variety of flavor combinations, and I've never had it turn out badly. It does take concentrated time (you can't mix everything up and stick it in the oven), and if you don't like to stir, this isn't the dish for you. But, in my opinion, the results are well worth the effort.

You can add any number of vegetable combinations to your risotto; for this one, I used an assortment of mushrooms and the arugula growing in my backyard. My method is based on Sara Foster's Risotto for All Seasons, in Fresh Everyday.

Mushroom-Arugula Risotto

4 cups chicken broth

Olive oil

Butter

2 portabello mushrooms, cut into chunks

1 cup assorted other mushrooms (I used shitake and oyster)

1 cup torn arugula leaves

1 yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine

2 ounces Fontina cheese

Salt and cracked pepper

Usually, risotto recipes call for the chicken broth to be warm (Foster says to bring it to a simmer in a saucepan), but I forgot to do that last time I made it and it turned out just fine. Omitting this step gets one less dish dirty, and my husband always appreciates that, so I'm cutting out that step (but I feel the need to tell you about it, in case you are a strictly-follow-the-recipe kind of cook). In a very large saucepan or skillet, melt the butter (about a tablespoon) and olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) together over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook until translucent and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the rice, and stir constantly until the grains move easily around the skillet and shimmer a little, about 2 minutes. Now you start the stirring-and-adding process. Start with the wine: add it to the rice and stir (slowly and methodically, to maximize the therapeutic aspects!) until most of the liquid is absorbed (the rice will begin to sizzle a little in the pan, signaling that it's time to add more liquid). Salt and pepper between liquid additions. Next, add the chicken broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, following the same procedure. When you are nearing the end of the chicken stock, the risotto should be creamy and the rice pieces should be tender (not terribly hard to the bite). Stir in the mushrooms and half of the arugula at this point, adding more broth if you need to. You can also put a lid on it and steam it for a few minutes if the rice still doesn't taste done. Mine always takes right around 20 minutes total (from when I add the first liquid to the last). Last, stir in the cheese. Serve with the remaining arugula on top.

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AUNT JENNIFER'S WHITE CHILI

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

The Aunts' Recipe Book, a collection of Ellis family recipes I received when I got married, contains dozens of notecards with each of my Mississippi aunts' handwriting on them. I love to look closely at each card to see what it tells me about its author. Aunt Cindi's cards are big and bright; they have fun stickers in each corner and the cookbook from which the recipe came. Aunt Prissy's tend to be very opinionated and a little on the bossy side, but very precise. Aunt Em's recipes are written on the back of whatever she had handy at the moment; many of the ones in this book are scratched on the back of very old Christmas cards featuring her boys in matching sailor suits (they're almost all teenagers now!) Aunt Jennifer's recipes, for the most part, are simple and straightforward, occasionally adorned with a comment about what the recipe means to her and her family.

When I first started cooking, Aunt Jennifer's recipe for White Chili was approachable, but not so easy that it didn't feel like "real" cooking. I find her style to be like that: she believes that food doesn't have to be fussy to be good, and that if more people learned to cook simple, satisfying meals, we'd have many more families sitting down to home-cooked meals, instead of to pizza or McDonald's.

This chili is a little like a spiced-up chicken soup, heartier because of the beans, and edgier because of the red pepper and cumin. I love to make a pot of this soup on a dreary Saturday or Sunday afternoon and let it sit for a while. As with most chili recipes, the longer the flavors have to mingle, the better it tastes. I always stir in a few extra thoughts of Aunt Jennifer, for whom I was named, who always served my noodles on top of my spaghetti when I was a kid and never told my mom that I asked her to, and with whom I share a love of teaching and good books. As a matter of fact, this soup goes great with a good book for lunch, if you happen to have one on hand.

Aunt Jennifer's White Chili

1 pound white navy beans (Aunt Jen says canned is ok, so I don't argue. Just don't tell Aunt Prissy. I don't drain them, either)

2 pounds chicken breasts, or 2-3 cups of cooked chicken meat (I used the leftovers from our Thanksgiving roast chicken)

6 cups chicken broth or stock (I used a combination of canned and homemade)

1 T. olive oil

2 med. onions (I like the sweet yellow ones in this dish)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 t. cumin

1 t. oregano (I used fresh because I have it in my backyard)

1/4 t. ground cloves

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

If using uncooked chicken, cook it in water on the stove until all the meat turns white and comes apart easily with a fork. In a large pot, cook the onions and garlic in olive oil until very, very soft. Chop the chicken into small pieces; add everything else to the pot. Simmer for at least 30-45 minutes, preferably longer. Just be careful not to let it boil, or you'll lose liquid. Serve with any or all of the following garnishes: salsa, sour cream, Monterey Jack cheese, tortillas, chopped oregano or cilantro.

P.S. I realize that I am not abiding by the days on the menu, but it's been one of those weeks already. I promise to post the Chicken Pie and Risotto recipes later in the week! 

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THE COMFORT OF FOOD

Sunday, November 28, 2005

I grew up in a house where medicine was practically non-existent. My mother believed in the power of orange juice to cure a sore throat, a Sprite-and-crackers diet to get rid of a stomach bug. Looking back, it seems as if food cured many ailments--if I had a bad day at school, we baked cookies. If I broke up with a boyfriend, I ate mint-chocolate chip ice cream for dinner...or breakfast. Often, when I was in college, my mom would drop off homemade muffins just to say she missed me. 

Perhaps in light of my upbringing, then, food for me has not only the power to sustain, but also to heal, to comfort, and to cheer me up. People in the South often talk of "comfort food," and this time of year, when the outside world starts to appear lifeless and cold, I find myself standing over the stove to warm myself and my husband with the healing power of food.

This week, I offer recipes that I have turned to at one time or another for comfort, either for me or for a loved one, in hopes of spreading food's magical, healing power. Of course, in order for these recipes to be effective, you must also sprinkle in a healthy dose of care and love. Believe me, people can taste it.

This first recipe belongs to my mom. Anyone that has ever been to her house in the winter knows about Mom's Spiced Tea. For as long as I can remember, she kept this warm drink on hand during the cold months to offer to guests and to drink on dreary afternoons. When David and I were dating, it became a running joke: whenever he came to visit, she offered him spiced tea until he finally said yes (sometimes 4 or 5 times in the course of 1 visit!). He eventually learned just to accept on her first offer, for his drinking spiced tea was inevitable.

Since we've been married, I have followed her tradition of keeping this warm drink on hand. This very day, you'll find a big pot of it on my stove, and late in the afternoon, David and I will probably take a break from our studies, and let ourselves be rejuvenated by Mom's Spiced Tea.

Mom's Spiced Tea

4 quarts water

2 cinnamon sticks

2 dozen whole cloves

3 family-size or 7 regular tea bags

3/4 - 1 cup sugar

1 46-ounce can pineapple juice

1 12-ounce can frozen orange juice

1 12-ounce can frozen lemonade

Fill a large stock pot with the water, and add the cinnamon sticks and cloves. Bring to a boil, and boil for 15 minutes. The aroma of this step alone is worth making the tea! Add the tea bags, turn off the heat, and steep, covered, for 15 minutes. Sweeten with the sugar (I usually end up adding closer to a whole cup, but I add 3/4 to begin with and then taste after I've added the other ingredients. You can always add more later), stirring to dissolve. Turn the heat to low, and add the juices, stirring to combine. At this point, you can taste it and adjust the sweetness. I leave it in the pot on my stove because our house is old and drafty, so it stays very cool. If you live in a well-insulated house, you may want to refrigerate it. To serve, just reheat and stir well (all the pulp settles to the bottom). It has been known to cure many a cold in my family, but that could be purely psychological. Which is fine by me.

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MAIL TRUCK

Saturday, November 26, 2005

One smart cookie came up with a brilliant idea: people who love food enough to write about it should send each other food. Real food. In the mail. Cathy of My Little Kitchen, host of this month's Blogging By Mail, asked participants to send holiday-themed food and recipes.

My package, lovingly tucked into the box you see above by Heather in Kansas, contained the following fun items:

• monster cookies. These have so many decadent ingredients, how could they not be divine? Peanut butter, chocolate chips, M&M's...you can find the recipe over at Heather's blog. I am having to fight my husband for the last of these.

• two very cute dishtowels. Someone must have told Heather about the stained, ragged-edged cloths barely passing for dish towels hanging in my kitchen. The sunflowers (the Kansas state flower) are a particularly bright and welcome replacement!

• two weeks worth of the food section from her local newspaper in Topeka, which sadly (for its readers), is only one page. However, one page contains a recipe for Dog Breath Chili, so I'm not complaining.

• a picture of her spacious kitchen

• two very cute note cards and envelopes that look homemade--Heather, did you make them?

• a little orange candle that smells a lot like the next item...

• my favorite: pumpkin bread! Tucked in beneath the dish towels, I discovered a loaf of dense, spicy bread that is the perfect breakfast with coffee. Or mid-morning snack with tea. Or mid-afternoon snack. Or before-bed snack. I love it with a little pat of butter. Here it is:

Like me, Heather is in graduate school. She writes in her letter that she started blogging to find an outlet for her creativity, also like me. She has only been at it for a couple of months now, so head on over and check out Eating 4 One. Also head over to Cathy's to check out the round up and see what other fun things people have been swapping in the mail.

Heather, thanks so much for sharing your holidays with me through this very fun package. As I sit here and sip my tea with pumpkin bread and my spicy candle burning, I am thinking very nice thoughts of you. Happy Holidays!

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