With cold and windy (and even snowy) days, meals to warm the heart
By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times
Few things beat a classic pot roast on a cold, rainy Spring day.
With rain and yes, even snow enveloping the area last weekend, it sure seemed a good time to hunker down to make and eat comforting food. Although the enormous fluffy flakes were beautiful, it’s April for goodness sake and high time for spring flowers and vegetables not snowflakes such as blanketed my yard. In opposition, we embarked on a comfort food extravaganza at my house.
What is comfort food anyway? Comfort foods are staples for anyone wanting a hearty meal and a little taste of home despite the weather. And there’s a reason it’s called “comfort food.” Some dishes immediately give eaters a calm, satisfied feeling that can turn a bad day around. Comfort foods will fill your stomach and warm your heart, be they rice, potatoes, sloppy joes, ribs, pot roast, casserole, meat loaf, burgers, pork chops, stew, strata, stuffing, tenderloin, chicken dinners, potpies or more.
For instance, my mother in law made pot roast every Sunday to feed her family of six – it was that family’s equivalent to everyone else’s customary fried chicken dinner. There were many happy times spent around her dining room table enjoying this tasty meal. So that is what I decided to make on our snowy afternoon along with Mac & Cheese, a true comfort food.
According to Vickie Sylvester, manager of Hank’s Place, a longstanding diner in Chadd’s Ford which provides many homemade comfort food dishes, the most popular comfort foods ordered have local roots. She said that scrapple and omelets made with Kennett Square mushrooms are perennial favorites for breakfast along with French toast and pancakes. On the lunch menu at the popular diner owned by Vuola and Peter Skiadis, a mac and cheese recipe taken from the presidential cookbook of Ronald Reagan takes top comfort food honors, using cheddar, swiss and parmesan cheeses.
Vickie’s definition of comfort food are dishes the “warm the belly” and the recipes below certainly qualify. Hank’s Place is located at Route 1 and Route 100 in Chadd’s Ford. They can be reached at 610/388-7061 and they provide takeout.
Eleanor Tidwell’s Classic Pot Roast
The key to success with any long-roasted piece of meat is to sear first and to braise to transform inexpensive, tough and often flavorless cuts of meat into a delicious meal
Ingredients:
1 3-pound chuck roast, dredged in flour
1 medium sweet or Spanish onion
3 carrots cut into medium dice
3 celery ribs cut into medium dice
3 garlic cloves, smashed and diced
¼ cup tomato paste
1 ½ cups dry red wine
2 cups or liquid to cover beef stock
Salt & pepper
Optional ingredients include thyme sprigs, parsley and whole pepper corns
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pat & dry meat on all sides. Season with salt & pepper, then dredge in flour. Sear in pot under medium heat on all sides till nicely browned. Remove meat from pot and clean out blackened pieces. Add vegetables. Stir in tomato paste. Remove ingredients and deglaze pan. Return meat, wine and stock to pot. Cover and cook for 3-4 hours till fork tender. Remove meat and strain pot juices. Thicken sauce if desired with flour slurry. Slice the meat and serve with vegetables and sauce.
“Grown Up” Mac & Cheese
I call this dish “Grown Up” because European cheeses are used in place of the usual cheddar as the main flavoring ingredient
Ingredients:
1 pound elbow macaroni
½ cup flour
1 stick butter cut into tbs pieces
1 quart milk (can incorporate evaporated milk if desired)
12 oz Gruyere cheese
8 oz Fontina cheese
6 oz sharp cheddar cheese (reserve some to sprinkle on top_
6 cut up cherry tomatoes
Salt & pepper
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Prepare pasta according to package directions
Shred cheeses. Heat milk in saucepan but don’t boil. Melt 6 tbs butter in saucepan and whisk in flour. This will make a roux. Cook 2-3 minutes to remove flour taste. Add hot milk. Take off heat and whisk in cheeses, salt & pepper. Add cooked pasta and stir well to combine. Pour into greased baking dish. Place sliced tomatoes on top, add remaining dabs of butter and place uncovered in oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes till bubbling in center. Remove and let rest.
Cathy Branciaroli also writes about her adventures in the kitchen on her blog Delaware Girl Eats
