Dinner Basics: Winter Nights Comfort Food

Monday. Chicken Pot Pie.

Pate Brise
Ingredients -
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch granulated sugar

5-1/2 Tbsp (2/3 stick) sweet butter, chilled

3 Tbsp vegetable shortening, chilled
1/4 cup ice water

Method -
Sift the flour, salt, and sugar together into a bowl; add butter and shortening and cut them into dry ingredients with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture is like a coarse meal.

Sprinkle on and blend in enough of the ice water to make a workable dough, mixing water in lightly with a fork.

Turn dough out onto your work surface and, using the heel of your hand, smear the dough away from you, about 1/4 cup at a time. Scrape up the smeared dough into a ball, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Chicken Pot Pie from RealSimple.com

Ingredients-
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 carrots, diced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups 1 percent milk
1 10-ounce package frozen peas
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Method -
Heat oven to 400° F.
Cook the chicken in a pot of simmering water until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes; let cool, then shred.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook, stir-ring, until they begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes (do not let them darken). Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and simmer until the sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken, peas, thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Transfer to a shallow 1 1/2- to 2-quart baking dish.
Lay the crust on top, pressing to seal. Cut several vents in the crust. Place the pot pie on a baking sheet and bake until bubbling and the crust is golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

Tuesday. Mom's Baked Macaroni.

Dinner really does not get easier than this...

Feel free to substitute any cheese you prefer.

The recipe -
Boil 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
Grease Pyrex loaf pan.
Alternate layers of macaroni and American cheese starting with the macaroni.
Break 3 eggs and pour over macaroni. Fill a baking dish with milk to almost cover macaroni.
Top with bread crumbs, and parsley. Bake 350 degrees until set, usually about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

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Pasta and Bread

I am very happy that it is Friday night. What a week.

I am typing this as I am wearing a knee brace. It might be a sprain or it might be a torn muscle. Stay tuned...

This dinner was all about comfort food. My favorite homemade pasta recipe, thankfully already made and in the freezer. The zucchini was thinly sliced and sauteed in olive oil and butter. I saved a cup of the pasta water and put the cooked pasta in the pan with the zucchini. Added more butter and parmesan cheese. Slowly stirring the pasta to mix and adding the pasta water as needed. It is basically the Fettucini Alfredo recipe I make with sauteed zucchini added.

The bread was a gift from Mary Capazzo. Her husband is Mario of Mario's BEST Breads.  This was perfect for dinner. The crust was crunchy and the bread was absolutely delicious.

Chicken Pot Pie

One of our favorite dinners, especially when I have extra crust in the freezer. When I was prepping for the Easter Meat Pies I made a couple of extra batches of crust. It's like money in the bank.

Pate Brisee Recipe, with Pepper -

Ingredients -
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch granulated sugar


1 tsp black pepper
5-1/2 Tbsp (2/3 stick) sweet butter, chilled

3 Tbsp vegetable shortening, chilled
1/4 cup ice water

Method -
Sift the flour, salt, pepper, and sugar together into a bowl; add butter and shortening and cut them into dry ingredients with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture is like a coarse meal.
Sprinkle on and blend in enough of the ice water to make a workable dough, mixing water in lightly with a fork.
Turn dough out onto your work surface and, using the heel of your hand, smear the dough away from you, about 1/4 cup at a time. Scrape up the smeared dough into a ball, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 

The Pot Pie -

Ingredients
1 pound Rotisserie Chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 3/4 cups milk 
1 10-ounce package frozen mixed vegetables
1 tablespoon fresh thyme 
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper 
Pate Brise dough

Directions 
Heat oven to 400° F.
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes (do not let them darken). Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and simmer until the sauce thickens 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken, peas, thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Transfer to a shallow 1 1/2- to 2-quart baking dish.
Lay the crust on top, pressing to seal. Cut several vents in the crust. Place the pot pie on a baking sheet and bake until bubbling and the crust is golden brown.

Pastine in Chicken Broth

We can all use a little comfort right about now. When I was little one thing my Mom would make for me was Pastine in Chicken Broth. Actually, she also made Pastine in milk with butter. That will be another post at another time.

I made the soup when I got home from work and we heated up some "Loaded" Steak Stuffed Bread From Roccos off of Wooster. It was so damn good!

Pastine in Chicken Broth
Ingredients-
4 cups homemade or store-bought chicken broth.
1 2-inch piece of Parmesan cheese rind
1/2 box pastina pasta
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Sea salt to taste

Method-
In a large stockpot, bring the chicken broth and Parmesan rind to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add the tiny pastina and cook until the pasta is tender for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the Parmesan rind and discard.
Stir in 1/2 of the cheese.
Season with sea salt to taste.
Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cheese, if desired.

An Unforgettable Beef Stew

This is the second time this year I have made this stew. The recipe is an adaptation of Ina Garten's Unforgettable Beef Stew which I found on the Veggies By Candlelight blog. I also adapted that recipe to fit our tastes and to what I had in the house for ingredients.

In the blog post on Veggies by Candlelight, there are rules that the writer received from the person who gave her the recipe. They are really good and they should be followed.
Again from Veggies by Candlelight-

• You must sear the meat, not simply brown the sides. This will have to be done in batches because the beef cubes need to sizzle in a hot pan for a good five minutes before nudging them. Only when the bottoms have a dark crust and come away easily from the pan can you move on to the other sides.

• Whatever you do, please don't scrimp on the time. Stew meat takes a good long stretch of cooking before it becomes tender. Cook it low and slow for at least two hours

• Use chicken stock instead of beef. That is unless you make your own beef stock.

• For seasonings Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and good red wine.  Substituting a good dark beer for the wine is usually a great choice.  Keep the seasonings fairly simple.  If you've seared the meat well and cooked it long enough, a good stew can really stand on its own without much else.

Ingredients-
1 pound good-quality beef chuck, cubed into ~ 1 ½" sized pieces
1 1/2 cups of good red wine
2 bay leaves 
1 cup flour  
kosher salt 
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil 
1 yellow onion, chopped 
2 carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1 ½" chunks
1/2 lb small potatoes halved or quartered
1 cups beef broth
1/2 tsp chopped dried rosemary
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 
5 oz package frozen peas

Method-

The night before, or a couple of hours before you start...

Place the beef in a bowl with red wine and bay leaves.

Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Brown the Beef

The next day, preheat the oven to 300° F.

In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour,  1/2 tbsp salt, and pepper, and combine.

Lift the beef out of the marinade with a slotted spoon, discard the bay leaves, saving the marinade.

In batches, dredge the cubes of beef in the flour mix before shaking off the excess.

Heat a glug of olive oil in a large pot and brown half the beef over medium heat for 5 - 7 minutes, turning to brown evenly. See the notes above.

Place the seared beef in a bowl and continue to brown the remaining beef, adding oil as necessary. (If the beef is very lean, you'll need more oil.) 

Remove the beef and place in a bowl.

Prep the Veggies

In the Dutch oven, heat another glug of oil before adding the onions, carrots, and potatoes.

Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Add the vegetables to the bowl with the beef.

Finish the Soup

Add the reserved marinade to the empty Dutch oven and cook over high heat to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon 

Add the stock, rosemary, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. 

Add the meat and vegetables, including all the juices to the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat on top of the stove. 

Cover the pot and place it in the oven to bake it for about 2 hours, or until all of the meat and vegetables are all tender, stirring once during cooking.

If the stew is boiling rather than simmering, lower the heat to 250 or 275° F. 

Before serving, stir in the frozen peas, season to taste, and serve hot.

The Best Beef Stew

Slow cooker Saturday. This recipe is from the little cookbook that came with the slow cooker. I added carrots, for color.
This stew is delicious and hearty. It is the ultimate comfort food.

Ingredients-
2# beef chuck stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup four
Kosher salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1bay leaves
3 small potatoes, quartered
1onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 carrots, sliced

Method-
Sprinkle flour, salt, and pepper over meat. Place meat in Crock-Pot slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients and stir well.
Cover and cook on Low for 8-10 hours or until the meat is tender. Stir thoroughly before serving.

Mom's Baked Macaroni

The first day back to work and we have our first freezer meal. Mom's Baked Macaroni. True comfort food.

 

This is the best Baked Macaroni recipe ever!

The Recipe -
Boil 1/2 pound elbow macaroni.
Grease Pyrex loaf pan.
Alternate layers of macaroni and sliced American cheese starting with the macaroni.
Break 3 eggs and pour over macaroni. Fill the baking dish with milk to almost cover macaroni.
Top with bread crumbs, and parsley. Bake 350 degrees until set, usually about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Favorite Chicken Pot Pie

It was 10 years ago this month that I first used this recipe for Chicken Pot Pie. The recipe is from RealSimple and it one of our go-to recipes. We use rotisserie chicken. We have a Fresh Market in our area and on Thursday they have a special, $5.00 Rotisserie Chicken. It is not one of those heavily hormone injected birds.

For the crust of the Pot Pie, we use that Pate Brisse recipe. The CB and LB are used to differentiate the inside of the Pot Pie. One side, the CB side, does not have any of the lima beans that are part of the mixed frozen vegetables. The side that has LB has all the lima beans!

Pate Brisee Recipe -

Ingredients -
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch granulated sugar

5-1/2 Tbsp (2/3 stick) sweet butter, chilled

3 Tbsp vegetable shortening, chilled
1/4 cup ice water

Method -
Sift the flour, salt, and sugar together into a bowl; add butter and shortening and cut them into dry ingredients with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture is like coarse meal.
Sprinkle on and blend in enough of the ice water to make a workable dough, mixing water in lightly with a fork.
Turn dough out onto your work surface and, using the heel of your hand, smear the dough away from you, about 1/4 cup at a time. Scrape up the smeared dough into a ball, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 

1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour


The Pot Pie -

Ingredients
1 pound Rotisserie Chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups 1 percent milk 
1 10-ounce package frozen mixed vegetables
1 tablespoon fresh thyme 
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper 
Pate Brise dough

Directions 
Heat oven to 400° F.
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes (do not let them darken). Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and simmer until the sauce thickens 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken, peas, thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Transfer to a shallow 1 1/2- to 2-quart baking dish.

Lay the crust on top, pressing to seal. Cut several vents in the crust. Place the pot pie on a baking sheet and bake until bubbling and the crust is golden brown.

Chicken and Pastine Casserole

Continuing with the "comfort food" theme tonight we had Chicken and Pastine Casserole. The recipe is from the Giada De Laurentiis cookbook "Everyday Pasta". This was the perfect mixture of pasta, chicken and cheese. The flavors melted together perfectly.

Pastine is one of the things my Mom always made for lunch. She would either add milk or chicken broth or just butter and cheese. That is why this is designated a 'comfort food".

I had to make some changes to the original recipe. I did not mean to I just did not check the pantry before I started. Canned diced tomatoes. Nope. I used crushed tomatoes. Mozzarella cheese. Not enough so I added a little bit of cheddar. And of course, I did not use the garlic.

Click here for the original recipe.

Ingredients-
1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice,
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Method-
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more.

Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Shepherds Pie

If I had to list my favorite "comfort foods" Shepherds Pie would be in the top five. It conjures up flavor memories and family memories. The first time I had Shepherds Pie was at my Aunt Marie's house. When I got home and told my Mom about this amazing dinner my Aunt had made. My  Mom proceeded to replicate the dish and it was put in her dinner rotation.

Mashed potatoes on top of sauteed onion and beef. Mix in some thawed frozen vegetables and play with the seasonings. I go for oregano, salt, pepper and bit of horseradish. I made this on Saturday and just reheated it when I got home tonight. Pure comfort.

Zuppa di orzo (Italian Barley Soup)

There are certain food blogs that bring back memories of the food my Mom would make for dinner. One of those blogs is Memorie di Angelina. The writer's Nonna is from the Campania region of Naples. My Nonna was from the Benevento region. That is so exciting for me. I feel like the recipes on the blog are as close to cooking like my Nonna as I can get.

Tonight we had Zuppa di orzo (Italian Barley Soup). This is comfort food at it's best.
Click here for the recipe. And spend some time reading through the other recipe s at Memorie di Angelina. You will be bookmarking quite a few of them.

Comfort Food: Fried Potatoes, Hot Dogs, and Onions

A perfect dinner after a long day at work.

Just put the pan on the table with a serving spoon
and the contents of the pan will soon be gone! 

Chicken Pot PIe

Our favorite recipe from RealSimple.com did not disappoint us tonight. The crust was store bought that I had the freezer. You should always have a pie crust in the freezer, homemade or store bought.
This is one of our favorite comfort foods. And after driving home in some pretty bad weather conditions, comfort food a welcome dinner choice.

Ingredients -
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 carrots, diced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups 1 percent milk
1 10-ounce package frozen peas
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 9-inch store-bought pie crust, thawed if frozen

Method -
Heat oven to 400° F.
Cook the chicken in a pot of simmering water until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes; let cool, then shred.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes (do not let them darken). Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and simmer until the sauce thickens 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken, peas, thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Transfer to a shallow 1 1/2- to 2-quart baking dish.

Lay the crust on top, pressing to seal. Cut several vents in the crust. Place the pot pie on a baking sheet and bake until bubbling and the crust is golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

Potatoes, Onions, and Hot Dogs

One of my favorite food blogs is What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine. About a week ago there was a post that looked like a meal I had when I was little.  I reminded me of my grandmother's house on Morse Street in Hamden. I had a meal like this either at my Grandparent's apartment or at my Aunt Marie's apartment, she lived upstairs from my Grandparents. When I saw the blog post I knew I had to make this for dinner. Tonight we had Potatoes, Onions, and Hot Dogs. This is true comfort food. Simple ingredients but the flavors were perfect together. So simple and so delicious.

Sausage, Fontina and Bell Pepper Strata

The last full day of summer and we had the first comfort food of the autumn season. This recipe came from an old issue of Bon Appetit. I made 1/2 of this recipe and there is still enough for 2 meals for us.

Ingredients -
6 large eggs
3 cups milk
1/2 cup Romano Cheese
1 tablespoon oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1 pound sweet Italian sausages, casing removed
1 large bell pepper, cut in 1/2 inch wide strips
1 loaf Italian bread
2 cups coarsely grated Fontina cheese

Method-
Spray Pyrex square pan with cooking spray.
Whisk first five ingredients in large bowl. Sprinkle with pepper. Set aside.
Cook sausage and pepper until sausage is cooked through and the peppers are brown in spots about 7 minutes.

Arrange half the bread slices in the prepared pan. Pour half the egg mixture over the bread. Sprinkle with half of the cheese, then half of the sausage-pepper mixture. Repeat laying. Let stand 20 minutes, occasionally pressing on bread to submerge. Bake Strata until puffed and brown, about 1 hour. Cool slightly.

Escarole, Sausage and Bean Soup

The fall means cooking "comfort foods" for dinner.  One of ours, well one of mine, is Escarole, Sausage and Bean Soup. I like just about anything with Escarole.

Ingredients-
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage
2 small onions, cut into wedges
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 19-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 small head escarole, tough stems removed and roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Method-
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Cook the sausage, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Transfer to a cutting board and let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.
Add onions to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 6 minutes.
Add the wine and broth and bring to a boil. Add the beans, escarole, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the escarole wilts, 3 minutes.
Spoon into bowls and top with the Parmesan.

Escarole and Bean Soup

Another comfort food. I even used dried beans this time. I soaked them over night and cooked them until tender. I added a rind of Parmesan cheese that my brother-in-law gave me (Score!) and added the chopped escarole. After the escarole was tender I seasoned the soup with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Oh and don't forget the Italian bread!

Chicken Parmesan

Comfort food. My mom's recipe for Chicken Cutlets. Separate eggs. Beat the egg whites then add and beat in the yolks. Coat chicken in egg then dredge in bread crumbs (you could mix in some fresh chopped parsley). Heat canola or vegetable oil, about 1/2 inch deep. Put cutlet in oil. Do not move the cutlet too soon. Flip and fry the other side. Drain on paper towels. Place in baking pan and top with sauce, Parmesan cheese and grated mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes.

We had some homemade pasta in the freezer which made the perfect side dish. Also felt like a salad so I picked up some baby arugula mix, feta cheese, fresh mozzarella and olives. I made a quick Lemon Olive Oil Dressing. Yes this is comfort food!