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La Cucina di Betty: Comfort food
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Anonymous user Thu Oct 26, 2006 15:36:08 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments Food is really comforting in the fall. Colder weather makes the best time for those hot, warm dishes, but we all know  some foods are  pretty comforting anytime of the year.
Many people relate comfort food to something they eat when they are sad or lonely, but when I think of comfort food,  I think of my youth  and the foods my mom used to make.
We were raised in an Italian household where the phrase “comfort food” didn’t exist, but in my mother’s Italian way she knew what we needed. Whether it was when my sisters and I had or cold, or it was just cold outside, or we needed something to calm us down and make our aches feel better, my mother’s comfort food was always there to rely on. It could be minestrone soup, roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, or a pasta, but it wasn’t comfort food unless it was made just like Mom used to make it.
To me, comfort food goes along with the happiness of being a family and having a cozy evening at home.
I think we Baby Boomers all grew up with the idea of comfort food, and this new generation isn’t sure of its meaning. When I asked my kids what they thought their favorite comfort food was, they first asked me to define it. I explained that this culinary concept is something you enjoy at home, made by Mom, and would never order in a restaurant. It would never taste as good as Mom’s and could ruin a good memory!
Once we defined it, they shared their likes: pasta, chicken and dumplings, beef stew, warm apple pie, bread pudding and even chocolate ice cream. Of course, these foods are similar to those I associate with warmth and family, leading to the next aspect of the definition of comfort food: they are recipes handed down from generation to generation, creating warmth and togetherness.
I realized that I had accomplished for my children what my mother accomplished for my sisters and me.
Now, I’d like to share with you all.
When the kids have the flu, sore throat or wisdom teeth removed, we turned to the aid of pasta. The pasta brand Ronzoni makes a pasta called Acini Pepe. It is a little tiny pasta we grew up calling “baby pasta.”
The recipe goes like this:
Take one 14-ounce can of chicken broth and bring it to a simmer, then gradually add 1⁄2 cup Acini Pepe pasta, simmer over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take from the heat and add one tablespoon of butter and two tablespoons of parmesan cheese. Try it and you will agree it is comforting.
Comfort food is something that needs to be hearty. It needs to stick to your ribs and has to be fattening. It must not be lo-cal or “lite.”
It is food that will elevate your cholesterol, and although you don’t want to eat it every night, it is a great reminder of the love and warmth that families share.
Imagine your family around the table, eating old fashioned pot roast with roasted potatoes, meatloaf, lamb shanks, ribs, corn on the cob with lots of butter, biscuits and gravy, chili, creamed soups, homemade macaroni and cheese, and more. And comfort food is not limited to dinner only, it can also be breakfasts, like some hot pancakes and sausage or bacon.
Do you remember as a kid waking up to the smell of Mom’s bacon frying?
Lunch could be those hot turkey sandwiches with gravy, the ones we use to have after Thanksgiving. Just the thought of this all makes me feel warm! Now imagine the food making its way down your stomach and the afterglow of a warm, home-cooked meal with your family.
Lately, there has been a new interest in comfort foods. There are many cookbooks out on the market offering you recipes for foods that make you feel good.
But there is something better than buying a new cookbook: Call your mom and ask her for that special childhood recipe, and one day when your children have families of their own, they can call you for that recipe, as well.

E-mail Betty at: jchicca@bak.rr.com

Beef Stew
• 3 pounds beef stew meat, cubed
• Salt and pepper
• Flour for dredging
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 10 peeled garlic cloves
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 14-ounce cans chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 3 cups celery (sliced 1-inch pieces)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 8 carrots (sliced  to 1-inch pieces)
• 6 medium potatoes (peeled and sliced to 2-inch cubes)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season the meat with the salt and pepper. Dredge the meat in flour. Add more flour as needed to coat all pieces. In  a large skillet, add the olive oil, get the oil hot and add the meat. Brown the meat for about 15 minutes, adding the garlic cloves in the last 5 minutes.  Place meat and garlic in a large roasting pan. Add the wine, tomatoes, chicken broth, celery, onion, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.  Stir well, cover the roasting pan with a lid or foil. Let the stew cook for 1 hour, take from oven and add the potatoes and carrots, continue to cook for an additional 45 minutes, uncovered. Add a little more water if necessary. Serves 12.

Brown Bag Apple Pie
Crust:
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup salad oil
• 2 tablespoons milk
Mix the flour, sugar and salt together. Add the milk and the oil, mix well. Pat into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.
Filling:
• 6 cups apples, sliced and peeled
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon flour
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix all of the above and put into the pie dish.
Topping:
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar
Mix together well and sprinkle on over pie
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the pie in a large brown grocery bag. Fold the bag flap under the pie, place pie on a cookie sheet and then bake in oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Chicken and Dumplings
• 4 chicken breasts with ribs attached
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 large celery stalks, chopped
• 6 carrots, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 48-ounce can Swanson chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Bisquick baking mix 
 Wash and skin the chicken breast, season with salt and pepper. Place in a baking dish, cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool. Cut into bite-size pieces and save any juices (if any) from baking dish. In a large stockpot, add oil and sauté onion, celery, carrots and garlic until tender (about 15 minutes) over medium heat. Stir often to keep it from sticking. Add the broth along with the water, chicken and its juices, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat for 30 to 45 minutes. 
For dumplings, follow the recipe on the Bisquick recipe box.
Serves 6

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