Comfort Food

Two of my favorite words, comfort and food… two of everyone’s favorite words and spoken together they conjure up a wealth of images.

Comfort food used to mean mashed potatoes or anything with potatoes, grilled cheese sandwiches, lasagna, spaghetti, meat loaf and fried chicken or chicken soup; comfort food was safe food, food that made you think of home, of mom, of a time when you didn’t have to care so damned much about what you put into your mouth.

I miss those days, I really do. We have learned now that those foods aren’t really safe at all, in fact they are bad for us, supposedly even in moderation. Why? We have a whole new generation who are being denied those comforts…too much gluten, too much sugar, to many GMOs, and too much dairy and cheese. Why?

On one hand it makes me sad and it leaves me yearning, but the truth is they no longer give me much comfort anyway, I don’t feel so great after eating them and they certainly linger on the waist, not to mention the guilt associated with even looking at them on a menu.

Do you ever play that “game” with people when you’re at a restaurant, the one where you ask them first what they plan to order before you state your choice, so when the whole table opts for fish and salad (sans appetizer) you don’t embarrass yourself by being the only one with a short rib entree and foie gras as a first course?

My mission this year is to reinvent my comfort foods, to take the old classic gooey, cheesy, creamy, crunchy, salty foods that I still love and make them slightly more user friendly.

I will start with vegetables, I know veggies don’t normally fit into the category of comfort food, but they can if you roast them. Roasting them in olive or coconut oil is heavenly, so much better than sautéing them or steaming them..yuck!

You haven’t lived until you have tasted caramelized fennel or leeks. Slightly charred cumin scented cauliflower or broccoli with Aleppo pepper, lemon zest Parmesan are always in my fridge. Brussels sprouts browned in oil with balsamic vinegar and maple syrup taste like candy.

The list of what you can roast is endless…sweet red peppers, sweet potatoes, shallots, butternut squash, zucchini and yellow squash, celeriac, and eggplant…..the key is to hit them with high heat around 375-400 degrees, so that they brown and caramelize without getting sad and mushy….. all mixed together they make a wonderful warm salad, the kind of salad that is inviting and cozy, and shame free, there is great comfort in that.

#cook