Category: Comfort Dishes

If a sweet potato were to come alive I bet it would be the nicest, most genuine little spud to everyone it meets.  There isn’t one bad aspect about sweet potatoes. They taste delicious, have a decadent texture and awesome color, can be used in both sweet and savory dishes, are very nutritious, and they have a fairly long shelf life. And to think I grew up not knowing one sweet potato- I shudder at the thought.

I’m always looking for recipes that include the awesome potato breed, but this one came to me by none other than Rachel Ray during one of her Halloween specials. I call my version cottage pie (it is also known as shepherd’s pie) because it sounds homey and then I can say “I’m hibernating in my cozy condo with a cottage pie.” Doesn’t that sound like a delicious evening?? It also seems to me like a friendly dinner, as if Sweet Potato Cottage Pie wants nothing more than to make you happy.

My knife must have a thing for sweet potatoes because it slid from a section and shaved off pieces of my nail polish. I kid you not, I have two little circles where nail polish used to be. Its as if the knife was saying “No! Don’t make me do it!” Close call, and believe me I’m more than happy to have only ruined my manicure. At this point I find it necessary to warn you that while cutting sweet potatoes make sure you have a firm grip because your kitchen tools are against you.

Last night I accidentally used all the butter for the butter-flour mixture, so make sure you do not do the same. I ended up making double the sauce and using half so the mixture had correct measurements.

Sweet Potato Cottage Pie  Adapted from Rachel Ray’s Turkey Shepherd’s Pie recipe

Ingredients:

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound ground chicken (I recommend using a mixture of dark and white meat)*

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

Salt

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pepper

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoons flour

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn

Several slices of a ripe banana

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, can use mild, medium or sharp

How To:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a deep skillet or a Dutch oven heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. Add ground chicken and break up with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper and poultry seasoning.

Place sweet potatoes in a large por and cover with water. Cover pot and bring to a boil, add a sprinkle of salt and cook 15 minutes until tender. While those are cooking…

Add onions, carrots and celery into the turkey. Stir and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add flour to melted butter and whisk 1 minute then whisk in stock and season with salt, pepper and Worcestershire. Let it begin to thicken (this will take a few minutes).

Stir the gravy into the turkey mixture. Stir peas and corn into the meat mixture and turn the heat off.

Drain potatoes and return pot to heat. Add remaining butter and melt over medium heat. Add slices of banana and add potatoes back to the pot. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Mash potatoes and banana to combine and now is the time to adjust the seasoning. Top the meat with the potatoes (or, if you are like me and are waiting for your Dutch oven to be marked fulfilled on your wedding registry, put your ground chicken into a glass baking dish at this point). Cover potatoes with cheese and set in oven. Bake to melt cheese, 5 minutes.

*You could use leftover turkey for this! Just a small dice will work great.

This chili will overpower your craving for traditional red chili anyday. In fact, it kicks red chili’s behind. Why? Becuase its creamy, but not a “too decadent for a Saturday afternoon” creamy. It’s filling on an autumn/winter day. It makes your entire house (or apartment) smell like something good is about to be eaten. It makes you feel as though snuggling on the couch with a nice bowl of chili watching tv is exactly where you are supposed to be at that moment. The world becomes a perfect place with white chicken chili.

I made this special chili last week, when the temperature was starting to drop. The weather is now back in the upper 50’s-low 60’s, but somehow this chili still sounds amazing. The base is chicken broth and at the end of the recipe you add shredded Monterrey jack cheese- and what the cheese does is magical. It makes the broth rich and silky and adds just the right amount of excess one searches for in a chili, since you would otherwise be prone to missing ground beef normally in a traditional version.

White Chicken Chili  Adapted from Food & Wine

Ingredients:

• 2 cans Great Northern beans,* drained and rinsed
• 1 ½ pounds chicken breast
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 4-ounce cans chopped green chiles
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 teaspoons cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
• dash red chili pepper flakes
• 3-5 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese, plus more for serving
• Sour cream for serving

How to:

Poach chicken breasts by bringing the broth to a simmer, add chicken and cook over low heat until opaque. Transfer the breasts to a plate to cool, shredding once you are able to handle them. Boil the stock over high heat until reduced to about 2 ½ cups.  You can also poach the chicken breasts in water and start the chili fresh (next paragraph) with 2 ½ cups regular, non-reduced broth. It won’t be as robust a flavor, but I’ve done this and the chili still turns out great. I also add more chicken broth (around 4 cups total) because I like more of a broth base.

In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the onions and cook over medium heat until translucent. Add the canned chiles, garlic, cumin, and cayenne. Stir for about 3-4 minutes. Add the beans, chicken, reduced stock, and 3 cups of the cheese and simmer for 10 minutes. The mixture will become somewhat creamy, but not heavy. Add another cup or two of chicken broth, if desired. Season with salt and pepper. If you want more cheese in your chili, now is the time to add, letting it melt in before serving.

To serve, ladle chili into bowls and top with cheese and sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips.

*If you are using dried Great Northern beans, which is an option, put 2 ½ cups (about 1 lb.) in a large saucepan cover the beans with 2 inches of water and let soak overnight. Drain and return them to the saucepan and add enough water to again cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over moderate heat and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Drain the beans and they are ready for use!

p.s. I just thought of a nice addition- 1/2 cup of frozen (or fresh) corn kernels when adding the cheese…just a thought/suggestion.

When it’s not the day after a holiday feast and I still want a dish that boasts its use of leftovers you know it has to be amazing. Amazing enough I will go out of my way to roast chicken to use in a “second meal.” My mother always made turkey tetrazzini, but I fancy it made with chicken (yes I just used the phrase fancy it). I do not risk getting any L-tryptophan in my system in case I need to stay awake  several hours after dinner. Last year after a holiday dinner I escaped to my bedroom for a quick snooze that turned into me being down for the count. Whoops!

Chicken tetrazzini is a creamy pasta dinner with surprisingly few ingredients that many of us have readily available in the fridge and pantry- flour, milk, butter, sherry (the cooking wine, not a person) and spaghetti. You can make various substitutions to appeal to your tastes.  For instance, tonight I wasn’t feeling mushrooms and instead added some peas and finely diced onion. Being a wonderfully simple dish at its base makes whatever you add to it give it a new (improved?) personality. Feel free to call yours “tetrazzini a la [insert your name here].” And take all the credit. And stay awake to hear it.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces spaghetti noodles
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup light cream (half & half)
• 1/4 cup cooking sherry
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup diced sweet onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

When I get really really tired, meaning eyes are closing, feet are dragging, coffee isn’t working tired, I know my body is lacking a certain nutrient. Iron deficiency is the prime suspect behind my fatigue because I am on the verge of being anemic. On these occasions I find recipes that incorporate foods rich in iron content and within a day or so I begin to feel more peppy, shall we say. This recipe for butternut squash risotto is like a super hero- it’s a come-to-my rescue dish because it’s full of iron (thank you squash, lentils and spinach) and above all else it’s delicious. Risotto is comforting because its rich and creamy, like the mac and cheese of the rice world. Italian Arborio, the rice used to make risotto is a starchy medium-grain rice that looks a little plump (don’t tell them I said that).

Now I know what you are thinking if you have tried peeling and cutting butternut squash before- it is difficult and if you are tired to boot (as mentioned above) then it is uber difficult. Don’t fear- I have helpful tips! I recommend beginning by using a Y-peeler to remove the skin on the squash. It will start “sweating”- the butternut squash, hopefully not you- causing the squash to be really slippery but do your best (I know you can!). Cut the squash so it has a stable end, making it easier for you to make slices, and then dices. Crisis averted. 

Many sources say risotto is basically high-maintenance, requiring constant attention. I beg to differ and can leave it absorbing hot stock cups at a time with a quick glance and stir here and there. Just make sure that there is always a teensy weensy bit of  liquid left before you add another batch of stock, and the stock is hot because you want to ensure continuous cooking. Cool or room temp stock messes up the process. This recipe takes about 1 hour to fully make, and that is after you have roasted the squash but it’s well worth it for the flavors. It serves about 4, or more if this is a side-dish to say, a roast chicken breast or salmon fillet.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup French green lentils
• 2 cups diced (1/2 inch) peeled butternut squash (about a 1 lb. squash)
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock (this allows you to add salt to your taste later)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 strips bacon, or turkey bacon, minced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• ½ medium onion, minced
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 teaspoon dried sage (1 tablespoon chopped if using fresh sage)
• parmesan for serving

How To:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Place diced butternut squash in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon oil and several pinches of salt. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Once oven is pre-heated, roast squash for about 40 minutes, or until tender. Place lentils in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook the lentils until tender, about 15 minutes; drain and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a boil and keep it simmering over low heat. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat. Add the bacon, garlic and onion and cook until softened (about 3 minutes). Add the rice and stir to coat thoroughly. Make sure the rice is well coated and heated, as this will help to achieve the right texture. Add the wine and simmer until the liquid has almost disappeared, about 4 minutes. Stir in about one-third of the simmering stock and cook, stirring almost constantly, until the stock is almost entirely absorbed by the rice; repeat with the remaining stock. In a perfect world the risotto will be creamy with just-tender rice grains after 20 minutes.

Add the lentils, squash, spinach, and sage. Season with salt and pepper. When serving, top individual portions with parmesan.