It’s that magical time of year that is filled with joy, cheer, panic, and exhaustion. This is when I lose my Pollyanna cheerfulness. There comes a point for all of us, for me it is around December 15, when it all gets to be too much.
Think about it. For the five weeks between Thanksgiving, Chanukah and Christmas, everybody goes crazy. There are holiday parties to attend, gifts to buy, too many cookies to consume, and simply too much to cram into five short weeks. This year we also have a millennium to deal with. It’s madness. At some point all this fun begins to take its toll — especially on the digestive system.
The following recipes are comfort food, pure and simple. They’re intended to nourish both soul and body. They are as healthy as the recipes you usually see in this column, but any of these dishes will soothe the beleaguered spirit. So try one or two of these, then sink into a comfortable chair and put your feet up, eat slowly, and relax (it is best if you eat them alone or with an equally exhausted chum). With any luck, these dishes will help you garner enough strength to survive until New Year’s.
Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 2-3
8 ounces (2 cups elbow macaroni)
4 Tablespoons butter
4 Tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
Salt to taste
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup buttered breadcrumbs to sprinkle over the top (To make buttered breadcrumbs: lightly brown the breadcrumbs in a skillet in one Tablespoon of butter over medium high heat until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a two-quart baking dish.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the macaroni, stirring once or twice while cooking. Cook about ten minutes, and drain.
3. Melt the butter in a pot (I usually use the macaroni pot). Whisk in the flour, and stir constantly, for about two minutes. Slowly add the milk as you stir. Add salt to taste, and continue to cook over medium heat until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and add the shredded cheese until it is melted and smoothly blended.
4. Stir the macaroni into the sauce and mix well. Put the macaroni and sauce in the buttered casserole dish, and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top.
5. Bake for thirty minutes, or until lightly golden on top.
Corn Chowder
Serves 4 (This is better if it’s made the day before you want to eat it.)
3 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 medium onion
4 cups vegetable stock
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces
4 cups frozen corn (you can make this with fresh corn in the summer)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Melt butter in soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent (about five minutes).
2. Sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture and cook for a few more minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add vegetable stock and reduce to simmer.
4. Add corn, potatoes and thyme and cook until potatoes are tender, about fifteen minutes.
5. Puree half the mixture in a blender or food processor. Return to pot, add cream, and heat through.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Twice Baked Potatoes with Vegetable Filling
Serves 4
4 large baking potatoes
2 carrots, peeled and cut into strips
2 cups broccoli florets, lightly steamed
1 cup red pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, cut into thin strips
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
4 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1. Bake potatoes in a 425 degree oven for forty-five to sixty minutes. (They can be microwaved for about twenty minutes.) Cool ten minutes or until easy to handle.
2. Cut the top off each potato. Scoop out potato pulp leaving skin intact. In a medium bowl mash the pulp with a fork. Set aside.
3. For filling, melt butter in a medium-sized saute pan. Add carrots, red pepper, and dried basil. Cook until crisp and tender, about four minutes. Add zucchini and broccoli. Cook until zucchini is tender, about two minutes.
4. Stir vegetable mixture into mashed potatoes. Fill potato shells with mixture. Place potato shells on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for twenty minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Rice Pudding
I don’t understand why puddings have fallen out of fashion. They are the ultimate comfort dessert.
2 cups leftover white rice (Brown rice will work in this recipe but it does make the pudding chewier.)
1-1/2 cups milk
Pinch salt
6 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup raisins
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and butter a baking dish.
2. Combine rice, milk, sugar, butter, and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Bring ingredients to a simmer and stir until sugar dissolves, about two minutes. Remove from heat. Add eggs and raisins.
3. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake until set, about fifty minutes. Serve hot or cold.