January 27, 2021

It’s time to huddle indoors in your flannel jammies, light a fire and sip something warm while enjoying the snowfall. The Danes call it “hygge.” I call it getting cozy.

I remember a cold winter day in Paris at a cafe with steamed-up windows and diners huddled around tables, scraping melted cheese from big wedges and eating it with pickles and little buttered potatoes. It’s called “raclette,” and it’s very cozy.

In Tony’s birthplace in Northern Japan, where a 10-foot-deep snowbank is no big deal, I saw diners gathered outdoors around tables skirted to the waist with quilts that sealed out the cold and sealed in the warmth from electric heaters. Why don’t our restaurants copy the Japanese kotatsu tables? They’re cozy.

When I want American-style cozy, I make a pot of chili. It may be our version of raclette and kotatsu tables. We have slews of chili contests in the winter and use the spicy stew as the centerpiece of potlucks and fund-raisers. What we don’t have is a go-with to round out the traditional meal. Until now.

I knew what I wanted when I began searching: A cornmeal biscuit that wasn’t just cornbread, with an assertive flavor and flaky texture. I wanted something special to look forward to alongside the chili.

The Cheddar-corn drop biscuits I made from a cookbook recipe were just OK. I kept searching and found several recipes for Cheddar-corn biscuits made with creamed corn as well as cornmeal and flour. I started tinkering and finally produced a chili-worthy biscuit that has lots of flavor and a nice texture, too.

Now, get in your jammies and make some.

CHEDDAR-CORN BISCUITS

2 cups flour
1 cup minus 1 tbsp. yellow cornmeal
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground red chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1 stick (8 tbsp.) unsalted butter cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1 cup canned creamed corn
1/4 cup half and half
Milk for brushing

Place flour, cornmeal, baking powder, cumin, chili powder, salt and sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the cubed butter and toss to coat each cube. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or use your fingers to rub into pea-sized pieces. Add the cheese and toss to separate and coat.

In another bowl combine creamed corn and half and half. Add half of the creamed corn mixture to the flour mixture, tossing with a fork. Add remaining corn mixture and stir gently. If dry patches remain, toss with the fork until moistened.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and pat into a rectangle. With a bench scraper or spatula, fold the dough in half, and in half again. Try not to work the dough too much. Pat to a rectangle again and fold in fourths again.

Lightly flour the dough and pat into a large rectangle that is about 1 inch thick. Cut out with a floured biscuit cutter (2 1/2 inches in diameter) or glass. Do not twist the cutter — punch straight down. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, placing about 1 1/2 inches apart. Gather scraps of dough, pat out again and cut out more biscuits. You may need two baking sheets.

Cover the sheets of biscuits with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. They may also be refrigerated overnight at this point. When ready, brush tops of biscuits with milk and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Brush tops with butter if desired. Makes 12 to 14 biscuits.

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
French toast and ripe honeydew melon;  brown-ale shepherd’s pie; grilled filet mignon, garlic potato wedges and Champagne; tuna and octopus chirashi (Tony made it); Japanese pork curry over steamed rice (also Tony); grilled herbed sausage sandwich and grilled corn on the cob.

What I carried out:
Warm chicken tacos made with fresh corn tortillas and marinated, slow-roasted chicken from Tortilleria Gallo de Oro in Stuart, Fla.; tossed salad with blue cheese, strawberries, candied walnuts and chicken from Publix Super Market; margherita Pizza (sliced tomatoes, mozzarella and basil) with prosciutto from The Grove in Hobe Sound, Fla.; a Detox smoothie from Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Stuart; a vanilla cone from McDonald’s (while using the wi-fi in the parking lot); a giant gyro from Mr.Gyro in in Stuart.

THE MAILBAG
From Jim S.:
I agree with your hamburger toppings: mustard, heavy onions a la Hamburger Station of sainted memory.  Even better than Swenson’s.  I add dill pickle, too.  Enjoy Florida.  I hope you don’t have to wait in a line overnight for a vaccination. 

Dear Jim:
Right you are. I don’t mind burger variations such as blue cheese and mushrooms, but the classic is mustard and onions.

Regarding the vaccinations, I can’t even FIND a line to wait in. Going to a grocery store here is an exercise in terror. Packed aisles, no social distancing, masks down below the nose. It’s curbside pickup for me from now on.

From Cindy W.:
For your chile rellenos quiche, I’m wondering why you don’t suggest blind-baking the crust part way before filling.

Dear Cindy:
What do you know that I don’t? Although I usually use an egg glaze and five minutes in the oven before filling dessert pies, I usually don’t blind-bake a pie shell for a quiche. Does the extra crispness make a difference?

January 20, 2021

To clarify: A couple of readers (and probably many more) were confused about to whom I was referring at the beginning of last week’s newsletter. I apologize. I watched news channels non-stop as the Capitol was stormed, and assumed everyone would know “the guy in the buffalo hat” was a rioter who wore a buffalo-skin hat with horns on his head and face painted red, white and blue. I figured that image was enough to put anyone on edge. I sure was.

Dear friends,

I am in the land of Cuban sandwiches and oranges this week, but I’m still making do with what’s in my pantry. With two new strains of super-contagious Covid spreading across the country, I’m in no mood to eat in restaurants or rub elbows with neighbors in the local Publix supermarket.

So why am i in Florida? Tony convinced me that we can ride out this pandemic just as safely in 70-degree sunshine as we can in the cold and gloom of home. Maybe better. So we packed up last week and fled, sleeping at rest stops in our camper along the way.

Before we left I had a brainstorm: Chile rellenos quiche. I had almost everything on hand I thought I’d need. I drove to a Hispanic market and waited until no customers were inside. Then I masked up, dove in and bought some long jalapeños (the only peppers in stock) and queso fresca, a mild white cheese that can be crumbled by hand.

At home I roasted and seeded the peppers and combined the cheese with shredded Cheddar and a bit of cumin. Then I played around with the egg-milk ratio for quiche, replacing some of the milk with jarred salsa. Bingo. The quiche, with the peppers baked on top, tasted remarkably like chiles rellenos. I loved it.

Tony ate a big hunk, said it was the best quiche he’d ever eaten, then asked what we were having for dinner. THAT WAS DINNER! I remember he thought the last quiche I made was dessert. This one was a little pre-meal snack. But a delicious pre-meal snack. We’re making progress.

CHILE RELLENOS QUICHE

Pastry for a 1-crust pie
3 medium-hot or mild peppers, about 4 to 5 inches long (I used large jalapeños but would prefer Anaheims or Nu-Mex in season)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup crumbled queso fresca (a soft cheese available in some supermarkets and in Hispanic markets)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup jarred salsa (undrained)

Char the peppers on all sides on a grill or over an electric or gas burner (not on a ceramic-top stove). Immediately place the blackened peppers in a paper bag and seal the bag. After 5 to 10 minutes, remove from bag and rub off the skins under running water. Cut off the stems, cut the peppers in halves lengthwise and scoop out and discard the seeds. Set aside on paper towels.

Roll the pastry into a circle large enough to fit a deep, 9- or 10-inch pie plate. Ease the pastry into the pie plate and crimp the rim. Refrigerate.

In a medium bowl, combine the cheeses and cumin and toss gently. In a larger bowl, beat the eggs until smooth. Beat in the milk and salsa. Scatter cheese mixture evenly over bottom of pie shell. Pour egg mixture over cheese. Gently place the roasted pepper halves in a spoke pattern on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, until top is puffy and golden. Decorate with a dollop of salsa in the center, if desired. Cool for 15 minutes before cutting into wedges. Makes 6 servings.

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
Egg salad sandwiches; chile rellenos quiche; roasted delicata and kabocha squash; hamburgers with mustard and onions.

What I carried out:
A hamburger Happy Meal from McDonald’s; pulled pork with vinegar sauce, hash over rice, Brunswick stew and slaw from Doko Smoke in Blythewood, S.C.; chicken and steak gorditas from the Taqueria Solavino food truck in Hobe Sound, Fla.; shrimp ceviche and homemade tortilla chips from Green Apple Produce in Hobe Sound.

THE MAILBAG
From Sandy H.:
I eat my hamburgers with onions and mustard, too, since I was little. That’s the way my mom ate hers. My husband thinks it’s disgusting.

Dear Sandy:
And what, pray tell, does your husband put on his burgers? Brie and mayonnaise?

Mustard and onion is the classic hamburger topping, just as mustard and relish is the classic topping for hot dogs. When I ran the best hamburger contests for the Beacon Journal, we ordered hamburgers with onion and mustard at each restaurant as the benchmark to compare.

If your hamburgers are disgusting, you have a lot of company.

January 13, 2021

Dear friends,

I started anxiety-eating again last week, and I probably won’t stop until the guy with the buffalo hat is put away for a few years. Jeez. Drama, terror and comfort cooking.

The good news is that the cooking yielded a recipe for braised short ribs with garlic and oranges. It made us forget about all the shenanigans for awhile. In fact, Tony says it’s his new favorite meal, knocking spaghetti with meat sauce from the top spot. I was stunned.

But short ribs can do that. They come from the low-rent area of the steer’s rib cage, down where the front belly meets the plate. They are fatty, which is a big reason they taste so good. Unfortunately, high-class chefs have embraced them, so the once-cheap cut now can cost as much as top sirloin steak. I paid about $8 a pound last week at a club store.

If that’s too much, you could substitute boneless short ribs, which by the way are from a different part of the animal, or 2 1/2-inch square chunks of trimmed chuck roast. Feel free. The dish will still knock your socks off.

A braise — slow cooking of a tough cut of meat in liquid — is hard to screw up. You could toss just about anything in there with the liquid and meat and it would come out tender and delicious. I tossed in garlic, orange juice and orange halves, rind and all. The oranges softened and the bitterness of the peel disappeared, adding a wonderful flavor to the rich broth.

Serve these over a pile of mashed potatoes. A red wine couldn’t hurt, either, and may help you forget the world for a bit. That’s something many of us need right now.

BRAISED SHORT RIBS WITH GARLIC AND ORANGE

2 tbsp. olive oil
3 lbs. beef short ribs
Salt, pepper
2 cups sliced onions (cut the peeled onion in half lengthwise, then crosswise in thick slices)
2 medium carrots, diced (1/2-inch)
4 cloves garlic, sliced
A 3-inch sprig fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup orange juice
2 cups water
2 medium oranges, cut in fat wedges

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat olive oil in a heavy, deep casserole or oven-proof pan. Pat short ribs dry and season liberally with salt and pepper. Brown on all sides in the hot oil. Remove with tongs and set aside.

In the same pan, sauté onion and carrots over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add garlic and sauté a minute longer. Add rosemary or oregano and bay leaf. Return meat to pan. Add orange juice, water and orange wedges.

Cover pan with lid or foil and bake at 325 degrees for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until meat is very tender and broth is rich. Taste, then add additional salt if necessary. Makes 4 servings.

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
Tuna sashimi with miso-sesame sauce (Tony), pickled vegetables and steamed rice; braised short ribs with garlic and oranges; tuna couscous salad; potato and greens soup; spareribs and sauerkraut, mashed potatoes. (The sauerkraut tasted homemade and is worth seeking out. I bought it in an unmarked plastic bag from a cooler at Frontier Fruit & Nut in Norton, cookiefrontier.com).

What I ordered out:
Pulled pork barbecue bowl and a corn muffin from Old Carolina Barbecue in Fairlawn; Nashville hot chicken sandwich (humongous) and fries from Pizza BOGO in Barberton. (The chicken was seasoned and crisp but not nearly spicy enough); terrific handmade chicken tamales steamed in banana leaves and kept warm in a big roaster at Los Primos Market (aka La Michoacana) on Copley Road in Akron. (The tamales are available on Saturdays, I was told).

THE MAILBAG
From Janice E.:
Made your baked oatmeal dish — marvelous. Used walnuts instead of almonds but otherwise the same. Put it together the night before, and it understandably took a little longer to bake. You are right — this will definitely be in my rotation, and I like the other options you offered to change it seasonally.  Thank you, Jane!

Dear Janice:
You’re welcome! I fear it is calorie-intensive but so good. 

From Virginia B.:
Have you been peeking in my window watching me slicing off slivers of pie, quiche, brownies, etc.? And now probably oatmeal custard. Of course, I do it only to insure each treat is cut perfectly.

Dear Virginia:
Well, of course. My mother used to make a small pumpkin “tester pie” that she allowed us to cut slivers of on Thanksgiving morning while we cooked and set the table. One year, no tester pie. She finally admitted she had already slivered off the whole thing.

From Fran S.:
You have mentioned Aldi frozen pizza several times now. I have looked at them in our local (Hartville) store and there are many different varieties. Which do you buy and how do they compare with other frozen pizzas?

Thanks for the great blog. Stay safe.

Dear Fran:
Well, shame on me. When I pawed through the chest freezer to find the exact name of the pizza, I discovered it was Member’s Mark from Sam’s Club, not Aldi. The ones Tony bought are thin and crispy pepperoni. They are OK. The reason we eat them so often is that Tony bought a ton of them. We do not hoard paper goods, just pizza.

January 6, 2021

Dear friends,

They had me at “custardy baked oatmeal,” but I didn’t dive in until the recipe popped up three times in one week. Three of my food-editor friends in different parts of the country raved about the dish, which was more than enough impetus for me to haul out the box of Quaker.

I like anything with “custard” in it — baked custard, creme brûlée, bread pudding, Thai coconut pudding baked in a little squash. I have made savory sage-scented custard  and corn custard. I’d probably try toothpaste custard if given a chance. Well, maybe not.

At any rate, oatmeal custard is right up my alley and I bet you’ll love it, too. Oats are combined with fruit, spices, eggs and milk and baked until warm and creamy. It tastes rich and comforting, and occupies that sweet spot midway between cereal and dessert. It is an easy breakfast to make for a group, and tastes just as good the next day while standing in front of the refrigerator, carving off thin slices.

My version is made with blueberries, slivered almonds and diced dried apricots. You could also make it with apples and cinnamon, or next summer with peaches and chopped pecans. It’s a recipe you’ll probably want to keep in the rotation.

BAKED OATMEAL WITH BLUEBERRIES, ALMONDS AND APRICOTS

2 cups old-fashioned or quick oats (not instant)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup blanched, slivered almonds
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen thawed blueberries
4 tbsp. butter, melted

Butter a 9-inch-square baking pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine oats, sugar, apricots, almonds, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder and salt. Mix well. In another bowl whisk together milk, eggs and vanilla. Stir milk mixture into oat mixture until smooth.

Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan. Scatter blueberries over the batter. Add  remaining batter and smooth top. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes, until the edges are golden and the oats are set. Cut into squares to serve. Makes 6 servings.

GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
Pork miso soup; tofu fried rice; tuna nigiri (Tony); baked oatmeal with blueberries and apricots; chopped salad with rotisserie chicken; spaghetti with venison sauce; frozen Aldi pizza; braised short ribs with garlic and oranges, mashed potatoes and roast Delicata squash; hamburgers with mustard and onion.

What I ordered out:
Nothing.

THE MAILBAG
From Marty K.:
Thanks for your black bean soup recipe, sounds delicious and it’s similar to the one I make. The biggest difference is that mine, like many other recipes, mashes about half of the beans and adds them back to thicken the soup.

Dear Marty:
Good idea. Those who like a creamier, thicker soup are welcome to do that with my black bean soup, too.

From Cindy W.:
Is there really such a word in Japanese as “kuchisabishii”? I am seeing it everywhere. Supposedly it means “When you’re not hungry, but you eat because your mouth is lonely.”

Dear Cindy:
I am so glad you sent this kooky question. Tony says it IS a real word in Japanese, and it describes how so many of us have been eating these last few months — just throwing food down the hatch because it’s there and we’re bored. Why isn’t there an English word for this?? Tony says the literal meaning is “sad mouth” — kuchi = mouth and sabishii = sad.

My mother used to tell a story about me crying at the dinner table when I was a tot. When she asked why, I said, “My mouth is hungry but my stomach is full.” That has been story of my life. Kuchisabishii