Cold, snow, sleet, freezing rain and more snow have the entire Northeast in a funk. It’s easy to turn that frown upside down with hearty and homey meals from some of our favorite chefs and foodies. These dishes are so good you can put them on heavy rotation year-round.
Comfort foods make us feel warm inside and out, and conjure up memories of home and hearth. But whether you’re working a tiny stove in a studio apartment or mastering a professional-grade range in a manse, you’ll create new memories and lots of repeat guests with these yummy dinners.
Top Chefs Name Cold-Weather Comforts:
Executive Chef Mario Rodriguez-Feo of Isabella, Conshohocken
Mario sums it up this way: “I love Chilaquiles. It’s my favorite comfort food, especially good on a cold day or a hungover day or just a relaxing day.”
Chilaquiles is a traditional Mexican dish typically made with corn tortillas cut in quarters and lightly fried. Mario adds pulled chicken breast and tosses it with Mexican salsa roja and cilantro, then covers that in queso fresco (similar to a feta cheese). Half the tortillas are simmered in the sauce. The rest are folded in to get some great crunch. He tops it with sliced red onion and then zig-zags on the creama.
“The drink? Chilaquiles are best with a cold Pabst Blue Ribbon beer,” he added.
Chef Jonathan Amann of Amani’s BYOB, Downingtown
Italian comfort food alert! This will make your Nonna weep with joy.
“My favorite thing to make is homemade marinara sauce from San Marzano whole-peeled tomatoes that I crush down with some garlic, onions, basil and oregano, plus pork neck bones,” Jon explained. “Once that’s simmering, I braise pork right in it.”
Naturally, there’s more to go into that gravy. His family-famous meatballs are made by hand, and then added to the sauce. They’re a veal, pork and beef blend that stays super tender because he soaks the bread that goes into the mix in milk.
Last, but most certainly not least, Jon uncorks a nice Zinfandel and/or a Cabernet. Both oaky red wines go notoriously well with meats and anything in a red sauce because of their full-bodied balance of tannins and acidity, and deep flavor profiles like dark fruit, pepper and sometimes even licorice. Buon appetito!
Catering Manager Sean Cassel of Appetites on Main, Exton
Meatloaf, mashies and a ton of gravy. A loaded grilled cheese. A pastrami Reuben with a side of bacon cheese fries. It doesn’t get more stick-to-your-ribs than that, and Sean says he couldn’t pick just one as his go-to comfort food.
His meatloaf is a pork, veal and beef blend topped with a cherry cola BBQ sauce followed by a melted cheddar-jack blend. On the side? Homemade mashed potatoes, of course. He adds a hint of garlic and mashes until they’re dreamy-creamy.
Get ready for the Reuben: pastrami, sauerkraut, Russian dressing and Swiss cheese all perfectly layered on grilled marble rye.
Still hungry? Bite into an epic grilled cheese built with American, provolone and cheddar on garlic toast. Sean’s personal favorite side is waffle fries covered in cheddar-jack cheese and sprinkled with bacon.
Any of the above will make you thirsty, and Sean has the solution. Simply put, “You can never go wrong with a pint of Guinness or some Jameson in your belly.”
Chef John Mims of Carmine’s Creole Act II, Narberth
John doesn’t always have time to cook at home, but when he does he loves to make barbeque ribs with mango-lime ice tea.
This simple-but-filling gem is a couple of racks of ribs coated with Carmine’s house spice and a handful of brown sugar. He puts that goodness in a baking dish, covers it with aluminum foil and bakes it at 400 degrees for two hours.
“I don’t eat carbs anymore, so I make a green salad to accompany the ribs,” John said. I say, that leaves room for more ribs and a second glass of his fresh cocktail.
Like the ribs, John’s mango-lime ice tea could not be easier. In a pitcher, stir mango purée, five or six squeezed limes and your favorite unsweetened ice tea. Stir and pour over ice. Total comfort.
Executive Chef/Owner Tim Smith of Twelves Grill & Café, West Grove
With a busy restaurant and a busier family, including three hungry kids, Tim makes the most of his Dutch oven to rustle up a fabulous beef and vegetable stew.
“I put it on and let it go all day,” he noted. “I make a flour and butter roux and brown up beef cubes. I toss in chopped tomatoes, potatoes, celery and carrots, a bit of corn, some good beef stock and water.”
Everyone gets a side of nice crusty bread. The kids clamor for some shaved cheddar on their stew, while Tim and his wife add some fire with Siracha sauce. To go along with all that warmth, he serves a Guinness or a Black & Tan which, in addition to pairing well with the beef, also cuts the spice a bit.
Executive Chef and Owner Theo Charitos of The Red Cedar Grille & Cocktails, Colmar
Nothing says comfort like someone else doing the cooking. For Theo, that’s his wife, Stacey, whom he met at culinary school. An excellent cook in her own right, Stacey juggles the household, two kids and helping at the restaurant and still finds time to wow the family with breaded bone-in pork chops and mushroom gravy.
“She grates her own bread and tosses in herbs for the breading, pan sears the breaded chops and then bakes them to finish it all off,” Theo explained. “They’re crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. Makes you feel right at home.”
Stacey’s secret sauce–or gravy, as the case may be–is a combo of fresh mushrooms, onions, garlic and wine made almost béchamel thick and slathered atop the pork chops as they go in the oven.
Theo’s go-to beverages for this dish are seasonal, and are both made by his creative wife. In the fall, Stacey gets fresh apple cider from the farm, warms it with brandy and hits it with grated cinnamon. Right now, Theo is enjoying homemade hot chocolate spiked with Godiva liqueur. Stacey takes hers straight up, but dollops some whipped cream in the mug for Theo.
Now that’s love.
What dishes warm your food-loving soul, especially during inclement weather? Leave us a comment below and share your recipes.
- Chefs John Mims, Mario Rodriguez-Feo Photos: Dallyn Pavey
- Chefs Tim Mountz, Theo Charitos Photos: Nina Lea Photography
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