BS: Winter Comfort Food

Subject: RE: BS: Winter Comfort Food
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 30 Oct 14 - 10:55 AM

is vegetable suet like Crisco - vegetable shortening?

as for dumplings.... hey, we're the land of immigrants... what kind of dumpling do you want? drop dumplings, filled? pick a continent or region... :) you name we got it somewhere...

here we have chicken & dumplings or chicken & biscuits ... chicken can be fried or stewed... but you need a nice rich gravey to smother it all with.

Subject: RE: BS: Winter Comfort Food
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 30 Oct 14 - 10:53 AM

Ed, it seems to do basically the same job so far as I can tell. It's been a long time since I had proper suet though.

Subject: RE: BS: Winter Comfort Food
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 30 Oct 14 - 10:43 AM

CS, is vegetable suet any good? I've never tried it.

It's one of those times when I know how good 'proper' suet is, I really don't want to be disappointed.

Subject: RE: BS: Winter Comfort Food
From: MMario
Date: 30 Oct 14 - 10:39 AM

nothing like a good hearty soup; with some crusty bread....and a salad

Subject: RE: BS: Winter Comfort Food
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 30 Oct 14 - 10:36 AM

oh... HiLo... invite me over ...puleeeese

agreed... dark meat has the flavor; I keep thinking about trying cassoulette, but it never happens.

we can get all kinds of sausages out here, but only one guy makes bangers... yum.

one retirement resolution is to start making my own pasta & sausages.

beef & guiness... on my list of things to try

oh, I forgot to add cabbage or kale leaves to my root soup assortment. They help "sweeten/lighten up" the broth. And only salt the broth enough for the vegetables to pick it up and then do the final seasoning at the end.

If you don't use smoked sausage, then adding bay leaf and other herbs are needed to flavor the broth... imo

Subject: RE: BS: Winter Comfort Food
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 30 Oct 14 - 10:36 AM

Yes, stews! With.. dumplings. Num num, do you do dumplings in the states? Traditionally they would be made with suet, though I make mine with veggie suet. Very nice with parsley in them.

Oddly enough I made a veg variant of my Mother's Lamb, Leek and Barley stew today, she always made it with a light broth instead of a brown gravy - which is as I've done, though without the lamb:

2 onions and 2 leeks sliced and sauteed til tender in 1tbsp olive oil.
Add a couple of sprigs rosemary, 1 cup barley and 6 cups vegetable stock. Simmer fifteen mins.
Add 1lb potatoes peeled and chunkily chopped and cook another twenty mins (or til spuds are tender.)

Not sure if I got the ratios quite right, less barley and more leek might be better next time, but it smells really cosy.

Subject: RE: BS: Winter Comfort Food
From: Mrrzy
Date: 30 Oct 14 - 10:31 AM

Is it true you can die from eating not-quite-cooked kidney beans?

Subject: RE: BS: Winter Comfort Food
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 30 Oct 14 - 10:31 AM

I'm with HiLo here.

A key winter comfort ingredient for me is suet!

Whether it be suet dumplings on a stew/casserole or a Steak and Kidney pudding. I think both of these might be peculiarly British?

Subject: RE: BS: Winter Comfort Food
From: Mrrzy
Date: 30 Oct 14 - 10:31 AM

Soup soup soup I love me some soup glorious soup make it one day add something different when you reheat it the next and every day you have a different soup soup soup soup soup.

Oh my oh once, oh my oh twice!

(Pedants say Cassoulet, it's masculine.)

Subject: RE: BS: Winter Comfort Food
From: GUEST,HiLo
Date: 30 Oct 14 - 10:19 AM

Oh my...there are a number for me, beef and guiness stew, chicken pot pie, pork stew in cream..but my favourite is Cassoulette. It must have proper bacon,good sausages, chicken and white beans , plus a lot of other good stuff. I make it with chicken thighs as I find those tastier than breasts. The smell of cooking awa fills our house with a lovely aroma. I would not yurn down a good hotpot or bangers and mash either.

Subject: RE: BS: Winter Comfort Food
From: gnu
Date: 30 Oct 14 - 10:17 AM

I gotta try that one, sgeek. Thanks.

Subject: BS: Winter Comfort Food
From: GUEST,sciencegeek
Date: 30 Oct 14 - 10:01 AM

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere and facing winter weather... BRRRR... what dishes make the dark winter seem less daunting?

I love soup year round, but hearty soups loaded with assorted ingredients are so warm and filling.   

Root Soup uses those vegetables that store easily in the pantry.

Start with your stock of choice... I often use a smoked sausage simmered in plain water.

Add any or all of the following:

onions, carrots, celery, leeks, turnips, rutabagas, potatoes, beans, tomato, pasta

simmer away on medium to low heat until all are tender and you can't stop yourself from diving in... lol

serve with good crusty bread and try to some for the rest of the family...