Recipes to Keep You Warm

If you're of a certain age you will remember the old standard "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"--"The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing, but I can weather the storm/ I've got my love to keep me warm."

Well, I'd like to offer three more antidotes for adversity caused by weather or economic pressure. Here are three recipes for main dishes that are delicious, easy and economical.

Few things are more comforting when it's damp, dark and drizzly than a big pot of homemade soup. This bean soup is filling, stores and freezes well and is perfect as a simple lunch with crackers or crusty bread, or accompanied by a salad and/or a sandwich for dinner.

Any type of dried beans will do--dried navy beans or dried cannellini beans. You can use plain water for the soup, which will help keep the cost down, although I use canned chicken broth for the added flavor. You can omit the meat, but I think this soup is best when made with ham hocks or a leftover ham bone. I also drop in a couple of dried bay leaves for added flavor.

When the soup is finished, if you wish, you can puree up to half of it, mixing the puree back into the soup for a smoother, creamier texture. If you are using the ham hocks or ham bone, pick the meat off the bones and add it to the completed soup after pureeing.

Bean Soup

• 1 pound of dried beans
• 1 quart of cold water for soaking beans
• 3 quarts of cold water or chicken broth
• 2 medium size yellow onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks of celery sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 2 dried bay leaves
• Coarsely ground black pepper and salt to taste
• Ham hocks, ham bone

Put the dried beans and one quart of water in a pot and let the beans soak overnight.

Combine the beans and any remaining soaking liquid with all the other ingredients except the salt and pepper in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, reduce the heat and simmer for about one and a half hours. Remove the ham hocks or ham bone from the soup and pick off the meat, discarding the bone and fat. Pick out and discard the bay leaves. If pureeing a portion of the soup, do so before adding the meat back in.

Ladle into soup bowls and enjoy. Store leftover soup in the refrigerator or freezer.

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After more than 50 years of cooking and discussing food, I have a collection of recipes for dishes I prepare often. This recipe for short ribs easily makes the Top 10. I first had this dish years ago at Tra Vigne Restaurant in St. Helena.

I use boneless short ribs, which I buy at Costco (which incidentally has excellent, well-priced beef). I prepare the ribs the day before I am going to serve them. After removing them from the oven, I let them come to room temperature and then put them, covered, in the refrigerator overnight.

One or two hours before serving the ribs I remove them from the refrigerator, pick off the congealed fat and reheat them in a 325 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes. I serve them with mashed potatoes or buttered noodles.

Leftovers (if any) store well in the refrigerator or freezer. This recipe can easily be doubled if you have the pot or pots to hold the larger amount.

Tra Vigne Restaurant
Braised Beef Short Ribs

For the brine:

• 2 quarts water
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 juniper berries

For the short ribs:

• 4 pounds meaty beef short ribs
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or more if needed
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 head of garlic, unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
• 2 cups beef broth or stock
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 cup Sherry vinegar
• 1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes

Make the brine by combining water, sugar, salt, bay leaf and juniper berries in a pot and simmering over medium heat until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Cool the mixture to room temperature. Add the short ribs to the brine and chill, covered, in the refrigerator for at least four and up to 24 hours (longer is better).

After brining, remove short ribs from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the brine. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy ovenproof pot with a tight fitting lid over medium high heat on top of stove with the lid off. Sauté the ribs in the heated vegetable oil in batches until browned on all sides. Set aside on a platter.

Add the onions, carrot and garlic to the pot and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden, about eight minutes. Stir in stock, wine, vinegar and tomatoes, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the ribs and any juices on the platter to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot with the lid and transfer to the preheated oven.

Braise in the oven until meat is tender, about two and a half to three hours. Remove ribs from sauce and discard garlic skin, which should have separated from the cloves of garlic. Serve the ribs with the sauce on the side.

This dish is even better if cooked a day ahead, chilled overnight (leaving the ribs in the sauce) and reheated the next day. Remove solidified fat before reheating.

Serves four.

This recipe is reprinted with permission from Tra Vigne Restaurant in St. Helena, California.

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There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of chicken casserole recipes around the United States. Poultry can be very economical, and in combination with vegetables and a white sauce creates a "stick-to-the-ribs" meal.

This recipe is long but very easy. I prepare the vegetables while the poultry is stewing and set them aside. The biscuits are easily and quickly made using Bisquick mix. Be sure to make extra. I promise you rave reviews and good eating!

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole
by Gene Burns

To prepare the poultry:

• 1 5-6 pound stewing hen, capon or small turkey
• 1 medium-size yellow onion, peeled and cut in large pieces
• 5 medium-size carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
• 1 stalk of celery, cut in chunks
• 1 sprig of parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon salt
• enough canned chicken broth to adequately cover the above ingredients in a large pot
• 2 cups of milk

Combine all of the above ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat until the liquid is simmering. Simmer for two to two and a half hours until the meat is very tender.

Remove the meat from the pot; when it is cool enough, remove it from the bones in large pieces. Strain the broth and reserve the liquid while discarding the other ingredients.

To prepare vegetables for the casserole:

• 5 large carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
• 5 medium-size potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
• 10 small boiling onions, peeled
• 10 medium to large-size mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered
• 1 package frozen peas
• 1 package frozen whole kernel corn

Steam the carrots, potatoes and onions in turn until each is fork tender and set aside. Sauté the mushrooms in two to three tablespoons of butter until tender and set aside. Cook the peas and corn in turn according to package directions and set aside. The goal here is not to overcook the vegetables and to retain the separate flavor of each, which is why you take the time to cook them individually. Set these vegetables aside until you are ready to assemble the casserole.

To prepare the sauce:

• 3 cups reserved chicken broth
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 1/3 cup cold water

Combine the flour and cold water in a small bowl to form a paste. Put the chicken stock in a saucepan and put over a medium heat. While heating, stir in the flour paste and continue stirring until the sauce thickens.

Prepare your favorite biscuit recipe (Bisquick is fine). Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and heat an empty casserole dish large enough to hold all the ingredients until the dish is warm.

Assembly and Final Preparation:

Combine the chicken chunks, cooked vegetables and the sauce. Put in the pre-heated casserole dish. Top with the biscuits and bake until the biscuits are golden brown and completely cooked, about twenty-five to thirty minutes. Serve.

Please note that proportionality is the key to this recipe. If you use a capon or small turkey, you may need to increase the amount of chicken broth used in preparing the poultry, although you should not have to increase the flavoring vegetables in that step. Just be sure the broth adequately covers the ingredients. Also if you have much more meat you may wish to increase the amount of vegetables in step two and make more sauce in step three. Be sure, if expanding the sauce ingredients, that you maintain the ratio of flour paste to chicken stock. You may also use other fresh or frozen vegetables according to your taste.

This recipe looks complicated. It is not. It does take some time but you can do all the prep while the poultry is stewing. On a cold fall or winter day this recipe delivers a big payoff and is great for large groups. The leftover chicken broth can be kept in the refrigerator or freezer and is great for a quick soup. Just add fresh vegetables and/or noodles and heat.

Enjoy!

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I hope you find these recipes useful. If you develop any variations please let me know. Who cares if it rains or snows; we've got our recipes to keep us warm!

Gene Burns