Comfort Food to Comfort a Friend

Posted on November 15, 2013 by brosbottom

My friend Maddy and I agreed that the best way to comfort a dear friend who had recently lost her mother after a long illness was to invite her and her husband for a home cooked meal. We debated the menu over several emails, but then it hit us. What we needed to serve was cold weather comfort food. When I mentioned barbecued short ribs served with creamy mashed potatoes and a cole slaw with capers and scallions, my fellow host jumped on the idea. She pointed out that our friend was from the South and loved barbecued fare.

If you’ve never roasted short ribs, you’ll discover, that this inexpensive cut takes to slow oven cooking naturally with mouthwatering results. In the following recipe, these ribs are rubbed with an assertive blend of brown sugar, smoked paprika, and other robust spices, then browned and simmered in a barbecue sauce, which conveniently cooks along with them. When done, the meat is fork-tender and bursting with smoky, sweet, and tart flavors. An added bonus is that these ribs improve in flavor when made ahead and reheated. Continue reading →

Pan-Braised Pork, Butternut Squash, and Greens-A Recipe Serves More Than One Purpose!

Posted on November 7, 2013 by brosbottom

When a local supermarket chain in our town recently ran a “buy one, get one free” special on pork chops, I couldn’t resist the bargain, tucking two packages into my cart. I knew immediately that the thick, boneless chops could be used to make a double recipe of pan-braised pork and butternut squash, a delicious all-in-one fall dish. One batch would be for our family, and the other a gift to a dear friend who was having out-patient cataract surgery the next day. Since this main course could be cooked ahead and was easy to transport, it was perfect to take across town. Continue reading →

Cauliflower Stars in a Delicious Fall Soup

Posted on November 1, 2013 by brosbottom

Although my mother served countless vegetables at her table, she never cooked cauliflower. She would coat eggplant or okra in cornmeal, then fry it until golden and crisp, or cook turnips greens or lady peas slowly with bits of bacon for extra flavor. Never, though, did she turn to this member of the cruciferous family for inspiration. I, on the other hand, continue to marvel at the inventive ways a cook can use this assertive vegetable. I’ve sautéed the florets with leeks and mushrooms as a topping for buttered pasta, incorporated them into creamy gratins sprinkled with cheese, and featured them often in soups.

The latter is by far my favorite way to use this extra healthy vegetable that belongs to a food group that includes broccoli, kale, collard greens, and cabbage. Among my creations there has been a curried cauliflower potage, another topped with Gruyère and crushed hazelnuts, and my recent spicy cauliflower soup with crispy chorizo, which you’ll find in this post. Continue reading →

Sunday Casseroles Galleys Have Arrived!

Posted on October 25, 2013 by brosbottom

When you send a cookbook manuscript to your publisher, the work doesn’t stop there. Editors pore over the pages for several months, and return them marked with queries and changes. The author (moi!) then reviews these “first copy edits” in agonizingly minute detail. This summer I spent the better part of two weeks in Paris at my computer dealing with the edits for Sunday Casseroles. I was so relieved when they were finished that I rewarded myself with an afternoon of guiltless shopping in France’s capital!

Next, designers and photographers get involved and produce a rough layout of the book with photos and text. This version, known as the “galleys,” usually arrives in hard copy annotated with more queries. Last Friday Fed Ex delivered a huge package filled with 175 pages of Sunday Casseroles galleys. For the past week I have been reading the manuscript in sleuth-like fashion, searching line by line for typos, misspellings, and omissions. My eyes are red and my pencils worn to nubs, but the job is finally done! Now, I have to pack up those pages and send them to Amy, my talented editor at Chronicle Books.

Since I thought readers might like a sneak peak of a favorite recipe from this collection, I’ve included the directions for Rigatoni with Spicy Tomato Sauce, Kalamatas and Two Cheeses. Some will recognize this special dish because it appeared in various versions in my syndicated column and on the cover of Bon Appetit in the 1990s. I hope you’ll enjoy it, and please do let me know if you discover any typos! Continue reading →

A New Way with Crème Brûlées!

Posted on October 17, 2013 by brosbottom

In September I wrote an enthusiastic post about a soup and salad supper I served my book club, and included the recipe for the scallop and corn chowder offered that evening. Although I mentioned that honeyed crème brülées made a delectable ending for our menu, I didn’t include that recipe. It didn’t take long for a member of my book group to ask, “But what about the directions for those velvety honeyed crème brülées with the crunchy nut topping?”

The truth is that this particular dessert was still a work in progress even the night of our meeting. I’d made several versions the week before, but was still tweaking the recipe! A few more tries, and voilà–the flavors and textures were finely balanced. Continue reading →

Spicy Lamb Chops–Weeknight Quick and Easy!

Posted on October 10, 2013 by brosbottom

It’s a recurrent theme at our house and maybe at yours too. Does this sound familiar? You’ve worked all day and arrive home feeling as if the last thing you want to do is cook. The temptation looms large to order a pizza or take out from the local Chinese or Mexican place, but what you really crave is something homemade for supper.

Because I play out that scenario often, I’m always searching for easy homemade fixes for weeknight meals. When I discover a new dish such as Spicy Lamb Chops with Yogurt Cucumber Sauce I love to share it with my readers. Continue reading →

Cider-Roasted Pork –Perfect for Crisp Fall Nights

Posted on October 4, 2013 by brosbottom

As soon as the first bottles of local cider appear in our markets, I put one in my cart, not just for sipping, but for cooking as well. I love to cook seasonally, and nothing says fall more clearly than fresh cider.

This year, along with serving mugs of warm spiced cider, I’ve used this fall libation to baste pork tenderloins seasoned with sage, thyme, and rosemary. After browning the tenderloins with some sliced shallots, I add cider to the pan, slide it into the oven, and then halfway through the roasting arrange apple wedges around the pork. As a finishing touch I prepare a quick pan sauce with more cider, a hint of cider vinegar, and some butter. Continue reading →

Whole Foods Isn’t Always Whole Paycheck!

Posted on September 25, 2013 by brosbottom

Whole Foods in Hadley, Massachusetts

It’s a common, catchy little phrase that I hear all the time from my friends and students. “Whole Foods means whole paycheck” they exclaim after expeditions to our local WF where irresistible produce, fish, and meats often have hefty price tags.

An inveterate grocery shopper (I’m in supermarkets at least 3 to 4 times a week!), I’m aware that many things do cost more in this food emporium, but there are bargains too tucked among the shelves. Listed below are six items I routinely put in my cart. All are of excellent quality and a terrific value.

And speaking of non-monetary value, my local Whole Foods rates high for me on the service scale. Last week I asked a stocker where the peeled and cubed butternut squash was. She quickly explained that it was early in the season and that the store hadn’t begun to display packages of peeled and cut fall squashes. Then she continued, “Just go pick out a squash and I’ll take it in the back and prep it for you!” That little extra service is a bargain too! Continue reading →

Swiss Chard – A Great Side Dish for Fall

Posted on September 20, 2013 by brosbottom

Turnip greens and collards were familiar staples at our table when I was growing up in the South, but Swiss chard, another nutrient-packed green, was never on the menu. Not until many years later, did I discover this delicious, leafy vegetable. Chard comes in green, red, and yellow varieties and is available throughout the year, but right now it’s at its peak in my farmers’ markets and local groceries.

Mediterranean cooks have long used chard imaginatively, but I only recently started cooking with this vegetable that ranks as one of the healthiest in the world. Like spinach, it can be sautéed with garlic, added to vegetable soups, or baked in a casserole with a creamy sauce, all with tempting results. Continue reading →

Scallop and Corn Chowder—Perfect for My Book Club

Posted on September 13, 2013 by brosbottom

About a year ago my book club decided to change its monthly meetings from Sunday afternoons to Thursday evenings. With the change came the suggestion that the usual appetizers and sweets that each host served be replaced with a soup and salad supper. I don’t know whether it was the new time or the menu, but ever since we switched to the current format, attendance has soared!

Goat Cheeses, Figs, and Rosemary Crackers

September is my month to host, and last night I welcomed everyone to my home. Since our book selection was Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz, I planned a menu that I thought would be worthy of this culinary icon.

For openers I arranged French goat cheeses on a wicker tray along with fresh figs. The soupe du jour was a hearty New England scallop and corn chowder garnished with fresh chives from my book Sunday Soup. A salad of heirloom tomatoes and arugula tossed in a sherry vinaigrette was a colorful accompaniment while individual crème brûlées topped with almond and pistachio brittle made a sweet ending.

Continue reading →

Betty Rosbottom

Food Writer, Cookbook Author, Cooking Teacher

Category Archives: Food News