What to eat when it so damn cold out?

[awbrig]

I was telling my wife today that I cant wait until the temperature gets back to 0 degrees.

Its been hard to goto the grocery store and get fresh meat vegetables etc...when it's been so frigid. What have you been cooking or have you been doing your normal routine?

[lizziee]

awbrig,

Come to LA where it is 78.

[awbrig]

awbrig,

Come to LA where it is 78.

Los Angeles or Louisiana?

[jaybee]

I just call Chilly Tritters and he sends some good stuff up to the apartment. Blanquette de veaux tonight. Delivery charge is kind of high, but what the hell.

[lizziee]

awbrig,

We might not have great food in Los Angeles, but at least we don't freeze.

[Bond Girl]

So far it's been soups and stews. I haven't had any heat in my apartment for the last two days, so I tried to keep the stove and oven on as much as possible. So far, I've made a huge pot of Gumbo, some black bean soup for the local homeless shelter, and vegetarian Chilli (Thanks Jaymes!) that fooled a bunch of meat eaters. Tomorrow, I will try to get to the Fishmongers so I can make cioppino, inspired by the recent thread.

Edited January 25, 2003 by Bond Girl (log)

[awbrig]

haven't had any heat in my apartment for the last two days, so I tried to keep the stove and oven on as much as possible.

i hope its not too cold for you? the oven can only provide so much heat in an apartment...be careful!

it is soooo cold here you cant be outside for more than a few minutes! Its the frozen tundra here...oops I mean tundra

Edited January 25, 2003 by awbrig (log)

[awbrig]

just call Chilly Tritters and he sends some good stuff up to the apartment

I think Chilly Tritter is Charlie Trotter's estranged lost brother...

[Bond Girl]

i hope its not too cold for you? the oven can only provide so much eat in an apartment...be careful!

Thanks Awbrig. NYC is going through its coldest weather in six or seven years. We hit 9 degrees this week, which was certainly below normal. My small apartment gets heated up quite quickly when the oven is on, but I got a lecture on carbon monoxide poisoning recently, so I will be very very careful. In the meantime, the local homeless shelter is getting lots of baked goods including pound cakes, apple pies, lemon tarts and a few different quiches.

[awbrig]

In the meantime, the local homeless shelter is getting lots of baked goods including pound cakes, apple pies, lemon tarts and a few different quiches.

Wow, sounds pretty good!

[snowangel]

I can relate. Remember, I live in Minneapolis. It's been too cold to even go ice fishing (no comments, please).

On a light note, my kids plead with me this morning for summer. Peter dressed for school in SHORTS. I made his put on sweat pants and long underware UNDER his shorts.

So, for dinner tonight, we had carnitas, tortillas, rice and salsa. We pretended it was summer. Topped it off with ice cream sundaes (no problem with the ice cream melting on the way from grocery to car).

We turned on every light in the house and cranked the furnace up to 75. Not to worry about food, though, when I get my gas bill, I won't be able to afford food. Peter showed up for dinner in his swimming trunks.

On other frigid nights lately, soup, stew or pot roast is in order.

P. S. The furnace is now set to the almost affordable 67 degrees.

[awbrig]

I have been cruising on Shutterfly (our online photo place) and looking at our Hawaii trip and dreaming I was still there...

Man, that would be nice, instead of this...

[JAZ]

I'm fortunate to be in a temperate climate, but I've spent my share of cold winters. I like to slow braise things in the oven, if only because it means you get to keep the oven on for so long. Short ribs are one of my favorites.

[Jinmyo]

Thick soups like pureed potato and leek, split pea and hamhock (or drive it to the point of pease pudding). Braise braise braise. Lamb shoulder, short ribs, osso bucco.

[Wimpy]

Actually, i envy those who live in cold climes! I've been based in Asia these past 10 years and miss winters in Chicago, where I used to cook up goulasch soup, clam chowder and other substantial soups accompanied by a nice crusty piece of bread! It's hard to get worked up about that stuff in 80-85 degree temperatures, not to mention high humidity! There must be some medical study that correlates low temperatures with appetite (probably coz winters burn calories faster).

[CathyL]

I have been cruising on Shutterfly (our online photo place) and looking at our Hawaii trip and dreaming I was still there...

Awbrig, is that Lanai??

[awbrig]

Awbrig, is that Lanai??

Yes, it is. That is our hotel pool overlooking the ocean. Manele Bay Resort.

[CathyL]

We were Manele Bay regulars but haven't been for 2 years, and I miss the place. Were the dolphins around when you were?

[apologies for off-topicness but it's so cold here]

[VivreManger]

Braise and bake, that is the order of a cold day. Kept the oven working yesterday with lamb shanks braised in demiglace, red wine, tomato. eggplant and marrow bones. Baked up some potatoes and the kids made cookies for desert. It almost made the weather tolerable.

[=Mark]

I'm cooking up a pot of this as we speak for the NJ Potluck...

Got the idea for this after sampling a couple bowls of a regional style soup during a trip to the Fiery Foods Festival in New Mexico, just substituted Chipotles for the green chiles:

Chipotle Chicken Vegetable soup

1 6 lb. roasting chicken

1 32 oz can chicken stock

1 cup coarsley chopped celery (Save all veggie trimmings for stock)

1 cup diced red bell pepper

1 cup sliced carrots

2 medium onions coarsely chopped

1 cup corn kernels

1 16 oz can diced tomato

1 cup chipotles in adobo sauce

1/2 tsp thyme

cracked black pepper to taste

salt to taste (I use heavy chinese soy sauce)

Roast chicken in oven till done, cool overnight.

Debone chicken and save all the bones & scraps. Cut meat into bite size bits removing fat & gristle. Refrigerate.

In a large stock pot add bones and carcass as well as veggie peelings, carrot butts and onion skins etc and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 to 3 hours, skimming and stirring occasionally.

Strain through a collander and add stock back to pot. Add celery, bell pepper, corn, onions and carrots as well as the canned stock and bring to a simmer. Cook until veggies begin to turn tender. Add chicken and canned tomato.

While soup is coming back to a simmer, take about a cup of it and put in a food processor with the chipotles & adobo. Whirr it up for about 30 seconds or untill the peppers are well pureed. Add salt, pepper and thyme to the soup, then start adding the chipotle puree about a quarter cup at a time, stirring and tasting for the desired pungency. Using all of it makes for a chileheads delite, but may be too much for some gringos to handle!

This makes a big old pot full which would probably serve 20 or 25 people. Good for freezing and serving at a later time.

You could use all canned stock and one of those rotisserie chickens from the store, but my life is dull and I got nothin' better to do...

Edited January 25, 2003 by =Mark (log)

[Suzanne F]

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, =Mark

[Holly Moore]

S.O.S. It's the only way to charge into the morning when the wind chill is below zero.

Best S.O.S. (creamed chipped beef for the politically correct) I've ever had was at Philadelphia's long gone Commissary. They added cheddar and sauteed onions to the cream.

[Bond Girl]

Awbrig, great pics. May be I should forget Miami and go to Lenai instead.