Warm and well fed

It's the darkest, coldest and possibly busiest time of year. Farm markets don't offer many fresh vegetable options, just mainly roots and greens--which are just what we need now anyway. Still it can be hard with these constraints to feel creative in the pinch so here are a few recipes to pull you through before I return to holiday making treats.

Chicken thighs with quince

Quince is a wonderfully fragrant Mediterranean fruit you can't eat raw so it's prepared many delicious ways. This one is not just simple, tasty and nourishing, it has a touch of festive glamour about it and won't break a budget. if you can't find quince--and it has been in supermarket fresh sections lately because it's in season in California--you can substitute pears and add a dash of rosewater for a similarly fragrant and elegant effect.

Serves 6
1/4 c corn or other vegetable oil (Olive oil might burn)
2 lbs chicken thighs (6-8 depending on their size)
2 med/lg onions, finely diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground chili pepper like Aleppo, meaning semi hot
3 c chicken broth
1 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves finely chopped
pinch of saffron threads
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp dark seedless raisins OR 8 pitted dates (these are the "sweetener")
1 lb quince, cut in half, cored, then pieces cut in half again
4 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter

Season the chicken with paprika, chili and black pepper. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and brown it. Flip it with tongs and sauté the other side 5 more minutes to brown it. Remove chicken from the oil and put in the onions. Sauté just long enough to soften: don't burn or brown them, just soften, maybe 3 minutes.

Now put the chicken and onions in a large casserole pot. Season with salt and pepper.  Cover with the chicken broth, adding more or water if you can't get the chicken covered. Add saffron, ginger and cilantro leaves. Add raisins/dates. Bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer and cover the pot. Simmer 30-40 minutes until the chicken in close to falling off its bones.

While it's cooking, melt butter/ghee in a small frying or sauté pan. Add the cut quince and sauté 5 minutes. Add to the chicken pot and be sure they're tender before you cut off all the cooking.
Serve with couscous or fregola or freekah or rice. And a crunchy green salad. This is a terrific meal!

Pear, Watercress and Pecorino Salad
This is a light, colorful winter salad to which I often add a few bright red pomegranate arils for a holiday effect. Watercress is very nourishing--a good source of hard to find Vitamin E, riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin A-- so don't overlook it in the market.
serves 4

3 tbsp good quality olive oil
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
2 bunches watercress, washed, dried and chopped
1 lg ripe pear, cored and thinly sliced
4 oz Pecorino cheese at room temperature (this is a salty Italian sheep cheese like cow milk parmesan)
Optional: 1 tbsp pomegranate arils

In a med/large serving bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper until blended. Add the watercress and toss to dress it.  Divide the salad between 4 plates. Top each with pear slices and optionally pomegranate. With a carrot peeler, shave tin flakes of cheese over each salad. Serve immediately.

Beet Borscht with Beef

For those in the colder climes, here's a very hearty meal in a bowl that carries the festive red color of the season. I was going to include it in January in a winter soup post (A magazine is publishing some of my recipes then) but am throwing it in now because you can assemble it quickly, store it in the fridge for a few days--flavor intensifies--and have a nourishing heartwarming meal that leaves the budget open to more Christmas shopping. This is as old fashioned and fortifying as goodness gets. And you can freeze the leftovers for later in winter.

serves 4 as a meal
2 lbs beef short ribs or shin
5 c water
4 c beef broth
4 med/lg red beets, peeled (wash and chop the greens)
1 tbsp salt
3 med boiling potatoes, peeled and diced into bite size chunks
1 sm carrot, peeed and grated
1/2 sm (3/4 lb) white cabbage, shredded
6 tbsp tomato paste
4 black peppercorns
freshly ground black pepper to your taste
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 bay leaf
to serve: sour cream
1/2 bunch fresh dill, fronds finely chopped (no stems)

In a large soup pot, combine the water and broth. Add the beef. Bring to a boil over high heat, lower heat to low/med, cover the pot and cook 30 minutes.  Add salt and whole red beets. Boil 10 minutes then fish out the red beets with a slotted spoon. Let them cool and while they do add all the remaining ingredients to the soup pot including the beet greens. Continue cooking the soup.  When the beets are cool enough to handle, grate them and add to the soup. Simmer for 1 1/2-2 hrs or until the beef is falling off its bones.
Remove from heat, remove bay leaf and the meatless bones.

Now  you have two options: you can cool the soup to room temperature and refrigerate it overnight or several hours, then skim off the fat that will harden on top--easy way to do this. Reheat and serve. OR you can skim off the fat while the soup is hot and serve it.

To serve: ladle the borscht into very large bowls, top with a dollop of sour cream and a good sprinkle of fresh dill. Provide a side plate, fork and knife for cutting up the large pieces of beef. Dig in and celebrate the season.

Italian Bread Soup with Tomatoes (Pappa al Pomodoro)

More on the festive red theme, this time an elegant way to use up whatever bread you've got lying around haunting you. This amazingly zesty tomato "soup" is actually as thick as bread pudding so think of it as a momentary and seasonally robust alternative to ordinary tomato sauced pasta, a fortifying dish to keep you going to all the parties and shopping orgies of the season.

serves 4-5
2 leek or med onions
1/4 c olive oil
2 c crushed tomatoes (canned or boxed is fine)
pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
1/4 tsp crushed chili flakes
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 lb (about 1/2 round loaf) crusty bread, going stale is fine
1 3/4 c beef broth  (if you are vegetarian use a hearty vegetable broth)
1/2 c coarsely grated parmesan, pecorino or asiago cheese
To Garnish: fresh basil leaves
1/4 c best quality olive oil

If using leeks, cut them in 1/4" disks and wash thoroughly, then drain. If using onions, peel and cut into very thin rings.

In a heavy gauge casserole, heat olive oil over med heat, add leeks/onions and sauté over med/low heat 10-12 minutes to soften and begin to caramelize. Add tomatoes and dried basil, stirring to blend. Add crushed chili flakes, black pepper and pinch of salt. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

While that's happening, cut the bread into 1/2" cubes, crust and all. Heat the beef broth to a boil in a saucepan.
When the tomatoes have simmered 30 minutes add the bread cubes, stirring to blend. Simmer 5 minutes. Add the boiing broth, stirring the blend. Then quickly remove from heat. Add the cheese but do not stir it in. Cover the casserole and let it stand 1 hour.

Open it up, stir and taste for salt and pepper, adjusting if necessary.
Serve it either lightly reheated over the lowest flame or at room temp as it is. Top with chopped fresh basil leaves and 1-2 tsp best olive oil on each serving.  With a crunchy green salad topped by olives, you're good to go.