We’ve been in comfort-cooking mode for a while now, and this last stretch of January really has us reaching for recipes that soothe and nourish. Soups and stews, yes, and generous casseroles, but also dishes that feel like effortless victories, filling the home with wonderful smells and making us do that satisfied, mmm-shrugging thing with our shoulders.
This chicken mei fun from Vivian Chan is a wonderful example of the comfort cooking we’re craving. It’s familiar (who doesn’t love noodles?), versatile (use the proteins and veggies that you’ve got) and easy (simple prep and straightforward stir-frying). A tangled heap of noodles and crisp-tender vegetables, slicked in a savory five-spice sauce, is a very comforting thing on a tired, cold January night.
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Chicken Mei Fun
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Any conversation about comfort cooking has to include roast chicken. Colu Henry’s roast chicken with maple butter and rosemary is a little sweet, a little salty, very savory and tremendously comforting. Just as classic is Lidey Heuck’s new recipe for bangers and mash, that British pub standby combining sausage links, buttery mashed potatoes and onion gravy. Serve either with a frilly, lightly dressed green salad.
On the vegetarian side of things, Yewande Komolafe’s brothy Thai curry with silken tofu and herbs is here to restore and revive. And how cozy do these roasted red peppers look? The bright peppers, charred and layered over a bed of garlicky beans and dark leafy greens, resemble soft, welcoming beanbag chairs. Ali Slagle’s recipe really lets you slouch into it, too. Use whichever canned beans you’ve got in the pantry, add those herbs that need using up, top with crumbles of cheese or dollops of yogurt.
Sometimes you want a crisp-edged chocolate chip cookie; sometimes you want a dense, fudgy brownie. Samantha Seneviratne’s brookies let you have both. What’s more comforting than not having to choose?
Love Your Leftovers
The herbal-sweet, rosemary-maple flavors of the roast chicken would be really nice in Ali’s 10-minute chicken salad with fennel and charred dates. And leftover roasted peppers, greens and beans would convert quite easily into a quick minestrone.
