As we continue to celebrate the joys of winter, one requisite stop has to be the province of home cookery. Cold weather begs us to fire up our stoves and ovens. A heavy snow is incomplete without marshmallows melting in hot chocolate. If you’re not ready to slow cook a roast in the crock pot now, then when will you ever? Winter cries out for comfort food. When I speak of comfort food, I speak not only of the nurture of one’s body, but of one’s soul.
The Oxford Languages dictionary defines comfort food as “food that provides consolation or a feeling of well-being, typically any with a high sugar or other carbohydrate content and associated with childhood or home cooking.” While I would never disparage the power of carbohydrates to put a person into a satisfying state of oblivion, this definition seems a little limited.
Indeed, comfort food has as many definitions as there are people with warm childhood memories. My own comfort favorites might sound terrible to other people. Ever heard of biscuits and tomato gravy? Or how about salmon patties with creamed peas? Made in the way only my mother could, these recipes owe their inventiveness to her family as they survived the Great Depression and the rationing of the second World War. For our family, it’s no longer about survival, but we continue to serve these dishes in honor of those who came before us and to remember how they cleverly made do with canned goods and very little meat. Every bite is filled with love, care and the good sense to get creative whenever one meets with an obstacle.
Food, with all its sensory pleasures, has the power to transport us to a time and place where we felt safe and loved. There is no better time to rekindle those memories than in winter. Though I would never presume to speak for all Americans and their many foodways, I have brought together a selection of cookbooks for your perusal and also included a link into our catalog that will open up the entire collection of cookery and comfort in hopes that a few recipes might spark some connections. Cookbooks, on the surface, seem like light reading — until we realize that they record the things we treasure most while connecting us to our past and to each other.
“Cooking With Love: Comfort Food That Hugs You” by Carla Hall.
From the Southern staple Down-Home Deviled Eggs with Smoky Bacon to silky and light Spicy Carrot-Ginger Soup to the ultimate Chicken Pot Pie with buttery crust on the bottom to her Granny’s unforgettably luscious Five-Flavor Pound Cake, Carla’s beautiful, flavorful recipes are so deeply satisfying, they’ll become family favorites in your kitchen.
“Tex-Mex: Traditions, Innovations, and Comfort Foods From Both Sides of the Border” by Ford Fry.
Tex-Mex is more than just a flavor-packed cookbook of tried and true recipes for comfort-food favorites like nachos, fajitas, and chili — it’s a way of life.
“I Heart Soul Food: 100 Southern Comfort Food Favorites” by Rosie Mayes.
Soul food favorites comes to life, as Mayes shares the secrets of mouthwatering southern classics, all using easy-to-find ingredients. Though she was born and raised in Seattle, Mayes’ cooking is firmly rooted in the traditions of her maternal grandparents from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The recipes were never written down until she started recording these delicious Southern, Creole, and Cajun recipes– with a few seafood-centric dishes from the Pacific Northwest.
“Chinese Soul Food: A Friendly Guide for Homemade Dumplings, Stir-fries, Soups, and More” by Hsiao-Ching Chou.
You’ll find approachable recipes and plenty of tips for favorite home-style Chinese dishes, such as red-braised pork belly, dry-fried green beans, braised-beef noodle soup, green onion pancakes, garlic eggplant, and the author’s famous potstickers, which consistently sell out her cooking classes in Seattle. You will also find helpful tips and techniques, such as caring for and using a wok and how to cook rice properly, as well as a basic Chinese pantry list that also includes acceptable substitutions.
“Modern Comfort Food” by Ina Garten.
Cooking comfort food — particularly fresh, modern comfort food — ensures that everyone at your table will feel happy and satisfied. Garten knows that serving delicious food will feed not only your cravings but also your soul — especially in these stressful times. Her book provides simple, foolproof, dependable recipes that will help you nourish yourself and the people you love.
“Saveur Italian Comfort Food” Editor Adam Sachs.
Celebrating a diverse, delicious, and wildly popular culinary tradition, Saveur Italian comfort food presents over 100 recipes for simple, flavorful, no-fuss, authentic food. You’ll find fresh takes on classic dishes along with a wealth of new ideas for every course of the meal in this essential cookbook.
“The Language of Baklava: A Memoir” by Diana Abu-Jaber.
Each chapter contains mouth-watering recipes for many of the dishes described, from her Middle Eastern grandmother’s Mad Genius Knaffea to her American grandmother’s Easy Roast Beef, to her aunt Aya’s Poetic Baklava. The Language of Baklava gives us the chance not only to grow up alongside Diana, but also to share meals with her every step of the way — unforgettable feasts that teach her, and us, as much about identity, love, and family as they do about food.
There’s still time to sign up for our “Comforts of Winter” reading program! Since you get to choose your own reading goal, why not make it checking out some cookbooks and cooking up one of these delectable recipes with your family? I promise, it will be one of the most awesome reading goals we see this winter. See more great comfort food cookbooks in our catalog!
