Ingredient Title Chef Category

Comfort food equals cooking in advance

I get really, really nervous when I have lots of things to do just when guests are arriving. We invite our friends because we want to enjoy them, talk to them, tease them, be with them and that is hard to do if you are banging pots and pans around in the kitchen.

Cook-ahead, or at least have it well underway, is my motto for a good dinner party. So here are a few good cook-ahead recipes to keep in mind.

Vegetarian Chili with Cornbread Topping

Kidney beans and red lentils replace the meat. Flavor it to taste but remember chili is meant to bite back.

Chili
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bell peppers, diced
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cardamon pods, lightly crushed
1 1/2 cups red lentils
3 cups canned or fresh chopped tomatoes
3 1/2 cups drained canned kidney beans
1/4 cup catsup
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Cornbread Topping
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups cornmeal
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup coarsely grated Cheddar cheese

Chili: Heat oil in deep pan. Add onions, garlic and peppers; sauté until softened. Stir in pepper flakes, coriander, cumin and cardamon pods. Stir in lentils. Add tomatoes, kidney beans, ketchup, tomato paste, cocoa and 3 cups of water. Stir well. Cover and simmer, stirring often, until mixture is thickened and beans are tender, about 45 minutes. Stop here and refrigerate if you are making this ahead. You can keep it 3 days or longer. Bring to room temperature before covering with cornbread topping.

Topping: Heat oven to 425 F. Combine dry ingredients. In a bowl whisk together buttermilk, eggs, honey and oil. Combine ingredients; stir until combined. Pour chili into 13 x 9 inch baking pan (or bake in cast iron skillet). Spread cornbread topping evenly over chili, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until topping has risen and turned golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into serving portions. Serve with sour cream and cilantro, if desired. Makes 8 servings

Spiced Beef in Red Wine

Serve with polenta (if you use instant cook it in chicken broth and whisk in a couple of tablespoons of butter at the end), or mashed potatoes, or noodles, or rice. Add some frozen peas when reheating.

2 slices bacon, roughly chopped
2 large onions, roughly chopped
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, roughly chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup parsley
1/3 cup flour
Salt and pepper
2 1/2 pounds chuck cut in 2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, or more
Pinch ground cloves
1 1/2 cups red wine
2 cups beef stock or broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 star anise
1 tablespoon light brown sugar

You can chop bacon, onions, leeks, carrots and parsley in food processor, until finely chopped. Set aside. Place flour in plastic bag with salt and pepper, close and shake to mix then add steak cubes, and shake until well coated. Heat vegetable oil in heavy casserole or cast iron pan over medium heat. Add beef in batches, turning until well seared on all sides. As beef is browned, transfer to plate. If pan becomes dry, add a little more oil. Add bacon and vegetable mixture and ground cloves. Sauté until softened, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine wine, beef stock, Worcestershire, anise and brown sugar; bring to a boil and pour over softened vegetables. Return beef to pan and stir well. Bring to a boil, partly cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer gently until beef is tender, about 2 hours. Serve hot. Stew can be cooked ahead and refrigerated for 2 days or it can be frozen. Makes 6 servings.

Mexican Chicken Dumplings

Make a few of the dumplings without jalapenos for people who don’t like spicy food.

Chicken
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 pounds skinned chicken thighs
1 can (15 oz.) chicken broth
1 Mexican style (or other) stewed tomatoes
1 can red enchilada sauce

Dumplings:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal 2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeno chilies
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup milk, not cold

Chicken: Pour oil into heavy pan and when hot, add onion, bell pepper and garlic; stir until limp. Rinse chicken. Add broth, tomatoes, enchilada sauce and chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink at the bone (cut to test), about 40 minutes. At this point you can store in refrigerator or freezer.

Dumplings: Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and jalapenos (you can do this ahead, too). Whisk butter into milk; stir into flour mixture until well combined. Drop batter in tablespoon portions into simmering chicken mixture; cover and simmer gently until dumplings are cooked all the way through (cut to test), 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Penne with sausage, tomatoes and olives

Make the sauce ahead and cook the pasta while your guests are enjoying hors d’ouvres or a salad. Don’t let the long list of seasonings scare you off; this is simple to make.

Sauce
1 pound Italian sausage
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup red wine
1 bay leaf
1 can (28 oz.) chopped tomatoes, including liquid (can use 3 1/4 cups fresh)
1/4 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons hot water
1 cup pitted olives, cut in half lengthwise, kalamata preferred
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
2 teaspoon fresh marjoram, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme, or l/2 teaspoon dried
Salt and pepper, to taste

Pasta
1 pound penne
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Olive oil
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Sauce: Sauté sausage in Dutch oven, breaking up meat into small pieces, until no traces of pink remain. Transfer sausage to paper towel to drain. Wipe out pan, add oil and onion, sauté until soft, adding garlic halfway through. Add wine, bay leaf, canned and sun-dried tomatoes, and Worcestershire. Mix cocoa into hot water until dissolved, then add to pot, along with olives, cooked sausage and pepper flakes. Simmer 20 minutes to meld flavors. Serve over cooked pasta or cool and refrigerate or freeze.

Pasta: Cook in large pot of boiling water until al dente; drain and add to sauce. Stir in parsley. Serve topped with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (if desired). Pass the Parmesan. Makes 6 servings.

Making ahead makes a better party!

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