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Chill temperatures have finally dropped into the Okanagan Valley, a frosty parachute jettisoned from the northlands.

Late summer miraculously held on and on, grasping tight to a steadfast overnight +10ºC until… last night when… it didn’t.

BOOM! Winter! -6ºC this morning.

Birch and cherry trees shivered like they had a COVID fever and immediately began rapid-fire chucking of their still-green leaves to the emerald grass below.

Childish chickadees and juvenile juncos huddled noisily around the feeders like itinerant depression-era hobos surrounding a burning barrel, gorging on black-oil sunflower seeds, little ADHD nomads flitting back and forth from the cedar and yew hedges on the yard’s edge.

Safely ensconced behind my window glass I clasp a steaming cup of tea to my chest, vicariously absorbing signs of winter chills that bring on the inbred desire for fireplace coziness and … comfort foods.

Bears hibernate, Monarch butterflies wing south, hares and ptarmigan turn white, and we humans… turn to the desire for comfort foods that is sewn into our DNA.

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We all embrace an individual set of edibles that constitute our comfort food… for some it’s stews and shepherd pie, for others, Yorkshire pudding and baby back ribs saturated in thick, sweet sauciness, yet others crave a spicy curry or steaming vegetable-laden soup.

I’d happily dive into any of those choices as temperatures take a dive of their own.

Something I’ve noticed is that comfort foods largely tend to go by passionless names (eg. meat loaf, lentil soup), what I might call “diner” names, not Michelin 3 star restaurant descriptors that dazzle us with colourful imagery and unpronounceable titles.

OK, enough talk… lets head for the warmth of my kitchen where I’ll share just a few of my own preferences of the delectables that are like a cozy pillow to embrace within my inner guts.

I’m putting on my apron and sharpening my knives. Let’s cook up… some good old northern comfort…

(NB. While almost all of these contain meat or animal products, any can be quite easily customized to accommodate the vegan palate)

  1. Chicken and Dumplings – one of my Mom’s go-to’s, simple fare with down-home farm ingredients.
  2. Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup – a lunchtime staple on snowy days, even if the soup comes from a can (although I’ll be using San Marzano tomatoes from my garden, ripening in the cold room).
  3. Chili Con Carne (o sin carne!) – this was actually one of my Dad’s favourite things to make after he retired. Silly me – I didn’t know he could cook anything until he hit 65!
  4. Sloppy Joes – many comfort foods fall into a “sloppy” category, does this say something about winter blues perhaps?
  5. Pastitsio* (see recipe at bottom of post) or Lasagna – anything that is topped with caramelized cheese is food for the gods in my book.
  6. Slow Cooker Rogan Josh or Butter Chicken (served with fresh naan) – I have a lot of immigrant friends and families to thank for the food scents that permeate my home in recent years. How did I live my first 40 years without cumin, fenugreek, or turmeric?
  7. Blueberry Bread Pudding – simple breakfast (dessert) fare that covers all the major food groups, AND the extra one that nurses my major addiction …. sugar! (Of course, any fruit can be subbed, fall apples are a great choice)
  8. Pad Thai – it took me a long time to come to a realization that peanut butter goes well with something other than chocolate or bananas (and shockingly, that fish sauce is a fantastic umami contributor to lots of dishes)
  9. Pierogi and Sausages – I grew up in a heavily ethnic Hamilton neighbourhood where many Ukrainians settled after World War II, bringing their unique foodstuffs along for the ride to share.
  10. Wor Wonton Soup – broth with everything included except the kitchen sink… shrimp, vegetables, mushrooms, egg… sesame oil and ginger combination at its best.
  11. Cinnamon Buns with Maple Cream Cheese icing – is any dessert item more enticing and winter’ish than tender-as-marshmallow dough laced with warm cinnamon, brown sugar, and cream cheese? ME ME… I’ll answer… NOPE!
  12. Pork or Chicken Schnitzel – fork-tender meat sautéed in a lightly-seasoned crumb coating. Delectable with or without a mushroom or tomato sauce.
  13. Beef Stroganoff – more fork-tender slow-cooked meat in a mushroomy sour cream sauce. I’m not at all pleased with the Russian government but I love this contribution from their kitchen.
  14. Boston Baked Beans – we all know that legumes (so many beans, so little time) are great for our bowel and general health, so why not enjoy it with a tantalizing smoky tomato sauce. For those worried about contributing to global warming via flatulent methane production, humans produce a paltry 1 L of flatus per day, only 7% of which is methane… which is less than 1% of what a single cow produces daily. So nosh as much on beans as you like and the only one who can reasonably complain is your nearest neighbour.
  15. Chicken Cacciatore – my good ole Hamilton friend Denise made the best chicken cacciatore I’ve eaten when she gamely visited me in Yellowknife over 40 years ago… the memory and great flavour of that dish still lingers.
  16. Irish Beef Stew (with Guinness) – I’ve always loved stews at this time of year… and there are so many variations… one of which (see below) I gorged on in Dublin just this summer at the The Girl and The Goose Restaurant.

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Of course, our food tastes are constantly evolving, and with the availability of ingredients from around the world throughout the year… well, we can keep on adding to our comfort menu for chilly days and long nights.

OK gang, let’s put down our knives and mixing bowls now and cheer on the shorter, colder days from which we draw culinary warmth.

I don’t know about you, but, just thinking about all of this, I’m famished!

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*As promised, some comfort goodness for 4… I made this dish this week…OPA!!

Pastitsio (Greek Pasta Bake)

Greece’s answer to Italian Lasagna! This traditional Greek dish is made with layers of pasta topped with a rich meat sauce perfumed with a hint of cinnamon and clove, topped with a thick layer of cheese sauce.

For neat layers. arrange the pasta so they’re all going in one direction, and rest the baked Pastitsio for 15 minutes before slicing. Excellent for making ahead (keeps for 4 to 5 days in the fridge) and freezes very well!

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 2 hrs

Servings: 4

Calories: 597cal/serving

Ingredients

Meat Sauce:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1.5 garlic cloves , finely minced
  • 1 red onions , finely chopped (sub yellow or brown onions)
  • 0.5 kg / 1 lb beef mince (ground beef)
  • 0.38 cup dry red wine
  • 400g / 14 oz canned crushed tomato
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 0.5 tsp white sugar
  • 0.5 bay leaf
  • 0.25 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 0.5 cinnamon stick (or extra 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder)
  • 0.13 tsp ground cloves
  • 0.38 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper

Greek Bechamel:

  • 50g / 3.5 tbsp butter , unsalted
  • 0.38 cup flour , plain/all purpose
  • 0.5 litre / 2 cups milk , whole/full fat best but low fat ok
  • pinch nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 50g / 1.5 oz Kefalotyri Greek cheese (sub. Parmesan or Romano), finely shredded
  • 1 egg yolk (egg white is used in the pasta)

Pasta:

  • 200g / 7 oz Pastitsio No. 2 pasta / Greek bucatini (sub. small ziti, penne or normal bucatini)
  • 60g / 2 oz feta , crumbled
  • 1 egg white (yolk used in Béchamel)

Topping:

  • 37.5g / 1.5 oz Kefalotyri Greek cheese (sub parmesan or Romano) , finely grated

Instructions

Meat Sauce:

  • Heat in a large pot over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 – 3 minutes until onion is softened. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from red to brown.
  • Add wine and and cook until the wine has mostly evaporated – about 3 minutes.
  • Add remaining Meat Sauce ingredients. Stir well, bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium / medium low so it’s simmering gently. Cook for 45 min to 1 hour until liquid is mostly gone, stirring every now and then. It should be a thick mixture with little liquid, not saucy like Spaghetti Bolognese.
  • Remove from stove and cool. Preferably to room temperature, otherwise for at least 30 minutes before assembling (lid off).

Greek Béchamel (Note 5):

  • Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir for 1 minute.
  • While stirring, slowly pour half the milk in. It should turn into a wet paste. Then again, while stirring, pour in remaining milk – the paste should easily dissolve so it’s lump-free. If not, just whisk vigorously.
  • Cook, stirring so the base doesn’t catch, for 5 minutes or until thick enough so it coats the back of a wooden spoon thickly and you can draw a path across it with your finger.
  • Remove from stove. Stir in nutmeg, cheese and salt.
  • Leave to cool for 5 minutes. Then whisk in egg yolk quickly. Place lid on and set aside. If sauce cools and gets too thick to pour, just reheat on a low stove until pourable.

Pasta (Note 6):

  • When you’re ready to assemble, cook the pasta per packet instructions, minus 1 minute.
  • Drain, then return to the pot. Leave to cool for 3 minutes, then stir through egg white. Gently stir through crumbled feta.

Assemble and bake:

  • Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types).
  • Place pasta in a baking dish (33 x 22 x 7 cm / 9 x 13 x 2.75″), arranging them so they are all going in the same direction as best you can (for visual effect when sliced). Make the surface as level as you can.
  • Top with Meat Sauce, then smooth the surface.
  • Pour over Béchamel Sauce, then sprinkle over the cheese.
  • Bake 30 min or until crust turns golden.
  • Cool for at least 15 minutes so you can cut neat slices with the layers neatly visible. Serve!