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Comfort foods…who doesn’t have their favorites. You know those that can take one back to childhood, to a city or time in life that makes one happy! While everyone loves classic family dishes like mac and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, and pizza, there’s no reason not to push the boundaries of even the most traditional comfort meals. What’s old can become new again with fresh ingredients, and unique twists-like salads dressed with spicy sauce and tossed French fries, pizza topped with chicken, Thai chili sauce, and crispy lime Asian coleslaw. I have very traditional dishes as my comfort foods but my boys don’t. They are used to my adventurous cooking and dishes that are just a tad different from traditional styles.
These are just some of the crazy delicious comfort food recipes Chef Kerry Altiero serves up in his new cookbook, Adventures in Comfort Food. As the chef/owner of Cafe Miranda in Rockland, Maine, Kerry is known for wildly satisfying dishes. With beautiful, color photographs and easy to follow recipes, this amazing book takes ordinary dishes like burgers, salad and lasagna and turns them into adventurous comfort food recipes.
Chapters in the book cover every part of a meal including breakfast, lunch, and dinner and side. Each recipe has a unique spin that takes flavors to new levels of greatness that everyone will enjoy. Recipes include:
- 50 MPH Tomatoes
- Wontons from Spaaaace
- New Age Chowder
- Hot. Dressed. Salad
- Lobster Mac ‘N Cheese
- Fiddlehead Pasta
- Pot Roast Bleu
- Intergalactic Pork
- Polenta Pizza Casserole
- Pierogies a la Pink Plate
- Lamb Burger
- Surf and Turf Tube Steaks
Here is a recipes from Adventures in Comfort Food
Aunt Fluffie’s Pasta
Serves 2
This is a “cream of leftovers” dish that you can throw together on a weeknight. Still, it’s memorable. It’s got all the good stuff: browned butter, caramelized onion, lemon and cheese; cauliflower is the star.
1 1/2 cup/350 g cauliflower, cut into forkfuls stick of butter (yup)
1/2 lb/225 g pasta, preferably bowties, cooked
1/2 red onion, diced
2 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1/2 cup/40 g parsley, coarsely chopped
1/2 lemon
salt, pepper
Romano or parmesan cheese, grated
METHOD
Place a heavy 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Put in butter, onions, garlic and cauliflower. Partially cover the pan and simultaneously brown the butter, caramelize the onions and get the cauliflower cooked. It will take around 10 minutes. They are all kind of racing each other. If the onions are browning but the cauliflower isn’t tender, add a splash of white wine or water and cover until the cauliflower is steamed through.
Add the noodles and stir; heat through. Add parsley, squeeze in the lemon and stir. Turn the pasta out onto a warm platter. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cheese.
Adventures in Comfort Food is a fantastic book for home cooks looking to turn their comfort food dishes into culinary adventures and these recipes would be awesome for entertaining this holiday season!
Recipe from ADVENTURES IN COMFORT FOOD by Kerry Alteiro
Page Street Publishing/October 2014
