What Does Comfort Food Mean To You? We asked our food and beverage contributors this question, and for their favourite and most comforting dish to make at home – they share their recipes with us here.
Jeff Collins
I grew up in Newfoundland with three siblings. Meatloaf was a way to stretch out a ‘pound of ground’ to feed four kids and two adults. This basic recipe I learned from Mom... Wine pairing? Any Pinot Noir you can buy for under $20. It’s meatloaf for Pete’s sake!
Meat Loaf
450 g ground venison/lean beef 125 ml (½ cup) finely crushed breadcrumbs 1 (28g) packet of onion soup mix 2 medium eggs 125 ml (½ cup) salsa 125 ml (½ cup) beer
1. Use clean or gloved hands to thoroughly mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Hand form into a loaf and lay in a shallow greased baking dish. 2. Bake at 350º F for an hour until a meat thermometer records an internal temperature of 160º. 3. Remove from the heat and let sit 10 minutes before serving.
David Nuttall
Nothing goes better on a cold day than a bowl of chilli. And Texas Chilli is the best. While growing up with relatives in Texas, I was taught that true Texas Chilli does not have any beans, and lean beef brisket is better than ground beef. You can also make this mild to as pica (hot) as you’d like by adding hot sauce while cooking. Try this easy recipe, adjust the amounts to your own personal preference, and scale it up to however many people you need to serve. I’ve made it for 120 people before, and it can be made the night before and slowly reheated in the oven.
Texas Chilli
medium onions, minced 4 parts lean beef brisket, chopped or in small cubes 1 part ground pork oil for browning meat cloves garlic, minced whole green chillies, minced tomato sauce whole tomatoes, finely chopped cumin salt
oregano dry mustard 1 shot of tequila 1 bottle of beer (change beer styles for different flavour) chilli powder beef bouillon cubes hot sauce (optional) 1. Brown onions and beef in oil in a big pot. Remove any excess fat.
2. Stir in all other ingredients. Add hot sauce to taste. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally. 3. Serve in a bowl with warm buns and butter to soak up the leftover juice.
Fred Malley, CCC
Our family favourite comfort food dish is Scallops With Grape Tomatoes and Pasta – quick, easy and completely delicious!
Scallops with Grape Tomatoes and Pasta 45 mL (3 Tbs) Olive oil 1 clove Garlic, crushed 1 Shallot, fine chopped 1 Yellow pepper, cut into strips 325 mL (1½ c) Grape tomatoes, halved 3 mL (½ tsp) Herbes de Provence 3 Green stuffed olives, large, chopped 10 mL (2 tsp) Capers, chopped 4/6 Sea Scallops, U-10 30 mL (2 Tbs ) Riesling To taste Salt and Black pepper, fresh ground 2 portions cooked Pasta, hot
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Sweat the garlic, shallot and peppers in olive oil. Add the grape tomatoes and herbs and sauté until wilted. Add the olives and capers and season to taste. Sear the scallops to medium rare, remove scallops and deglaze pan with wine. Portion the pasta and tomato mixture and top with scallops and the pan drippings. Crack a bottle of Riesling and enjoy.
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