Randy’s Recipes

Winter Comfort Food

By Randy Graham

Eight years ago, my wife Robin and I began an annual spring-summer tradition of inviting friends to critique my cooking. Our idea was to provide a full family-style dinner for four adults, including a starter, an entrée, a side dish, dessert, sparkling water, iced tea, and hot coffee. There was no cost to our friends, but we did encourage them to bring wine. The dinners were sadly put on hold due to the pandemic.

One of our favorite dinners included a savory tortellini soup starter. The soup had a cream base and was loaded with herbs, including thyme, rosemary, oregano, and fresh ground black pepper. For an entrée, we served my famous Meaty Nut Loaf, made with walnuts, cashews, brown rice, fresh herbs from our garden, and Gruyère cheese. Two sides accompanied the nut loaf, including spiral-cut potatoes and a fresh salad made with butter lettuce, mushrooms, blue cheese, and Mandarin orange sections. Homemade eggnog was served after dinner and sparked a round of applause when served.

I encourage you to invite friends to dinner this winter and to cook these recipes for them. It takes three to four hours to prepare and cook everything, but your time will be well spent. And who knows? You may even receive a round of applause at the end of the meal!

Tortellini Soup with Sausage

Tortellini are small ring-shaped pasta made with a variety of different fillings. According to the La Cucina Italiana website, “Tortellini are one of the most iconic and beloved dishes of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. They are particularly associated with the provinces of Bologna and Modena; each has claimed for centuries that they originated the dish and that their version reigns supreme.” Tortellini were traditionally made with fresh ricotta cheese. Over time additional fillings were added, such as chicken, crab, mushrooms, pumpkin, and butternut squash. Now that you know what tortellini is and a little about its history, give my hearty tortellini soup recipe a try. It will put a smile on the face of your friends and warm their bellies this winter. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 12-ounce Jimmy Dean Regular Sausage roll (divided) 1 white onion (fine chop) 2 carrots (coarse chop) 3 stalks of celery (course chop) 3 large cloves garlic (minced) ½ teaspoon dried thyme ½ teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon dried rosemary ½ teaspoon cracked pepper 6 cups vegetable broth 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon (no chicken base) 14-ounce can diced tomatoes (fire roasted are good!) 9-ounce package of Buitoni Spinach and Cheese Tortellini 1 cup half and half Garnish: Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (grated) Garnish: fresh basil (torn)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Cook half of the sausage until browned (about 14 minutes). Refrigerate the other half of the sausage for use another time. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and sauté until softened, about four to five minutes. Add the garlic and seasonings (thyme through pepper) and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in the broth, add the bouillon and tomatoes, and stir. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to simmer.

While the soup is simmering, cook the tortellini for six minutes. Drain and add to the soup along with the half and half. Stir to combine. Simmer for 10 minutes more, ladle soup into bowls, and garnish with cheese and basil.

2. Entrée

Meaty Nut Loaf

Nut loaf recipes became popular in the United States during World War I when meat was scarce. They became popular again when food was rationed during World War II. How can you make a vegetarian dish that is meaty? Oxymoron, you say? Try this recipe. I think you’ll be surprised.

It is a recipe I have served over the last 40 years during the holidays for the enjoyment of my family and visiting omnivore friends. The next day, I like to cut a one-inch slice off the leftover loaf and make sandwiches — comfort food for sure. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Ingredients:

1½ cups walnuts ½ cup unsalted cashews or almonds 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 yellow onion (finely chopped) 2 teaspoons minced garlic

1½ cups cooked brown rice (it works with white, but brown is tastier) 2 tablespoons parsley (chopped) 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram (chopped) 2 tablespoons fresh thyme (chopped) 1 teaspoon fresh sage leaves (chopped) 4 eggs (lightly beaten) 8 ounces Gruyère cheese (grated) 1 cup cottage cheese 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan (you can use shortening, cooking oil, or butter). A round 9-inch springform pan works well, also. Set aside.

Toast walnuts and cashews on a baking sheet until lightly browned, about ten minutes. Do not burn. Let cool. Finely chop and set aside (I use a blender to chop the nuts). Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until translucent, about three minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and add toasted nuts, cooked rice, parsley, marjoram, thyme, sage, eggs, Gruyère, cottage cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

Pour mixture into prepared pan, cover with foil, and bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, about 50 to 55 minutes.

3. Side

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Microwave the potatoes for one to two minutes, then let them stand for a few minutes to cool down and soften. Insert a skewer into the bottom of each potato and gently push it through to the top. Working in a spiral motion from one side to the other, hold a sharp, thin knife at an angle and cut in the opposite direction. You are turning the skewered potato, cutting to the skewer. Take your time and work to make a thin, even spiral down the potato.

Gently fan out each potato slice down the length of the skewer until you have an even gap between the slices. Brush the melted butter all over the potatoes.

Mix the Parmesan cheese, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and salt in a medium bowl. Place each skewered potato over the bowl and shovel the mixture all over each potato until they are entirely coated. Carefully set the potatoes on a baking pan, letting the skewers rest on the sides, so the potato is suspended.

Bake for 30 minutes or until nicely browned. Garnish with additional Parmesan and parsley.

Tornado Potatoes

A tornado potato is essentially a spiral-cut potato that is deepfried or baked. According to most of the internet sources I visited, it began as popular street-vendor food in South Korea. My riff on this South Korean delight is baked and loaded with butter, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings. Ingredients: 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes 8 tablespoons butter (melted) 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper 2 tablespoons garlic powder 2 tablespoons paprika 2 teaspoons salt Parsley leaves (chopped for garnish) 4 skewers

4. Side

Dad’s Mushroom-Orange Salad

This salad was one of my Dad’s favorites. We are grateful that he not only served it to Robin and me but also shared the recipe. Thanks, Dad! Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

Red leaf lettuce (butter lettuce works well too) ½ pound fresh mushrooms (sliced) 11-ounce can Mandarin orange sections (drained)

6 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar 3 tablespoons blue cheese (crumbled) ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground mustard 1/8 teaspoon pepper ¼ cup slivered almonds (toasted)

Directions:

Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces and place in the salad bowl. Add sliced mushrooms and orange sections. Place in refrigerator to chill. When ready to serve salad, combine oil, vinegar, cheese, salt, mustard, and pepper, and pour over the salad. Sprinkle with toasted almonds.

5. After Dinner

Directions:

Beat yolks in a large bowl until thick and pale. Slowly beat in sugar. Whisk in milk and two cups of cream. Mix in rum and brandy. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, beat whites until stiff peaks form. Fold whites into eggnog. Whisk the remaining cup of cream into the eggnog. Pour into mugs and sprinkle with nutmeg. Serve hot or cold. * Pasteurized eggs are recommended by the CDC to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. I use Davidson’s Safest Choice® pasteurized eggs when I can find them.

Homemade Eggnog

Fresh homemade eggnog is a holiday tradition in our family. It is easy to make and tastes much better than any eggnog at your supermarket. My homemade version is based on a decadesold recipe from a friend. Her recipe featured expensive rum, bourbon, and cognac. My version excludes the bourbon and features less expensive Bacardi Gold Rum and Christian Brothers Brandy. Although her recipe did not call for pasteurized eggs, I prefer them for safety’s sake*. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

6 large pasteurized eggs (separated) ¾ cup superfine sugar 2 cups whole milk 3 cups heavy cream (divided) ¼ cup Bacardi Gold Rum ¼ cup Christian Brothers Brandy Freshly grated nutmeg (for garnish)

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