Blizzard 2016 Food
- kysha4
- Feb 1, 2016
- 3 min read
After the record setting temperatures, after all the joking and debates over global warming, Miss Mother Nature turns down the thermometer and drops Sir Jonas on the northeast coast. Apologies to school age kids everywhere the storm came on a Saturday, business as usual on Monday.
Whether a doubter or an over-preparer, New York City dwellers rushed the markets in anticipation of not having enough chips, sweets and real food too, in the house to keep their broods strong and happy. I too was of this mindset as were friends and family. The menus ranged from home-style staples to winter comfort food to “why not give this a try and see what happens…we’ll have to it eat, right?!”
mirepoix getting sweated out for the chicken noodle soup
Personally, nothing says warm comfort in a bowl like a hearty chicken noodle soup. No time to make my own stock or roast some chicken, I made my quick version using rotisserie chicken and bouillon, fortifying with fresh vegetables and aromatics and finishing it with thin egg noodles and chopped celery leaves. And the crowd went wild! Certainly making this one again.
The quick and mean chicken noodle soup
True to form, menus were proudly disclosed when checking in with my crews. The high school crew had pizza, chicken parmesan, baked ziti and beef stew on deck with home made cake and cupcakes for dessert for the kids to decorate when she invited her neighbors over to hunker down. Blizzards seem to be the perfect time for parents to join forces and let their kids expend their energy while they sip “fortified” hot chocolate and wine. Not mad at you, at all!
Jason 1st attempt at al pastor
My good friend Jason called in to check in while he was doing his last minute grocery shopping. He was inspired to make his version of al pastor, slow cooked pork butt (a.k.a. shoulder), in his slow cooker and needed some sage advice.
It sounded like a great plan that we would ultimately enjoy together on Sunday in a sweet potato hash with a sunny side up egg on top.
Saturday blizzard brunch
I spent the whole day in the house on Saturday making a decadent, but healthy late brunch of French-style soft scrambled eggs with white truffle oil, watching television, checking in on folks and day-drinking some great Spanish red wine.
By nightfall it was time to break out and walk these streets of Harlem if only to take in the experience. Together with my friend Angie, we would stumble on an adventurous chilli and an impactful apple tartlet.
True to form, my friend Bryan put his whole new spin on my white chili recipe with poblanos, hominy, cannellini beans and ground chicken breast by making it vegetarian and so damn good! In place of the meat were roasted sweet potatoes, butternut squash, yukon potatoes and, the not-so-secret ingredient, tomatillo!
Bryan’s hearty vegetarian white chili…for the gods!
That tomatillo added so much brightness and depth to the taste of dish and body to the texture and mouth feel. So awesome! He has reinspired me to get on my tomatillo game and vegetarian game with this one.
Thanks for following and reading. I would love to hear from you. Stay warm, wherever you are.
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