Southern Spoonful: Cozy Comfort Foods

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The story below is from our September/October 2022 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you! 

Celebrate autumn by tucking into some of your favorite fall flavors.

Autumn is the season when we welcome cozy comfort foods back into our kitchens. Fortunately, we can easily find fresh local ingredients that help us create warm wonderful dishes perfect for this time of year. Visit a local orchard to get crisp red apples, fresh apple cider and pecans, Crystal Spring Grocery to pick up pulled pork, local wine stores to purchase crisp craft apple cider and the natural foods co-op to purchase an abundance of local fall produce.

Enjoy my favorite cozy comfort food recipes and let’s start celebrating fall, y’all!

Stuffed Pulled Pork Poblano Peppers with Tomatillo Salsa

This is one of my absolute favorite recipes inspired by my friend and cook extraordinaire Mary Ann Wine who shared her recipe with me.  Be sure to serve it with the sour cream, chopped tomatoes and cilantro because those toppings make the flavors of this dish POP!

4 servings

  • 4 poblano peppers, peeled and cored
  • 1 pound hardwood smoked pulled pork (pulled pork is available at Crystal Spring Grocery or Mission BBQ, Towers Mall)
  • 16-ounce jar Herdez Salsa Verde
  • 8 ounces shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend
  • 5 ounces queso fresco, grated
  • Sour cream, finely chopped tomato, finely chopped cilantro for serving

To peel the poblano peppers: Place polano peppers on a baking tray. Poke each pepper a few times with a knife to allow steam to escape while broiling. Broil peppers, three minutes at a time, turning peppers every three minutes. When peppers are charred on all sides, place peppers in a brown paper bag. Fold top of paper bag over to seal the bag. Allow the peppers to cool in the bag for 30 minutes. Remove peppers from bag. Cut around tops of peppers to remove the tops and some of the pepper core. Gently peel skin from peppers, using a knife to scrape off any skin that is not easily removed. Cut peppers on one side in half lengthwise, remove all seeds and lay flat in a 9” x 13” baking dish.

Chop pulled pork into small pieces and pile it onto the peppers. Pour salsa verde evenly over the pulled pork. Sprinkle the salsa verde with Mexican blend cheese and queso fresco.

Bake peppers in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for 10 more minutes. Serve warm with sour cream, finely chopped tomatoes and finely chopped cilantro.

Southern Succotash Chowder

4 servings

  • 4 ounces bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 (32-ounce) carton chicken broth
  • 1 pound new potatoes, unpeeled and diced
  • 3 cups corn kernels, cut from about 4 ears of corn
  • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen baby lima beans
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon salt, plus more if needed
  • 1 cup seeded and diced fresh ripe tomatoes
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 3 tablespoons julienned fresh basil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Parmesan crisps (purchase at Fresh Market or Kroger in the deli section) for service

Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven or heavy soup pot over medium-low heat until crisp. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the mustard and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add broth, potatoes, corn, beans, sugar and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, until the potatoes and other vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the half and half and basil and cook over very low heat for 2 minutes to blend the flavors. Season with pepper and additional salt if needed.

This chowder can be covered and refrigerated overnight. Reheat over very low heat so the chowder does not curdle. Place one or two parmesan crisps in the top of each bowl of chowder for service.

Frangelico Pecan Apple Cake

9 servings

Cake:

  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 1½ cups cake flour
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 Honeycrisp apple, cored and chopped into small pieces

Frangelico Pecan Glaze:

  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon flour
  • ¾ cup chopped pecans
  • 4 tablespoons Frangelico
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

For cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat sugar and ¼ cup softened butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg, beating well. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to sugar mixture beginning and ending with flour mixture. Do not overmix. Stir in vanilla and chopped apples.

Grease an 8-inch baking pan. Pour cake batter into pan, spreading it evenly in the pan with a rubber spatula. Bake in preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit oven  for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven.

For Frangelico Pecan Glaze: Place brown sugar, butter, milk, flour, pecans, Frangelico and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine all ingredients.

Spread glaze over warm cake.

Gingersnap Sangria

Makes 5 servings

  • ½ SugarBee apple, cored, chopped into small pieces
  • ½ Opal apple, cored, chopped into small pieces
  • 1 Asian pear, cored, chopped into small pieces
  • 1 (12-ounce) bottle ginger beer, chilled
  • ½ cup apricot brandy
  • 1 (750 ml) bottle Potters Farmhouse Dry Craft Cider, chilled

Place apple and Asian pear pieces in a pitcher. Add ginger beer, apricot brandy and cider. Stir to combine. Cover and chill overnight. Serve very well chilled.

*Potters Farmhouse Dry Craft Cider is made in Charlottesville, Virginia, and is available at Gladheart Wine and Brews.

The story above is from our September/October 2022 issue. For more stories, subscribe today or view our FREE digital edition. Thank you for supporting local journalism!