Winter Comforts

It’s no secret winter is prime time for hearty dishes served with love‭. ‬When a chill hits the air‭, ‬and the sun starts to disappear‭ ‬earlier and earlier‭, ‬chefs from all over like to nourish themselves and family with recipes that satiate both the appetite and heart—hearty soups and stews to flaky‭, ‬golden-topped pot pies and luxurious meat braises‭. ‬We wrangled some of the world’s most esteemed chefs to uncover which flavors they find most satisfying when the outside temperatures start to drop‭.‬

Michael Solomonov’s Mushroom Freekah Soup Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups boiling water

1/2 cup dried mushrooms, such as shiitakes or porcini

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered, stems trimmed and chopped

2 celery ribs, diced

2 small carrots, diced

1 medium onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup freekah

1 cup finely chopped chives

1 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, pour the boiling water over the dried mushrooms and soy sauce. Cover and soak until the mushrooms are plump and rehydrated, about 20 minutes.
• In a large heavy-bottomed pot set over high heat, warm the olive oil. Then add the quartered cremini mushroom tops and cook until nice and brown.
• To the soup pot, add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, and mushroom stems, stirring until evenly coated. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. You’ll develop some nice brown bits on the bottom of the pot.
• Stir the salt and tomato paste into the browning vegetables; cook for a minute.
• Strain out the rehydrated dried mushrooms and finely chop, reserving the soaking liquid. Add both the liquid and the chopped mushrooms to the pot along with 3 cups of water.
• Turn up the heat, cover, and bring to a boil. Then stir the freekah into the soup.
• Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the freekah is tender, about 20 minutes.
• Blend briefly with an immersion blender (10 to 15 seconds) to add body to the soup.
• Stir in the chives and parsley. Serve hot, with lemon wedges.

Andrew Zimmern’s Andouille, Crab, Crayfish & Oyster Gumbo Recipe

Ingredients

1 jumbo lump blue crab meat

1 crayfish tail meat

1  andouille sausage, sliced thin

3 cups shucked oysters and reserved juices

9 tablespoons flour

8 tablespoons canola oil

1 1/2 cups each diced celery, onion, red bell pepper

2 cups chopped  fresh okra

18 ounces tomato puree

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons gumbo file powder (ground sassafras)

1 habanero, split

7 cups chicken stock

3 cups fish stock or clam juice

1 tablespoons dried thyme

3 cloves minced garlic

1 bay leaf

Instructions

• Place the flour and oil in a large well-insulated soup pot over medium-low heat.
• Stir every 45 seconds as the roux turns blond, then brown then dark brown. This will take 15-20 minutes.
• When very dark brown and aromatic, add the vegetables, andouille sausage, herbs, spices and garlic.
• Saute until onions are glassy, add the tomato puree and stir.
• Add the stock and Worcestershire. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and simmer for 1 hour.
• Add the seafood and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Lee Anne Wong’s Kalbi Tang

Ingredients

3 lbs bone in flanken cut beef short ribs cut into 2-3 inch chunks

1 medium yellow onion, peeled whole, keep root intact, cut in half vertically

2 lbs daikon radish, peeled, keep whole

Kosher salt or sea salt

Sliced green onions for garnish/finishing

Optional: Julienned ginger root, sweet potato noodles or konyaku noodles, cilantro leaves, kimchi, scrambled egg/egg drop, rice, crushed minced garlic, large flake sea salt

Instructions

• Begin by rinsing the short ribs under cold water to remove any excess blood and bone fragments.
• In a large 8-12qt pot. Cover short ribs with cold water. Bring the water to a simmer over high heat. Impurities and soup scum will rise to the surface as the water begins to simmer. Bring the pot to a low boil and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
• Drain the short ribs and onion into a colander, discarding the cooking liquid. Rinse the beef pieces under cold water, removing any additional impurities. Clean the  pot thoroughly and return the beef pieces and onion to the pot. Cover again with cold water (16 cups), and add the onion halves. Bring the pot to a medium boil, skimming fat off as the short ribs simmer and tenderize. Reduce heat and cook for 2 hours at a low simmer.
• Add the whole peeled daikon and cook for 40-50 minutes more until the meat is falling off the bones and tender. Remove the meat from the stock, set aside in a bowl. Remove daikon from the stock and slice into 1/2″ thick half moons. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a new pot. You can choose to keep or discard the cooked onions, I often keep them, and give them a rough chop before adding back to the soup. Season the broth to taste with salt and white or black pepper.
• Add the meat and daikon back to the broth, reheat. Serve with any number of accompaniments: sliced scallion, noodles, cilantro, kimchi, raw minced garlic, etc. Serve immediately.