January Comfort

For Christmas my sister gave us beautiful soup crocks and a handful of soup and stew recipes from Moosewood Restaurant. Ever since Christmas day, I've been itching to make one of the delicious recipes, so I finally did. We decided to make the Pepperpot stew, which has a perfectly seasoned combination of potatoes, peppers, and mustard greens. We paired this tasty stew with flaky biscuits to make for a fabulously cozy meal.


Pepperpot Stew (Moosewood Restaurant Soups and Stews Deck)

Eventhough there are quite a few ingredients in this stew, most of them are probably in your pantry already. Plus, all of the preparation steps don't take too long, so this could definitely be made to comfort and soothe even the busiest of people during the week.

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 small fresh chile, minced, seeds removed for a milder "hot"
1 cup diced celery
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 cup diced red bell peppers
1 cup diced green bell peppers
1 cup cubed potatoes (1/2-inch cubes)
4 cups water or stock
1 1/2 cups undrained, canned diced tomatoes (14-oz. can)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbs. unsulphered molasses
4 cups chopped mustard greens, loosely packed
salt to taste

1. In a nonreactive soup pot on medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onions, garlic, chile, celery, thyme, cinnamon, and salt. Cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the bell peppers and potatoes, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the bell peppers are just tender.
2. Add the water or stock, the tomatoes with their juice, the black pepper, and the molasses. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until all of the vegetables are tender. Add the mustard greens, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until just wilted. Add salt to taste.


Featherlight Blue Mountain Biscuits (Moosewood Restaurant Soups and Stews Deck)

2 1/4 cups unbleached white pastry flour or 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 450. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the oil and buttermilk. Using a fork, stir just until mixed--overmixing will make the biscuits tough.
2. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead 5 or 6 times, adding more flour if necessary. Pat or roll out the dough to a 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out 10 to 12 rounds with a biscuit cutter or a glass and arrange them on an unoiled baking sheet. When you place the biscuits touching one another, they seem to rise better.
3. Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.