Hearty Winter Recipes

I don't know what it is about cold weather that makes me so hungry, but after a long run through snow and ice a dainty salad is not enough; so here are two sturdy meals that will warm you, fill you up, and stick to your insides (they also cure insomnia, because they are nothing but starch and protein and slamming a couple of pounds of this stuff right before bed will knock you out better than any pharmaceutical.) Both have the same origin: one night I was tired and hungry and made whatever I could with the only ingredients I had on hand, and necessity is the mother of nearly everything good. Enjoy!


Sausage-Potato-Corn Hash

ingredients:

smoked sausage
frozen diced potatoes for frying
canned sweet corn

1. Slice sausage and cook in a large pan on medium-high heat.
2. Remove sausage and fry potatoes in the sausage fat (add vegetable oil if not enough fat rendered from the sausage.)
3. Add corn, stir until just heated through (do not cook the corn; canned vegetables are already cooked.)

The contrast between the saltiness of the pork and the sweetness of the corn is great, and the potatoes round everything out.

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Shrimp and Sweet Potato Risotto

ingredients:

arborio rice

chicken stock

sweet potatoes

raw shrimp

1. Bake sweet potatoes in oven until it's tender but can still hold it's shape (try 45 minutes at 390 degrees.) While doing that...
2. Melt butter and olive oil in a saucepan, coat the rice, and cook briefly. Then add chicken stock gradually until the rice is as tender/firm as you prefer. Once the rice is started...
3. Peel shrimp, toss them in olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic and cajun seasoning (I used paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper.) Broil until they just turn pink.
4. When the three parts are done, stir them all together.

This one really blew me away; it takes some time but as risotto goes it's pretty simple and the flavors blend together perfectly.