So on Sunday night, we ended up having a family of five as well as one other kid and our across-the-street neighbor over for supper. This was partly because the family and the neighbor had been without power since the storm last Friday and therefore hadn't been able to do a lot of cooking. I figured that since they'd all been through a somewhat difficult situation, they'd want something basic and hefty and comforting. I made a baked ziti dish with three kinds of pork in it - pancetta, Italian sausage, and pork shoulder that's braised 'till it flakes apart. It's topped with mozzarella and parmigiano. A little over-the-top if you ask me, but this is the kind of dish that warms the soul for my wife.
After supper, we found out that the woman in the family eats very little meat.
That got me thinking. When it's cold and nasty outside, I think of stuff like meatloaf, braised short ribs, pot roast, etc. All meaty dishes. If you're cooking vegetarian, what do you look for on such days? Maybe a cheesy pasta or a hefty risotto? Or something else? (Not that my wife would ever let me get away with it, but I think the info may be handy in the future.)
