I’ve had a heavy hankering for comfort food lately. You too? Here are a few of my favorites.

Chicken soup is on top of the list. I usually start with a rotisserie chicken from Stop & Shop. I love that they now are offering it in packaging that is less bulky than in the past. I remove all the meat, then throw the bones in a stock pot with onions, celery, carrots, maybe a parsnip if I have one. I sometimes add in fresh ginger root and lemon grass, if I have that on hand from Four Root Farm in East Haddam. Then a heavy dash of salt. I let that simmer for the better part of a day, then strain it.

I then store the broth and meat separately. Come dinner time, I put them both in a pot, and usually add some fresh veggies. My current favorites are some scallions and some frizzled onions. Then, taking a cue from some delicious chicken soup I had recently at Rawa in New Haven, I add in some bergamot juice that I purchased online. Bergamot adds a distinctive sweet and sour citrus tang. I usually add in a scant teaspoon per bowl. If you don’t have bergamot juice, you can add lemon juice, or just skip that entirely. Salt and pepper to taste.

If you don’t have time to make that, and you are nearby New Haven, I do recommend stopping by Rawa, 838 Whalley Avenue, New Haven. That is one comforting bowl of soup. The rest of what they have on the menu is pretty great, too.

Chai tea is my current favorite to take the chill off in the morning. I’ve been using plant milks and one that I recently discovered is BAMnut Milk, Barista style, again from Stop & Shop. It is made with the bambara groundnut, which I have never heard of before. Almond milk or regular milk would work just as well. I favor the chai tea I buy from Savvy Tea, 712 Boston Post Road, Madison. It’s also available online from drinkgreatteamarketplace.com. It’s a lovely blend of cardamom, clove, cinnamon, fennel, black pepper, ginger, and black tea. I brew it right in the milk in a little pot on the stove, but you could also brew it in water and add milk and sugar to your taste.

Next up is rice pudding. Here is the recipe I plan to try, from Taste of Home, (www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/grandma-s-rice-pudding). Options include adding in cinnamon and cardamom, and I do plan to use both of those.

What’s your go-to for comfort food this time of year? I’d love to hear! Write me at p.mcnerney@shorepublishing.com.

Grandma’s Rice Pudding

Adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients

Directions