Easy Cold Weather Meals

Summary

All Of It: Episode Summary – "Easy Cold Weather Meals"

Released on January 23, 2025, "Easy Cold Weather Meals" is an episode of WNYC's "All Of It," hosted by David Fuerst in place of Alison Stewart. The episode delves into the art of winter cooking, emphasizing the versatility of Dutch ovens and sharing a variety of comforting recipes perfect for the chilly season.

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Introduction: Embracing Winter’s Chill with Comforting Meals

David Fuerst sets the stage by highlighting the recent deep freeze affecting the area, stressing the importance of warming up with hearty meals. He introduces the Dutch oven, a cast iron pot celebrated by Food and Wine magazine for its versatility in creating everything from roasts to soups. David invites listeners to share their favorite winter recipes, fostering a community dialogue around seasonal cooking.

David Fuerst [00:38]: "Once you're inside and you peel off all of those layers of coats, there's no better way to warm up than with a good hot meal."

Guest Spotlight: Andy Gosnell from Food and Wine

Andy Gosnell, Assistant Food Editor at Food and Wine, joins the conversation to discuss ideal winter meals and the significance of Dutch ovens in home cooking.

The Versatility of Dutch Ovens

Andy elaborates on why Dutch ovens were featured prominently during the COVID pandemic, emphasizing their multifunctionality and durability.

Andy Gosnell [03:02]: "The high sides, the tight fitting lid, and the heavy bottom cast iron material are really great for heat retention, even cooking, and switching from stovetop to oven."

Top Dutch Oven Recommendations

Andy recommends several Dutch oven brands catering to different budgets:

• Staub 5.5 Quart Round Cocotte: Praised for heat retention and aesthetic appeal.
• Le Creuset and Staub: Iconic brands known for quality.
• Lodge Dutch Oven: An affordable yet durable option.
• Cuisinart: Reliable and budget-friendly.

Andy Gosnell [04:28]: "If you're looking for an upgrade, definitely look for those materials like cast iron or enamel cast iron for that super even cooking."

Listener Recipes and Stories

The episode features various listener-submitted recipes and personal anecdotes, showcasing a range of winter dishes made using Dutch ovens.

Pedro’s Beef Picadillo [05:44]

Pedro from Fort Lee shares his experience making beef picadillo to comfort his family during his wife’s illness. The one-pot recipe became a family favorite, blending chilies for an added kick.

Pedro [05:44]: "After my wife took a bite of it, she totally perked up because it has a little bit of chilies in there and she loved it."

Edith’s Warm Memories [09:29]

Edith from Manhattan reminisces about her Vermont childhood, recalling the comforting aroma of homemade pea soup simmering in a cast iron pot.

Edith [09:41]: "I open the door to my home and my mother would have on the stove a homemade from scratch pea soup with ham... wonderful comfort memory."

Amanda’s Dominican Sancocho [10:41]

Amanda from Morning Edition describes her version of Sancocho, a hearty Dominican stew rich with potatoes, meats, and a flavorful broth reminiscent of Filipino dishes.

Amanda [10:41]: "That thing is gonna make you feel just like... it's just like a hug."

Brian’s Antique Dutch Ovens [11:18]

Brian from Bloomfield inquires about using inherited aluminum Dutch ovens, to which Andy confirms their safety but suggests cast iron for better heat distribution.

Andy Gosnell [11:47]: "Aluminum Dutch ovens aren't as popular anymore, but they're perfectly safe to use. However, cast iron offers more even heating."

Naomi’s Bone Broth Hack [13:23]

Naomi from Brooklyn shares her penchant for beef bone broth, which enhances the richness and umami of her dishes.

Andy Gosnell [13:54]: "Homemade broth... the flavor that you get from doing it on your own is just absolute peak."

John’s Spaghetti with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage [14:23]

John from Fanwood recommends adding crumbled sausages to spaghetti with broccoli rabe, enhancing flavor through rendered fat and aromatics.

Andy Gosnell [14:35]: "When you take it out of the casing and crumble the meat yourself, it helps render the fat a little bit more."

Casserole Classics and Twists

Andy introduces the King Ranch casserole, a Tex-Mex twist on traditional lasagna, incorporating shredded chicken, cream, chili powder, and dried chili oil for depth of flavor.

Andy Gosnell [15:14]: "It's basically like a Tex-Mex version of lasagna... with shredded chicken and salsa macha on the top."

Modern Cooking Tools: Instant Pot vs. Dutch Oven and Air Fryers

Listeners pose questions about contemporary kitchen gadgets. Andy compares the Instant Pot and Dutch oven, highlighting the Instant Pot’s convenience and the Dutch oven’s timeless control and aesthetics. Regarding air fryers, he notes their convenience but emphasizes the Dutch oven's superior moisture retention and even cooking.

Andy Gosnell [16:37]: "The Instant Pot is great for cutting down cook time with its walk-away factor, but the Dutch oven offers a more controlled and aesthetically pleasing cooking experience."

Closing Thoughts and Additional Resources

As the episode wraps up, Andy directs listeners to Food and Wine’s website for more Dutch oven recipes, including weeknight skillet chili and whole roasted chicken. He encourages exploring the February issue for further culinary inspiration.

Andy Gosnell [19:44]: "Go ahead and look up any recipes you can actually just search Dutch oven recipes on our site and a bunch of beautiful galleries will come together for anything from Weeknight Skillet chili to whole roasted chicken."

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Notable Quotes:

• Andy Gosnell [02:50]: "Soups and stews and casseroles are really great options to lean on a lot of stuff that you already have... perfect for this cold, wintry season."

• Edith [09:41]: "I just walk freezing and into that wonderful warm scent of homemade pea soup."

• Naomi [19:24]: "I fully support this. If the world goes down, we'll all have our Dutch oven."

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Conclusion:

"Easy Cold Weather Meals" offers a rich exploration of winter cooking, celebrating the Dutch oven's enduring versatility and sharing a tapestry of recipes and personal stories that embody the warmth and comfort of home-cooked meals. Whether you're a seasoned chef or a home cook looking to expand your repertoire, this episode provides valuable insights and inspiration to make the most of the winter season in the kitchen.

Transcript

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[Listener Support]

Listener supported NYC Studios.

[David Fuerst]

You're listening to ALL of IT on wnyc. I'm David Fuerst in for Alison Stewart. We have been in a deep freeze over the last few days and it's not looking like we'll be above the freezing mark before Sunday. But but once you're inside and you peel off all of those layers of coats, there's no better way to warm up than with a good hot meal. And if you can do it in one pot, even better. Last year at this time, our friends at Food and Wine magazine came out with an issue celebrating the joys of a Dutch oven, a deep, high sided pot made of cast iron that can be used for everything from roasting a whole chicken to making soup. And if you have one, great. The recipes that we're going to be talking about today can be made in them. But we've also picked some dishes that you can in a simple large pot or casserole dish. Joining us right now to discuss some great cold weather recipes is Andy Gosnell. She's an assistant food editor at Food and Wine. Andy, welcome to all of it.

[Listener Support]

Hi David, how are you?

[David Fuerst]

Great. And listeners, we want to hear from you as well. What is your go to cold weather recipe? What do you enjoy cooking in this winter weather? Do you have a favorite one pot meal? Or maybe you're looking for some comforting recipes and want some inspiration. We're taking calls all things winter cooking. Give us a call. 212-433-WNYC. That's 212-433-9692. Andy, first of all, what makes the perfect cold weather winter meal when you're cooking at home? What have you been craving when it gets like this?

[Listener Support]

Yeah, for me it's all about the soups and the stews and the casseroles. I think anytime in winter, right, you kind of don't want to keep going out to the grocery store. You want to lean on everything that you have in your pantry and maybe pick up like one or two items. So soups and stews and casseroles are really great options to lean on a lot of stuff that you already have, like that half can of breadcrumbs you maybe got over the holidays or a little bit of those bouillon cubes. Maybe you have one or two left from a different meal. Those are perfect for this cold, wintry season.

[David Fuerst]

Well, a lot of these recipes can be made in Dutch ovens. And last winter you wrote the COVID story on Dutch ovens for food and Wine. Can you tell us why this particular pot got a cover story?

[Listener Support]

Yeah. So obviously, you know, when we're choosing a story to put on the COVID of the magazine to be out on newsstands, the first image you see, we really want it to be something that's widely recognizable, something that we can feel like people can really relate to. And for us, when we were talking about this story, we were talking about just the versatility of Dutch ovens. And we all got into a long tangent conversation that probably lasted over an hour about how many different ways people use their Dutch ovens, all the different color Dutch ovens. They have Dutch ovens that they've gotten for Christmas and wedding registries and all this stuff. But I think there are a couple of elements that make a Dutch oven really stand out in terms of general versatility. As you mentioned, David, it's the high sides. I call it like the three musketeers of Dutch oven, like awesomeness, which is that tight fitting lid, the high sides and the heavy bottom cast iron material or usually cast enameled cast iron. So those are really great for heat retention, even cooking, and also switching from stove top to oven. So it's really nice if you've got something on the stove and you need to finish up in the oven, you don't have to transfer it anywhere. You can just put that whole oven, put that whole pot back in the oven.

[David Fuerst]

Do we heat retention? You mentioned some of the benefits. Are there any particular brands that, that you should buy or is any Dutch oven a good choice? There's some very expensive ones out there.

[Listener Support]

Yeah. So when people think of Dutch ovens, probably the names Le Creuset and Staab really come to mind. I have those myself in my personal collections. Our fabulous team did an amazing test, which you can find on foodandwine.com of all of the best Dutch ovens, really for kind of everyday cooking and really thinking about what are the ways that people are going to use these. For us, the Staub 5.5 quart round coquette was one of our favorites for just overall performance. It had really good heat retention. It was great for anything from caramelizing onions to crisping rice. It was very aesthetically pleasing and also, you know, Has a really great kind of feel to it. Another really great option for us. You know, if you're kind of like, woo, I see those price tags. Le Creuset and Saab is. We loved the Lodge Dutch oven. So Lodge has a fabulous collection of cast irons. And particularly their Dutch oven is on the more affordable side. It does great for everything from searing chicken thighs. Amazingly durable and super budget friendly.

[David Fuerst]

Well, we talked about some of the hardware. Let's get to some recipes. Let's hear from Pedro, joining us from Fort Lee, New Jersey. Welcome to all of it. Do you have a winter weather recipe for us? Hi.

[Pedro]

Yeah, thanks for taking my call. Yeah, yesterday I was trying to get my kids a little occupied in the library and I saw like this book about recipe, like Mexican food. And we have kind of an internal joke on tacos. So I wanted to just show them a picture of a taco. But then I stumble upon a recipe of called a beef picadillo. And I thought it would be perfect because my wife has bronchitis and she's also has the flu. And I decided to do it, I decided to do it in the house. And it took me like, I don't know, half an hour, maybe 40 minutes all in one pot. And I have to say, man, after my wife took a bite of it, she totally perked up because it has a little bit of chilies in there and she loved it. And it's like, now it's like a favorite in the house and the kids love that. And it worked out. It worked out great.

[David Fuerst]

Pedro, you cooked the cure. Good job.

[Pedro]

Yes.

[David Fuerst]

Andy, what about that recipe?

[Listener Support]

I love that. I mean, anytime that you can make something delicious, hearty that the whole family loves and do less dishes is a win in my book for sure.

[David Fuerst]

And, you know, if you're gonna make something, what's your go to? What do you like to make at this time of year? If you're using a single pot?

[Listener Support]

Yes. So I love dry roasting vegetables. It sounds like, not very interesting, but I promise you it's amazing. And it's not something that you can really do in other types of cookware. So basically, dry roasting is the idea of roasting something without any oil, without any water. And that sounds like a horrible idea. It sounds like a recipe for burning. But with the Dutch oven specifically, I love to dry pot roast beets. Where you take the beets, you put a line of parchment at the bottom and then you just dry roast them and they get this way of caramelizing and really just soaking in all those concentrated flavors in a way that you can't do by adding water or oil. It's incredible. So I love just trying dry roasting with different types of vegetables and seeing what I can get away with. But definitely those pot roasted beets from the story and also the recipe is available on our website. One of my favorites.

[David Fuerst]

We're getting a lot of texts right now. If you want to join the conversation, you can text or call 212-433-9692. That's 212-433. WNYC. We have someone texting in to say stew with dumplings. Great cold weather food. Another one saying the go to cold weather food. Korean rice cakes. You can use any vegetables and meats. A delicious, warm and hearty meal that can be cooked in one pot. Also someone saying for winter, I love chili chicken soup and white bean soup. And you know, let's hear about a soup recipe. You were talking about soup as a go to in the win. And one that you recommend is the chicken tortellini soup with kale.

[Listener Support]

Yes. This is such a favorite one. It uses those store bought, quick cooking fresh pastas. And everybody loves like cheese tortellini. I mean, who doesn't? But two, it's combining two of my favorite things. So you're getting your soup, you're getting your veg in there and you're also getting a little bit of starch and a starch that's different than maybe just like white beans or potatoes. It's a really fun dish. It has a very light flavor, but you're also getting these like hearty notes of like almost like Nona made it for you. And it comes together really quickly. And it's a fantastic soup that you can also make ahead of time. That's also my favorite part of this season is everything can be frozen, made ahead, reheated. We're making our lives so much easier. While we all try to stay warm.

[David Fuerst]

You know, try to stay warm. It will be warming up a little bit today. We're gonna be up around 30 degrees, I think. So that's a, that's a big, I'm.

[Listener Support]

Not meant for this weather.

[David Fuerst]

It's a big change from what we've been dealing with. We're speaking with Andy Gosnell with food and, and we're also taking your calls. Let's hear from Edith in Manhattan. Welcome.

[Edith]

Hi. Well, this isn't a recipe. Sorry. But it is a memory that I'm really clinging to now. I grew up in Vermont and I remember you know, talk about cold.

[Naomi]

Yeah.

[Edith]

And I would come home from school freezing, and I open the door to my home and my mother would be have on the stove in a cast iron pot, a homemade from scratch pea soup and with ham. And I would just walk freezing and into that wonderful warm scent of homemade pea soup. And it's sort of this wonderful comfort memory.

[David Fuerst]

Oh, my goodness.

[Edith]

From something made. Yes.

[David Fuerst]

Thank you for sharing that. That sounds like absolute comfort. I agree with you. Coming in from the cold to something like that. Thank you so much for sharing that with getting more texts. I want to read this one. Amanda Razone from Morning Edition. I'm probably going to say this wrong. She's currently eating Dominican Sancocho. Let's see. Broth, lots of starches, like potatoes, lots of fatty meats like pork chunks and chicken thigh. Is that a dish you're familiar with?

[Listener Support]

That is So I grew up in a Filipino household, and we have a dish that's very similar to that. The greatest thing about dishes like that is again, that starch is like making everything thick, but also you're getting all of that concentrated meaty flavor into the broth. Super good. I mean, like, that thing is gonna make you feel just like. It's just like a hug. Mm.

[David Fuerst]

Just like a hug. Amanda, thank you for sharing that one. I hope I said that correctly. Was I close?

[Listener Support]

You were close.

[David Fuerst]

Okay. All right. I was close. Let's see here. Oh, a quick question here. This a question from Brian in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Welcome to all of it.

[Brian]

Hi, this is Brian. I have two diamond craft Dutch ovens. They're very old. I inherited them from my grandmother, and now I'm a grandfather myself. So that's, you know, they're pretty old. I think they're made of aluminum, and I wanted to know if they're one safe to use and if you would recommend using them.

[Listener Support]

Yes. So aluminum Dutch ovens aren't as popular anymore as they used to be, but there was definitely a time where a lot of people used to go ahead and use them. And they're perfectly safe to use. I will say the heat retention on the aluminum is probably not quite as strong as cast iron or enamel cast iron. The way that those materials work, specifically the inanemal cast iron, it's really great for even heating. Right. So sometimes if you're using your aluminum Dutch oven, you might find what's called, like, a hot spot. So you'll have a part of the bottom of the pot that kind of gets a little bit warmer than the other parts. So Example, if like you're searing something, a part of your chicken breast might get cooked a little bit faster than a different part because of those hot spots. So it's still perfectly safe to use, I would say if you are looking for an upgrade, definitely look for those materials like cast iron or enamel cast iron for that super even cooking.

[David Fuerst]

And Andy, a lot of people were asking again, you mentioned an affordable Dutch oven. Which one was that one?

[Listener Support]

Yes. So definitely check out Lodge. Lodge has a fabulous array of really affordable Dutch ovens as well as really great reliable cast iron cookware in general. But yeah, that's one of our favorite brands. We also really recommend Cuisinart. Again, just a staple cooking brand that has also really affordable and very reliable Dutch ovens.

[David Fuerst]

We're talking Dutch ovens. Cold weather Winter cooking with Andy Gosnell of Food and Wine. And let's hear from Naomi joining us from Brooklyn. Welcome.

[Naomi]

Hi. How are you doing?

[Edith]

Good.

[David Fuerst]

Is there a particular cold weather cooking that you really go to?

[Naomi]

Yeah, my winter cooking hack, and actually not just winter, is beef bone broth. As much as I'm trying to reduce my beef intake, I find that bone broth elevates everything. I just kind of use it in place of anything that asks for chicken broth or veggie broth because it gives it that kind of extra richness and good fats and yeah, it just gives it like an extra kind of umami flavor.

[David Fuerst]

And as soon as you started talking about Andy, I saw your head nodding.

[Listener Support]

There is if you have the time. That's my favorite weekend project is homemade stocks. Homemade broth. It's something that when I went to cooking school, that was one of the first things we learned. It's a great way to save money. And also the flavor that you get from doing it on your own is just absolute peak. You can find incredible store bought broths and stocks. But there really is something about a homemade broth that's really special.

[David Fuerst]

John from Fanwood texting in to say go with spaghetti with broccoli rabe and sausage. I use lots of garlic and olive oil and I take the sausages and out of the casing.

[Listener Support]

Love that. I do that a lot myself too. It's really nice when you can take it out of the casing and really kind of crumble the meat on your own. It helps render the fat a little bit more. So especially for something like chorizo. Right. You take it out of the casing, you kind of can see that beautiful orange rendering. It's coating all of your veg and aromatics, and it's a great way to cook.

[David Fuerst]

Andy, I want to get to another one of your recipes in the new issue of Food and Wine. You have a section on another great comfort dish, the casserole, and you include some of the classics like baked ziti, tuna noodle. But you also have a bit of a twist with something called the King Ranch casserole. It's a bit like a Tex Mex lasagna. Is that right?

[Listener Support]

Yes. I, you know, it's so funny. People kind of tend to roll their eyes at casseroles. When people are like, we're having casserole for dinner.

[David Fuerst]

I'm not rolling my eyes.

[Listener Support]

I know. I'm like, this is the opportunity of a lifetime to use all of these incredible things. Everybody has their favorites. And it's a really nostalgic dish just for a lot of people. The King Ranch is really fun. It exactly as you described. It is basically like a Tex Mex version of lasagna. It's got all this cream and chili powder, tomatoes, a little bit of salsa matcha on the top, which is this beautiful dried chili oil from Mexico, and then shredded chicken. It's also a great way to incorporate rotisserie shredded chicken. It's a fabulous thing to pick up from the store. We used to just eat, like, rotisserie chicken. You know, you grab it from the store and have at it for dinner, which is great. But it's a good opportunity to shred it yourself and use it in this dish and also tons of other ways.

[David Fuerst]

And we have another question for you here. Someone texting in to say, hi, Andy, any thoughts about the uses and misuses of instant pot and its many imitators versus a traditional Dutch oven? Our Le Creuset has been largely relegated to the shelf. That's a Dutch oven, one of the more expensive brands, in favor of the plug in option. But I'm starting to miss the old school aesthetic. Also for dry roasting vegetables. Any thoughts on air fryers? Lot of questions there.

[Listener Support]

There's a lot of questions there. All right, let's tackle the instant pot versus Dutch oven. Functionally, they have some similar attributions, but I would say the larger benefit of the instant pot is the walk away factor. Right. Dutch oven, certain recipes, you can do that, right? If you have it on really low heat, you're making a soup or something, you can walk away for a little bit and, you know, knock on wood, everything should be pretty safe. But the instant pot, you know, the idea is that it's a Pressure cooker and you can just put the button, whatever you're doing, set the timer and then walk away. I would also say too, the instant pot really is for cutting down on cook time. But there really is something about the Dutch oven where you're kind of leaving nothing to chance. I think aesthetically wise. And also these have been around since, gosh, like the 17th century. This pot is really tried and true. It may not have, as you know, fancy buttons or fancy functions as an instant pot. But I think there's an element of the Dutch oven where if you really want to make sure that you're exercising control and in a control, the most controlled environment for whatever you're cooking. I think the Dutch oven is definitely the way to go in terms of dry roasting vegetables. What was the second part of that question? I want to make sure that I'm getting.

[David Fuerst]

Oh my gosh, I have to find the question again. Any thoughts about dry roasting vegetables? Thoughts on air fryers?

[Listener Support]

Yes, air fryers. Ultimate convenience. We have one ourself, I think for specifically for dry roasting, something like the dry roasted beets. Really the Dutch oven, what's helpful is that top lid. So the portion of the Dutch oven that I think people don't really realize is really important to its functionality is the fact that that tight living, tight fitting lid also locks in all the moisture and then evenly distributes what effectively becomes steam when you remove it. It evenly distributes all those moisture droplets back into your food. So not only are you getting something that's like really beautifully seared or roasted, you're also making sure that it's not drying out, which is something that I think if you're doing an air fryer, you're not necessarily getting that circular moisture retention.

[David Fuerst]

Well, Andy, let's try to take one more call. Let's try to squeeze in another one. Someone's saying. Also, when I was camping, I cooked a key lime pie in a Dutch oven in the fire. To this day, it was the best thing I have ever eaten. But let's take a quick call here. Sarah calling from the Upper west side. Welcome.

[Naomi]

Hi. I'm so happy you're talking about Dutch ovens. I have had mine, I think, since I was 17 years old. It's a German brand, I believe, called Berndes B E R N D E S. And it's probably my longest relationship and I love making cholent in it. No two marriages. But this, this Dutch oven, it's tried and true and stands by me.

[David Fuerst]

That's amazing. The longest relationship is the Dutch oven.

[Listener Support]

I you know what? I fully support this. If the world goes down, we'll all have our Dutch oven.

[David Fuerst]

Andy, I want to ask you if we want to find some more information on these recip. Are these all [e-mail] yes.

[Listener Support]

So go to foodandwine.com, go ahead and look up any recipes you can actually just search Dutch oven recipes on our site and a bunch of beautiful galleries will come together for anything from Weeknight Skillet chili to whole roasted chicken. And then you can also please do check out our new February issue on newsstands now for some amazing recipes that you can also make in a Dutch oven.

[David Fuerst]

So many more recipes we didn't get to. You'll have to check it out. I know you have a lemongrass chicken with rice. There's chili. We'll have to continue this conversation. Check out the one for Weeknight Skillet Chili. Andy Gosnell, thank you so much, Editor with Food and Wine. Thanks for joining us on all of it.

[Listener Support]

Thanks for having me.

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