Comfort food recipes I crave — you might too

Think of them as templates for meals and snacks to fill bellies and souls

Bonjour! Bonjour!

I’m in Paris, but my thoughts are with the people of California. I don’t have words for the devastation. Don’t have a way to take in all that was lost by so many. And I can’t imagine the terror of it all. And the sorrow. I am in awe of the bravery of the firefighters and the generosity of the people who are helping one another, the restaurateurs who are feeding the first responders and their community, and the organizations, like World Central Kitchen and Baby2Baby, that we’ve come to trust when tragedy hits.

The Mutual Aid Los Angeles Network, MALAN, has put together a spreadsheet of resources by neighborhood. And newspapers are continuing to post links to aid organizations.

Hug your family and reach out to your neighbors — they are our glue. As Mr. Rogers told us, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” If you can, be a helper. If you need help, ask — helpers want to help.

Comfort and joy

“Comfort and joy” are the words for Christmas, but I’m holding on to them now. Chez us, they often take the form of simple cakes and mashed potatoes, usually not together, although … Say mashed potatoes and I immediately think of Shepherd’s Pie, the dish Michael would like me to think about — and make — more often. If you love it as much as he and I do, here’s one of my favorite recipes for it— I’ve removed the paywall, so you can cook away.

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Also in the realm of potatoes and pie, there’s this really pretty sweet potato and apple galette that makes a great appetizer or apéro nibble. Here’s the link to the recipe that I created for NYT Cooking (I’ve removed the paywall).

And if it’s cake and potatoes, it’s these terrific sweet potato muffins (paywall removed) from Brian Hart Hoffman, the genie behind Bake from Scratch.

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I’ve got a fabulous potato recipe for you coming up from

Irina Georgescu

’s fascinating new book, Danube: Recipes and Stories from Eastern Europe. Be patient — the wait will be worth it!

Rice for me, please

As much as I love potatoes, I love rice just a smidge more. For many years, I’d start the day by making a pot of rice and then I’d eat my way through it during the day. I’d have it hot for breakfast and then at room temperature for lunch and a snack later on, often with cracked black pepper, apples, sunflower seeds and raisins (does that sound weird to you?). And then, if there were leftovers, I’d put them in the fridge or freezer and at some point during the week, I’d make fried rice.

Fried rice is usually a catch-all kind of dish — a good place to turn the always-present bits and bobs in the vegetable bin into something tasty, and a good place to add ingredients you really like. And indeed, I don’t think I’ve ever made fried rice the same way twice. But when I was working on Everyday Dorie, I decided to commit a recipe to print, understanding that cooks would be just like me and do what they want and use what they have — but at least we’d have a template.

Funny, I was just looking at the introduction to the recipe in the book and it says: “For all the years that I’ve been frying rice, I’d never written a recipe for the dish — it was always something I’d make up as I went along.” Well, at least I’m consistent!

Scroll down for the recipe and then do whatever you’d like with it. Of course.

But first a little Paris escape…

…with delicious stamps, galettes, desserts and a peek at Notre Dame (a good reminder of what can be rebuilt)

Keep one another safe. Be kind to one another. Help whoever you can. And cook something comforting tonight.

GINGER FRIED RICE

• Adapted from Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook by Dorie Greenspan

• Click for printable recipe

Ellen Silverman for Everyday Dorie

GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START

The rice: You can use any kind of rice you like, white or brown, but it should be cooked and, ideally, not freshly made. The rice fries better when it’s had time to dry in the refrigerator or freezer.

The vegetables: Use what you’ve got. It’s nice to have a mix of firm and soft vegetables. I like to add cabbage, Napa if I’ve got it, regular cabbage if not (it’s usually what I’ve got). When it’s corn season, I add nibblets toward the end of the cooking, so that they keep their crunch. Onions yes, but you could use scallions (cut into 2-inch lengths) or even leeks.

The add-ins: You can keep the dish vegetarian/vegan or you can add small pieces of cooked meat or uncooked seafood. Just keep the chunks bite-sized.

The flavoring sauce: I like ponzu in the sauce — it’s a mix of soy sauce and citrus — but I don’t always have it, so I use plain soy sauce and finish the dish with freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice. For heat, I use gochujang, but you can choose a different hot sauce — think about chili crisp, I love Fly by Jing chili crisp on and with just about anything.

The ginger: It’s the constant — don’t skip it.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 5 tablespoons ponzu or soy sauce

• 1 1/2 teaspoons gochujang

• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey

• 1/2 large bok choy, trimmed and sliced crosswise into 1⁄2-inch-wide strips, or 4 to 6 baby bok choy, halved or quartered lengthwise

• 1/2 Napa (or other) cabbage, trimmed and sliced into 1⁄2-inch-wide strips

• 2 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced thin

• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped, rinsed and patted dry

• 1 to 11/2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger (more to taste)

• 1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (more to taste)

• 2 to 3 tablespoons peanut, grapeseed or canola oil (you need an oil with a high smoke point)

• Fine sea salt

• About 3 cups (about 500 grams) cold cooked rice; break up any clumps

• Freshly ground pepper

• Chopped or diced cooked chicken, pork, shrimp or (uncooked) firm tofu, for add-ins (optional)

• Chopped fresh cilantro, chives and/or scallions, for finishing (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Mix the ponzu or soy, gochujang and honey together. Do the same with the vegetables, ginger and garlic.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok or a large skillet, preferably one with high sides, over high heat. When the oil is hot, add half of the vegetables, season with salt and stir and toss until some of the vegetables are charred, about 3 minutes (go by color, not time). This high-heat, high-color step is what gives the dish full flavor. Add the rice and keep tossing, turning and stirring. If the rice sticks to the pan — and it probably will — add more oil as needed and/or add water, tiny splashes at a time. When the rice is hot all the way through, stir in the rest of the vegetables and pour over the ponzu mixture. If you’ve got add-ins, now’s the time to stir them in. Cook to get everything really hot, then taste for salt and pepper. Sprinkle over any and all of the toppings, if you’re using them, and serve immediately.

STORING: Fried rice is best the instant it’s made, but it takes well to reheating. You can sprinkle water over it, cover it and reheat it in a microwave, but the best method is to refry it briefly in a little oil over high heat. Cooled and covered, leftovers will keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator.

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📚 You can find more recipes in my latest book Baking with Dorie.