FOOD
Make Yourself Comfort-able
Tis the season for savoring and snuggling
According to Ben Franklin’s Farmer’s Almanac, the reprieve from snow and cold that many enjoyed last winter will be short-lived and Old Man Winter will be coming back with a vengeance!
Fortunately, many in areas that are often hardest hit (such as hah-dy New England) know what to do to keep the chill at bay. Just snuggle under a cozy blanket, kick on the space heater and set the stove to comfy.
According to Steven Peljovich, proprietor of Michael’s Deli in the Boston suburb of Brookline (www.michaelsdelibrookline.com), “Comfort food is not simply about the quality of the flavors; it is about the memories that they bring to the forefront. It’s about the smells of your parents’ and grandparents’ kitchen, it’s about the family get-togethers, it’s about those special moments with your loved ones that come to mind when you smell the smells and taste the tastes.
As he recalls and reinvents recipes based upon his own Cuban and Jewish roots, Peljovich tries to offer foods (in addition to his world-famous corned beef sandwiches) that offer sustenance to both body and soul and that offer others the same feelings of home that he gets in his kitchen every day. Among his heartiest (and most popular) homemade hits are kasha (boiled buckwheat) and chopped liver.
“It all starts with the rendering of the fat,” Peljovich observes, recalling his dear “Baba Maria” slaving away over pots to get every last ounce of schmaltz.
Another of Peljovich’s most popular productions is a kugel (noodle pudding) based on his wife’s family recipe. When asked what his favorite version is, however, Peljovich again goes back to Puerto Rico to the home of his Abuela Tauba.
”There was never a family get together that did not feature her Kugel as the centerpiece,” he explains.
Though he has long been known as “The Corned Beef King,” Peljovich has also become well known for his selection of over 300 recipes (and counting) for knishes.
“They are not something that my family made,” he admits, “but I have used it as a vehicle to channel my creativity and also to create culinary tributes to events and my loved ones. Knishes are a pocket of love filled with whatever inspires me.”
For more of Matt’s food-related writings, please visit www.matts-meals.com or follow Matt @ mattsmeals73.