#comfort-food

#comfort-food

Food is so personal and nostalgic, sometimes it's hard to believe the dishes we grew up eating are actually a little strange to others. I'll admit that as a former picky eater, my go-to snack was cheese sandwiched between two slices of banana (please don't judge me, it was really good). So when redditor u/kerker1717 asked the r/Cooking community to share the odd food combinations they grew up with, I was excited to see what my fellow weird eaters had to say.

I'm a huge foodie. Give me a time, place, and a cuisine, and I'm guaranteed to say yes. From street food staples to comfort dishes, some meals are just so iconic that one bite can instantly transport you to another country - which is especially convenient, since international travel is not in my budget right now. Think you know your global cuisine? I'll show you a photo of a famous international dish, and you'll have to tell me its name. Ready? Set. Go!

We crave those familiar dishes that remind us of kitchens we trusted as children and which take us back to a period when the world was a happier place. Corenucopia, the new luxury bistro from Clare Smyth MBE and our Restaurant of the Month for December, feels well placed in that respect. Rather than chasing trends, it offers familiarity. British classics cooked with care, confident flavours, and dishes where the pleasure comes from a quiet satisfaction.

"The city is suffering right now," Previte says. "We want comfort and we want affordability."

Something about living under those bright lights and napping in 20-minute increments appears to warp even the most ordinary cravings. Over the centuries, commanders-in-chief have often clung to comfort food with a kind of desperate loyalty - odd sandwiches whipped up in the dead of night, condiments used with such abandon they veer into performance art, or entire meals consumed with the single-minded fervor of a man attempting to outrun his own briefings.

Angel's Tijuana Tacos recently introduced its own breakfast burrito, prompting me to make a beeline to its Anaheim location one morning. A staple of SoCal cuisine, I ordered my A.M.-hour beast with a duo of bacon and chorizo, delivering a salty, smoky and slightly spicy bite. The eggs were fluffy, lacking any of the rubbery slop that besmirches lesser breakfast burritos.

I think Yukon Gold and yellow potatoes are the best potatoes for soup. They hold their shape when cooked, and they have an amazing creamy texture when blended. This soup is partially blended, so you get to enjoy them both ways! They have a nice buttery flavor too. I wouldn't use russet potatoes here, as they fall apart as they cook.

Wilde's - the intimate new British-inspired spot in Los Feliz - might be the closest thing Los Angeles has to a countryside pub dropped straight onto Hillhurst Avenue. Lifelong friends Natasha Price (chef) and Tatiana Ettensberger (wine) set out to build the kind of place where you could settle in for a long chat, a glass of "something good," and food that's filling and pleasantly low-maintenance.

As noted on Instagram, the 46-ounce boxes of frozen mac and cheese are on sale for $4 off at Costco. Normally $14.89, they're now available for $10.89. Eat This, Not That confirms that the $4 off sale is available nationally, although you may have to head into the warehouse to see if they have any in stock. If your warehouse website shows the product as out of stock or low in stock, it might not be available for delivery.

The chef behind the now-closed has opened a Southern diner-inspired spot in the old Wesburger space. The Mission restaurant serves comfort dishes like patty melts, blooming onions, and of course, chicken fried steak.

As an LA native who loves exploring the far reaches of the city for the most delicious food I can find, I've spent a fair amount of time eating my way through nearby Long Beach. Known for its blue-collar roots and a bustling modern community of artists, families, and entrepreneurs, this once-sleepy beach town is widely recognized as a vibrant place to live, work, and yes, eat. What do you get when you combine all these factors together?

Just look at the British dish of beans on baked potatoes. Yes, it might sound a bit strange at first, but it is a dish that has legs - across the pond, at least. Closer to home, there is another stage of baked potato innovation unfolding, and it is one that you'll want to lock away for a tired night when you simply can't be bothered to cook a meal: topping a baked potato with a frozen dinner.

There is a reason that casseroles are such an enduring culinary category. Not only are they easy to put together, but casseroles are comfort food at its finest: warm, creamy, savory, and especially wonderful when they have a nice, crisp top - and one of the simplest and best ways to top a casserole is with a sleeve of Ritz crackers. There are several advantages to this creative use for Ritz crackers and the buttery crunch complements all different kinds of casserole recipes.

Stromboli, on the other hand, is one of those iconic dishes that we grab as an afterthought with our pizza order, or snag on the fly to snack on in between the day's tasks. However, as the third wave of Italian cuisine in the U.S. unfolds, homemade stromboli steps into the spotlight as more than just the stuff of our comfort food dreams.

Starting with canned black beans and adding a handful of accessible ingredients, the magic of this veggie-forward soup lies within the element of heat. Between chili powder, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, and canned chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, this soup is made to ignite your senses. The recipe also calls for a healthy helping of bell peppers, celery, onions, and carrots along with a zesty punch of lime juice and a handful of savory seasonings simmered in a vegetable broth.

A home-cooked meal is arguably even more satisfying when it's been whipped up in one pot. This fuss-free approach saves time and effort, while allowing you to build rich, complex flavors and making serving a breeze. One-pot cooking has been a go-to in busy households for generations, and many modern favorites lean into this convenient technique. But today we're focusing on some forgotten one-pot classics that bring just as much simplicity, comfort, and deliciousness.

We can thank Campbell's for America's love of broccoli and cheese soup, which inspired us to come up with an even tastier classic broccoli cheddar soup recipe. Naturally, fast food chains have also tuned in to the growing craze, and we reckon that, above all else, Jason's Deli has mastered its proprietary recipe. In Tasting Table's ranking of fast food soups from worst to best, Jason's Deli's broccoli cheese soup came in at a not-too-shabby second place overall.

Skip the kneading and use store-bought refrigerated crescent roll dough to make a quick top crust with homemade-worthy texture. Crescent roll dough is flaky and buttery, rising to golden brown perfection during its tenure in the oven. No need to worry whether your crust will "turn out, this time." Uncross those fingers and let the tried-and-true texture of store-bought crescent roll dough do its thing for your pot pie.

Forget chives and butter. What your baked potatoes really need is a Philly cheesesteak twist. Born on a street corner in Philadelphia, the next-level sandwich has long encapsulated the city's vivacious essence with its bold, intense flavors. Now, just imagine that same greatness crowning steaming hot, fresh-off-the-oven potatoes. No longer is the starchy base just predictably creamy and boring. The dish's overflow of cheese-smothered meat and veggies ensures that it arrives at your table dressed in the finest flavors.

For the uninitiated, shepherd's pie is an old-school classic. It's a casserole consisting of meat and mixed veggies, topped with fluffy, mashed potatoes. According to the History Channel, shepherd's pie is a traditional Irish dish, though the British and Scottish have also made claims to it. A similar version called cottage pie, in fact, pre-dates it. The main difference between the two, as any stickler will tell you, is that shepherd's pie uses ground lamb, whereas cottage pie uses ground beef.