Winter, even with its frigid temperatures and punishing winds, brings its own comforts.
Bears may slumber for months, but our rhythm is different. Cooks conjure up food to nourish, drawing from the goodness of the earth—and often, underneath.
Chef Louis DiBiccari of Tavern Road in Boston chanced on white sweet potatoes a couple of years ago. Far more than regular sweet potatoes, they were silky and velvety, with more body.
“It’s a little bit like candy. ... It’s that kind of savory dish that isn’t a savory dish,” he said.
“When you think about your childhood, it’s always the sweeter things that stick out,” said Tom Borgia of Russell House Tavern in Cambridge.
Borgia puts his personal stamp on traditional baked beans, with about five ounces of pork belly and a molasses streusel on top.
The season also offers its own rewards, like sweet shrimp from Maine. Chef Jeremy Sewall fries these and serves them with lemon wedges and aïoli.
Try these chefs’ recipes for winter dishes:
1. Crisp Sweet Shrimp
Chef Jeremy Sewall, Row 34, Island Creek Oyster Bar, Lineage (Boston, Mass.)
