With more winter weather on the way for Greensboro, I asked local restaurant owners to share what they make when they’re snowed in.
Machete, in Fisher Park, serves creative comfort food. Executive Chef Kevin Cottrell made stew and focaccia bread last weekend, he said.
“I was kind of feeling hunter/homesteader vibe, you know?”
Focaccia’s one of the easier breads to make at home, he said. “You can get creative with toppings and stuff,” he topped his family’s with roasted garlic and caramelized onion.
“I was just thinking, how can we create the cozy winter cabin vibe in our house?”
Cottrell says be resourceful when you’re stuck at home and work with what you have on hand. In his case, it was Thanksgiving leftovers of leftover turkey neck. It ended up becoming a rich stew full of collard greens and rabbit.
“Don’t be scared to just pull the crockpot out ahead of time and figure out what needs to go, what’s going to go bad if the power goes out,” he said. “Get creative. Most stew items make sense together, so throw them in a crockpot and let them go—it’s gonna be good, hearty, and warming.”
On Elm Street, Jerusalem Market’s Easa Hanhan said that their family usually goes for Italian-style chicken cutlets, or his wife, who is Romanian, makes soup.
“We use her mom’s recipe,” Hanhan said. Sautéed onion, celery, carrots, some tomatoes, and potatoes, plus an egg yolk or two that curdles and thickens the soup.
Emily Purcell said that she and Kevin, her husband and business partner, made chicken and dumplings in the crockpot. They own Freeman’s Grub and Pub on Spring Garden Street, serving up sandwiches, salads, soups, cocktails, and more.
It’s a special recipe and memory for them, Purcell said, that they started to make together during snowstorms or colder weather when they first met.
It gives her a happy feeling, she said, “knowing that we can resort back to this really simple, delicious meal.”
She recommends using a crockpot, which is especially helpful during power outages, provided you have a battery-powered backup. “We just use chicken breast, and then you season it however you like.” Add a good amount of chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and throw in veggies, Purcell said.
“We let it sit there on high for about five hours,” she said, “Then we take the chicken out, shred that all up, and pop it back in the crockpot.”
For the dumplings, get some butter biscuits, cut them up into fours, roll them up, and pop them in the crockpot. About an hour later, they’ll be fluffed up and juicy.
But Cottrell, Purcell, and Hanhan all agree that while a snow day can be fun, it’s also bad for business.
“Even the threat of snow will keep most people away, especially downtown. You’re really at the mercy of the weather, so honestly, it really is a bummer to get hit on the weekends,” said Hanhan. “I’m worried about losing two days. We ask people to really consider and try to come out and support because it’s hurting us. I can’t lie.”
Given that many restaurants are on tight budgets and thin margins, don’t take your local eateries for granted. I know I won’t.
It makes a difference.
And then, boot up that crockpot.