Warming Winter Bowl

There is nothing better than comfort food.  Especially when it is cold and flu season, and everyone is trapped inside passing around the germs.  Yuck!

Several years ago, we were visiting our families back home in Pennsylvania when Tim started to come down with a bad cold.  By bedtime, he was fading fast and looked as bad as he felt.  My mother and I decided to help, so we sent him to bed and promised a hot toddy which wold cure all his ills (pharmacy, liquor store…potato, potahto).

Never having made one before was no deterrent for us.  How hard cold it be?  Tea, whiskey, lemon and honey.  What could possibly go wrong?

I brought up the drink, and stood over him till he finished.

“How do you feel,” I asked

“Pretty much the same.”

“Are you sweating yet? Cause you’re supposed to sweat.”

“No.  No sweating.  Just feel awful.”

“Hmmm.  Let me get you another toddy.  Maybe that will help.”

Never occurred to us that that might not end well.

This time we decided to double up on the ingredients since the first one obviously hadn’t done anything at all to help. By the time he finished the second one, he fell into a peaceful slumber and slept like a baby all night.

Or not.  Apparently, my mother and I had given him half a bottle of whiskey in total, so he more passed out than slept.  He also sweated his way through his shirt, the sheet, the blanket, and probably the mattress.

When he finally surfaced the next morning, I’m not sure if he was relieved or ticked off that the headache he had was from a hangover and not the flu.  One thing for sure though, we definitely cured him.

And you’re welcome, Tim.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice or farro
• 1  1/2 cups diced carrots
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1  3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 2 cups red grapes (NOT red table grapes)
• 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400
2. Saute the carrots and onion in some olive ol for about 10 minutes over medium heat.  Add the garlic, nutmeg and cloves and saute 30 seconds or till fragrant.  Add the rice and broth and bring to a boil.  Cover the pot and turn the heat to low.  Simmer for 45 minutes or till the rice is tender. (If using farro, follow cooking time for farro since it cooks more quickly than brown rice)
3. Meanwhile, rinse and dry the grapes.  Toss them in 2 teaspoons of olive oil and roast for 20-30 minutes (till blistered)
4. When the rice is done, season with salt and pepper to taste, add the parsley and stir to combine.  Put the rice in a bowl and top with the grapes.

Enjoy!