4 Canadian comfort foods you'll want to get cosy with
Vancouver food blogger shares her cross-country culinary encounters with local homely cooking
The continuing cold and wet weather in B.C. has many people staying warm indoors and finding comfort in a good home-cooked meal.
But the craving for comfort food spans the country, as Vancouver food blogger and author Lindsay Anderson recently found out.
After going on a nationwide search for comforting Canadian foods, Anderson wrote the cookbook FEAST: An Edible Road Trip, which brings to light some filling favourites you may not have heard of.
Anderson joined B.C. Almanac's guest host Lien Yeung to share some of the best comfort food recipes she encountered.
1. Jiggs Dinner
Anderson first tasted this traditional Atlantic Canada dish in Newfoundland.
Named after the central character of the long-running comic strip Bringing Up Father, the dish has been a Sunday meal in the area for decades.
Typically, the meal consists of boiled corned-beef, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and turnips. It is also widely available at restaurants on St. Patrick's Day.
"It's very stick-to-your-ribs kind of food," said Anderson. "When we made it, I totally understood why people would want it every Sunday."
2. Spring Island salmon
Not to be confused with Salt Spring Island, B.C., Spring Island is located off the western coast of Vancouver Island. While there, Anderson sampled a salmon dish prepared by members of the Kyuquot First Nation.
The salmon is boned, butterflied, propped up on cedar sticks and roasted over a fire. Once cooked, it is served with bannock and fresh greens.
"That is just the most incredibly delicious, comforting meal," said Anderson.
Though she ate salmon in the springtime, she said it's a great meal to fight off rainy-day blues.
3. Prairie perogies
While in the Prairies, Anderson said every single perogy dish she had was delicious.
"You can be in a nice restaurant and they have perogy, you can be in a pub and they have perogy, they're everywhere in the Prairies."
Slavic immigrants first brought perogies to the area, where they are not only a traditional comfort food but play a role in the community.
There are many variations of the recipe, but at its most basic the dish consists of stuffed dumplings served with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut.
A more advanced perogy stuffing recipe shared with Anderson called for ricotta cheese and sour cherries, which grow all over the Prairies.
4. Melted cheese and carbs
On a cold day, Anderson personally enjoys macaroni and cheese with a side of braised meat. Growing up in Prince George, B.C., she said the weather played a huge part in her developing a taste for warm "melted goodness."
"We talk about comfort foods in the middle of winter," said Anderson. "When it's cold outside and you've had a day feeling miserable and chilled to your bones ... It's just so satisfying."
Anderson is currently working on a second cookbook in collaboration with the government of Nunavut, compiling traditional northern meals.
With files from B.C. Almanac