WOHLFORD: Soups and stews welcome you home, sweet home

We're back home! In case you didn't know, my husband, Bill, and I have been living away from home for nearly a year and a half, following a house fire in July 2014.

We were welcomed into the homes of three families, our friends and next door neighbors -- Lynnann and Vern Hockenberry, our favorite Macon family -- the clan of Mike and Annette Bower, and our dear friend, Kelly Simmons, who shared her home with us for more than a year! They lovingly game us a place to stay, gave us much-needed advice, and endless emotional support in dealing with the aftermath of such an upset as a house fire.

They also shared in the life, love and eventual loss of our beloved "four-legged baby" miniature dachshund, Belle Teche. These fabulous folks are all friends forever and family-of-choice.

One thing remains certain, "there's no place like home," and "home, sweet home" it is. This holiday season gave such intense meaning to the song "I'll be Home For Christmas" that it nearly brings me to tears every time I hear it. We're still living among stacks and stacks of unpacked boxes and a seemingly endless state of disorder, but we are home.

A bit of advice to all, never take anything (or anyone) for granted. And be thankful for having a roof over your head -- not everyone does.

What a welcome home it is to enjoy the enticing aroma of a soup, stew or chowder simmering on the stove. It is like an embrace of love and comfort -- a welcome home hug for hearty appetites and weary souls.

I hope you're in the mood for a bowl of comfort and cheer. In my family, we eat a lot of soup (chowder, chili, etc.) but I'm not talking about the store-bought, canned stuff. Most soups can be prepared with little fuss and minimum culinary skill necessary.

My recipe for Beef Stew with Roasted Root Vegetables and Mushrooms is not exactly budget friendly because I make it with beef tenderloin; the fork-tender meat does not require lengthy stewing. The rich and hearty intense sauce comes from using Guinness stout and a marriage of herbs and spices. And because all of the root vegetables and mushrooms are oven-roasted, they retain their individual tastes and textures.

Vermont Cheddar Chowder with Maple Bacon is my creation inspired by spending time in Vermont, making it my personal mission to sample as many chowders as the restaurants we visited offered. The flavors and textures of this chowder are so perfectly balanced ... the smokiness of the bacon, sweetness of the corn, richness from the cheddar and cream ... incredibl And it also scored the highest rating in my cooking classes -- we have a winner!

Tuscan Cannellini Bean Chili is an Italian version of a great winter chili, stepping away from more of a Tex-Mex flair and introducing the savory herbs more closely associated with Italian cuisine, using Italian sausage in place of ground beef found in more common chili, and cannellini beans instead of kidney beans or black beans.

Serve this delicious chili with slices of toasted garlic bread or a hot crusty loaf of Italian bread and herb-seasoned olive oil for dipping the bread in.

Welcome home, y'all!

TEDDI'S RECIPES

Beef Stew with Roasted Mushrooms & Root Vegetables

FOR THE VEGETABLES:

8 ounces whole mushrooms, brushed clean, cut into quarters

1 large turnip, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

12 ounces small red potatoes, quartered

1/2 pound carrots, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch chunks

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

FOR THE STEW:

8 ounces thick-sliced applewood-smoked bacon, cut into thin strips

1 large onion, medium dice

1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon each: ground thyme, rosemary, marjoram and sage

2 pounds beef tenderloin, trimmed, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 all-purpose flour seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (12-ounce) bottle Guinness Stout beer

3 bay leaves

1/2 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

3 (10.75-ounce) cans beef consommé

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, minced

Serves six to eight.

For the vegetables: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place mushrooms and all root vegetables in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and stir to coat vegetables with the oil. Scatter and arrange in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet (14-by-18 inches). Season with salt and pepper. Place in the center of the oven and roast for 30 minutes, just until vegetables are fork tender.

Remove from oven. Meanwhile, prepare the stew.

For the stew: Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, stirring often. Reserving the dripping, transfer bacon from the skillet to a paper towel-lined plate. Transfer half of the drippings to a Dutch oven.

Meanwhile, dredge the beef tenderloin cubes in the seasoned flour mixture. Heat skillet with reserved drippings to medium-high heat. Add half of the beef to the skillet (do not overcrowd). Brown the beef on both sides and transfer from the skillet to the plate with the cooked bacon. Repeat with remaining beef.

In the Dutch oven with the some of the drippings, sauté onion and celery until crisp-tender. Add garlic and sauté briefly. Add herbs and stir into the sautéed vegetable mixture. Add the beer and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce by half. Stir in the consommé (undiluted). Whisk in the tomato paste. Bring mixture to a boil.

Make a paste by smearing together the softened butter and flour. Whisk into the boiling liquid, cooking until no bits of flour remain, is velvety, and has thickened. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the cooked bacon, beef and roasted vegetables.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Stir in parsley. Serve hot with a simple green salad and a loaf of crusty French bread (and butter, of course!) to mop up all of the fabulous stew.

Vermont Cheddar & Corn Chowder with Maple Bacon

1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into small cubes

8 ounces sliced maple bacon, cut into thin strips

4 cups medium diced onions

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons chicken base

2 (20-ounce) packages frozen cream-style corn, thawed

1 (12-ounce) bag frozen whole kernel corn, thawed

1 cup heavy whipping cream

8 ounces sharp Vermont cheddar, grated

Serves eight.

Cook potatoes in salted boiling water just until barely tender -- do not overcook. Reserving the cooking water, drain the potatoes. Set potatoes aside.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Using a slotted utensil, remove bacon from the pan, reserving the drippings. Add the onions to the drippings, and cook until softened. Add the flour to the pot and stir into the onion, cooking for an additional 3 minutes.

Measure out 6 cups of the reserved cooking water. Add the chicken base and pepper to the cooking water and whisk to dissolve. Stir into the flour mixture. Add the cream-style corn and whole kernel corn to the soup. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Add the whipping cream and grated cheddar. Stir to blend and melt the cheese.

Turn off the heat and add the cooked potato cubes to the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish each serving with the previously-cooked bacon.

Tuscan Cannellini Bean Chili

1 pound link Italian sausage, cut into thin rounds

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups medium diced onion

1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup dry red wine

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, undrained

1 (28-ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes

In a Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, cook the Italian sausage until browned and almost cooked through. Remove sausage from the pan and place on paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Add olive oil to the pot and sauté the onion and celery in the olive oil. Add garlic and sauté briefly. Stir in the chili powder, basil, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes. Add the red wine and cook, stirring until almost all of the liquid is reduced. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomatoes and cannellini beans.

Return the Italian sausage to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour before serving.

This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 6:50 PM with the headline "WOHLFORD: Soups and stews welcome you home, sweet home ."