Fruits and vegetables fit into reimagined comfort food
Whether it's the looming feeling of uncertainty around today's political climate or the chill of winter in the air, chefs and food pundits are finding many people are seeking culinary solace in comfort foods.
Pinterest reports 50,000 comfort food ideas are pinned every day, a 140% increase from last year. A search of the hashtag #comfortfood on Instagram reveals 2.5 million images of casseroles, soups and cheese-laden dishes.
Bread and butter is the 2017 trend we can expect, according to molecular chef Gaggan Anand. "Diners are getting tired of jellies and foams, and the fine-dining market is saturated with chefs who forage, pickle and ferment," Anand told CNN.
Comfort food, by contrast, is often simple. It's what we crave when experiencing unease and has, by definition, happiness and fond memories connected to it.
To me, comfort foods include classics like potpies, but also staples I grew up with like spaghetti, pizza and meatloaf.
For today's health-conscious diners, guilt is only an optional byproduct of comfort food.
Chefs and at-home cooks alike are finding ways to side-step or ease the guilt with dishes that replace butter, cheese or carbohydrates such as pasta and potatoes with better-for-you options.
The opportunities for produce are plentiful to put more healthful twists on old classics, embrace savory applications for vegetables and explore world flavors that comfort today's diverse diners.
One would be hard-pressed to find a more comforting food than mac and cheese. Pasta, butter and cheese can win over the hardest critic - unless that critic happens to be avoiding carbs or is vegan.
Yet even mac and cheese is receiving a comfort food makeover by swapping noodles for cauliflower drenched in "cashew cheese," a creamy take of a deliciously fatty nut. Vegetable-based lasagna noodles are also growing in popularity.
Potatoes, another familiar comfort food ingredient, are undergoing their own transformations.
The nutritional value of tater tots can easily be bumped up by replacing half the spuds with broccoli.
Sweet potatoes - a holy ingredient of any paleo, plant-based or Whole 30 diet - have been stealing their way into the spotlight for a number of years and can earn even more ground in comfort food applications such as baked sweet potatoes, sweet potato fries and even sweet potato "toast" (a riff on the avocado toast trend).
Vegetable-rich casseroles, potpies and hearty soups offer comfort and convenience, and can easily replace animal protein with plant-based counterparts.
Lentils and other pulses received an awareness boost last year and are now making their way into traditional comfort foods, including vegetarian cassoulets and even meatless, lentil-based shepherd's pie.
Simultaneous to the comfort food trend is an increased presence and appreciation for world flavors.
Today's food consumers are more diverse than ever before - and their taste buds are too, making me wonder if my grandsons' notion of "comfort food" may include things like sushi, lumpia or dim sum, which are regular parts of their dinner menus.
Middle Eastern cuisine is one example of world flavors growing in popularity and intersects nicely with comfort food given its earthy spices, fresh produce and herbs.
Dishes like mujaddara, dal, ghanoush and tagines contain heaps of grains, pulses, vegetables and nuts.
They showcase bold flavors today's consumers crave, and are the type of dishes that warm you from the inside out - as any good comfort food does.
Winter is nearing its end, but for much of America, plenty of rainy, snow-filled days remain that beg for antidotes of stews, casseroles and other hearty fare.
We may see a continued demand for comfort food well past spring as society continues to seek foods that satiate our appetites and our souls.
Produce growers and shippers can benefit from this trend by understanding how produce pairs in comfort food dishes. Think creatively about this trend and help retail and foodservice operators alike see the world of possibilities.
Tim York is CEO of Salinas, Calif.-based Markon Cooperative. Centerplate is a monthly column on "what's now and next" for foodservice and the implications for produce. E-mail timy@markon.com.
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