Hearty Winter Foods and a Visit to Troni Brothers
​By Dana Hyland-Horner | Photos by Mike Horner
Why is it that in the winter months of the year, we tend to want heavier foods such as dense soups and stews, roasts loaded with carrots and potatoes and most popular, Italian foods. Pizza of course is considered a year round food group by most. But in the cold winter months more pasta dishes are consumed such as spaghetti, lasagna and anything baked with a lot of cheese. Italian dishes are considered " comfort food," designed to warm the body with hearty ingredients and rich sauces and bold soups made out of root vegetables.
Here in Ohio, we tend to eat seasonally with what we grow and are offered in the winter months. There is nothing like sitting down in a nice restaurant with soft Italian music playing in the background and a warm soft garlic knot and fresh cold salad brought to your table on a very cold winter day. My husband and I found such a place in Troy. It is new to the area and we made a visit there last week because we needed that warm comfort food. Troni Brothers " Bella Bistro" opened last week at 2311 W. Main Street. Proprietor, Dave Keen who owns two other establishments in Kettering and Xenia says the Troy store is doing very well. His best selling dinners include Fettuccini Alfredo and Chicken Marsala. I had the Baked Spaghetti and it came with a side salad and a delicious Garlic Knot roll that just made your mouth water! We witnessed many of those going out to tables. Mike, my husband, ordered a grilled chicken salad that was very large and so fresh. The grilled chicken was hot and right off the grill and the mixed lettuce was cold and crunchy, just the way you expect a good salad to be.
​ They offer several appetizers and a large children's menu. Pizza, of course, is one of their main items to choose from. It is freshly pulled dough and while we didn't get that this time, we noticed how delicious they looked and the customers were very pleased with them. We will definitely get one the next time we go. The dessert menu looked good as well, offering Cannoli, New York Cheesecake and Tiramisu. The staff was on their toes as they were very busy for lunch. Our server Ashton Durst was on top of his game, asking us every time he passed taking another order out if we needed anything and refilled our drinks before they were empty. We were told that they offer catering for events as well. They are open Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday for lunch from noon to 4 p.m. This place is a must try for anyone wanting that warm comfort food of winter. I just can't get past the garlic knots!
Gardening News:
If you haven't already, it's time to start ordering those Garden Seed Catalogs. For us it's just as exciting as getting a Christmas card from a family member! While we are in the green deprived winter we can start to plan our spring gardens that will take us right into those lovely hot producing summer months. I can spend a lot of mental energy in the winter months planning our garden and flower beds. What worked and what just wasn't worth the time and energy or the space. The last two years we have tried container gardening and while it was very successful it just didn't produce the amount we needed. I will still have a few containers on my patio with lettuce as that worked the best for us. This year we are going with 2 large upright container gardens. I have a crush on tomatoes and just can't get enough of them. I think this will solve the problem.
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With the warmer than usual November and December we have had this year, I had plenty of sage and thyme to use right out of the garden. Our lavender plants were still having flower shoots until a few weeks ago. Not so sure how they will come out of that.
January To-Do List
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Order Catalogs
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Create a Master list of what you want to grow
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Sketch out a garden spot or how many containers you will need for container growing
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Decide what you need to grow from seeds and what plants you will need to buy
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Clear your garden tools from last year
Remember, here in Ohio you can start seeds now inside and they will be ready to plant in late spring
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Enjoy a few of my Hearty Winter Recipes:
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Dumplings
2 cups sifted flour
2 eggs plus milk to make 1 cup
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
3 quarts chicken broth
Mix first 4 ingredients together then cook in boiling chicken broth for about 10 minutes. Turn over after 5 minutes. Do not cover. These are hearty and served with chicken or a beef roast.
Marzetti
2 pounds ground beef
1 large can tomato puree
1 large can mushrooms
bay leaf
pinch thyme
2 tsp. each salt, garlic, celery salt and onion salt
1 pound New York sharp cheese
1-8 oz. bag fine noodles
Brown meat. Simmer for 15 minutes with puree, mushrooms and seasonings. Break cheese into chunks and mix with hot cooked noodles until cheese melts somewhat.
Combine with meat and mix well. Bake in a covered casserole in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This can be frozen too.
Until next time...
