Wintry Twists On Two Old Favorites

Winter can be a time for experimenting with favorite foods. There's nothing like tweaking to create a new or better dish, one that is satisfying for  dinner.  Yesterday's  New York Times Dining section does just this. it offers a really interesting spin on chili and also on a summer classic  - fennel. They're a variation of their classic selves  and variations that liven up chilly grey days.

The first is a lamb chili. Melissa Clark decided to add this usually Middle Eastern meat to the classic Mexican in her A Good Appetite column, She added some Gallic flair by using white beans , as they do what French lamb stews as opposed to the usual red ones.Also more jalapeno was added to give the mild meat some bite. Cumin and coriander were also thrown in, perhaps a nod to the meat's strong Eastern Mediterranean background. She served it not with sour cream but with yogurt made form ewe's milk. The result was a chili both earthy and light .

The article directly below it, David Tanis' City Kitchen was about that all time summer fave fennel. Fennel is a great licorice flavored root, perfect for dipping in a vinaigrette. Here he bakes it, in a fennel al forno. He briefly blanches the chopped root and then bakes it with Parmesan,  and mozzarella cheeses along with peperoncino, garlic and surprisingly enough fennel seed to accentuate its' sweet , resonant flavor.It's  the perfect dish for vegetarians or as a side to any chicken or pork loin. Remember that any vegetable - and not just fennel can be made this way. You can try an onion or even a potato al forno for something different.

One classic dish and one classic root get comepletely different twists. The result may sound shocking but in fac they're delicious.Creating these new dishes are a perfect way to chase away culinary winter doldrums.