COMFORT-FOOD COOKS KEEPING RELATIONSHIP WARM IN THE KITCHEN.

Byline: Jane Snow Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire

Wonderful things are always going on in the Griffiths' kitchen. Fred, longtime host of ``Morning Exchange'' in Cleveland, and Linda, a cooking teacher, have been testing recipes almost nonstop since 1989, when they began writing cookbooks.

Their latest, ``Cooking Under Cover'' (Chapters Publishing Ltd.; $29.95), features the comfort foods of winter, from pork chops braised with apples and cabbage to Portuguese fish stew.

All of the dishes were invented in the Griffiths' roomy Cleveland Heights kitchen. Through four books, the couple has honed its partnership. Fred does the research and writes the essays, and Linda dreams up the recipes.

``I turn out decent food, but to tell the truth I'm a bit intimidated at the idea of thinking up something in the kitchen,'' says Fred.

How to cook a book

In twin offices upstairs in their rambling, 70-year-old French Normandy home, twin computers are filled with data on food, and twin bookshelves line the walls to the ceiling - Linda's filled with hundreds of cookbooks, and Fred's with an eclectic mix of history, biography and novels.

Next to his desk is a cart stuffed with files on garlic, their next project. Linda describes a dish of chicken with 20 cloves of garlic. Fred rattles off an impromptu history of garlic dehydration.

Longtime food lovers with an impressive wine cellar, the Griffiths don't go to restaurants much anymore, Fred notes regretfully, because they're always working on a book. The next deadline is in nine months.

``It doesn't make you any money ... not enough to quit your day job,'' Fred says.

The Griffiths began the grueling extracurricular projects because they wanted to do something together that involved food. They considered opening a fancy foods store, but settled on cookbooks. They stick with it for different reasons.

``I do it because it's interesting ... I just love it,'' Linda says. ``I love to learn about the history or region a recipe comes from, or the thought that went behind a combination of ingredients.''

For Fred, whose words are heard daily by thousands, it's the permanence of the written word.

``This is a writing exercise and it's fun,'' Fred says. ``And your kids are going to have it on their shelves for as long as they live. That becomes a legacy. They don't tape a show and keep that, but they will keep the books.''

Hot on the trail

And the Griffiths will keep the memories, such as the sweltering day last summer when Linda tested recipes for three hearty casseroles, then served them to wilting guests.

``It was 100 degrees, and we sat in the dining room with fans going, eating this heavy winter food,'' Linda recalls, laughing.

For months, they ate Mediterranean veal stew, Yunnan pot chicken and a Dutch oven meatloaf that's ``a killer,'' Linda notes. ``It's knock-your-socks-off wonderful.''

The recipes are drawn from around the globe.

``Almost every country in the world has a tradition of comfort foods,'' Linda says. Whether Asian or American, the common threads are covered pots, long simmering and a house that smells wonderful.

``It's the food you remember and that you want your kids to remember,'' she explains.

The covered pots at the Griffiths' house are stashed away now, and the couple is awaiting a framed copy of their book cover to hang in the kitchen near the other three.

But Linda is testing recipes again, and the house is fragrant with garlic.

DUTCH OVEN MEATLOAF

1 pound lean ground beef

1 pound ground veal

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 plump garlic cloves, minced

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

1/2 of a medium green bell pepper, finely diced

1 cup fine, dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon kosher salt 

1 1/2 teaspoons dried crumbled sage

1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper 

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

1/2 cup tomato juice (more if needed)

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine beef, veal, onion, garlic, celery, carrot, green pepper, bread crumbs, parsley, Worcestershire, salt, sage and pepper. Form into a firmly-packed loaf about 9x4 1/2 inches.

Place in a Dutch oven. Pour 1 cup water around meat. Spoon a few tablespoons tomato sauce over meat and pour remaining sauce around loaf. Tightly cover.

Bake in preheated 375-degree oven until loaf is browned and firm to touch, about 2 hours.

Using 2 spatulas, carefully transfer meatloaf to a heated platter or carving board. Place pot on stove top. Stir in enough tomato juice to make a sauce; cook, stirring over high heat until hot. Slice meatloaf and serve with a generous splash of sauce. Makes 6 servings.

PORK CHOPS BRAISED WITH

APPLES AND CABBAGE

1/4 cup flour

4 center-cut loin pork chops, 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

2 plump garlic cloves, minced

2 tart apples, cored and sliced thin

3 cups finely chopped cabbage

1 teaspoon dried tarragon 

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

1/3 cup applejack OR Calvados OR apple juice

1 cup chicken broth 

1/4 cup dairy sour cream

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

Pour flour into a shallow soup plate. Carefully coat chops in flour. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Brown chops on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer pork chops to a plate.

Add more oil if needed, and cook onion and garlic over low heat, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes or until softened. Add apples and increase heat to high. Cook, stirring, just until apples lose their whiteness, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cabbage, tarragon, ginger, salt and pepper. Stir together 1 minute.

Add applejack and stir to loosen any browned bits adhering to skillet. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Place pork chops over cabbage mixture, spooning some liquid and cabbage over chops. Tightly cover. Place skillet in oven.

Bake in preheated 325-degree oven, basting occasionally, about 1 1/4 hours or until chops are fork-tender.

Remove skillet from oven and transfer chops to serving plates. Whisk sour cream, mustard and nutmeg into cabbage-apple mixture; heat through, but do not boil. Serve with chops. Makes 4 servings.

COVERED RISOTTO WITH SPICY SAUSAGE

3 tablespoons olive oil 

1 pound hot Italian sausage, cut in 3/4-inch slices

6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely diced

1 small yellow onion, finely diced

1 1/2 cups arborio rice 

5 cups chicken broth, heated to a simmer

1 cup coarse chopped escarole 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

Fresh basil shredded for garnish

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, cast-iron skillet. Add sausage and cook, stirring over medium heat until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a small bowl. Add sun-dried tomatoes to sausage and set aside.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy saucepan. Saute onion over medium heat until onion begins to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add hot broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and stir in sausage mixture, escarole, salt, white pepper and 1/4 cup cheese.

Pour mixture into a well-oiled, 2-quart baking dish; sprinkle evenly with 1/2 cup cheese and nutmeg. Tightly cover with foil and bake until rice is cooked through and absorbs most of the liquid, 30 to 40 minutes. Risotto should be creamy.

Serve in warm soup plates with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and a sprinkling of basil. Makes 4 servings.

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Photo

Photo: (Color) Linda and Fred Griffith, are authors of ``Cooking Under Cover,'' featuring the latest comfort foods such as stews and casseroles.

Knight-Ridder Tribune Photo Service