Food for Too Many Thoughts: The Comforting Meals Two Chefs Are Cooking on Election Night

It was Hippocrates who said, “Let food be thy medicine.” And as far as tonight’s election goes, we can only assume that a generous helping of comfort food is what Doctor H would have ordered. No one can predict what the next few days have in store for us, but what is certain is as we all wait for election results to come in, anxieties, tensions, and curiosities will run high—hence the need for some seriously satisfying comfort food.

While mac-and-cheese or anything involving a potato will do just fine, we’ve asked chefs Marcus Samuelsson and Melissa King how they’re approaching their own comfort-inducing election-night menu. For Samuelsson (chef and owner of New York’s Hav & Mar, Metropolis, and Red Rooster Harlem), it’s pizza—but of course, he’s not whipping up your traditional Neapolitan pie. Instead, he’s making a Doro Wat Pizza that folds Ethiopian flavors into the Italian classic. Meanwhile, King is leaning into the warming, restorative potential of shrimp and pork wontons in broth.

Both of these recipes, below.

Melissa King’s Shrimp and Pork Wontons in Broth

“I plan to make dumplings with friends on Election Day,” says King. “As a Cantonese American, Hong Kong-style shrimp and pork wontons remind me of my family and the home we came from. I have beautiful memories of standing around a table with my grandma, mom, and sister, wrapping hundreds of wontons together in the San Gabriel Valley. It’s a tradition that brings us together and a cozy dish that brings me great comfort.”

Photo: Melissa King