Filed under: Side Dishes
What is your favorite comfort food?
When I think of comfort food my mind goes back to my childhood and dinnertime. My mom used to make fried pork chops with a milk gravy. The pork chops were crispy but moist and tender and the milk gravy had bits of the crispy coating from the pork chops. My favorite part of the meal was the milk gravy over bread. I haven’t eaten this since I was a kid.
My kids would say their comfort food is macaroni and cheese. The most tasty and easiest recipe we have found comes from the America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook. We altered the recipe to suit our tastes.
Mac n’ Cheese
16 ounces macaroni (4 cups) I prefer Rotelle pasta. I use the whole wheat from Trader Joe’s.
Salt
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard, dissolved in a teaspoon of water
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
Pepper
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
12 ounces grated cheddar cheese ( approx 3 cups)
Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large pot for the macaroni. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and the macaroni and cook until almost tender but still a little firm to the bite.
While the pasta is cooking mix together the eggs, half of the evaporated milk, the mustard mixture, Tabasco, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Set the pot over low heat and stir in the butter until melted.
Stir in the egg mixture and half of the cheddar until the cheese is melted. Continue to cook over low heat, gradually stirring the remain milk and cheddar, until the mixture is hot and creamy, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
September 25, 2010
My garden is full of ripe, juicy tomatoes. They are so numerous that they have graduated from salad status to main dish. I add them to pasta and slice them up with fresh mozzarella. The flavor of a fresh picked, vine ripened tomato is intensely sweet and mildly acidic. Most store bought tomatoes are picked green and ripen en route to local stores which diminishes the taste of the fruit. The flavor of a home grown, vine ripened tomato is unsurpassed.
Fresh tomatoes pair perfectly with extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic and fresh basil. Toss this in some warm pasta until the tomatoes are slightly wilted. The warm pasta intensifies the flavors of the tomatoes, basil and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
When I have at least four of five tomatoes I will slice them up and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. If I want a more substantial dish I add fresh mozzarella and basil. My favorite part of eating this salad is using bread to mop up the olive oil and tomato juices.
July 19, 2010
This is a continuation from my previous post on Greens and Beets.
Helpful hint: Add cooked greens to scrambled eggs for a nutrient packed breakfast. Spinach can be added directly to the eggs as they are being scrambled. Since the spinach leaves are tender they don’t require as much cooking as the greens. You can also add some grated parmesan or bacon bits. This is a hearty, healthy breakfast.
Since this post is titled Beets and Greens I suppose I should share my “new” beet recipe. I thought I was so clever in coming up with this recipe but when I went to look at one of my cookbooks to get some ideas on wording, there it was, “Beets with Blue Cheese”. I have added a few changes. This recipe was adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.
Roasted Beets with Blue Cheese
3-4 Medium sized beets, greens removed(save beet greens and prepare as you would other greens)
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2-3 Tablespoons Onion or Shallot, chopped fine
1 clove garlic minced/chopped fine or pressed through a garlic press
3 Tablespoons blue cheese crumbles
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel beets and cut into cubes the size of dice. Spread beets out evenly on a cookie sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoon olive oil. Move the oven rack to the middle of the oven. Put cookie sheet in the oven and roast until a fork inserts easily into the beets, about 20 minutes.
While beets are roasting in the oven heat additional tablespoon of olive oil in a 8 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until golden brown. Quickly add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove from heat.
Mix together roasted beets and caramelized onions in a serving dish. Add blue cheese crumbles. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.
March 19, 2010
In elementary school, during lunch, I was served some of the most unappetizing food ever. What was supposed to be cooked spinach resembled pond algae. You know that green, hairy stuff that gets caught on the fishing hook when you’re reeling in your fishing line. Yep, that was on my lunch tray. Consequently, I have had a prejudice against cooked spinach or anything that might resemble it, until recently.
I decided to give spinach another chance. I found that when not overcooked it is very tasty and visually pleasing. In fact, this has changed my perspective on many vegetables I have never tried to cook myself such as greens(kale, chard, mustard and collard) and beets.
Here’s some easy tips and recipes for spinach and greens.
Spinach-1 serving
1 tablespoon EVOO or an infused oil, such as garlic or herb
1 tablespoon minced onion(green onion and shallot can be used as well)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cup raw spinach, rinse well
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until golden brown. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic. Cook the garlic only a few seconds until it becomes fragrant. Using tongs quickly add spinach. Turn the spinach over quickly until is is slightly wilted. Work fast because it can become overcooked. Remove the skillet from the heat and move the spinach to a serving dish otherwise it will continue to cook. Salt and pepper spinach and add a squeeze of lemon.
Greens-1 serving
1 tablespoon EVOO or an infused oil, such as garlic or herb
1 tablespoon minced onion(green onion and shallot can be used as well)
15 crushed red pepper flakes or more depending on how much heat you want
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups greens(kale, chard, beet greens, mustard) sliced into 1/2 ribbons, rinse well
Salt and pepper to taste.
Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and red pepper flakes and cook until the onion is golden brown. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic. Cook the garlic only a few seconds until it becomes fragrant. Add greens and stir fry until tender, about 4 minutes.(Takes longer than spinach.)
I’ll be sharing a beet recipe and some other ways to incorporate greens into a daily diet over the next couple of days.
March 4, 2010
