Bubble and Squeak!

    com·fort food

Dictionary result for comfort food

       /ˈkəmfərt fo͞od/

         noun

         plural noun: comfort foods

1.            food that provides consolation or a feeling of
2.            well-being, typically any with a high sugar or
3.            other carbohydrate content and associated with
4.            childhood or home cooking.

I just bet we are all searching for 'comfort foods' at this time of year - well

at least those of us in the northern hemisphere.

Soups

Stews
Black Bean Chili

Hot Cereals

Casseroles

Macaroni & Cheese

Hot Apple Pie

Baked Fruit Crumbles

. . . . . . . . and the list goes on.

For me, even hot crunchy toasted bread with butter and a 
good Scottish thick-cut marmalade is a favorite comfort food.

This past week I opened Nigel Slater's REAL FAST FOOD cookbook - it's

 a great one - to find a recipe for a nice round Savoy cabbage hiding in the

 refrigerator. When I saw Bubble and Squeak, definitely a 'comfort food' 

associated with my English childhood, I made the not so fast version.

Not having leftovers, I cooked and mashed fresh potatoes, and gave the 

shredded cabbage a quick steam before going ahead with what was a

 nicely seasoned (salt, black pepper, a few caraway seeds, turmeric)

 buttery fry-up in a skillet.

We gobbled it up whilst piping hot and crispy, topped with baked cod, 

a nice dollop of homemade tartare sauce, a small green salad and a

 glass of shiraz.

It was comforting!

Nigel Slater's recipe

*************

Happened to find another Bubble and Squeak recipe over the weekend in a 

back issue of UK Country Living.

In addition to the basics it adds Stilton cheese and chutney which sounds 

a little more posh. . . . . . .  .and I'll try it soon.

I usually get Stilton at Costco but for some reason it's not being stocked

 this winter, at least not in my local store.

 This pungent blue cheese is only made in a certain area of England.

Trader Joe has it currently at a fair price, and of course 

it's always at Whole Foods but rather expensive!

We may get a light snowfall later today and a cold night. . . . . . . . comfort food,
 a fire on the hearth and a warming drink sounds good.

Soups - and wine - love rustic crackers. . . . . . . .

There are some great moments when stuck at home in inclement weather. Many revolve around the kitchen. With nothing really pressing regarding elaborate meals on time, one can spend most of the day looking out the windows, photographing birds and squirrels, popping out in pj's to fill bird feeders and melt birdbath water. . . . . or cook!

Well that's what happened here at our home recently, haha!

How about this for a 'rustic cracker'. So quick and easy, almost healthy, and definitely a knockout to look at and nibble alongside one of those steaming bowls of homemade soup we all seem to be making on these Winter days. Also a pretty accompaniment to an aperitif. Here's my version of the recipe in the Jan. 2016 Better Homes & Gardens - they call it Greens Cracker and used kale.

Rustic Cracker
1 rolled, refrigerated, unbaked pie crust - brought to room temp.
1 egg yolk and 2 tsp. water whisked together
2 large Swiss rainbow chard leaves with stems (you may not want to eat the stems as they are a bit chewy with such a short time in the oven - I cut mine off before serving)
1/2 cup coarsely grated Gruyere cheese 
1/2 tsp. snipped fresh rosemary (this time I used dried Herbes de Provence as I couldn't get to my rosemary bush on the ice).
Sea salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. Line large baking sheet with parchment, set aside. On floured surface unroll and fold pastry sheet into quarters. Gently roll into a rectangle, trim edges or leave free form as I did for a more rustic look. Transfer to baking sheet. Brush with egg mixture, sprinkle with herbs. Arrange leaves on top lightly pressing down and sprinkle generously with the cheese. Bake 15 mins. or until golden, watch carefully. Remove, cool on a rack and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and a little sea salt. Slice diagonally to serve (I found a pizza cutter useful). I liked it best still warm and crispy, or you can serve it cold.

Before baking.

Cheers!