Cooking Club Theme #1: Comfort Food

Dizzyblonde

So this is our first Cooking Club Theme thread and it's all about comfort food

What is your favourite, and do you have a tried and tested recipe for it? If you do then please post it, with photos if you like. If you do have photos then please post them under the recipe so that it will be easy to read.

If you don't have a recipe to post, that's cool too! Feel free to try whichever recipes grab your fancy and don't forget to post with your feedback.

We will leave each "Theme" run for a week. After the week has ended, new recipe submissions for that dish will be stopped, but you can continue to comment on previous submissions as much as you like.

Speedwell

Buffalo wings! I have the foolproof crispy wings and easy blue cheese dip recipe. I ate these even when I was otherwise a strict vegetarian. See what you think.

WINGS:

1 kg wings (you should have 11 or 12 whole wings)
1/2 cup (125 ml) Frank's Red Hot sauce (plain, not the wing sauce)
1/3 cup (80 ml) Sriracha sauce (Tesco's is perfect)
1/4 cup (60 ml) melted butter
1/2 tsp (3 ml) garlic powder

Cut wings into 3 pieces each; discard the inedible tips or save for stock. Pat wing pieces dry with paper towels. Bake at 135 degrees fan for about 30 minutes, until the meat is mostly cooked and the skin is still fairly pale. Heat the fryer oil to 190 degrees and fry the wings in two batches, flat pieces and drumstick pieces separately, until the skin is nicely browned and crispy, about 10-13 minutes per batch.

While the wings are cooking, mix the butter, sauces, and garlic in a large mixing bowl and set aside. As soon as the first batch of wings is done, drain the excess oil and dump the wings into the sauce bowl. Toss to coat. With tongs, remove the wings from the sauce to an ovenproof dish and set the dish in a low oven to keep warm while you fry and coat the second batch. Toss the batches together and serve while hot with cold blue cheese dip and chips on the side.

BLUE CHEESE DIP:

125 g blue cheese, at room temperature (Roquefort, Stilton, Danish, anything will work)
1/2 cup (125 ml) regular commercial mayonnaise (may substitute up to half with creme fraiche)
1 tsp (5 ml) fresh coarse-ground black pepper
1/2 tsp (3 ml) garlic powder
1 tsp (5 ml) balsamic vinegar (white balsamic if you have it)
A few spoonfuls double cream

Mash the cheese in a small mixing bowl until well crumbled. Mix in the mayo, pepper, garlic, and vinegar. Loosen to dip consistency with a little cream. Refrigerate until needed.

(I didn't think I'd like the dip with the wings, and I usually eat the wings as is and reserve the dip for my chips, but wow, the hot wings and cold dip are disgustingly good together.)

RuckingSwimmer

Macaroni and cheese! Even better when it's a healthy one but tastes amazing.

I used the slimming world recipe http://www.slimmingworld.ie/recipes/macaroni-cheese.aspx and added an extra pepper and some bacon

Edit: can't seem to add pictures from my phone but will put them up when I get access to a computer

Mrs Fox

Fish pie would be one of my top 3 comfort food, and it's as good to eat in winter as it is in summer. I have two firm favourite recipes that I always go back to; one is adapted from the A Year in Avoca cookbook, which is lush with mashed potato top, meaty fish but yet surprisingly light cream filling, and the other one is Rick Stein's Newlyn fish pie, which is topped with crispy breadcrumbs without the mash, but has a rich creamy velouté filling.


AVOCA FISH PIE

Roux:
60g butter
60g flour

600g salmon fillet
600g monkfish fillet
300g smoked haddock or coley
*all fish prepared by removing skin, pin-boned and diced into 5cm squares.
1 lemon
Parsley stalks
Small glass dry white wine
2 large carrots, diced
2 sticks celery, diced
125ml fish cooking liquid
125ml vegetable stock (from cooking the carrots and celery)
250ml cream
1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tbsp dill, chopped
100g grated mature Cheddar cheese (optional)
salt and pepper

Creamy mash:
1kg Rooster potatoes, peeled
100ml cream
70ml milk
75g butter
salt and pepper


Pre-heat the oven to 170°C.
Make the roux: Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan, add the flour and cook for 5-6 minutes stirring all the time, until the raw smell of flour is gone.

Make the creamy mash: Steam the potatoes until cooked then pass through a ricer or mash really well. In a small saucepan, heat the cream, milk and butter together. Pour over the hot potatoes, mix well and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Make the filling: Zest the lemon. Cut the grated lemon in half and place in a shallow sautee pan along with the diced fish, some of the parsley stalks, the white wine and just enough water to cover. Simmer the fish gently for 6-8 minutes, no longer; don’t worry if it isn’t totally cooked through as it will be going into the oven later.
Using a slotted spoon, gently remove the fish from the stock and place in an oven-proof dish. Remove the lemon and parsley stalks from the stock and continue to simmer until it has reduced to around 125ml.

While the stock is reducing, cook the carrot and celery in a little water until al dente, about six to eight minutes. Remove the vegetables from the cooking liquid and add to the earthenware dish, along with the fish. Simmer the remaining liquid, allowing it to reduce until around 125ml. This is a simple, tasty stock and will be used to flavour and lighten the final sauce.

Place both types of stock in a large saucepan, add the cream and lemon zest and heat gently. Once the liquid is hot, start whisking in the roux — add three-quarters initially, as you may not need it all. Cook on a gentle heat for 4-5 minutes until the sauce has thickened to a good coating consistency.
If you think it is a bit runny, whisk in the remaining roux and allow the sauce to simmer for a further three minutes. Season the sauce with freshly ground black pepper and a little salt ( smoked fish can have a high salt content so don’t overdo it here) and stir in half the chopped herbs. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Now, pour the sauce over the fish and vegetables in the ovenproof dish, mixing it gently between the pieces of fish. Sprinkle with the remaining herbs and smooth the top slightly with the back of a spoon. Scatter the grated cheddar, if using, on top of the filling before you pipe on the mash.
Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the mash is golden and crisp and the filling piping hot.




*from my archive

Mrs Fox

NEWLYN FISH PIE

For the velouté:
600ml fish stock
300ml milk
50g butter
50g flour
2 bay leaves
1 crushed clove
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

For the filling:
200g finely chopped onion
60g butter
30g parmesan cheese, grated
50ml double cream
Juice of ½ lemon
500g mixed seafood: aim for ¾ fish fillet and ¼ shellfish or crustaceans, such as prawns, lobster or crab
50g flour
30ml vegetable oil
10g butter
100g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tsp French mustard
1 tsp truffle oil


For the crust:
50g Japanese panko breadcrumbs or fresh breadcrumbs dried out for 10 minutes in a hot oven
30g melted butter



Boil the stock and milk together. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and cook for about two minutes without colouring, stirring constantly. When it starts to smell nutty, add a third of the stock and milk mixture, and keep stirring until it thickens and is completely smooth. Add another third and stir as before, then add the final third and, when smooth, stir in the bay leaves, clove and nutmeg and leave to simmer gently for about half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Sautee the onion in the butter in a saucepan for 10 minutes. Pour the velouté through a sieve into the sautéed onions and add the parmesan, double cream and lemon juice, and a little salt if necessary.
Cut the fish fillet into bite-size pieces, 3-4cm long. Season with a little salt and turn over in the flour. Fry for 2-3 minutes in a frying-pan over a medium heat using the vegetable oil and butter. Remove the fish to your pie dish. Fry the mushrooms in the same pan, adding a little salt; stir in the mustard and add to the pie dish.
Now add the shellfish or crustaceans to the pie dish. They can be raw or cooked, but if raw scallops or prawns are large, slice them in half. Drizzle the truffle oil over.
Pour the sauce over the fish. Mix the breadcrumbs with the melted butter, and spread over the top. Bake for 20 minutes.




*Photo from my archive

convert

BURGERS AND THRICE-COOKED CHIPS:

For the burgers:

500g minced beef
12 cream crackers
8 sprigs of parsley finely chopped
1 large egg (or 2 medium ones)
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
1 chilli deseeded and finely chopped (or 2 if you like a little kick to your burger)
1 red onion, finely chopped
burger buns

Toppings of your choice, which could include (but not limited to) cheese; lettuce/spinach/rocket ; tomato ketchup; mayo; onion rings; peppers; tomatoes; gherkins; onion rings; sliced bacon - the list is endless


Smash the cream crackers (I tend to put them in a tea towel and smash them with a rolling pin)
Add the parsley, chilli, onion and crackers to the minced meat in a big bowel
Add in the egg with salt and pepper (quantity will vary depending on your preference)
Mix everything together with your hands until it's well combined
Divide the meat into 6 and mould each piece into a round shape about 2cm thick (you can make smaller or larger ones if you like)
Drizzle with olive oil and leave to rest in the fridge so they can firm up (it helps them not break up when cooking)


To cook your burger:

Preheat a large griddle or frying pan for about 4 minutes on a high heat. Turn the heat down to medium.
Place the burgers on the griddle or in the pan and use a spatula to lightly press down on them, making sure the burger is in full contact. Cook them to your liking for 3 or 4 minutes on each side – you may need to cook them in two batches.

Lightly toast the burger bun and place the burger on it.
Serve with toppings of your preference (oddly, I had a green pepper and goats'cheese burger a few times, and while it may not sound great, it was absolutely amazing!)

For the chips:

1 kg potatoes (this serves 6 people, so adjust for numbers)
vegetable oil
sea salt

Peel the potatoes and chop into chips (I personally really like french fries for this recipe (though it does mean I eat a lot more of them!), but it works well with larger chips, too)
Place the chips into a bowl of running water for 5 minutes to wash off the starch.
Then place them in a large saucepan and fill with cold water until the chips are covered. Cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes, until the chips are almost falling apart.
Carefully remove the chips and place them on a cooling rack to dry out. Place the rack in the freezer to remove the moisture.

Heat a deep pan no more than half filled with oil to 130 degrees Celsius. Fry the fries in small batches until a light crust forms (about 5 minutes). Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.
Put the potatoes on a cooling rack and freeze again for an hour to remove even more moisture.
Heat the oil to 180 degrees Celsius and fry the fries until golden (about 7 minutes). Drain and sprinkle with sea salt (pepper, chilli and rosemary also work very well).

If I'm feeling particularly lazy, I have, I must admit, cut out the freezing steps and have just left the chips to dry out at room temperature for about 15 minutes between steps. Although probably sacrilege, they do taste ok!

(Sorry for the blurry photo)

Toto Wolfcastle

Cauliflower cheese is one of my favourite comfort foods. More recently I've been making a Jamie Oliver recipe (I think it's Jamie) that has broccoli mashed into the sauce. It's so so good.

Tonight I made it with the following:

1 small cauliflower
About half a small broccoli
30g butter
30g flour
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
About 300ml milk (plus a little extra to loosen the sauce later)
Salt and pepper
Enough cheese to make the sauce as cheesy as you want (I hate it when recipes specify an amount of cheese. It's never enough cheese!)

Cut the cauliflower into florets and steam until tender with a little bite. Put it in a dish and set aside.

Cut the broccoli into small pieces. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the garlic. Let it cook for a few seconds, then add the flour and make a roux. Let the roux cook for a minute or so and add the milk. Whisk over a high heat until smooth then add the broccoli. Turn the heat down a bit, cover, and cook until the broccoli is soft. Keep an eye on it and give it a stir every once in awhile to make sure it doesn't burn. I like to mash it with the whisk a bit when I'm checking it to speed up the process! When the broccoli is cooked mash it into the sauce. Loosen it with a little milk if it's too thick. Add the cheese and season. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and stick in in the oven (190C) until it's bubbly and browned.

That amount would serve 2-3 people as a side but I ate the whole thing myself tonight and I'm not one bit sorry. :cool:

Dizzyblonde

I love warm apple sponge with cold custard or ice cream, it's a comforting winter dessert. It's lovely cold too, because there's a pastry base on the one I make.

Today I doubled up on ingredients and made two, but for one good sized pie dish (you don't want the sides to be too deep):

Shortcrust base:
5 oz flour - plain or self raising will do
1oz icing sugar (makes it sweet and crumbly but you can use all flour instead if you have no icing sugar)
3oz butter or margarine, at room temperature
Enough water to make a soft dough

Rub the dry ingredients together with the butter/margarine and add water a little at a time until you get a nice dough, then wrap it in clingfilm and leave it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Dice about 3 cooking apples and stew in a small amount of water over a low heat. When they're cooked add enough sugar to sweeten to your taste. Leave it to cool a bit.

Roll out the pastry and use it to line your greased pie dish.

For the sponge I use Delia Smith's all-in-one sponge:

4oz self raising flour
4oz caster sugar
4oz soft margarine, at room temperature
1tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
A couple of drops of vanilla essence

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, then add the rest of the ingredients and beat it until it's well combined.
Preheat the oven to 170C

Put a layer of stewed apple in the pastry lined pie dish, then carefully add the sponge mix - it's best to dot it around and then use the back of a spoon to bring it together, otherwise you might drag apple up into the sponge. Place in the oven for 45-55 minutes until golden and springy to the touch.

I'll take another photo when they're out of the oven

Dizzyblonde

The finished product.

The Black Oil

Don't really have a default comfort food recipe, but this Bord Bia one is dead simple. Made it on a camping trip and it went down very well with the others.

Penne with Spicy Tomato Sauce and Sizzling Bacon