Saturday 31 January 2015

Comfort Food.

Do you have a favourite comfort food?   Alright, so I know I wrote about food yesterday but, believe me, it is absolutely freezing cold here with a strong North wind blowing and food is uppermost in my mind.

Today marks the end of the Pheasant shooting season and the farmer was off early with his sandwiches and his flask of whisky- laced coffee (added to which, when they stop to eat lunch in the barn, someone usually passes round a flask of sloe gin) and - after spending the morning watching the world go by from the upstairs window of the cafe in our local town with friend W - I arrived home to rustle up a lunch for myself.

One of the perks of having an Aga which is always on and always hot is that I can put in my favourite comfort food at a minute's notice.   Jacket potatoes - one hour in the oven and then served up with a good lacing of butter and a chunk of strong cheddar.   Two large potatoes went in and by the time I had stoked up the wood burner again, looked at the post, hung up my coat, taken off my boots (that takes an age as usually the farmer pulls them off for me - one of the trials of getting old), and had a quick look at the Times crossword, they were ready!

Carrot, parsnip and onion soup in the bottom oven for tea, a quick utility walk for Tess and now I can sit by the fire for the rest of the day.

Do you have a comfort food?   Home-made rice pudding comes a close second for me.

23 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Sounds excellent, Pat!
It is bitter cold here with a windchill in the minus range - so last night I did a big ham with the bone in and glazed it with honey.
Mashed potatoes.
Green beans and a salad.
Vanilla cupcakes and (obviously!) imported strawberries and tangerines.
Today have to decide what to do with the rest of the ham. Pea soup with ham chunks in?
As ever, I'm envious of your Aga. Keep warm!

Mac n' Janet said...

Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy and biscuits, loads of calories and so good.

MorningAJ said...

Bangers and mash with onion gravy.
Anything with custard over it.

Bovey Belle said...

Apple sponge and custard, but I shouldn't have the custard any more! Home-made soup too. If it has to be "boughten", then Tesco's Finest Sicillian Lemon and Raspberry Tart is GOOD.

Gwil W said...

tea and biscuits or a glass or two of wine and those cheesy stick things

jinxxxygirl said...

Soup. Really any kind of soup or chilli. A big hunk of bread with it..Mmmmm.... But, its so warm and sunny here we are having burgers on the grill today... :) Hugs! deb

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

I'm guess that your jacket potatoes are the same as our baked potatoes - at least they sound the same. Some people here put butter, sour cream and chopped chives on their baked potatoes - and some put chili con carne with cheese on them. Others put butter, broccoli and melted cheese on the baked potato. I like mine plain with butter - and usually eat them with meat loaf.

My comfort food is biscuits and sausage gravy - I usually make it at home now because most restaurants make it with skim milk, lowfat or nonfat milk or even - yeeechhh - water. If you are going to eat biscuits covered in gravy then use real milk, or even cream. It is a treat and should taste like one.

I have a question for you - you say biscuit and we say cookie - for the dessert item. We say biscuit for fluffy baking powder biscuits that are split open and buttered - or eaten covered in breakfast sausage gravy - so what do you call them? The things we call biscuits I mean. They are somewhat like a scone - but much fluffier and lighter - and have nothing added to them like currants.

Gerry Snape said...

The potter made rice pudding for the family on Wednesday...I made apple crumble...the grandgirls ate both...sucess...I hate rice pudding...something wrong with me!!

Mary said...

My homemade vegetarian soups - of which there are so many - and to some I add lentils, rice, pearl barley, or even tiny Orzo pasta. But I think just a rich creamy basic Potato & Leek is my comfort favorite on a Winter's day.

Today I'll be making your red cabbage casserole - perhaps that will become a favorite too!

Tell JoAnn, to me there is really nothing in the UK that comes close to biscuits like those that we have here down south. They are good - I can be found demolishing a tasty 'egg biscuit' from Bojangles, while hubby has the sausage version, if/when we decide to stop for a quick breakfast if out early for some reason.

Back to more comforts - cheese toast, warm from the oven apple pie, black bean chili over rice.

Stay warm - Mary

Joanne Noragon said...

My Wisconsin friend who grew up in Switzerland introduced me to "hot, burning love," a dish they made often as poor students. Basically mashed potatoes, smothered with lots of crumbled hot bacon and onions fried in the drippings. Greasy chin good.

Twiggy said...

Dumplings for me every time, I am partial to a sponge pudding and custard too. That is because we often had one when I was young, as my lovely Mum is a fantastic baker.

Twiggy

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Great post.
Blackberry brandy for the cold is a favorite.
As I'm reading along, I stop to wonder if lunch is spelled correctly, and realize I've been reading with a made up accent. Made me laugh. I'm sure that's not how you sound.

Aside from eclairs, cannolis and coffee ice cream...soup. A hearty onion soup with spinach, and mozzarella melting on the bottom and a good chunk of garlic bread.

Rachel Phillips said...

I don't have a comfort food at home. At work a bit of comfort always comes in a bar of chocolate. At home it would be a glass of wine.

The Broad said...

I love pot roast with gravy and mashed potatoes and sometimes Yorkshire pudding. For vegetables, maybe garlicky mushrooms mixed with peas and carrots sprinkled with bacon bits. And for dessert a sherry trifle with raspberry sauce. Tonight though I am experimenting with confit of duck, which I brought from France and have only recently discovered how to cook. We'll have that with Sarladais potatoes (sauteed potatoes in duck fat) and super fine green beans. Time to get started!

The Solitary Walker said...

Oh, goodness — I can go with more or less everything people have listed above!

For me comfort food tends to be family-historical; so, stuff associated with childhood: apple pie and custard, roast dinners, stews, soups (leek and potato is also one of my favourites — as someone mentioned above).

My all-time comfort food has got to be steak and kidney pudding.

Heather said...

I have too many comfort foods! I have always had a good appetite and would be a lot lighter if I was a fussy eater!
A good rice pudding, homemade soup, homemade cakes (not iced) and scones - all very comforting.

Anonymous said...

At the moment, a sludge made of butter beans, courgettes, onions, aubergines, peppers, lots of garlic, tinned tomatoes, pasta, fresh basil (etc) stir-fried in olive oil. Serve with garlic bread.

I've tried marmite sandwiches fried in olive oil and have been been contemplating making "marmite bread" - same recipe as garlic bread only for garlic read marmite.

thousandflower said...

Fried potatoes with onions and bacon.

angryparsnip said...

Your lunch sound wonderful.

cheers, parsnip

Cro Magnon said...

Oh how right you are...a few spuds in either the cooker or stove (both wood fired), and I'm in heaven. And I also agree about the butter and cheddar. My own list would have to include a simple roast chicken.

The Weaver of Grass said...

What a pity we can't all meet and put on acomfort buffet serving all the above! Not sure about Mary's 'biscuits' but I wonder if the nearest thing to these that we have is what are called 'oven bottom cakes' - but I have asked her for the recipe - so might try some. Thanks for joining in.

ahydrogen said...

I have often wondered the same things you pondered today. Sometimes, in an obituary I discover that people I knew to varying levels, grew up in the same town, or attended the same schools, or some such connection, which I didn't know until they were gone, and I regret that we didn't have a chance to talk about it.

It takes time to get to know people and we all seem so busy in our own little circles. Although, thanks to you, my circle is a little bigger. Best, A.

susie @ persimmon moon cottage said...

Your potatoes and cheddar sound delicious. The recipe for red cabbage that you did the other day sounded really good, too. I plan on making that soon.

During our cold winter I crave Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup or Beef, barley soup made with the biggest soup bone I can find and bits of left over roast beef.

In the summer it is Barbecued chicken, beef, or pork; cornbread, and potato salad.