Comfort Food for frenzied days

In between the Thanksgiving turkey, the Christmas ham/roast beef and all those cocktail canapes, you probably need some comfort food.  Fast to produce, easy on the wallet, nourishing and tasty-- all the comforts of food. So here are a few old favorites perfect for the moment.
 
Hamburger Pinwheels

Hamburger with mashed potatoes is about as comforting as winter food gets for all ages. This is a recipe from my own childhood which turned out to be very popular in my catering business.  I just made it for a senior shut-in who wanted nursery food and found it could be done lickety split by buying the mashed potatoes at the supermarket hot table. I bought too much but loved eating the excess. 

         
serves 4-6  

3 c mashed potatoes*
1/4 tsp dried rosemary leaves

1 lb lean ground beef    
1 med onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2  lg garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 
3 tbsp ketchup
1 egg 
Salt to your taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 c fine breadcrumbs 
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
3 tbsp olive oil

*if you are making your own mashed potatoes:
 2/3 lb (3 chubby) yellow or red boiling potatoes
1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves
 3 tbsp milk or light cream
1/2 tbsp unsalted butter   
Salt to your taste
Freshly ground black pepper 
  
To make mashed potatoes
 In a medium saucepan, cover the potatoes with water 2 " higher, salt the water, add rosemary and boil the potatoes until tender to a fork. Drain and cool. Peel the potatoes and in a mixer or large bowl  combine them with the milk, salt, pepper and lastly butter.  Do not overbeat or you will have glue potatoes.  A hand masher works great. 

Heat oven to 375º. 
In the bowl of a food processor, chop the onion and garlic. If you have no processor, grate them into a medium bowl. Add the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp ketchup, the egg, salt, pepper and 1/2 c breadcrumbs.  Process until it all comes together like a dough ball.

On a piece of waxed paper, press the hamburger into a large rectangle, 12 -14" long and 1/2" thick. It's like playing pattycake. Leaving a 1" margin at both ends, spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the meat. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil evenly over them.   

Now using the waxed paper to help you,

carefully lift up one end and start rolling like a jellyroll, careful to let the wax paper go before the meat hits the potatoes. Roll as tightly as you can to the end. Get out a baking sheet and brush as much of the bottom as the roll will cover with 1 tbsp olive oil. Using a long spatula, left the roll onto the baking sheet. 

Sprinkle 1 tbsp olive oil on top.  Spread the remaining ketchup on top. Combine the remaining 1/2 c breadcrumbs with the grated cheese and evenly distribute over the top.  

Bake at 375º 30 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes before attempting to slice         .                 
         

Chicken thighs with quince

Quince is the queen of autumn fruits. It seems aloof because it can't be eaten raw, but once it's warmed up, it becomes a luscious pink, perfumed pear. Chicken is its boon companion and this version of the two together looks elegant on the table even though it's pretty simple to put together. In this photo it's served over maftoul/mahgrebiah sometimes called pearl or Israeli couscous.  It is more usually served over couscous or freekah.    

Serves 6

¼ c vegetable oil
2 lbs chicken thighs
2 onions, finely diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

½ tsp paprika

1 tsp Aleppo pepper or ground chipotle

1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
a pinch of saffron
½ tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp raisins or 8 pitted fresh dates
1 lb quince, cut in half and cored, then the cut pieces into wedges

1/4 c butter or ghee

sliced quince

Season the chicken with the paprika, chili and black pepper. In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the seasoned chicken, skin side down, and brown it. Flip it and sauté another 5 minutes. Remove from the pot, add the onions and soften them in the oil. Do not burn or brown them.

Put the chicken and onions in a large casserole pot. Season with salt and pepper. Add 3 cups chicken stock to the pot—or enough to cover the chicken. Add the saffron, ginger and fresh cilantro. Add the raisins or dates. Bring the pot to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Cover the pot and simmer 30-40 minutes. The chicken should be falling off its bones.

While that’s happening, melt the butter or ghee on low heat in a small sauté or frying pan. Add the quince and sauté five minutes.  Add the quince to the chicken in the oven. It should be tender when the chicken is.

Lemony kale pasta 
This recipe from Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking, is my blend of the popular American-Vietnamese garlic noodles and a Zen Buddhist recipe I had for lemon kale pasta. It's colorful, very nutritious and fast. It also makes you feel virtuous eating something so tasty and pretty that doesn't harm animals or the environment. BTW, if you don't want to be vegetarian, you can start this dish by frying up 2 tbsp pancetta in the pan you plan to use for the onions. 

serves 4-6

½ lb spaghetti

4 cups coarsely chopped fresh kale or Asian mustard green leaves (no stems)

1 sm onion, cut into thin rings, halved then halved again                                

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

¼ tsp ground black pepper

salt to your taste

juice of ½ large lemon

1 tbsp butter

6 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp finely grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese

Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. Halfway through add the kale or mustard greens to the pot.

While the spaghetti cooks, in a large sauté pan, heat the butter and 3 tbsp olive oil. Add the onions and sauté for over medium low heat until they are soft, 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and  black pepper and continue to sauté another minute. Add the cheese and reduce heat to lowest setting.

Drain the cooked spaghetti and kale well. Toss into the sauté pan and raise heat to medium low. Add the salt and lemon juice and toss the spaghetti to coat with the garlic and oil. Heat 30-60 seconds. Remove from heat and add the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil, blending it in to serve.