Three Qomfort Food Plates

Oh, where are we at…? Day 37 of lockdown. Perhaps some light at the end of the tunnel. Yesterday, the government here allowed for some cautious reopening of more businesses than just grocery and pharmacy. There’s still physical distancing, and we’re still only allowed out on the street for direct shopping trips. Masks became obligatory last week as people started to venture out more, and as more evidence comes in that they really do make a difference.

As of right now, this coming Sunday is the end of the quarantine – though it won’t surprise anyone if they tack on another two week extension. Even when lifted, there will still be some fairly strict controls in place – and I doubt restaurants and bars will reopen anytime soon, including us, for anything other than delivery. Maybe a few places with outdoor seating…. I expect we’ll go about masked in the streets at least until some time in mid to late June.

So, what do we have for you today? A trio of comfort food dishes. And, away we go….

Let’s start with the “let’s use up the leftovers” one…. We had some leftover mashed potatoes, about a pound, and a little garnish salad of sliced red onions, chopped tomatoes, and herbs. I mixed them together. Added in some chili flakes, a little more salt and pepper (the potatoes needed a bit more), an egg, and a quarter cup of flour. Mixed them all together really well, formed it into four patties about the size of a burger, and, into a pan with a good amount of frying oil over medium heat.

Let them cook until they brown underneath and basically, come unstuck from the pan – when they form a crust, they’ll break themselves loose – you don’t have to play with them, leaving behind stuck bits. Most common mistake people who aren’t used to frying things make. Add a decent sized pat of butter to the pan, flip them over, and brown the underside.

When the underside is browned, flip them again, just so the other surface picks up some of that buttery goodness and browns a little more. Remove from the pan onto a couple sheets of paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

And serve. Topped with a little sour cream, hot sauce, ketchup, whatever you like on your potatoes!

Way, way back… it was 1976, I was in my first year in college, and I was in Army ROTC. One of the guys in the program who I became good friends with that year, Russ, was from somewhere down south – in Virginia if I remember right. He used to make the best fried chicken in his dorm room on a hot plate. I still make mine this way – it basically has no breading or batter, it’s just a thin coat of seasoned flour – very different from what most of us think of when we think fried chicken, but I love it. All drumsticks (8), marinating for the day in a mix of lime juice (2 limes), salt, and pepper, (½ tsp each) in the refrigerator, every hour or so I would turn them over.

I don’t think Russ did it, but over the years, I’ve enjoyed emphasizing that fragrance of lime, so before I squeeze the limes above, I grate the lime zest off of the two limes, and add that to another half teaspoon each of salt and pepper, plus one of chili flakes (also my addition), and mix those into about half a cup of flour or a little more. When ready to cook, I get a skillet going with oil, about half an inch deep, over medium high heat. Then I roll the marinated chicken, still wet with lime juice, in the flour mixture just to make sure it’s well coated. And, into the skillet.

Brown on all sides. Then, I turn the heat down to low and cover the skillet so that the chicken cooks through – about 15 minutes. Then remove the lid, turn the heat up to full, and just make sure the chicken is nicely browned and crisp all over. Drain on paper towels to remove the excess oil.

We served it up with a simple salad of greens and tomatoes in a basic balsamic vinaigrette. And, roasted corn – the trick by the way, for good roasted corn…. Leave the corn in its husk. Turn your oven to maximum. Put the corn in on the middle rack. Leave it there for between 45-60 minutes. I usually turn them once, just to make sure they cook evenly. The husk gets all brown and dry, and you can pretty much just pull it and the corn silk (which will likewise brown and dry) off, easily – far easier than trying to get all the corn silk off when raw. Slather with a little butter, sprinkle some salt. Ready to go!

And, beans, beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat… oh, you know the rest. White cannelini type beans (500 gm, just over a pound), soaked in water overnight. Drained, rinsed, and into a deep skillet or dutch oven. Heat your oven to 200C/390F.

Chopped up vegetables – pretty much your choice – I recommend basic aromatics like onion (1), garlic (3), carrots (1), celery (1), and here I also added in bell pepper (half). Two or three chorizos, sliced. Also some dried herbs – I put about half a teaspoon each of dried rosemary, thyme, oregano, and savory. About a teaspoon of black pepper. No salt at this point, remember, you’re cooking beans, you don’t want to toughen the skins. Top with water to about half an inch above the level of the ingredients. You could also use an herb or vegetable or meat stock, as long as it’s one without added salt.

Cover the pot tightly, put it in the oven. Go take a nap for 3½ hours. Remove from the oven, the beans should be soft and almost ready. Add salt – I added about a teaspoon and a half – but it’s to your tastes. Re-cover, put it back in the oven for half an hour more, to let the beans and vegetables absorb some of the salt. Remove, and serve.