Showing posts with label Comfort Foods. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Comfort Foods. Show all posts
I am an old fashioned girl and the things which bring me the most pleasure in life are simple things and ordinary pleasures. That goes for the way I choose to live my life, dress, keep my home and, most especially, with the things which bring me joy when it comes to food . . . cooking and eating.
A simple rice pudding falls well within the realms of what brings me lots of pleasure . . . simple, milky . . . a nursery type of food. Comfort food at its very best . . .
This version is a tad bit fancier than the usual in that it boasts a simple flapjack topping. Now you North Americans might be a bit confused by that terminology. We are not talking about pancakes here, but about a very British, very delicious oatmeal square/slice that is chewy, sticky and sweet with golden syrup.
Very moreish with a nice hot cuppa. I have several recipes for them on here, which you can find here. Scrumdiddlyumptious! (To say the least!)
The pudding itself involves very few ingredients, some pudding rice (short grained), a bit of sugar and milk, with a dotting of butter. You might think that it sees like a very tiny amount of rice, but trust me when I say it is the perfect amount!
As you can see it thickens very nicely. There is also not a lot of sugar, which is a good thing . . . .
You don't need a lot of sugar in a rice pudding, and let me assure you, that golden flapjack topping is plenty sweet enough!!
You will want to bake it in a shallow baking dish, so that there is plenty of surface to spread the topping over, so that it cooks up perfectly . . . and crispy oaty beneath the grill.
This really is a most gorgeous pudding! Todd had seconds, and I found myself sneaking tiny spoonfuls every time I went past it in the kitchen, even after it was cold . . . yes, I am a very naughty girl . . .
I always find it quite magical the way a few simple ingredients, put together properly, can create something so delicious as this pudding.
I shouldn't be surprised really . . . just look around us. We are surrounded by beautiful things that are quite simple really . . . and yet not so simple . . . baby toes, rose petals, a robin's spring song, the loving nudge of a wet nose from a beloved furry family member . . .
In any case you need to make this pudding. I think in North America you can get Golden Syrup online and if you can't find it, you can use corn syrup in it's place. Golden syrup does have a lovely caramel like flavour however, so if you can get it, I highly recommend.
Flapjack Topped Rice Pudding
Yield: 4
A delicious simple and comforting rice pudding with a fabulous Flapjack Topping
ingredients:
- 50g pudding rice (short grained like aborio) (1/4 cup)
- 2 TBS caster sugar
- 600ml whole fat milk (2 1/2 cups)
- 1 TBS butter
For the topping:
- 25g porridge oats (1/3 cup)
- 100g golden syrup (1/3 cup)
instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Buter a 1 litre/2 pint shallow oven proof dish really well. Set aside.
- Rinse the rice under cold water. Dry well with paper towels. Sprinkle over the bottom of the buttered dish. Sprinkle the sugar over all. Pour the milk on top and dot all over with little bits of the butter.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 2 hours, until just golden brown and thick. Remove from the oven and preheat the grill/broiler.
- Gently heat the golden syrup and oats together, just until the syrup thins out a bit. Drizzle evenly over top of the rice pudding and then pop under the heated grill for about 5 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.
- Let cool for a few minutes prior to serving.
If you only make one dessert this weekend, make it this one. You will really be happy that you did! Trust me on this!
I think I was rather fussy as a child. I can remember a kid at school having Spam sandwiches and thinking they were gross. I would not even try them.
It was not something we ever had at home, although we did eat plenty of bologna, which is not that different.
Macaroni and cheese was also not something we had in our house, although my mother did treat us to the mix in the blue box on occasion, and we did love that.
It was considered a real treat. That blue box helped sustain me when I was at college!
I fell in love with real mac and cheese as an adult. I also fell in love with REAL cheese, which was something else I wasn't fond of when I was growing up.
We only had processed cheese slices in our home or in the block. Once a year (at Christmas) my mother would get some Cracker Barrel Cheese and that was considered a real treat.
We would have it with saltine crackers. I wasn't too sure about it myself. It seemed kind of strong.
I discovered all of these tasty delights as an adult and never looked back. Oh, sure, every now and then I do treat myself to a blue box . . . but I love homemade mac & cheese most of all.
We are on a really tight budget this week, so I am counting my pennies, and using up what is in the larder. This time I decided to add in some Spam to the Mac & Cheese, so that my husband wouldn't balk too much at the thought of eating pasta.
I was really pleased with how it turned out! This was absolutely delicious.
I used the small tin of Spam that you can buy, which was just right the right amount, but you can use a larger one if you want.
I use two kinds of cheese in the sauce for the macaroni, a strong cheddar and some Parmesan. Both give a really nice flavour. Rich and delicious.
I also add a tsp of Dijon mustard and a splash of hot sauce for a bit of a kick. It really brings out the cheesiness and adds some warmth.
Other than that there is only salt and pepper. Do bear in mind that Spam is salty and so is cheese, so you won't need much salt.
Most of the Spam gets cubed and folded into the macaroni and sauce, but I did reserve some to cut into small triangles to put on top. I thought it looked really pretty.
I also sprinkled it with a bit of brown sugar to glaze it a tiny bit. Yum!
Also I saved a bit of the cheese to sprinkle on top as well. I like a cheese crust on top of my mac & cheese, don't you?
I served this with some sliced cherry tomatoes and some of those Angel Biscuits from yesterday.
And a tin of baked beans. It all went together beautifully, and we have the leftovers to share today. (There are only two of us)
I really love meals like this. Economical, homey, comforting . . . I could eat like this every day of the week, but alas, my hips would probably want to kick me out of the house!
Yield: 4 - 6
Spameroni & Cheese
prep time: 20 minscook time: 30 minstotal time: 50 mins
A delicious version of mac & cheese which includes the addition of spam. Rich, creamy and delicious. A real family pleaser.
ingredients:
230g (8 ounces) elbow macaroni (2 cups)
3 TBS butter
35g of plain flour (1/4 cup)
590ml milk (2 1/2 cups), heated gently
salt to taste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
splash hot sauce
1/2 tsp ground pepper
330g grated strong cheddar cheese, divided (2 3/4 cups)
45g grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)
200g tin of Spam (7 ounces)
1 TBS brown sugarinstructions:
Cook your macaroni in a pot of lightly salted boiling water, drain well and rinse. set aside.
Melt
the butter in the saucepan and then whisk in the flour. Cook for
several minutes. Slowly whisk in the warm milk. Cook, stirring
constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Whisk in the
mustard, hot sauce, black pepper and salt (remembering spam can be salty
as can cheese). Mix the cheeses together and then whisk 2/3 of the
mixture into the hot sauce to melt. Stir the cooked macaroni into the
sauce. Cut the rounded ends from the Spam, cube them, and stir them in.
Cut the remaining Spam into 1/3 inch slices. Reserve 4 slices
for the top and cube the remaining Spam, stirring it also into the macaroni
cheese. Turn into a buttered 1 litre shallow casserole dish. Cut the remaining
slices of spam into halves diagonally and sprinkle each with some of the
brown sugar. Place in a decorative manner on top of the mac and
cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over all.
the butter in the saucepan and then whisk in the flour. Cook for
several minutes. Slowly whisk in the warm milk. Cook, stirring
constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Whisk in the
mustard, hot sauce, black pepper and salt (remembering spam can be salty
as can cheese). Mix the cheeses together and then whisk 2/3 of the
mixture into the hot sauce to melt. Stir the cooked macaroni into the
sauce. Cut the rounded ends from the Spam, cube them, and stir them in.
Cut the remaining Spam into 1/3 inch slices. Reserve 4 slices
for the top and cube the remaining Spam, stirring it also into the macaroni
cheese. Turn into a buttered 1 litre shallow casserole dish. Cut the remaining
slices of spam into halves diagonally and sprinkle each with some of the
brown sugar. Place in a decorative manner on top of the mac and
cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over all.
heated oven for 20 to 30 minutes until the cheese has melted and all is
heated through. Serve hot.
Created using The Recipes Generator
Mmmm . . . this was so, so, SO good. I do hope you will give it a go! Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
My husband doesn't quite understand our North American obsession with meatloaf. Its not something he grew up with.
On the other hand for we North Americans, meatloaf is somewhat of an institution. It is what I would call comfort food at its best!
Its not something which really photographs well, but hey ho. Don't just this book by its cover because it is absolutely delicious!
Brown food never photographs well. I have always struggled with it. That doesn't mean it doesn't taste good. I've never met a brownie I didn't like, brown or not. And brownies are notoriously hard to photograph!
This version of meatloaf is a bit different than the usual meatloaf. For this recipe, you season your meat and pat it out to a rectangle.
You then cover it with a type of onion stuffing mix. This is made from simmering onions in beef stock, and mixing that with dried bread crumbs.
A layer of grated strong cheddar cheese gets sprinkled over that. I favour a nice strong cheddar for the best and most flavour.
You roll the whole thing up like a jelly roll. A big, fat, meaty jelly roll. Or Swiss roll if you would rather . . .
It gets baked in the oven until golden brown. I always like to glaze my mealoaves for an extra special touch.
This one is no different. I glazed it with a mix of tomato ketchup and maple syrup, for a bit of sticky yum yum.
More cheese is melted on top and then it gets served cut into slices with whatever your favourite sides are. You could serve gravy with it, but we like tomato ketchup!
Chill any leftovers and then serve the next day, thinly sliced and popped into sandwiches for a tasty lunch! Scrummo!
*Stuffed Meatloaf*
Serves 6
80ml beef stock (1/3 cup)
150g bread cubes (about 1/4 inch) toasted (2 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp each onion, and garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme, rubbed
Mix the meat together with the egg, onion and garlic powders, salt, pepper and thyme. Pat out into a 14 inch by 8 inch rectangle on a piece of cling film. Cover with the bread crumb mixture. Sprinkle evenly with 120g of the cheese (1 cup). Starting from a short end, roll up tightly. Place seamside down into an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch loaf dish.
Bake uncovered, for 55 minutes. Whisk together the maple syrup and the ketchup. Brush over top, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes, until glazed and the cheese has melted. Let stand for a few minutes before cutting into slices to serve.
I love comfort food meals like this. I served it with scalloped potatoes and mixed vegetables, but mash would go equally as well, or yes . . . mac and cheese. Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
Today I tortured my pasta hating husband with some comfort food from my
childhood, which rang all my bells, but left him feeling rather off key!
haha He says he hates pasta, but he always eats it when I make it. I
think it's because he knows it's cheap . . . and that part of him that
grew up during the War and during rationing, likes a good bargain!
This might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is mine. I love macaroni. I love tomatoes. I love cheese.
Put the three together and
you have my idea of heavenly bliss. I could eat this until it comes out my ears.
This is a great meal to throw together to feed your hungry family on a
weeknight when you know you aren't going to have a lot of time . . .
Also for when it's getting close to payday and you are wanting those hard
earned pesos to stretch that little bit further.
I always pick up blocks of cheese when it's on special at the shops and
keep it in my freezer until I need it. It is perfectly find for cooking
with and to be honest that's how most of the cheese in this house gets
used.
Oh we will have the odd piece, every now and then, just with some crackers, and maybe some fruit. But, truth be told, most of the time . . . it's used in cooking.
I always pick up tins of tomatoes when they are on special as well. We
love our tinned tomatoes in this house.
If you've got a tin of tomatoes
in the cupboard, you've got the makings of a tasty meal. That's my
opinion at any rate!
We also always have milk. I keep a large jug of fresh milk in the refrigerator, and I have several cartons of long life milk in the cupboard. Of course you could make this
really decadent and use half cream and half milk.
And I have done that
from time to time and it is rather good, if I don't say so myself . . . but normally I just use plain old ordinary milk.
This is the kind of comfort food that your mom or gran might have cooked.
You could brown off some lean minced beef and add it along with
some onions, but it's not really necessary because . . . this tastes pretty fabulous just the way it is. Who says simple has to be boring??
*Scalloped Macaroni*
Serves 4
Serves 4
This may be simple and plain, but don't let that fool you. Sometimes the simplest things are the most delicious of all.
225g uncooked macaroni (1/2 pound, 2 cups)
240g grated strong cheddar cheese (2 cups)
1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice (2 cups)
160ml scalded milk (2/3 cup approx. To scald milk, put into a beaker and
heat on high in the microwave for 1 minute, or heat in a small saucepan until bubbles appear
around the edges. Don't let it boil.)
a handful of coarse breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs
1 TBS melted butter
salt and black pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4. Butter a 1 litre casserole dish and set aside.
Cook the macaroni according to the package directions in lightly salted water, just to al dente. Drain well, rinse with cold water and drain again.
Layer the macaroni, cheese and tomatoes in the prepared casserole dish, as follows: a third of the macaroni, a layer of cheese, half of the tomatoes, a third of the macaroni, a third of the cheese,the remaining tomatoes, the remaining macaroni and ending with the remaining cheese. You will want to lightly season each layer of macaroni, remembering that the cheese will be salty so heavy on the pepper, and salting judiciously! (Love that word, don't you?) Pour the scaled milk over top of the casserole, running a knife down through it here and there so that you make sure it goes well to the bottom. Mix the bread or cracker crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle over the top.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the milk is bubbling up and the top is nicely browned. Serve hot.
Note: you can add some finely chopped raw onion with the tomatoes if you wish. I sometimes do
These old fashioned comfort meals are the best of all I think. They come in especially handy on busy days when you are lacking in time and inspiration. Those old gals sure knew what they were doing! Bon Appetit!
We don't eat a lot of red meat in our home, but we do enjoy it once in a while. I tend to gravitate more to the cheaper cuts, and I do this for several reasons. One is price (no surprise there) and the other is that they tend to come from the parts of the animal that have gotten the most use and which have developed the most favour! And if you know me, you will know I am all about flavour!
Red meat tends to be a bit on the expensive side over here and I think it has probably always been so. I can remember when I lived in Suffield, Alberta, which was a British Army Training Unit Services base. We were friends with quite a few Brits and were invited to a home for a dinner party one night. They loved to entertain, and were quite entertaining people! We loved them to bits!
On this particular occasion the hostess served some lovely trout as a first course, and then she cooked a whole round steak for each person. Apparently meat was very cheap in comparison to the UK and she wanted to treat everyone to a nice piece of meat. The servings were huge to say the least and tougher than blazes! Round steak begs to be simmered long and slow and is what they would call braising steak over here in the UK!
This hot pot here today is gorgeous . . . with a tender beef filling made with flavourful braising steak, braised with mushrooms and shallots until it is meltingly tender . . .
A goodly bit of stilton cheese gets stirred into the juices and then it gets spooned into either individual casseroles or one large one and then covered with a thatch of mashed potatoes prior to baking until it is golden brown and bubbly.
*Steak & Stilton Hot Pot*
Serves 6
1 1/4 pound of mashing potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 TBS butter
60ml whole milk, warmed (1/4 cup)
salt and pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
2 TBS butter
60ml whole milk, warmed (1/4 cup)
salt and pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
You will also need a few TBS of grated cheese to top the potatoes (optional)
The next day remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry. Dredge with the seasoned flour. Strain the marinade and reserve.
Heat the oil and butter in a large flameproof casserole. Brown the beef in batches, removing it with a slotted spoon to a bowl, as it browns. Repeat until all the beef has browned. Add the shalots and mushrooms to the pan and saute for 5 minutes or so until beginning to soften. Return the beef to the pan along with the reserved marinade and the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer over low heat for about 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is very tender.
About
45 minutes before the meat is done make the mash for the topping. Place
the potatoes in a pot of lightly salted water to cover. Bring
to the boil, then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until tender. Drain and
mash well. Stir in the butter and warm milk. Season to taste with
salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F gas mark 5.
Divide
the meat between six individual casserole dishes, or place into one
large shallow casserole dish. Strain off and discard half of the liquid
in the pan. Crumble the stilton into the remaining pan juices and then
divide them equally amongst the casserole dishe(s), spooning them over
the meat.
Let stand a few minutes before serving.
I served this with some steamed broccoli and sweet corn, but a salad would also go very nice! I don't mind me saying this is supremely delicious. Note, the stilton I used was not blue stilton, but regular stilton! Bon appetit!
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