Comfort Food on the Fly

This is the time of year for comfort food... in my book anyway. Everyone has a different definition of comfort food but some pretty common ones include meatloaf, chicken-fried steak, fried chicken, beef stew. A common denominator with all of these is TIME. They all take time to prepare... whether it's actual prep time or just hours to cook.

I'm all about 30-minute (or less) meals. When it's cold outside and I'm a bit winter grumpy, I'm also all about comfort food. But how to accomplish both? Hash with Fried Eggs. Yum. Fast, easy, only a few ingredients and warm, yummy, comforting goodness in a bowl.

Hash with Fried Eggs

Olive oil
1.5 pounds Russett potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, diced in 1/4 inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, diced in 1/4 inch pieces
1 tsp cumin
Kosher salt & pepper to taste
Eggs

 Heat oil in skillet. Add potatoes, onion, bell pepper, cumin, salt & pepper. Cook over medium-high heat 10 to 15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Once the hash is close to done, fry up your eggs in another skillet. Serve in a bowl with the egg over the hash. Kids like a touch of ketchup and grownups can add some hot sauce if so inclined.

You can easily adjust for family size. I serve 3 adults, 1 9yo (athletic) boy and 1 5yo (athletic) girl with 1 1/2 pounds of potatoes.  And eggs are easy enough to cook however many you need. My daughter eats one. Everyone else two. I served this last night with a bacon spinach salad.... also a supremely fast and easy thing to throw together.

Fast & Easy Clam Chowder

2 Tbl olive oil
2 Tbl butter
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dried mushrooms*
1 can clams, 6.5 oz, liquid reserved 
4 Russet potatoes, peeled & chopped
2 cups soymilk, unsweetened or original 
2 Tbl cornstarch
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Worcestershire sauce

In your soup pot, melt olive oil and butter over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic.  Cook until soft. 

While the onions and garlic cook, put dried mushrooms and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe measuring cup and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes to re-hydrate.  


Drain the mushrooms, reserving liquid. Drain clams, reserving liquid. Add the mushroom and clam liquid back to your measuring cup. Add to that enough water to make 3 cups. Add to your pot with the onions and garlic. 


Add in the mushrooms, chopping first if needed, and the potatoes. Cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender... about 10 minutes. 

Add 2 cups soy milk and the clams. Mix 1/2 cup soy milk with 2 tablespoons cornstarch and add to the soup. Cook until bubbly then a minute or two longer. Add a bit of salt, some fresh ground pepper and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. Serve. 

I served the clam chowder with Jiffy cornbread (2 boxes baked in my cast iron skillet) and salad.  

*Dried mushrooms are great to keep around.  They are a fast and easy way to add flavor and nutrients to any soup, casserole, or stir fry.  I usually get dried shiitakes at the Asian market for a fraction of the price of fresh and they keep for a LONG time. 

Turkey & Bacon Shepherd's Pie

I forgot again so no picture.  It's a shame too because this looked beautiful when it came out of the oven.

4 medium potatoes, peeled & cubed
4 slices bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1 pound ground turkey
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp dried thyme
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
1 small bell pepper, any color, diced (I used about a 1/2 c diced out of my freezer)
Additional veggies - whatever you have, about 2 cups.  I used frozen broccoli
2 Tbl flour
1 cup stock, chicken, veggie, whatever you have at the ready
1 egg, beaten
3 Tbl butter or margarine

Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil and cook the potatoes.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer for 10 to 12 minutes.

Once the potatoes are on, toss the bacon into a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook until about half way brown and add the turkey.  Break it up and brown the turkey.  Add the paprika, cumin, thyme, salt & pepper. Once the turkey is brown, add the onions, carrots & celery.  Add a splash of liquid, cover and cook about 5 minutes. If the extra veggies you are using are raw (not frozen or canned), add them now too.  If they are frozen/canned, add them and the bell pepper after the 5 minute cooking time and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Stir in the flour and cook for 2 more minutes.  Stir in the stock and simmer until the potatoes are ready.

Preheat the oven broiler with a rack that'll put your casserole dish about 5 inches from the broiler.

Once the potatoes are tender, add a couple spoonfuls of cooking water to your beaten egg to temper it, then drain the potatoes.  Return the pan to the hot, but off burner to help dry the potatoes a smidge.  Mash with butter, salt & pepper then add in the egg.  Add a bit of milk/soymilk if they are too stiff.

Pour the turkey mixture into an oven-safe casserole.  Spoon and spread the mashed potatoes over the casserole.  Cook under the broiler until the mashed potatoes start to turn golden around the edges. Mine took about 8 minutes.  Serve with a side salad and you have an amazingly yummy, very hearty and satisfying winter meal.  YUM!

Oops! I did it again...

Well, almost anyway.  I nearly forgot to take a picture of dinner.  What I wound up with is a picture of the last little bit left in the skillet.  I almost got there.  Better than when I usually remember... when all of it is long since nommed.

Turkey & Stuffing Pot Pie

1 Tbl cooking oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup, bell pepper, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups cooked turkey
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup soymilk
3 Tbl flour
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 Tbl nutritional yeast, optional
4 cups stuffing mix, such as Stove Top or Pepperidge Farms
1 cup chicken stock

Pre-heat oven to 425.  Heat oil in an oven-safe skillet. Add veggies and cook on medium to medium-high heat until veggies are about halfway tender/cooked.  Add turkey to skillet.  In a jar with a lid, add water, milk, flour, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast.  Put lid on and shake to stir.  Add to skillet.  Pour chicken stock into a glass container (microwave-safe) and microwave for a minute or two to warm.  Add to stuffing and mix with a fork.  Layer stuffing over the top of the skillet.  Cook in the oven until hot and bubbly, 20-30 minutes.

NOTE ONE:  I used a little less liquid than this and it wasn't enough.  It was good but a smidge too dry for a pot pie-type casserole.  This amount may still not be enough.  It is a 1/2 cup total more than I used (I used 1 cup total).  It may very well need to go up to a full 2 cups of liquid.

NOTE TWO: This is a good place to stash those little dredges of freezer veggies or leftover veggies that add up.  I added some sugar snap peas to mine that fell into the former category... why does anyone leave 10 peas in a bag in the freezer?  Were those extra 10 just TOO MUCH to go ahead and throw in the pot the last time they were out to be cooked?