Comfort Food

Navajo Tacos
Fry Bread
2 C all-purpose flour, 1 T baking powder, 1 t salt, 1 C milk
4 cups oil for frying, or as needed
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk, and mix until the dough comes together. Add more flour if necessary to be able to handle the dough. On a floured surface, knead the dough until smooth, at least 5 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Heat oil in a large, deep heavy skillet to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C). Oil should be about 1 1/2 inches deep. Break off 3/4 cup sized pieces of dough, and shape into round discs 1/4 inch in thickness, making a thinner depressed area in the center. Fry breads in the hot oil until golden on both sides, turning only once. Drain on paper towels.
Toppings:
Brown 1 pound ground beef with 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (15.5 ounce) can pinto beans, with liquid, 1 C shredded Cheddar cheese, 2 C shredded iceberg lettuce, 1/2 C picante sauce

Apple Sauce
6 cups apples - peeled, cored and chopped, 3/4 cup water
1/8 t cinnamon, 1/8 t ground cloves, 1/2 C sugar
In a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, combine apples, water, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in sugar, and simmer 5 more minutes.

Hash Browns
The secret is shredding the potato, rinsing until the water is clear and putting the potatoes in water with some salt in the fridge to chill.
Doing this also makes the Potato Latkes crisper.

Potato Latke
2 C peeled and shredded potatoes, 1T tablespoon grated onion, 3 eggs, beaten, 2 T flour,
1 1/2 t salt, 1/2 C peanut oil for frying
Shred potatoes in colander and rinse. Pat dry. Mix the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt. Fry patties. Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other. Let drain on paper towels. Applesauce is good with this. (Other vegetables shredded in is also good...sweet potato, beet, zucchini)
Variation:
I had some leftover sweet potato so I added this to my latke.
Drain my shredded potatoes as above and then add some flour to coat and add to:
Whisk eggs, oil, sauted onion, sweetpotato and curry powder.

Potato Salad
6 medium red potatoes, boiled in skins until tender, and cooled
1/2 large sweet onion, diced
2 large stalks of celery, diced
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 teaspoons celery seed
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup mustard
1 Tablespoons white vinegar or pickle juice
1 hard-boiled egg, cut into 8 wedges for garnish
8 cherry tomatoes for garnish
Parsley for garnish
Sweet Hungarian paprika for garnish, optional
Cut cooked potatoes into cubes with skin on or scrape off the skin with a butter knife and cube. Place in a large mixing bowl with sweet onion, celery, chopped hard-boiled eggs, celery seed, pickle relish, salt, and pepper. Toss gently. Whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar or pickle juice. Mix into potatoes and vegetables until combined. Decorate with hard-boiled egg wedges, tomatoes, and parsley. Sprinkle with a light dusting of sweet paprika. Refrigerate mustard potato salad at least 4 hours to let flavors meld before serving.

Spinach Quiche
One deep nine-inch pastry shell.
1 packet of frozen spinach, chopped
2 medium eggs.
½ stick of butter.
1 cup of milk.
1 cup of Swiss cheese, grated.
½ cup of onions, chopped.
½ cup of celery, chopped.
½ cup of cottage cheese.
1 teaspoon of salt. ½ teaspoon of pepper. ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg.
Cook spinach in salted water as directed on its packaging; then drain.
Sauteé the onion and celery in butter until the onion is soft. Spread cottage cheese over the bottom of the pastry shell. Mix the spinach with the onion/celery mixture and spread over top of the cottage cheese. Sprinkle Swiss cheese over top.
Combine the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg, and pour over all.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) 45 minutes.

More Quiche Recipes
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Main-Dish/Quiche-and-Savory-Pies/Quiche/Top.aspx

Red Beans and Rice
Just take 1/2 pound of Andouille sausage, slice, brown first before adding to the beans with the ham shanks.
1 lb dry small red beans, 1 1/2 to 2 lbs meaty ham shanks, 4 cups water, 4 cloves garlic, 1 large onion, 1 1/2 cups chopped celery, 1 cup chopped green bell pepper, 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons of Cajun or Creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's or Zatarains) , Tabasco sauce, Salt and pepper.
Cooked white rice (from about 3 cups raw rice)
Place dried beans in a large bowl and cover them with cold water by a couple of inches. Let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain.2 Place beans, ham shanks, garlic, chopped onion, and water in a large (8-quart) pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover, simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.3 Remove ham shanks from the pot to a dish. Let cool slightly then shred the meat away from the bones. Return the meat back to the pot. Add the celery, bell peppers, Worcestershire and seasonings. Cover and cook for another hour or until the mixture gets thick. Season to taste with Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper.Serve over rice.Serves 8.

Baked Apples
4 large good baking apples, 1/4 C brown sugar, 1 t cinnamon, 1/4 C chopped pecans, 1/4 C raisins, 1 Tbsp butter, 3/4 C boiling water
Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash apples. Remove cores, Make the holes about 3/4-inch wide.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, currants/raisins, and pecans. Place apples in a 8-inch-by-8-inch square baking pan. Stuff each apple with this mixture. Top with a dot of butter (1/4 of the T).
Add boiling water to the baking pan. Bake 30-40 minutes, until tender, but not mushy. Remove from the oven and baste the apples several times with the pan juices.Serve warm with vanilla ice cream on the side.

Macaroni and Cheese
Boil 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni al dente.
Sauce: 2 T unsalted butter, 1/2 lb cheddar cheese, 1 t corn starch, 2 t flour, 1 C milk, 1/2 t lemon juice
1/4 cup ham cubed.
In a medium sized bowl, mix corn starch into the grated cheese, so that the cheese is coated, set aside. While the macaroni is cooking, prepare the sauce. Melt the butter in a large saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Slowly dribble in the milk, while whisking (to avoid clumping) until the sauce is smooth. Slowly add the grated cheese, while whisking, until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice. Add the cooked, drained macaroni and ham. S/P

Scalloped Potatoes
3 T butter, 2 lbs potatoes sliced, 1 onion sliced, 2 T fresh parsley, 2 slices of bacon cooked and chopped, 2 1/2 C grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese, 1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese, 2 1/2 + C half-and-half.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a large casserole dish. Layer the bottom of the casserole dish with 1/3 of the potato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer on 1/2 of the sliced onions and 1/2 cup of the Swiss cheese. Layer on 1/2 of the bacon, 1/2 of the parsley and chives. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan.Repeat.
Top the casserole with the remaining potato slices. Add the half and half. Dot the potatoes with the remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter. Cover and bake one hour. After an hour remove cover and sprinkle on the remaining Swiss and Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for an additional 30-40 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage
1/4 C butter, 1 2-pound red cabbage thinly sliced, 6 T sugar, 2/3 C balsamic vinegar.
Saute cabbage in butter until slightly wilted, about 5 minutes. Add sugar, toss to coat evenly. Add vinegar. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover, simmer until cabbage is tender, stirring often, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tamale Pie
1 T olive oil, 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (vegi "hamburger"), 1 onion chopped, 1 green bell pepper chopped, 1/2 t salt, 2 t chile powder, 2 t cumin, 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes, 1 (4-ounce) can green Anaheim chiles drained, chopped, 1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn drained 1 (4 ounce) can sliced ripe olives, 1/3 cup raisins, 1C grated sharp cheddar cheese, 1/3 C water.
Prepared cornbread mix Whatever is needed according to cornbread mix instructions to make the cornbread batter.
Preheat oven to 375°F Saute in oil ground beef, onion, and bell pepper. Add salt, chile powder, and cumin. Cook, stirring infrequently, until the ground beef has browned on all sides. Remove from heat. Drain excess fat. Mix in fire-roasted tomatoes, Anaheim chiles, corn, olives, raisins, cheese, and water.
Oil 9x12-inch casserole dish Spoon filling into the casserole dish. Pour the cornbread batter over the top of the filling. Bake for 40 minutes.

Eggplant Parmesan
2 lg eggplants, Kosher salt 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes, 1 clove garlic minced, Olive oil, black pepper, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs, 4 large eggs beaten, 1 1/2 lbs of fresh mozzarella cheese sliced, 1 C grated Parmesan cheese, 1 C fresh basil leaves
Cut eggplants lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange one layer in the bottom of a large colander and sprinkle evenly with salt. Repeat with remaining eggplant, salting, until all eggplant is in the colander. Weigh down the slices with a couple of plates and let drain for 2 hours. The purpose of this step is to have the eggplant release some of its moisture before cooking.
While the eggplant is draining, prepare tomato sauce. Combine tomatoes, garlic and 1/3 cup olive oil in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper to tasted and set aside.
When eggplant has drained, press down on it to remove excess water, wipe off the excess salt, and lay the slices out on paper towels to remove all the moisture. In a wide, shallow bowl, combine flour and breadcrumbs. Mix well. Pour beaten eggs into another wide shallow bowl. Dredge the eggplant slices first in the flour mixture, then in the beaten egg. Working in batches, slide coated eggplant into hot oil and fry. Drain on paper towels.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the bottom of a 10x15 inch glass baking dish, spread 1 cup of tomato sauce. Top with one third of the eggplant slices. Top eggplant with half of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with one third of the Parmesan and half of the basil leaves. Repeat.
Bake until cheese has melted and the top is slightly brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.

Basic Gnocchi
1½ cups flour, 2 egg yolks beaten, 2 lbs. Russet potatoes, 1 tsp. salt
1: Bake the unpeeled potatoes in a 350 degree oven for about an hour, until fork tender.
2. Let the potatoes cool until you can handle them.
3. Scoop out the inside of the potatoes and discard the skins. Pass the scooped out potatoes through a ricer.
4. Make the dough. Add the beaten egg yolks, flour, and salt to the potatoes to form a dough. Make sure you do not overwork the dough. You want your gnocchi to be light.
5. Roll the dough by hand, on a floured surface, into three-quarter-inch rolls. Make sure you handler the dough lightly. Use your fingers to gently roll the dough.
6. Cut the rolls into one-inch pieces. Use your fingertip or the tines of a fork to make a slight indentation in each one.
7. Cook the gnocchi in batches, about 20 at a time, in gently boiling salted water. Remove them when they rise to the top. Then, drain the water and place them on a platter.
8. Sauce and serve
More Gnocchi Recipes
http://www.gnocchirecipes.org/

Spanish Potato Tortilla
Oil 9 inch pan.
6 eggs beaten, 2 Yukon Gold potatoes (or red skin), 2-3 green onions chopped, 1/4 cup olive oil
Slice the potatoes 1/4 and 1/8 inch wide. Fry in oil in a pan that can be put in oven, batch at a time. Drain on paper towel and salt. Sauté the onions. Layer potatoes on top. Pour in the eggs and pinch of salt. Let this cook until you see the edges of the tortilla begin to set, then put the pan under the broiler for 5 minutes, or until the top browns. Cut into wedges and serve.

More Recipes on the Web
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/
http://cravingcomfort.blogspot.com/
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/comfort_food/