Comfort Food...

... is never going to be a salad!!

Ok, so as it happens, I have been down with a kidney stone attack since 31 August... hence the silence on the blogging front! Sorry. Pain trumps typing every time :-) Now you may be wondering why I'm blogging now... Am I better? NO!! Cough. Urm... No, not at present. However, I've got really great drugs and I missed you guys :-) Strange but true :-) I won't dwell on it too much, but I have to tell you that it's a special kind of pain and something you cannot explain to someone else. If you've had it... you'll know. If you haven't... pray! Pray that you never do!

Now, what has this got to do with comfort food you may be wondering? Well, the truth of it is that kidney stones and medication can leave you feeling very sick. It's times like that that you need to find something to eat that appeals to you and that can be a hard thing! It doesn't help to have Miss Twinset sipping her glass of white wine and nibbling daintily on a cracker that's oozing one of those cheeses that smells like it was kept in a college freshman's gym bag for a month. That is not a smell you want when you're feeling sick let me tell you! I asked her not to do that and she dabbed at the crumbs on her lips with her hanky (yup, still lace trimmed) and frowned at me while she delicately speared a preserved fig slice from the main platter. She and the Other One had decided that they weren't going to cook while I was down and instead they had their tipple of choice, a cheese and fruit platter and a mixed box of crackers. I'm tempted to say that they ARE a mixed box of crackers, but that is a terrible injustice... to crackers :-)

So. While she was frowning at me, I was watching the cheese on the cracker as it glanced around shiftily and tried to decide when to make a break for it. I had visions of moving a sofa cushion months from now and finding that oozing lump of cheese holding court with the small change and crumbs that have congregated back there. It's a worrying thought. So, desperate to avoid that, I drew her attention back to the plate before her and then checked on the Other One who was shaking a fresh batch of martini's, stealing ice out of the wine cooler. Miss Twinset can cook of course, we've established that, but I just didn't feel like any of the food in her repertoire. I also didn't feel like coaching her through a new dish. Again :-)

Now. What I felt like was bacon and "Corned Beef Hash". The hash is simple enough to make, but when it comes to comfort food - especially when you're sick - it's best to do it yourself :-) First things first though. I had had a craving for bacon all week and as this was my first foray into the kitchen (other than for an almost unending parade of marmite, syrup and peanut butter sandwiches), I decided to make the most of it! So, bacon was my absolute first step... Now you may be wondering what is in the picture with the bacon. It's actually fried potato skins... waste not want not! They're really yummy and since I'd just peeled the potatoes for the hash, it was convenient. I also fried them with the bacon, so they had a great flavour.... but that wasn't the main reason I got out of bed :-)

Ok, so while the bacon was cooking for lunch, I peeled the potatoes and onions and chopped them all. The onions went into the same oil that the bacon had come out of. Miss Twinset glared disapprovingly at me, but I have to say, you can't waste flavour like that. I asked her if she'd throw out the last half glass of a bottle of wine and her horrified look said it all! So, with her safely tucked into the corner and the Other One still in the sitting room battling the ever escaping cheese, I carried on with the task at hand. It's strangely comforting to be cooking - especially something you want to eat! The onions were cooked until they were soft and browned (they picked up all the great bacon flavour).

In the meantime, while that was going on, I had put the chopped up potatoes on to boil. These would be mashed with milk, butter, salt and pepper when cooked... YUM! I could probably have eaten just the potatoes at that point... I don't often eat potato anymore and it's a treat :-) It's also a fantastic stress reliever when you've been held hostage by pain all week! You get to bash out all your frustration and I think it's fair to say that there wasn't a single lump left in that pot when I was done... I felt a bit better though. Shrug.

Now we come to the corned beef. This is always a troubling part of the dish for me. After all. It's meat. In a tin. That has a shelf life of 5 years. All of this is ok, but I always wonder why the tins are rusty when they were only made a few months ago? By now, the Other One had joined us in the kitchen and she was really turning her nose up at corned beef on the chopping board. I forget how sheltered she is with all her staff. And booze. I admit though that it never looks as great as it tastes. The only time I cannot eat it is when I find a bit of blood vessel in there. It's a bit like vienna's or polony. Don't ask. Don't tell. "La la la la la - I'm not listening to you - la la la la la" Yes. My fingers ARE in my ears.

Now, back to those onions that you've fried... yes we did - earlier. Focus! Add the chopped up corned beef to the frying pan. At this point, you can also add chopped tomatoes (I didn't have any) and then you fry this mix for a little longer until the corned beef breaks up. You can also add seasoning like salt, pepper, chutney - whatever takes your fancy really. Then, you tip the mashed potato into the frying pan and smoosh (we've covered this before... it's a real cooking term) the entire lot around until it's picked up all the flavour from the pan. Then you tip it all into an ovenproof dish and sprinkle cheese on top and bake it briefly in the oven ... or, if you're like me, you just microwave it melt the cheese :-)

It's certainly the ugly step sister of meals, but it tastes really great!! Comfort food the way comfort food was meant to be!

Until next time...