Comfort Food, Midwestern Style: Redux

2/16/10

The Creation:

Byerly's Wild Rice Soup

So, what's in the fridge (items listed newest/most recent additions to oldest):

ham steak
eggplant
mushrooms
fresh Mozzarella
1 slice guanciale
small hunk of Stilton
1/2 white onion
1/3 red onion
1/2 lemon
1/2 lime
Sugo (Mama's homemade, pork-based tomato sauce)
chicken stock
rabbit stock
3 stalks celery
frozen peas

Key ingredients consumed:
ham steak

celery

white onion

chicken stock

rabbit stock

Ingredients purchased:
carrots

wild rice

The creative process:
It's been snowing and sleeting for I think 24 hours straight. I needed a meal that consoled me, so I looked back to the Minnesota childhood and dug up an old favorite: Byerly's Wild Rice Soup. Let's just say there's a reason this is ultimate Midwestern comfort food, and it has to do with a stick of butter and a cup of heavy cream. The dash of sherry doesn't hurt, either.

The verdict:
I took it easy on the butter and subbed milk for cream, plus tossed in some celery (it had to go), and the results were fantabulous still. But now I have a crap-ton of leftover, cooked wild rice that I need to figure out what to do with...

Comfort Food, Midwestern Style

2/15/10

The creation:
Maple and citrus-glazed ham steak with parsley-butter fingerling potatoes and twice-baked sweet potato

So, what's in the fridge (items listed newest/most recent additions to oldest):
eggplant
mushrooms
fresh Mozzarella
fingerling potatoes
Twice-baked sweet potato
1 slice guanciale
small hunk of Stilton
1/2 white onion
1/3 red onion
1/2 lemon
1/2 lime
3 eggs
Sugo (Mama's homemade, pork-based tomato sauce)
fresh parsley
chicken stock
rabbit stock
3 stalks celery
frozen peas
Maple syrup

Key ingredients consumed:
fingerling potatoes
parsley
twice-baked sweet potato
maple syrup
eggs

Ingredients purchased:
ham steak

The creative process:
I'll say right up front that Cook's ham steak is not remotely local/organic/sustainable. But it's a childhood favorite--even Dad, during The Rice Age, could cook a great ham steak. Mom's "secret" OJ and brown-sugar glaze is a cinch and so, so freaking tasty. I had a craving for this, so I caved--though I will say that the "20% water added" note freaked me out a bit. Must look into what exactly this means and why so much ham has this....

I was out of stock on the brown sugar, so hey, maple syrup is the same color and also sweet. Why not? Dumped a bit of that into the pan and added some OJ; reduced a bit and then tossed in the ham, cooking until it was hot and stuff. It's just ham. Then took out the ham and reduced the sauce some more so it was thick and gooey before pouring it over the ham. YUM. Boiled fingerlings smothered in butter and chopped up parsley tasted like Spring, despite the falling snow outside. And I just shoved that ol' sweet potato into the ham pan and let it heat right up.

The verdict:
Easy and delish. I liked this meal very much--it took me all of 15 minutes and went down super well with a glass of--wait for it... Chocolate Milk!

...Oh and for dessert I may or may not have made a Devil's Food cake with whipped peanut butter frosting so as to polish off my last three eggs...