orchestrated comfort

In my quest to purchase and prepare in some form or fashion only the amount of fresh fruits and veggies I can consume in one week, I stood barefoot and hungry, two plum tomatoes in one hand, two golden delicious apples in the other, in the middle of my kitchen floor completely wiped out from a few days of suffering from a migraine trying to determine what I was going to make as both were just on the verge of beyond ripe. I looked and felt like a limp dishrag in dangly earrings...yes, I did manage to pick out jewels to adorn the forlorn before trudging from one room to the other. My energy warned me not to allow the cook in me to get overly ambitious; I had not the strength to argue, though the cook still wanted to whip up something tasty. I keep frozen vegetables on hand, will caramelize an onion in a heartbeat and mix it with any given ingredient that I think it compliments hot or cold. An idea began to brew.

Both of my grandmothers made succotash. Though each had a slight variation on the theme, they started by putting canned tomatoes, salt, pepper, a little bacon grease and fully boned skin on pieces of chicken into a huge black pot. Fresh or frozen lima beans were added when the meat was just about falling off the bone, followed by corn sheared from the cob or poured from a bag taken from the freezer. It took a few hours before the succulent stew was finally ladled into deep bowls ready to devour. I have since altered this recipe and because I no longer use bacon or chicken fat (that came from the skin), it took a few times to get the seasoning just right so that it was close enough to the original to satisfy to my taste buds. Succotash is serious comfort food to me, I wanted to be comforted. The idea mushroomed.

I rarely cook without music in the background. One of my close gal friends had given me the new Pat Metheny. I never drive long distances without one or more of his CD’s, the soothing sounds allow me to cruise comfortably along steady as I go. I put down the produce, popped in Pat, and before I got pooped, took an old goodie on a quick new spin.

Sautéed Succotash

1 cup frozen lima beans (these need to simmer covered for approx. 20 minutes until soft)
Light tasting olive oil (I use Bertolli)
¼ - ½ cup sweet onion (sliced crosswise, then in half)
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (optional) cubed
two large plum tomatoes (slice crosswise, then in half)
1 cup frozen corn
½ tsp. basil
Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Lima beans should already be cooking! Cover the bottom of a medium skillet with olive oil, heat on medium high until hot. Add onion, cook about 1 – 2 minutes, stir, reduce heat and caramelize. Once onions are soft and translucent, turn heat up to medium high, add chicken, salt, pepper and a couple of shakes of garlic powder. Brown chicken until cooked through. (Check lima beans. If soft, turn off the heat, add the corn so it can unthaw, stir and cover.) Add tomatoes and basil to chicken, sauté for a couple of minutes. Drain vegetables and add to skillet, stir until all ingredients are mixed, reduce heat, simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover and let rest. Taste it, it may need more salt and pepper. Though it is a much drier version than the traditional recipe, spooned rather than ladled, it is still a comforting dish that only took about 30 minutes from start to finish if that. Yields about 3 cups with a small amount of gravy.

One of my friends makes apple pies with the best crust, my mom made a cobbler that I never mastered but I do make a delicious crisp. This was definitely not the day for apples froufrou so I opted for a bared down version that I often bake especially during the winter.

Naked Apples

Oven 325 °

2 large golden delicious apples
Ground cinnamon
Ground nutmeg
Honey

Sprinkle of dark brown sugar

1 tsp. maple flavoring (optional)

2 Tbsp. brandy flavoring (I actually use a secret liqueur which in that case makes them woozy naked apples, however, brandy flavoring adds a buttery taste w/o the calories or the alcohol and is the key ingredient in my sweet potato/banana bread pudding, so see I gave you one of my secrets.)

Peel, core and slice the apples, place in medium bowl. (I like them thick, but if you prefer thin, you'll need to reduce the cooking time unless you want applesauce. You can use another type of apple, not sure how long to cook them though, so try it and see if you happen to prefer another kind.) Shake on cinnamon and nutmeg to taste, a couple of squirts of honey and flavoring. Stir until apples are completely coated. Place in 9 inch glass pie pan, sprinkle with brown sugar, cover with foil, bake 40 minutes or until the softness you prefer.

I snuggled on the couch as the apples cooked and got drunk on the aromas that surrounded me like a big hug. Seems like my grandma’s had orchestrated the comfort I needed without having to be, well actually they were in the house.

keep your peepers open! ®