Postcards in the Air : COMFORT FOOD

Friday, April 14, 2023

COMFORT FOOD

Some people collect figurines, others treasure artwork, and some accumulate cookbooks as a friend did all her life. She left her daughter with bookshelves full of 300 cookbooks. My friend loved to cook and enjoyed thumbing through the pages for inspiration even when she stopped cooking later in life.

I have a small bookshelf with a couple dozen cookbooks that I've culled down from a larger collection. They include a copy of my mom's The Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedia Cookbook, whose name says everything about this large volume. As a kid, I loved to turn the cut-out page inserts to see recipes, black and white photos, explanations of weights and measures, how to organize a kitchen, how to set a table, cooking hints, and menus for each month of the year. After college, I purchased The Joy of Cooking, my early bible for cooking, and I've kept several slim books from the Time/Life series of cooking from around the world. The Italian edition taught me how to make besciamella and pesto sauces.

I rarely go to these recipe books now. Instead, I search the internet for recipes. I subscribe to several food websites, such as the Food Network and Eating Well. One of my favorite food blogs comes from Jane Evans Bonacci who writes The Heritage Cook and whose mac and cheese recipe is delicious.

As the winter weather subsides, I still look for comfort foods and found one at Taste of Home called Spaghetti Squash Meatball Casserole.

I used my own simple recipe for meatballs: 1 pound hamburger, finely chopped onions, one egg, some breadcrumbs, Starlight Herbs & Spices Idaho Mountain Blend mix, and salt and pepper. I made the meatballs a day ahead, covering my hands in olive oil so the meat didn't stick to my hands as I rolled it into balls. I baked them at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Here is the rest of the recipe, which I reduced to serve 2 meals for 2 people:

Set oven to 350 degrees

Grease a small baking dish

You need:

1 small spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups dark salad greens

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 plum tomato, chopped

1 cup tomato sauce (make your own or use most of a 14 oz. can of prepared pasta sauce)

1 cup shredded cheese mix (I had fontina, gruyere, and white cheddar on hand) or mozzarella

parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Microwave cut squash, uncovered, cut side down, for 20 minutes on high

Use a fork to separate spaghetti squash into strands

Saute onion in oil till tender

Stir in dark salad greens, ricotta, and salt and pepper

Stir spaghetti squash strands into greens/ricotta mixture

Transfer to baking dish

Top with meatballs, tomato sauce, and chopped tomatoes

Sprinkle with parmesan

Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

This casserole is just right comfort food before the seasons change. Soon we will be gathering fruits for a refreshing salad for warm weather feasting.

Do you have a favorite comfort food recipe?