httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAXkIGqUcDg

Hello, Culinary Playmates:

It is I, Helenka, your fearless advocate of gustatory creativity (aka I eat weird but really tasty food and think you should, too). Guess what? It’s a brand new year (Brian and I are pleased to wish a Happy New Year to ALL of you), but we’re still the same old zany duo. Um … I think it’s called tradition or something.

In any case, tradition does play a role in the choice of this week’s dish. Brian decided to surprise me – yes, AGAIN – this time with a dish (corned beef hash) from his childhood in Newfoundland. I had no idea what actually went into it, but I certainly found out. And enjoyed it immensely. Well, I am brave, after all. ::watches Brian sputter in disbelief, as if a dish from the Rock could faze even moi::

In many ways, this dish is similar to many other combined casseroles that incorporate potatoes, meat and savoury vegetables. Off the top of my head, I can think of Shepherd’s Pie (with its top layer of mashed potatoes covering ground beef into which have been mixed corn niblets) or Moussaka with its lovely ground lamb and eggplant. But this was certainly one of the easiest we’ve presented to you, mostly because of that everyday can of corned beef that could only be opened with a key. [Oh, I could tell you stories of my own non-working key experiences, such as when the key stops turning half-way through and is stuck, but you still can’t open the lid wide enough to get at the contents OR when the strip already wound on the key breaks off and there’s not enough of a leader to hook the key onto. People, we’re talking about real foodie emergencies here!]

But, hey, the key worked ::praises the key’s compliant nature:: and we had a down-home comfort food type dinner. Brian added spicy ketchup to his portion, but I declined (even though I’ve been known to add spicy ketchup to Shepherd’s Pie when I make it at home). I wanted to savour the various ingredients. Well, you should know about me and my ::hand waves:: focus on multiple layers of tastes and textures by now. So … roasted garlic? Exquisite. The same for the onions. My verdict is a satisfied two thumbs up.

Variations:
Even while I was being giddy (but it comes so naturally to me ::giggles::), I was still imagining different taste sensations. Between the two of us, we already added – in our heads, at least – peas, corn and/or pickle relish to the smushed and glomped meaf-potato-onion-garlic mixture. I could also see adding bits of flame-broiled red pepper to the mix. I thought it would have been a different texture sensation not to mash the corned beef together with the potatoes, etc. I could easily see mashing the potatoes separately before folding in the meat, garlic and onions. Or putting the meat, garlic and onions into an oven-proof dish, smoothing a layer of mashed potatoes on top, perhaps dotting with wee dabs of mustard and butter and broiling for a few minutes. Hmmm. Crunch, colour and more flavour. I like the idea. Well, of course I would: I thought of it. Or, going in a different direction, not frying a raw onion but using pickled onions instead, perhaps cut in half or quarters, sautéed briefly to enhance their flavour. In that case, I would avoid smushing the onions with the corned beef entirely, so they would retain their integrity and distinctive crunch.

Helenka’s Nostalgic Meanderings:
This episode brought back memories of something I have not made myself for a long time. And I really, really should. One of my childhood faves was peppers stuffed with rice (sometimes mixed with a little ground beef), then oven-baked in a pan filled with a tomato juice-water broth. Yummmmmmm. For a variation, adding a can of mushroom soup to the rice mixture brings out different flavours. Of course, switching to different coloured peppers changes the flavour, too. I could see serving this dish to guests at an informal dinner, bringing to the table a platter that had assorted coloured peppers. Festive, yes? Definitely. Because flavour without colour is a lonely concept. And the world is blah enough without us being assimilated into it. Ohhh, now that I’m getting carried away (again), if I didn’t want to have full-sized peppers as a main course, I’d use those adorable miniature peppers with a rice-only stuffing, but serve them with wee shishkabobs of chicken, beef, or lamb, along with more veggies (mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, baby corn, etc.) on the skewers. Definitely fun food.

Well, that’s a wrap for our first episode for 2012. It’s been raining outside and I’d rather stay indoors with some cozy comfort food. And you can, too, just with a few simple ingredients. So, why don’t you meander down your own personal memory lane to experience a food that was important to you when you were growing up. Whether you use potatoes, rice, pasta, couscous, beans or buckwheat as a base, there are lots of ingredients you can add to create your own unique quick comfort food. So, until next time, have yourselves a great week and don’t forget to have fun with your food, too!

Enjoy!
B&H =;)

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