Fish and chips and other balms for the soul

[Foofoogal]

about time for me some good Louisiana gumbo. the brown kind, not the red. lol

 

[Harp]

Best F&C's to be found on Chicago's Southside are at Gilhooley's Saloon.
Battered cod, hand-cut chips, and pretty colleens.

 

[filfoster]

Fisch und Kartoffel

In Cincinnati, Nicholson's on Walnut street has the best fish and chips. There are some other local contenders but it's the champ.

Will anyone else confess to liking this only as a vehicle for the malt vinegar and tartar sauce, much like shrimp are simply the pallets for cocktail sauce? No? Well, I confess.

 

[Missy Hellfire]

Fil -

I will say that I am rather more fond of the condiments than the comestible on occasion. I love a lot of vinegar and dollop on the tartare sauce. What can I say, it's a forbidden delight!

 

[LizzieMaine]

Welsh rabbit, rarebit, toasted cheese supper, whatever you call it. Nothing better on a cold November night. Wash it down with a glass of Guinness and you'll have fascinating dreams.

 

[Missy Hellfire]

Lizzie - Welsh rarebit is fantastic when made with guinness instead of milk. Grate the cheese, mix in a tiny drop of guinness, just enough so the liquid binds and maybe a hint of mustard powder, spread it on toasted bread and grill until it bubbles. Gorgeous stuff and amazing flavours.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Lizzie - Welsh rarebit is fantastic when made with guinness instead of milk. Grate the cheese, mix in a tiny drop of guinness, just enough so the liquid binds and maybe a hint of mustard powder, spread it on toasted bread and grill until it bubbles. Gorgeous stuff and amazing flavours.

Tried this tonight -- pure ambrosia on toast.

 

[Smithy]

Welsh rarebit is fantastic. I always make it with great doorstops of white bread and always use Colmans mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce and some beer. Never used Guiness but will give that a crack - thanks Missy for the tip.

 

[LadyStardust]

I would count most Russian foods as comforts for me, but piroshki especially. The smell of them baking is enough to make me literally go weak kneed.

And sometimes there is just nothing like good tomato soup and grilled cheese. I think that is a nostalgic favorite for many people.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

I would count most Russian foods as comforts for me, but piroshki especially. The smell of them baking is enough to make me literally go weak kneed.

Potato ones? I havent had really decent ones since my grandmother died. I should really get over myself and try to make them myself.


And agreed...all my happy foods involve sour cream

 

[LadyStardust]

Potato ones? I havent had really decent ones since my grandmother died. I should really get over myself and try to make them myself.


And agreed...all my happy foods involve sour cream

In my family we normally make huge batches of both savory(beef, cabbage, mushroom, diced egg, and any combination thereof) & sweet (fruit and or raisins), but I don't think potato is a common appearance. I know it is very popular for pierogis which I also like. In any case, potato makes a very big part of the Russian diet, and I love it. And yes, sour cream is a must! It adds a whole new dimension to foods that are already delicious (solianka & mmm pelmeni!)

 

[Diamondback]

Piroshky recipe from a now-defunct local Russian restaurant:

4-6 servings

1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 packages yeast
4-5 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 tablespoons additional vegetable oil
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups milk
1 pound cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

In a skillet, brown the onion in oil, about 7 minutes; remove and set aside.

Brown the ground beef in the skillet, drain the grease, then add in the cooked onion, garlic, salt, and pepper; set aside.

In a small ceramic or glass bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand for 11 minutes.

In a large bowl or using a large stand mixer, place 4 cups of the flour, sugar, salt, egg, the remaining oil, water/yeast mixture, and the milk; mix together (use a dough hook attachment if you have one), adding additional flour as needed to make the dough soft but not sticky.
Knead, either for about 10 minutes by turning out onto a floured board and doing it by hand or by using a dough hook in a mixer on slow speed for about 6 to 7 minutes.
Place in a large bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour; punch down.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

To fill the piroshky, pinch off a piece of dough about the size of an egg and roll it out to 1/8-inch thick, then place a cube of cube of cheese and 2 tablespoons of meat filling in the center.
Lift up the edges of the dough and bring it up to the top, pinching together tightly to completely enclose the filling and so that the dough knits together.

Place the piroshky on a microwave-safe dish or tray, seam-side down, and microwave for 10 seconds; set aside and let rise for 10 minutes.

Repeat the piroshky construction, microwaving, and rising with remaining ingredients.
Place risen piroshky (all of them) on a non-stick baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes depending on your oven; alternately, you can deep fry them at 300 degrees F until golden.

Miss N, LadyStardust, I'd love to hear some thoughts on authenticity, although as a non-connoisseur of Russian cuisine I personally consider these a "comfort food" in that if I've got access to a kitchen and am having a rough week, I've been known to make a batch and down it all myself.

Changes I'm considering: upping the garlic, pepper, meat and cheese, reducing the onion and using low-sodium salt.

----------------
Now playing: Frank Klepacki - Hell March
via FoxyTunes

 

[Missy Hellfire]

Lizzie - Glad you enjoyed! It's a little recipe my grandmother used to do and of course the joy of it is that once you've opened the guinness to bind the cheese, it would be hateful to waste the rest of the bottle! lol

 

[BellyTank]

Rarebit

My Mother used to make Welsh Rarebit but I'm sure
it had a dash of vinegar in it.
Innit?


B
T

 

[Missy Hellfire]

Oooooh, I've just heard tell from a friend about a fish and hip shop in Cleethorpes (not too far away from me) where they still fry their fish and chips in beef dripping (beef fat). I feel a daytrip coming on, methinks!

 

[Creeping Past]

Beef dripping is the best frying fat in my opinion. That's one of the treats when visiting the north of England. Beef dripping's been abolished in most of the south, unfortunately.

 

[Unca Dusty]

Fried catfish and hush puppies

I grew up in Kansas and the only fried fish I had until I was an adult and moved away was channel cat. You'd take the fillet and let it rest in a small bucket of club soda for a couple of minutes, then dredge it in seasoned corn meal--pop it in the pot of hot oil til it was golden brown and floating just right. Serve it with hush puppies, fries and cole slaw. I believe anyone from my area would recognize (and love) that dish if they had a time machine and could pop back and forth throughout the 20th century. I certainly can't get that dish up here in Minnesota. Walleye doesn't cut it, but I eat it anyway.

 

[Harp]

... was channel cat. You'd take the fillet and let it rest in a small bucket of club soda for a couple of minutes, then dredge it in seasoned corn meal--pop it in the pot of hot oil til it was golden brown and floating just right. Serve it with hush puppies, fries and cole slaw.

Walleye doesn't cut it, but I eat it anyway.

Catfish pan fried, wild rice, potatoes.
Walleyes ditto.
Tuna fish, tossed in with a can of Campbell's potato soup, a small amount of water, spread over bread or rice/potatoes.

Gonna try the club soda and corn meal cat.

 

[scottyrocks]

I just had another of my favorites: a gyro with all the fixin's - the ground, spiced lamb, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and very well prepared white yogurt sauce on pita bread.

 

[Belle Fatale]

I've only had fish and chips once, at this little restaurant I forget the name of, off I-5 in Washington state. I liked them, but for me, real comfort food is homemade biscuits with butter, and maybe jelly or gravy (brown not sausage). Not both at the same time, of course. Or fried chicken and any of its associated fixin's: baked mac'n'cheese, green beans, cornbread, etc., all washed down with a cold glass of sweet tea.