what was the most delicious thing anyone ever cooked for you?

I’m sorry to answer without recipes, but I will say that I’m a big fan of soups and stews when it’s time for some comfort. Mushroom, French onion, green chile stew (a New Mexico recipe). When I was recovering from wisdom teeth surgery, Mom picked up potato soup from Marie Callendar’s. Layered enchiladas with red or green chile (another NM recipe) or Lasagna always makes me feel pretty good, too. So I guess the realm of onion, mushroom, garlic, cream-based recipes, and chile, of course, which you might find in your area, if you’re lucky. Good luck and bless you for being so thoughtful.

Here’s a comfort food recipe…

Spaghetti and Cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degree oven

Spray pam on a casserole dish

Layer 2 cups of cooked spaghetti in bottom of casserole dish

Put grated cheddar cheese over it (about 1/4 lbs)

melt 2 Tablespoon of butter in microwave and pour around on top of cheese

Pour 1 and a half cups of milk all over casserole dish

Season with pepper and salt

Bake for about 30 minutes or until it is golden brown.

My favourite comfort food is Sausage and Leek Supper. Tastes wonderful and you can’t help but go back for more.

Preperation: 30 mins Cooking: 45 mins Serves: 6

700g (1 ½ lb) Potatoes, sliced.
25g Butter.
450g Pork sausages (preferably with herbs), cut into chunks.
1 medium Onion, sliced.
4 medium Leeks, sliced.
40g (1 ½ oz) Flour.
450ml (3/4 pint) Fresh Milk
100g (4oz) Cheddar Cheese, grated.
25g (1 oz) fresh Breadcrumbs.

Pre-heat oven to 200C (400F) Mark 6.

1) Cook potatoes in boiling water for 5–10 mins. Drain.
2) Melt butter in a large pan, add sausages and cook for 5 mins.
3) Add onion and leeks and cook for a further 5 mins.
4) Add flour, cook for 1 min then gradually add milk
5) Heat stirring continuously until sauce thickens, boils and is smooth. Cook for a minute.
6) Remove from heat, add 75g (3oz) of Cheese and stir until melted.
7) Transfer to an oven proof dish, arrange potato slices on top (gratin style) then sprinkle breadcrumbs and remaining cheese.
8) Bake for 30 mins.

I add tonnes of Cheese when I make it, just tastes that bit better. I prefer cooking the on-hob stuff in a Wok, much easier and there’s more space for stirring.

Really simple to cook and a definate feel-good dish! I hope you like it. Use English-style sausages, I can’t imagine it with anything else.

Coq au vin from Julia Child’s first French cook book. You need fresh ingredients, range-free chicken and butter, but it is delicious. I made it for company in the 60’s and thought it was one of the best dishes I had ever eaten. I added small roasted potatoes and followed Julia’s advice to peel and pare so that they were small ovals all the same size. Vin has to be quality Bourgundy. Drink what’s left. Also her Navarin printanier ( but that requires beautiful cuts of lamb and fresh spring vegetables.) I was also the cook for that.

Comfort food when I was a kid was Campbell’s chicken soup and chocolate pudding!

*Burgundy. What a loving person you are. You might ask him what would taste wonderful; being very ill, particularly if one is having severe treatment, can change one’s taste buds and food cravings. When I was having chemo, it was home-made turkey or chicken soup and super-rich ice cream.

Also Julia’s Charlotte Malakoff (home-made lady fingers and strawberry mousse.)

Pot Roast with Roasted Vegetables:
3 1/2–4lbs. Beef Chuck Roast
2 tbl. cornstarch
1 1/5 lbs. potatoes, cubed
1 c. chopped celery
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 1/2 lbs baby carrots
1 bay leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 c. crushed tomatoes
2 tbl. vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. beef stock

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy deep pan, heat oil over med-high heat. Pat beef dry and rub w/salt and pepper. Add beef to pan, brown on all sides. Add onions and celery, cook until tender. Add garlic, cook for about 30 seconds. Add beef stock, tomatoes and bay leaf. Bring to simmer. Cover and put in oven. Cook one hour, add carrots. Cook for 30 minutes, then add potatoes. Cook for another 30 minutes. Pull out, put meat on platter, vegetables around it. Add 2 tbl of cornstarch to juices in pan to create a gravy, bring to a simmer. Serve it up!

All pot roasts should be made w the lean cut of brisket. That is the law!

Well in the south, we don’t use brisket as it a tougher meat and doesn’t produce much juice for gravy. But gailcalled, feel free to substitute a leaner meat in this recipe. I’m not aware of any law, and we have been enjoying this recipe for 3 generations.

I will try the pot roast both ways and (eventually) report back.
When I do my own version, and I have no idea where I got it, I flour and then brown smallish chunks of beef in olive oil, throw them in a big enamel casserole with the usual aromatic veg., including the crushed tomatoes, lots of bay leaf, thyme, garlic, and a lot of Burgundy, and leave it on a very low temp for a long time. Later I kind of shred the beef -
which by the time I get back to it is very, very tender, regardless of type. I serve it over noodles, because my family likes those: the curly-edged German type. Then they all tell me I’m a great human being. It will be exciting to try these two other versions: the Julia’s/Gail’s and the Supergirl Southern.
The thing that totally pleased us here in the Pacific NW since this I asked the question is the humble but delicious Spaghetti & Cheese. It’s much more childlike than my own Mac & Cheese which replicates the Stouffers you can get frozen. I love it. I’m sometimes using fancier cheeses to make it more sophisticated, not that anyone wants it to be.
I haven’t tried Sausage and Leek Supper but it will suit us very well with our partial Scots gene composition. As for Kevbo, the general outline you offer is excellent – I had kind of forgotten how good chiles can make food, trying to be mild and boring…..
in fact, I think I’ll put some into the next Spaghetti & Cheese….
When you all come to visit, I’ll make dinner for you.
How about Labor Day 2008? It’s nice here then.

Would love to hear what you think of all the end products. See you at your place… 08!

@supergirl; one of my earliest memories is of my pat. grandmother and me walking to an old-fashioned butcher’s, w. sawdust on his floor, in the early 1940’s. She always asked for a “nice cut of brisket,” which meant that she wanted to be treated better than the other yentas. And it was certainly the law in her house. If braised very slowly for a long time w. roasting veggies, and sliced on the bias the next day, brisket has every other cut of pot roast outclassed.

It is also the magic meal; can be reheated/frozen and almost impossible to ruin.

Your recipe sounds delicious also….very similar except for the cut of meat.

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE.
We had Sausage and Leek Supper with bangers from the local grocery, pretty sure they were just right. Very nice. Not quite as perfect for comfort food as was Spaghetti and Cheese. Still, it will be a staple.

My Jewish daughter-in-law refers to anything stewlike as “brisket”. This is a revelation.
I haven’t asked the butcher for it specifically. There’s always a few shrink-wrapped corned-beef briskets in the case, but that’s a different deal, I know that much.

Made Supergirl’s pot roast. Perfect. Went out to dinner the next night with very good
friends. They made Supergirl’s pot roast too. Perfect. I said, how exactly did you make this pot roast? They said, Well, you know, the usual way; then described Supergirl’s Pot Roast exactly. I asked, Do you know Supergirl? They didn’t. Uncanny.

Made a wonderful brunch thing a few times, incorporating lots of medium canned green chilis because kevbo said I should. Here’s the recipe:
10 beaten eggs, l/2 cup flour mixed with l/4 tsp baking powder, l cup cottage cheese, l cup grated cheddar cheese, at least l/2 cup canned green chilis, maybe some black pepper, salt not needed. Mix all up and pour into buttered ovenproof dish. Bake long enough for the center to set, but not much longer. If you do it in a big shallow pan, it will take around half an hour. If you do it in a souffle dish, it will puff up and be gorgeous, but will take an hour at least.

Coq au vin, absolutely wonderful, rich and deep and easy to love.

Navarin Printanier in the spring. Looking forward to it.

Superrich ice cream YES. There’s a new brand called… Bella Mundo or something
like that, with the flavor-names in Italian. Oh god. And always, Cherry Garcia.

Thank you all, and keep those recipes coming. They are saving not just a life but a family. We all salute you. Happy Thanksgiving.