Comfort guaranteed

Every now and then I am in need of real comfort food; when I'm ill, when mother nature is wreaking havoc, when I'm sad or depressed. For the last six weeks all of the above have been going on. I've been suffering with severe abdominal pain, money is (as always) very tight and together they are starting to cause mild depression. Comfort food is what I need and crave!

Visits to the doctor and the hospital have concluded that the pain is most likely gynaecological in origin and I am awaiting a referral back (don't ask) to gynaecology for further testing. As the abdominal pain is (probably) caused by mother nature, I thought to look on the internet to see if there are certain foods I should, or should not, be eating. There is plenty of advice on this and I struck lucky... Wheat, red meat, refined carbohydrates, refined sugar and honey, caffeine, chocolate, dairy produce, eggs, fried foods, butter, margarine, lard, soy, tinned foods, anything with additives and preservatives, alcohol. Perfect! All the things I love to eat. Oh, I made a mistake. These are the foods I have to cut out? But, but, but... My idea of a quick snack is a slice of brown bread with butter and cheese. My idea of a tasty breakfast is soft boiled eggs with toasted brown bread. A quick pick-me-up is chocolate. I need some sugar or honey in my tea, at least six times a day. My favourite meal is beef stew with dumplings.

The idea of having to give up everything I love to eat is not a pleasant one but I do think that some of this could help and so I have changed certain things: green tea instead of black tea so I don't need sugar, chicken instead of beef (although I am still going to eat that beef stew tomorrow night...), no white bread or pasta but the whole grain variety, no eggs for breakfast but I will use eggs when baking, butter and lard in moderation, no alcohol (with the morphine that's not wise anyway)...

Tonight's tea? Chicken Chimichangas. A Mexican recipe with chicken, chilli and spices and a firm favourite in this house. Yes, it uses wraps. Yes, they need frying but I am going to bake them in the oven instead. Yes, it uses cheese but I never said I would cut out dairy products. The white sauce that is served with it is traditionally made with stock instead of milk and I am leaving out the sour cream... Below is the original recipe...

Chicken Chimichangas

Ingredients:
For the chicken

• 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets
• 750ml water
• 1 tablespoon chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic granules
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 130 gram chopped pickled chillies (red and green)
• 80 gram onion, finely diced
• 3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

For the sauce

• 30 gram butter
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 250 millilitre water
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 125 millilitre soured cream
• 15 gram chopped pickled chillies (green) (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

To finish the dish

• oil for frying
• 8 flour tortillas
• 225g Cheddar cheese, grated

Method:
For the chicken

1. Place the chicken breasts into a large saucepan
2. Pour in the water and season with chilli powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cumin, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic granules, onion powder and cayenne pepper
3. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes
4. After 15 minutes, stir in the chillies, onion and garlic; continue simmering until the liquid has reduced by about two-thirds
5. Remove the chicken, shred with two forks and return to the onion and chilli mixture

For the sauce

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat
2. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute
3. Whisk in the water and stock cube until the water has thickened and the stock cube has dissolved, about 4 minutes
4. Whisk in the green chillies (if using) and the soured cream; season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm

To finish the dish

1. Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer or large saucepan to 190°C
2. Place a tortilla onto your work surface, then spoon about 5 tablespoons of the filling halfway between the bottom edge and the centre of the tortilla and flatten the filling into rectangle shape with the back of a spoon
3. Sprinkle some of the Cheddar cheese over the filling
   
4. Fold the bottom of the tortilla snugly over the filling, then fold in the left and right edges. Roll the chimichanga up to the top edge, forming a tight cylinder; secure the ends with cocktail sticks
5. Repeat with the remaining ingredients
6. Cook the chimichangas, 2 at a time, in the hot oil until they are crisp and golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Drain on a kitchen towel-lined plate and remove cocktail sticks
7. Top with the white sauce to serve

For some added vibrancy you can serve this with some freshly made tomato salsa and guacamole. If you cannot find pickled chillies try using fresh chillies to taste and add a dash of vinegar.

As they say in Mexico

¡Buen provecho!

or even

Bon appetit!

Breakfast, on the go, please...

Breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day. We get it told from a very young age, we all know it and we all try to have something in the morning. Even if you only eat something at 10 am, after you have downed three espressos to 'get you going'. The most-heard reason for not having a 'sit-down' breakfast is time; 'It takes too long to make', 'I rather have half an hour longer in bed', 'Everything is just soo hectic in the morning'. Me? I need something 'proper' and will get up earlier than necessary to make sure I do. Usually that will just result in some toast with (ginger) preserve or cheese but it could just as easily be a full English, or eggs and soldiers, or porridge: it depends on what takes my fancy.

An entire industry has grown for those of us who do not have the time at home to eat breakfast. McDonald's and Subway, for instance, are very happy with our lack of time in the morning and have a range of products to 'help' us. But, I don't get it; it takes me anywhere from five minutes (toast) to maximum half an hour (full English) to make my breakfast. It would take me much more than that to get myself to either of the two places mentioned (and several others to boot), decide what I want to eat, order, wait for my order and then eat it. Forget about the fact that it has cost me an arm and a leg; it tastes like cardboard, soggy cardboard at that. It always looks so promising on telly and on the big billboards but what you receive is uninspired, flavourless, unhealthy, tough or spongy and has more 'work' done to it than Lolo Ferrari.

So, how about something to spice up your breakfast?

Quick Huevos Rancheros (or Ranch-style Eggs)

Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 2 to 4 (depending on your appetite)

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1/2 medium sized onion, chopped
• 1 tin (400 gram) whole tomatoes
• 2 or 3 fresh green chillies (more or less, to taste)
• (chipotle) chili powder, adobo sauce, ground cumin (all optional)
• 4 tortillas or wraps
• butter
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped, coriander (optional)
• grated cheddar (optional)

Method:

1. Make the sauce first by softening the onions in a little olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Once translucent, add the tomatoes and the juice the tomatoes are packed in. Break up the tomatoes with your fingers as you put them in the pan. Add chopped green chilies. Add additional chili to taste, either chipotle chili powder, adobo sauce, regular chili powder, or even ground cumin. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium, and let simmer while you do the rest of the cooking, stirring occasionally. Reduce to low after it has been simmering for 10 minutes. Add salt to taste if needed. If the sauce is too acidic, add half a teaspoon of sugar.
2. Prepare the tortillas/wraps. Heat the oven to a warm 50°C, place plates in the oven to warm up. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan on medium high, coating the pan with the oil. One by one (or more if your pan is big enough) heat the tortillas/wraps in the pan, a minute or two on each side, until they are heated through, softened, and pockets of air bubble up inside of them. Then remove them and stack them on one of the warming plates in the oven to keep warm while you continue cooking the rest of the tortillas/wraps and the eggs.
3. Fry the eggs. Using the same pan as was used for the tortillas/wraps, add a little butter to the pan, about two teaspoons for 4 eggs. Heat the pan on medium high heat. Crack 4 eggs into the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes for runny yolks, more for firmer eggs.

To serve, put a tortilla/wrap on a plate and spoon on some of the sauce, then a fried egg (or two). Top with more sauce, sprinkle with coriander and/or cheese if desired.

On the go? Place the tortilla/wrap on a piece of tin foil and put the filling on the tortilla/wrap as before but try to keep it more along the middle and fold it up, burrito-style. Wrap it up in the tin foil and off you go.

To make life easier (and the recipe even quicker), you could use a jar of your favourite salsa, gently warmed up in a small sauce pan.

Fancy a bit of a difference?

• Try adding some re-fried beans, some soured cream or some finely sliced avocado (or a combination).

Or, if you fancy something 'meatier':

• Try adding some crispy fried bacon; at the end of step 2: fry the bacon 'till crispy in the same frying pan you used for the tortillas/wraps and place in the oven to keep warm. Continue with step 3.

Enjoy, and do let me know how you get on.