Missouri Corn Pudding

This recipe is one of my family's favorite dishes. We often have this at Thanksgiving or Christmas (and sometimes on both holidays). It is simple, irresistible, and fun to make.

I remember the first time I ever had this; my Mom made it for Thanksgiving in 2006. I think she had acquired the recipe from a friend. Like many recipes, I've adapted it a bit and made it my own. For instance, when I make this for Pablo, I add green chiles, which remind him of green corn tamales from his childhood in Tucson, Arizona.

Most recently, I made this in September as part of a pre-performance meal when my friend Cindy and I were singing a few concerts together in Austin, TX. It pairs extremely well with a nice piece of broiled salmon and a green salad.

Ingredients
2 green onions, chopped finely
1 box of jiffy corn muffin mix (or an equivalent 8.5 oz corn bread mix)
1 stick of melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup of sour cream (I have used greek yogurt when there was no sour cream on hand)
1 can (15.25 oz) of whole kernel corn (drained)
1 can (approximately 14 oz) creamed corn
1 cup of cheese (your choice; I like monterrey jack here)
Roasted or canned green chiles (optional)

Method:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a souffle dish, or other ovenproof casserole type pan.
2.) Melt butter on the stove or in the microwave.
3.) Slice green onions.

And so it begins...

4.) In a large mixing bowl, put the box of muffin mix, the melted butter and mix. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
5.) Add the green onions, the sour cream, and the corn and mix well.
6.) Add the cheese
7.) Bake for 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
8.) Enjoy!

Heavenly comfort food

Shepherd's/Cottage pie

Spring has not sprung. The chill seems to be hanging on very tenaciously this year! I was in Texas in March visiting and singing my friend Cindy Sadler and giving master classes at Southwestern University, and it was rainy and cool. I also sang in a terrific series of concerts at Opera Delaware, where we were actually treated to a March snow! Last weekend I was in Flint, Michigan singing with the fantastic symphony there, and it was cold and rainy!

Well, my friends, sometimes one has to embrace what life is giving you. If it's supplying you with the doldrums, make something comforting and warming, such as a lovely shepherd's pie. Shepherd's pie, (or cottage pie) is a crustless pie with a meat base and mashed potato toppng. It is delightful and packed with veggies, meat, tomatoes, and potatoes. It's a great thing to make when you have friends coming over, or you could halve the recipe and make a nice meal for two.

In folk etymology, a Shepherd's pie contains lamb, where a cottage pie contains beef. When I make it, I use ground turkey, so I use the terms interchangeably. Ground turkey is really easy to come by and very inexpensive where I live in New York, but if you prefer beef or lamb, I encourage you to use that instead.

Ingredients:

Base
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic
5-6 sliced carrots (I often use a bit more, as Pablo loves carrots)
10 oz mushrooms
1 lb ground turkey
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes
Splash of sherry
Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Mashed potato topping
4-5 yukon gold potatoes
1/2 stick of butter
1 cup of milk (or half and half)
salt and pepper

Method:

Meat base
1.) In a pan (I use a fairly large oven safe one) sautee the onion, and garlic for 1-2 minutes. Salt the onion a bit so that it doesn't burn.
2.) Add the carrots, allowing them to cook for a few minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
3.) Add the meat, and cook until done.
4.) Add tomato paste and can of chopped tomatoes, and let simmer for a few minutes.
5.) Add the sherry and worcestershire sauce, and simmer for 5-6 minutes, or on low heat until you're ready to assemble the final pie.

Mashed potato
1.) Boil potatoes until soft and drain.
2.) In pan, melt the butter and warm the milk (one mustn't ever add cold butter and milk to potatoes, as it makes them gummy).
3.) Mash the potatoes (I use a potato ricer, or a food mill, but a good old fashioned potato masher will certainly get the job done).
4.) Add the milk and butter to the potatoes and mix; they might be a little loose at first, but they will firm up quickly. Don't be shy about salt and pepper here, as mashed potatoes can be a tad bland without enough.

To assemble:
Smooth the potatoes over the meat base and set the pie under the broiler for 2-5 minutes (depending on your broiler's strength) until the top is slightly browned. Enjoy!

Photo courtesy of my iPhone