How Do You Define Comfort Food?

Today is Tuesday, it’s National Comfort Food Day and the Repeal of Prohibition. How amazing is that? I mean, the stars have aligned for us today.

Just what is comfort food? What a silly question. It’s any food that makes you feel good, evokes fond memories, or brings a sense of warmth. While Hubby and I are not Mexican, and we’ve sort of never lived in the Southwest (I don’t think 15 years in Las Vegas counts as the Southwest), when it comes to feel good foods, Mexican hits the spot. And lucky for us, it’s Tijuana Tuesday.

We should also be grateful that the whole nonsense of Prohibition was repealed on this day back in 1933. It’s proof you cannot regulate morals. You can educate, but you cannot regulate. You can protect children but not adults. Prohibition was a social experiment that had unexpected consequences, like the rise organized crime.

It would have been different, had the consumption of alcohol been banned since the beginning of time. But you cannot have it okay one day, and a crime the next. I’m not saying you should never drink. There is a difference between having a cocktail and climbing into a bottle. But that’s a subject for another day.

Today it’s all about feeling good and eating good and just loving life.

Southwestern Chili Fry Bread Tacos
Southwest Chili
1/2 large Yellow Onion
1/2 Red Bell Pepper
3 Serrano or other small hot peppers
2 lbs Ground Beef
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel Tomatoes
1/2 cup Beef Stock
1 (15 oz) can Kidney Beans
1-1/2 tablespoons New Mexican Red Chili Powder
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons Masa Flour

Cut onion from root to tip. Reserve half the onion for another purpose. Peel and finely dice remaining half. Core and seed half the red pepper, finely dice. Cut stem from hot peppers, finely mince. Set everything aside until ready to use.

In a large, high-sided skillet, brown the beef. Transfer meat to a colander and drain well. To the empty skillet, and peppers, sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, beef stock and beans with their liquid. Stir, bring just to a boil. Return ground beef, season with Chili Powder, salt and pepper. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle chili with Masa flour to thicken, keep warm until ready to serve.

Garnishings
1 cup Lettuce
2 Romano Tomatoes
6 oz Mild Cheddar Cheese
3/4 cup Sour Cream

Shred lettuce, seed and finely dice tomatoes. Finely shred cheese. Have sour cream at the ready for serving. Set garnishings aside until ready to use.

Fry Bread
2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Masa Flour
1-1/2 tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Lard or Vegetable Shortening
1 cup Whole Milk, warmed
Oil for frying

Note: The Masa Flour creates a bread that is a little heavier than a traditional wheat flour bread.

Mix flour, Masa flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Cut in shortening with fingers. Warm milk, add to create a dough. Knead for 5 minutes on a floured board.

Shape dough into a long cylinder, about 10 inches in length. Brush with oil, cover with plastic and let rest for 20 minutes.

When ready, cut the dough into 1-inch equal parts. Roll into balls, cover to prevent bread dough from drying out. Working with 1 ball at a time, flatten by hand, with a rolling-pin or use a tortilla press to create a disk about 5 inches round. Spray squares of waxed paper and place between fry disks as they are formed.

Heat oil in a deep skillet. Fry the disks, one at a time, until golden brown, swirling and turning as it fries to prevent burning. The use of the end of a wooden spooon is great to swirl the bread as it cooks. Place fried bread on paper towels, blot off excess grease and set aside in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Place fry bread shells on a serving platter. Spread some sour cream on the bread, then top with a mound of chili, tomatoes, lettuce and cheese. Serve with a margarita and enjoy!

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O God, with Your judgment endow the king,
and with Your justice, the king’s son;
Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace fore ever