Comfort Food

One of the pleasures of traveling with family is the common family background of comfort foods.

Last night we had one of the Rodenberger classic meals: Pinto bean soup with ham hocks, fried potatoes and cottage cheese. Modern nutritionists would probably shudder at the thought of that pork fat and skin but when we were young it was a meal high in nutrition, low in cost and easy to prepare.

Back in those days the family didn't have much money but dried beans were low in cost and potatoes were plentiful. Cottage cheese was usually purchased but sometimes made at home. For what it's worth homemade cottage cheese isn't quite as good as the store-bought variety. I remember the cottage cheese that Grandma Mac or Mom used to make as rather dry and tasteless compared to the full-fat, juicy variety from the store.

The potatoes were russets, peeled, sliced and fried in lard or, on good days in bacon grease, in a big old cast iron pan. Again, nutritionists would disapprove but the fat and well-seasoned cast iron pan would turn out fried potatoes that were moist in the center but brown and crunchy in layers, making a perfect base for the bean soup.

In good times we had ham hocks. In tougher times we might have had bacon ends and rind or the skin off a piece of ham to season the beans. Simmered with some chopped onion and salt and pepper whatever seasoned the pot made for a good meal because we were hungry.

Those of you of a certain age already know but for my younger readers who might not believe it, we were hungry because we were always on the go. In the days before computers, television, cell phones, music that goes as if by magic from pocket to ear and all the other technological marvels that are commonplace today, we had to entertain ourselves by more physical means.

Men and boys worked outside the house and women and girls were busy with household chores and helped outside as needed. Lots of physical activity meant lots of appetite an we didn't have chips, pop or other junk food between meals so when mealtime came around we were always hungry.

But, back to the present where exercise must be programmed into the schedule and we can enjoy only the occasional meal of comfort food.

I picked through the beans and set them to soak Saturday night. That same night I simmered the ham hocks for three hours and left them to mellow on the stove top overnight. I suppose the Scottsdale Health Department would have harsh words for that practice, but that's the way we've always done it, so far with no ill effects.

Early yesterday I changed the water on the beans and brought them to a boil before adding the ham hocks and their soup, some onion and some garlic. There was time to simmer the pot for a couple hours before we left for the day.

Last night while the beans were warming I sliced up the unpeeled spuds and put them on the stove. We used olive oil instead of bacon fat and used a nonstick skillet instead of cast iron, but the end product was good and reminded me of Grandpa smacking his lips while eating this comfort food and asking the rhetorical question, "Wonder what the poor folks are eating tonight?"

Bean soup with ham hocks over fried potatoes with cottage cheese