Comfort Foods Make a Comeback

Comfort foods are being featured everywhere and it’s no wonder—they are good, they are usually hearty, and most are nutritious! Comfort foods are classic foods. The definition of classic: serving as a standard of excellence; traditional. Not all comfort foods are excellent, however.

Take tuna casserole; a lot of us grew up eating it on Fridays as a stand-in for a meat dish. It seems to me that people either love it or hate it. In my family we were divided on the “classic” version i.e., canned tuna, noodles, cream of mushroom soup, canned peas—all mixed in a casserole dish and topped with crushed potato chips, then baked until hot and bubbly and topping nicely browned.

I searched until I found a version that all of us could love—after all, it is really a filling, thrifty dish worth salvaging. In the 1953 version of the famous red-plaid Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, I found a version of tuna casserole or “hot dish” that my whole family could enjoy.

But when I unearthed this old recipe the other day, I thought it needed a face-lift to bring it up-to-date. I slimmed it down, cut out the canned varieties of foods and cooked it for a hearty lunch. Delicious! Here is the revised version:

Tuna with Cheese Swirls

1 ½ cups diced pared potatoes
1 cup diced celery
3 Tbsp. chopped onion
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
½ cup instant dry milk
1 ½ cups water
¼ cup water from vegetables
1 to 1-1/2 tsp. Lawry’s seasoned salt (or to taste)
1 small can tuna in water, drained
1 cup frozen peas
1 recipe Cheese Swirls (follows)

Cook potatoes, celery and onion in 1 cup water until almost tender, about 10 minutes; drain, reserving ¼ cup water. Heat 2 T. butter in small saucepan until melted; add flour and whisk until smooth. Add milk dissolved in 1 ½ cups water, whisking all the time. Add seasoned salt. Cook until smooth and bubbly and thickened. Pour into 10x 6 x 1 ½-inch casserole dish; add tuna, peas and vegetables. Mix well and keep warm while making cheese swirls.

Cheese Swirls

1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp. sugar
¼ cup butter
1/3 cup reconstituted dry milk
½ cup sharp cheese

Combine dry ingredients with milk. Stir just till dough follows fork around bowl. Turn out on lightly floured surface. Knead gently for 30 seconds. Roll in 6 x 10 rectangle, ¼-inch thick. Sprinkle with cheese; roll as for jelly roll, starting at narrow end. Seal edge. Cut in ½-inch slices. Place atop hot casserole. Bake in hot oven (425) for 15-20 minutes or until biscuits are done. Makes 6 servings.