(Elise’s) Dad’s Fish Stew Recipe
March 31, 2008 | Filed Under Soup/Chowder/Gumbo, Seafood | 7 Comments
I found this super easy and delicious fish stew recipe on Simply Recipes. A recipe by Elise’s dad, called out to me, "Make me! Make me!" And make it, I did.
Elise suggests different types of fish to use like halibut, cod, sole, red snapper, sea bass, and white fish like cod, tilapia or sole. However, I had a craving for salmon, so that’s what I used instead. I loved my fish stew. As Elise points out, the clam juice is the key ingredient that makes the dish extra tasty. For those allergic to shellfish, Elise suggests using white wine, fish stock or water instead of the clam juice.
I’m going to make this fish stew AGAIN and next time, I think I’ll use red snapper. I’m craving red snapper, now. ;-) Elise’s thanks for sharing your dad’s recipe and please thank him for me.
Paz
(Elise’s) Dad’s Fish Stew Recipe
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Serves 4
- 6 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup of chopped onions
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 cup of fresh chopped tomato (about 1 medium sized tomato)
- 2 tsp of tomato paste.
- 8 oz of clam juice (or shellfish stock)
- 2/3 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 lb fish fillets (use halibut, cod, sole, red snapper, sea bass), cut into 2-inch pieces
- Touch of dry oregano, Tabasco, thyme, pepper
- Salt
1 Heat olive oil in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and garlic and sauté 4 minutes. Add parsley and stir 2 minutes. Add tomato, tomato paste and cook 2 minutes longer.
2 Add clam juice, dry white wine, and fish and simmer until fish is cooked through, less than 10 minutes. Add seasoning. Salt to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Armenian Apricot Soup
January 22, 2008 | Filed Under Soup/Chowder/Gumbo | 9 Comments
I found this recipe on 101 Cookbooks. The ingredients enticed me. Apricots, ground cumin, red lentils? Very interesting, I thought and wanted to try it. Try it, I did. The results pleasantly surprised me. I’d never tasted a soup like this before. The apricots made it taste sweet but the rich earthy cumin taste balanced the sweetness of the soup. I love lentils and carrots, so the soup contained favorite ingredients. The soup tasted different from what I’m used but I liked it. On a very cold day, like the one we’re having in the city, the soup made a welcome choice.
Paz
Armenian Apricot Soup
The Soup Peddler’s Slow & Difficult Soups by David Ansel
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, diced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
3 Cups red lentils, rinsed
10 cups water
12 ounces dried apricots, chopped
Salt
Heat the oil in your soup pot over medium heat, then stir in the onion and arrots. Saute for about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and stir well. Decrease the heat, cover, and let the vegetables sweat for ten minutes.
Add the lentils and pour in enough of the water to cover. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the hea to medium low and cook for twenty minutes, or unil the lentils and carrots are tender. Add more of the water as needed as the lentils soften and expand.
Remove from the heat, stir in the apricots and any remaining water, and season with salt. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth; alternatively working in batches, puree in a regular blender until smooth. Take care not to over salt this soup. The right amount will bring out the flavor of the apricots but leave the onions in the background. Serve hot.
Serves 8 to 10.
Novel Food #2: Green Pea Soup
December 19, 2007 | Filed Under Novel Food, Soup/Chowder/Gumbo | 26 Comments
Lisa of Champaign Taste and Simona of Briciole are co-hosting their second literary/culinary event — Novel Food #2. I had fun participating in the first event and couldn’t resist the opportunity to participate again.
This time, I decided to try out one of the dishes prepared in the thriller, TOTE TANZEN NICHT (The Dead Don’t Dance) written by my friend, author Olivia Kroth. The story is about a mental patient who goes in search of vengeance against people she thinks are her enemies.
One of the characters in the story is 55 year old housekeeper, Hermine. She works for wealthy family in a villa in the Taunus mountains of Germany. Hermine has had a disturbing childhood but when she grows up one of the things that makes her happy is cooking. She loves to prepare meals for the family and uses recipes from a handwritten cookbook that she inherited from her deceased mother. One of the dishes she prepares is Green Pea Soup. The story (and recipe in the book) is in German. Olivia was kind enough to translate the recipe for me. Thanks, Olivia! You can check out her blog here.
I’d never had Green Pea Soup before and looked forward to trying it. The recipe calls for fresh green peas but I could only find the frozen kind. Also it calls for bacon cubes. I couldn’t find thick bacon, so I bought the bacon slices. I should have cut them but I didn’t feel like it. I cooked the long strips as is. I didn’t have a problem with that. ;-) There’s no mention of how much water to use, so I used about 4 cups. Oh! Also the recipe calls for four carrots. I like baby carrots and used that instead. Also, I like celery. As a result, I added a bit more than the recipes asks.
As you can see, I followed the recipe but with a "Paz touch." I’m not sure what Hermine’s Green Pea soup is supposed to look like but this is what mine looked like.
I enjoyed the Green Pea soup very much. I think it’s especially perfect for a cold day and it was definitely a cold day in New York City when I prepared. It warmed my body from head to toe. I loved the taste - the bacon, vegetables, marjoram, and potatoes. So hearty and filling. I loved my soup so much that I took the leftovers to work. I’d bought a new lunch jug and my soup stayed nice and warm from the time that I’d packed it till the time that I was ready to eat it. I came home and had some more for dinner.
If you’re interested in reading more about the Novel Food event and participating, go here.
Paz
Ed. Note: Ahhh! I understand that the soup is supposed to be blended? Hehehe! I didn’t know that and as you see, all the veggies in my soup are whole. No matter — next time I prepare this, I’ll make it blended. In the meantime, I liked it the way you see it in the photos. I liked biting into all the foods. But next time, I’ll do it differently. See, this is what I mean by cooking adventure. I learn something new, each time I cook. 
Another Note: You can look at the round up of recipes and books on Champaign Taste (the first half) and Briciole (the second half).
Green Pea Soup
Tote Tanzen Nicht (The Dead Do Not Dance) by Olivia Kroth
Ingredients (for 4 portions):
500 g fresh green peas
200 g potatoes
1 stem of leek
2 small onions
1 small celery
4 fresh carots
2 l consommé (bouillon)
100 g bacon cubes
1 sward (bacon crust)
1 spoonful of melted fat
salt and pepper
marjoram
1 laurel leaf
Heat the melted fat in a pot, stew the bacon cubes in it, fill up with consommé. Place the sward and green peas into it and let them boil for a few minutes. Cut the carots, leek, celery and potatoes into small pieces, put them into the pot with salt,pepper, marjoram and the laurel leaf. Let the soup simmer for about 90 minutes on low heat.
Weekend Herb Blogging #106: Very Cheap but Very Good Vegetable Soup
October 27, 2007 | Filed Under Soup/Chowder/Gumbo, Vegetables, Weekend Herb Blogging | 9 Comments
I love the name that Ilva of Lucullian Delights gives this healthy, simple and tasty soup. Love it. I made the soup for a sick family member in the hospital and myself. We loved it. Oh, yeah: And my brother had some. He liked it a lot , too. When I spilled some of the soup on the floor, one of my dogs licked it clean. It seems that she liked it as well. ;-) Thanks, Ilva!
One of the ingredients in this soup, fresh parsley, is such a popular herb. I buy it quite often and would love to be able to grow it on my kitchen window. That would be awesome! I love the fresh green earthy taste of this herb and the fact that it has a lot of health benefits — like it’s rich in vitamin C and A. I like how it can be used in a lot of dishes. Apart from being able to eat parsley, my favorite thing to do with it is to use it as a garnish. That touch of green in my plate makes a big difference to me.
I’m submitting this post for the Weekend Herb Blogging event, which Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen created. This week, Pille of Nami Nami acts as host. Check out her blog for the roundup of other Weekend Herb Blogging posts.
Paz
Very Cheap but Very Good Vegetable Soup
The leaves and stem/trunk of 1 cauliflower
2 big tomatoes
Chopped parsley
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil
- Chop the tomatoes, add these to the pot and sauté for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add water until the vegetables are well covered and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Blend until it’s on the smooth side, if it’s too dense you add some more water and heat it up. Check if more salt is needed.
- Serve hot or cold.
A Day That Really Schmecks!
January 11, 2007 | Filed Under Soup/Chowder/Gumbo, A Day that Really Schmecks, Vegetables, Cookbooks, Beef | Leave a Comment
The Best Vegetable Soup I’ve Ever Tasted (That’s the name of the soup!)
Edna Staebler’s cookbook, Food That Really Schmecks, has been republished. In honor of this occasion, food bloggers are participating in an event called A Day That Really Schmecks. The bloggers will prepare a recipe or two from the book and blog about it. Jasmine of will post a line up of the blogged about recipes on Confessions of a Cardamom Addict on January 15, 2007.
Staebler was an award winning journalist and author. She recently passed away in 2006 at the age of 100. I’m certainly glad that it’s never too late to learn about her and her work.
From the title to its content of Mennonite Country Cooking recipes, I found Food That Really Schmecks appealing. As I read the book on the subway and at work, people who spotted the title made comments. The title alone was a conversation starter. I’m not sure what “schmecks” literally means, but I get the gist that it means something along the lines of “good, great, awesome…” that sort of thing. Anyone out there, please feel free to enlighten me.
I liked how the book is filled with recipes for seemingly everything – from Grape Wine to Milk Toast, sauces for vegetables, pickled eggs, cheese bread, porridge bread, Almond Macaroons, to Angel cake, Sponge cake and more. There are even recipes for candy! I also like that a measurement conversion table is located in the back. And if that’s not enough, there’s also a section entitled ‘A Variety of Things,’ where you can find recipes for sausages, cheese, and home remedies.
Interspersed throughout the book are Staebler’s stories about cooking Mennonites and her family, which I found entertaining. The book really packs a punch and has a lot to offer.
I decided to make the recipe entitled, ‘The Best Vegetable Soup I’ve Ever Tasted’ (another title I like). The ingredients are simple and the recipe uncomplicated.
I’m wondering, though, if there’s a typo in this recipe. ½ cup raw rice is mentioned twice. In any event, I only used the ½ cup rice measurement once and it worked out fine. The soup was light, yet filling.
Best of all, I like how Staebler encourages the reader not to take the recipes seriously but instead have fun with them. “Experiment, improvise, be a little reckless,” she writes. I did have fun and added a little Cajun Spice, which my friend had sent me, to make the soup spicier. Loved it!
There are many recipes, from which to pick. The soup I prepared was a good start and I plan on trying out more of the recipes.
Look, mom! I’m making Mennonite Country food! That really schmecks!
Don’t forget to check out Confessions of a Cardamom Addict, January 15, to see a round up of all the prepared meals that schmeck. Thanks, Jasmine for putting this together.
Paz
Ed. Note: According to Jasmine, “Schmecks” means “tasty” or “tastes very good.” Also it seems that the double posting of the rice ingredient is indeed a typo. The rice ingredient only appears once in the first cookbook printing. So that that means there should only be one listing of 1/2 cup raw rice in the new cookbook version, as well.
The Best Vegetable Soup I’ve Ever Tasted
Food That Really Schmecks – Edna Staebler
When Mother made this mild, thick soup with vegetables, rice and beef, we didn’t need or want anything else. The amounts I give are approximate.
1 large, meaty beef bone (I think it comes from a cow’s leg)
Water to cover the bone with at least 2 quarts left after the boiling
½ cup raw rice
2 medium-sized sliced raw potatoes
½ cup raw rice (Paz Note: I wonder if this is a typo, since it’s already mentioned above)
2 or 3 sliced carrots
½ cupful sliced cabbage
1 cup celery, cut up
Salt and pepper
1 small sliced onion (optional)
1 cup cut-up green beans
½ cup green peas
Lots of parsley
Boil the beef till it falls off the bone. Add the rice and boil for 15 minutes, then add the vegetables and continue boiling until they are tender but not mushy – about 20 minutes. Cut the meat into more-or-less bite-sized pieces, keeping it hot in the soup. Add the cup-up parsley and serve into large, deep soup dishes – again and again.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
November 14, 2006 | Filed Under Soup/Chowder/Gumbo, Poultry, Beef | Leave a Comment
Click on photo for larger image
My first gumbo! I made my first gumbo dish! And boy, did it turn out really well! Even the pickiest eater in my family asked for seconds and thirds and ate the leftovers the next day. ;-)))))))))
Until I made my gumbo, I’d never tasted it before. The opportunity to eat it never came up. When I started cooking, for some reason, I always thought gumbo was a very complicated dish to prepare. After seeing the recipe on Melissa’s blog, The Traveler’s Lunchbox, I became inspired to make it. It didn’t seem too hard to make.
I already had most of the ingredients, except for the sausage. When I went food shopping, I couldn’t find the andouille sausage, which was the first time I’d heard of it. However, I did find Kielbasa sausage (another type of sausage new to me). Melissa’s advice about what to do if you don’t use the andouille sausage (add cayenne, garlic powder, and dried thyme) helped a lot.
Another ingredient I couldn’t find was the filé powder. My search took me to three stores with no luck. I wonder how much different my gumbo would have tasted with the filé powder. However the end product was delicious.
One of my favorite parts of making the gumbo was making the roux. I had fun mixing the flour and oil and seeing it thicken and actually turn into the color of peanut butter. Peanut butter! Yeah, I know: It takes very little to get me excited. The roux really did bring out the “nutty flavor” that Melissa describes in her blog post.
Served with rice, the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo was very reminiscent of some West African cuisine. Perhaps that’s why that picky family member gobbled it up. My favorite part of the gumbo was the okra everything — the okra, chicken, and sausage…
I’m sure gumbo is great to eat at anytime, but this hearty and tasty dish was especially perfect to eat on a cold rainy day, which is when we had it. I know I’ll be making more during the winter.
Melissa, thanks for the recipe!
Paz
Ed. Note: Filé powder is made from ground sassafras leaves that was used to give root beer its distinctive flavor before artificial flavorings replaced it. Southerners add filé to their gumbos to thicken and flavor them. The powder gets stringy when it’s heated, so add it only after you’ve removed the gumbo from the heat source. Filé also doesn’t reheat well, so add only to the gumbo that you are planning to serve. ~ Lowfat Lifestyle.com
Click on photo for larger image
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
In a Cajun Kitchen by Terri Pischoff Wuerthner
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (she admits that bone-in, skin-on dark meat chicken pieces, such as legs, thighs and wings are more traditional as well as flavorful in Cajun cooking, so that’s what I used - a much better idea, in my opinion)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup corn oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 quarts warm chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced 1 inch thick (or other spicy smoked sausage, such as Kielbasa, though my advice is to add the following if you don’t use andouille: another 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 1/2 pounds fresh okra or 20 ounces frozen okra, defrosted, sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons filé powder (I left this out, as I couldn’t find any locally)
chopped fresh parsley, to garnish cooked rice, to serve
Season the chicken cubes (or pieces) with the salt, paprika and cayenne pepper; set aside. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring constantly, until the flour has turned a medium-brown, like peanut butter. Add the onions, celery, and bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the seasoned chicken and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly (and reducing the heat, if necessary, to prevent burning).
Add the stock and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the hot sauce and sausage; reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add the okra and simmer for 30 more minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the filé powder just before dishing it up. Serve in soup bowls with a mound of rice in the center of each portion.
Click on photo for larger image
Quick French-Style Fish Stew/Broth
September 27, 2006 | Filed Under Soup/Chowder/Gumbo, Seafood | Leave a Comment
Click on photo for larger image
I got this recipe while watching Jamie Oliver’s show, some time ago, on the FoodNetwork channel. The recipe wasn’t posted on the food site. Luckily, I’d scribbled notes as I watched the show.
Jamie’s ingredients included clams, mussels, snapper, red mullet, brine (you can use any shellfish and fish). I used salmon, clams, and mussels. The recipe called for potatoes but I decided to add corn, as well.
Loose instructions:
Heat olive oil and add red onions (chopped); add garlic (chopped) and chili (chopped) for taste; let fry for a while; add mussels and clams – when they cook they’ll open up and give flavor; add French white wine (Chardonnay) – about 1 wine glass; add the fish on top – fish will slowly steam; add ½ tin Italian whole tomatoes (or fresh); add chopped parsley – finely sliced; add olive oil; add sliced potatoes (spring/baby potatoes) and let slow simmer for about 5 minutes until the wine evaporates.
Serve and garnish with parsley and top with the aioli. Drizzle evoo on top.
Make aioli:
Mayo; add lemon zest of 1 lemon; add some lemon juice; add one clove garlic grated; mix the mayo mixture.
All I can say that this was simple and good. I liked it a lot!
Paz
Click on photo for larger image
All the Reds Soup
March 28, 2006 | Filed Under Soup/Chowder/Gumbo | Leave a Comment
Mmm, Mmm good!
Although the Spring season has officially arrived for us, it doesn’t feel like it. The weather has been colder than it was in January.
A good soup is the perfect meal for such chilly weather. I got the recipe to this awesome soup from Michèle. Its basic ingredients of olive oil, red onions, garlic, red peppers, tomatoes, basmati rice, kidney beans, chicken stock and oregano, hit all the right spots to warm the body.
The soup made a very hearty meal. Initially skeptical at the seemingly small measurement of the basmati rice, I didn’t think it would make a difference in the soup, but it did. The rice was just the right amount and very filling, along with the beans, pepper and tomatoes.
Michèle suggests garnishing the soup with Italian (flat leaf) parsley and grated cheedar cheese. I liked the cheese cut into chunks, instead of grated. You’re right, Michèle: The cheese in the soup surely tastes good! Thanks!
Paz
Her recipe:
(adapted from a book called the Ultimate Vegetarian which I can’t find listed on Amazon, except for one by the same name which isn’t the same book that I’ve got tucked away in storage.)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 14oz can chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons basmati rice
1 14oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
(optional toppings: chopped italian parsley, a bit of grated cheddar)
Put the oil in a pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute more. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil, then let simmer for about 15 minutes. Top with chopped parsley or a bit of grated cheddar if you wish.
Notes:-A bad or bland stock will make or break any soup, so be sure to use a good one.-The original recipe calls for a shot or two of Worcestershire sauce which I don’t have, but it does add a nice touch if you should choose to use it.-the grated cheddar is so not a European touch but it sure tastes good.
Crab and Corn Chowder
February 8, 2006 | Filed Under Soup/Chowder/Gumbo, Seafood, Vegetables, Weekend Herb Blogging | Leave a Comment
I’ve never been much of a chowder fan, although recently I saw an enticing clam chowder recipe that made me interested in trying it.
Then, the other day, I stopped by Saltshaker and found another recipe that immediately caught my attention: Crab and Corn Chowder. I’d never heard of this before. I like corn and crabmeat, so, those two ingredients were the deal breaker for me. I made a mental note to try the recipe sometime in the near future, preferably on a very cold day.
However, the next morning with unseasonably warm weather, I woke up with the recipe in mind and like a person hypnotized, found my way to the store to buy the ingredients needed to prepare it – corn, potatoes, red bell pepper, crabmeat and herbs. Oh, so many wonderful herbs! By the way I would have used this recipe for my Weekend Herb Blogging post but I was too late.
The herbs involved a mix of cilantro (coriander), basil, tarragon and parsley. How exciting for me (cilantro being one of my favorites!)!
I returned home and started preparing the ingredients to cook. First, I boiled the corn and then made a corn stock. Yes, that’s right. Corn stock. Me. Actually, it was quite easy – boil the corncob and use the results in the recipe.
Call me weird, I’ve become excited about the idea of making stock out of different food products. Initially, I only knew of chicken, beef, and later fish stock. Then from Stephen, I learned about lamb and red shrimp broth and some of its uses. Really cool! So, now I can add corn stock to my list. That’s okay, you can laugh at me. 
My cooking momentum was interrupted when I had to walk the dogs and then found out I forgot to buy half and half milk. I had to run back to the store. I almost used canned evaporated milk but didn’t have enough. It’s probably better that I didn’t use the can milk since I’m sure it may have altered the taste of my first time chowder. Can anyone tell me if there’s a difference?
The meal is not hard to make and once I returned from the store, I continued cooking. My favorite part of preparing the meal was chopping the aromatic herbs to add to the chowder. As their combined scents wafted up, making me happy, I started to do my happy dance (See #9 of my culinary confessions.).
Soon, my crab and corn chowder was ready and I served it with crusty bread as the recipe suggested. Everything tasted fresh and delicious, from the potatoes to the crab to the vegetables. The mixed herbs especially gave it that added special flavor.
I’m glad I didn’t wait a day longer to try this crab and corn chowder.
Paz
The corn kernels removed from the cob
Making my corn stock
Most of the ingredients together in a pot
Cilantro, basil, tarragon and parsley ready to be chopped
The finished product
Ed. Note: I’m submitting this post for Weekend Herb Blogging #19. The herbs for this week are cilantro, basil, tarragon, and parsley, pictured above. Thanks, Kalyn!
*One can blog about herbs, plants, vegetables, or flowers for Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB). To see the list of other interesting WHB posts, go to Kalyn’s Kitchen, Sunday.
Algerian Spicy Tripe
December 22, 2005 | Filed Under Soup/Chowder/Gumbo, African Cuisine | Leave a Comment
There are many foods I never cared for until I started cooking. Soups are one of them. Now, I enjoy the different soups that I make (like the one here). My latest soup comes from a recipe of Chef Farid — Algerian Spicy Tripe.The ingredients were easy to obtain and prepare — tripe, tomatoes, onions, hot green chilies, garlic, caraway seeds, paprika, spice blend, salt and pepper. For my spice blend, I put together 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1 tsp coriander. It wasn’t bad at all. The tripe turned out soft and almost buttery tasting. I added chick peas to the soup and when it was ready, topped it off with cilantro. What a good soup to have on a cold day.
Sauteed onions with the rest of the vegetables
Ingredients covered with water and seasoned with salt and pepper 
Boiled tripe You can find the recipe for this body warming soup here. Best, Paz
