Trout Chowder

I just made this up today as part of an empty-the-freezer project. You could certainly use all fresh ingredients, but it's delicious made with freezer staples (except for the potatoes).

 

Four 6 oz. frozen rainbow trout fillets  

1 12 oz. package frozen chopped onions

2 12 oz. packages frozen super sweet corn    

1 12 oz. package frozen chopped spinach

1 bottle clam juice

2 Tbsp granulated garlic

5 medium gold potatoes, 1/4 inch dice

2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup heavy cream

Heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add frozen trout fillets, skin side down. Cook until fillets are fully cooked, without turning or moving. The fillets will change color, becoming paler, as they cook. When they are fully cooked, remove from pot, being careful to get all the skin. Place on rack, skin side up. Let cool slightly, then peel off skin and reserve. Break up cooked fillets into bite sized pieces. Set aside.

In pot in which the trout was cooked, add package chopped onions. Cook until softened, 5-7 minutes. Add 2 packages super sweet corn. Add package chopped spinach. Stir all vegetables together and cook until softened, 5-6 minutes. Add granulated garlic. Add clam juice. Add approximately one cup water. Adjust the water based on how much water was released by the frozen vegetables. 

Bring to a boil. Add diced potatoes and salt. Lower heat to medium low. Cover and simmer until potatoes are cooked through, 15 minutes.

While vegetables and potatoes are simmering, cut reserved trout skin into thin strips, 1/8 inch wide. In small skillet, heat 2 tsp. vegetable oil over medium high heat. Fry skin strips in batches until very crispy, 1-2 minutes. Remove from skillet and pace on paper towel. Let cool 2-3 minutes. If necessary, separate skin strips. 

Once potatoes are fully cooked, add bite-sized trout pieces back into pot. Add heavy cream. Heat through, 2-3 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Ladle into soup bowls. Top with crispy fried trout skin. Enjoy.

Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette

I just made this up this afternoon to coat a salad of spinach and iceberg combined with some leftover red-skinned potatoes, garlic sauteed napa, and broiled coho salmon. It will be a constant in the fridge from now on.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

3 Tbsp water

1 extra large garlic clove-peeld

8-10 sun-dried tomato halves

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

Place all ingredients in blender or smoothie maker. Run at full speed for 30 seconds. Push mixture down sides, then run another 30 seconds.

If mixture is too thick, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. May be used immediately. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Note: As the processed dried tomatoes sit in the dressing, they may absorb more liquid. If this happens, add water 'til desired consistency is acheived.

Beef Stew with Pearl Onions, Carrots, and Turnips with Carmelized Onion Gravy Over Thick Puree of Cauliflower and Parsnip

Ingredients:

• Three tablespoons olive oil
• Three large yellow onions
• Four slices bacon 
• Two pounds boneless beef stew meat (I used beef ribs)
• One 32 oz. box unsalted beef stock (or homemade if you are lucky enough to have some around)
• Three bay leaves
• One large or two medium turnips
• Five medium carrots
• One tablespoon olive oil
• One 16 oz.bag frozen pearl onions 
• One 16 oz. frozen peas
• One large parsnip
• One 16 oz bag frozen cauliflower
• One quarter cup heavy cream
• One tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions: 
Cut off ends of three yellow onions. Peel. Cut in half lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise. Over medium high heat heat three tablespoons olive oil in large dutch oven or heavy bottomed soup pot. Add onion slices to hot oil. Cook until brown, stirring every three or four minutes. This will take about fifteen to twenty minutes.

Cut bacon crosswise into quarter inch lardons. In heavy skillet over medium high heat cook lardons until some of the fat renders, approximately three minutes. Add to browned onions in dutch oven. Cut beef into bite sized pieces, approx. 1/2 to 3/4 inch dice. Brown in batches n bacon fat. As each batch is finished, add to dutch oven. Turn heat off under skillet, but do not discard any leftover drippings.

When all meat has been added to the dutch oven, add the stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 and 1/2 hours.

While the dutch oven simmers,  cut off ends of carrots and turnips. Peel. Cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces.  I generally roll cut the carrots, and slice, then roughly chop the turnips to avoid symmetrical pieces. This is purely an aesthetic choice: it will have no effect on flavor.

Reheat the pan drippings from the bacon cooking/beef browning steps over medium high heat. If needed, add one tablespoon olive oil. When hot, about one minute, toss in the entire contents of the bag of frozen pearl onions. The moisture from these will help deglaze and loosen any luscious browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Scrape up all these bits and continue cooking the pearl onions until they are heated through and some are browned a tiny bit. This whole step will take about six minutes. After this, put all contents of the skillet into the dutch oven. Add the carrot and turnip pieces to the dutch oven as well. Stir and cover. This will cook about another thirty minutes before serving.

Peel parsnip and cut into one inch pieces. Put in microwave-safe two quart dish, add about an inch of water, and cover. Microwave on high for five minutes. Once done, add contents of bag of frozen cauliflower. Cover and microwave on high for another six minutes.  Once this is done, uncover and let cool two minutes. Drain. Put cooked parsnips and cauliflower into food processor. Add cream and butter and process for about thirty seconds, or until smooth. Salt to taste. Scrape back into microwave-safe dish and recover.

Add frozen peas to the dutch oven, raise heat to medium, cover, and continue cooking for three minutes. 

If cauliflower and parsnip puree has cooled too much, return to microwave and reheat.

To Serve:
Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup of puree into center of wide shallow bowls. Ladle 1 and 1/2 cups of stew around  puree. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Remove bay leaves as you find them.

Enjoy!

Sicilian(ish) Chicken Stew

As we continue to be iced in, I had to come up with something tasty made with what I had around the house. Granted, my freezer/fridge/pantry staples are such that we'd never go hungry, but I was out of the golden raisins and sun-dried tomatoes that I'd normally add to this. So I improvised and it turned out just fine.

4 Tbsps olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup frozen pearl onions
1 medium carrot, peeled and roll cut into medium dice (about 3/4 inch pieces)
1 large shallot, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into 3/4 inch dice
2 medium zucchinis, cut into 3/4 inch dice
1/4 cup mixed pitted olives, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. capers
2 tsps. Italian seasoning (mine contains oregano, basil, fennel, thyme, rosemary, but use whatever you have)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 Tbsp. apricot preserves
3 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
Red pepper flakes
Lemon wedges

Heat oil over medium high heat in deep, heavy pan. Add chicken pieces and cook 'til browned on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

Put frozen pearl onions into hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Add carrot and cook another minute. Add shallot, garlic, bell pepper, and zucchini. Stir and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add chicken, olives,  capers, and wine and cook 2 minutes, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add drained tomatoes and 1 Tbsp apricot preserves. Stir. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Just before serving, stir chopped parsley into pan and stir for 30 seconds. Spoon stew into shallow bowls and  add red pepper flakes and lemon juice to taste. Enjoy.

Chocolate Crepes with Cream Cheese and Stewed Apricots

This is just something I threw together this morning with staple fridge and pantry items.  If you don't have carb issues, you can use sugar or honey instead of the Splenda, or may use apricots in heavy syrup. With my 10 inch crepe pan, this makes about 8-10 crepes, but different size pans will produce different numbers.


Timing is everything when making crepes. The batter should be made at least 5 minutes, or up to 2 hours before you start cooking the crepes to let flour particles absorb liquids. This is the time to make your filling. Once you start cooking the crepes, each one will take less than a minute, so you won't have time to do more than give your filling a stir.


I use a blender and a good French copper crepe pan, but you could improvise if you don't have these. However, whatever pan you use to cook the crepes should have sloping sides to make turning and removing the crepes easier.


Crepe Batter
3 large eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 large pinch ground nutmeg
1 pinch salt
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend for 15-20 seconds. Scrape sides if necessary and blend to combine thoroughly. Set aside for 5-10 minutes while you make your filling.

Stewed Apricot Filling
1 can unsweetened apricot halves in juice, reserving one TBSP juice
3 Tablespoons Splenda

Open can of apricots and cut each apricot half into slices, approximately 5-6 per half. Put apricots, juice, and Splenda into small saucepan over medium-low heat. Your goal here is to heat, not cook, although it won't hurt if this comes to a boil. Just be sure not to burn it!

Cream Cheese
I like plain bricks of old-fashioned cream cheese, because I find the texture more predictable than the whipped or spreadable varieties, but suit yourself here.

In a small bowl, beat 4 oz cream cheese and the Tbsp reserved apricot juice together to blend. Set aside.

Cooking the Crepes



Note: Cooking each crepe takes less than a minute, so the following steps happen fast. Have all your tools at hand and don't turn your back, or your crepes will be tough.
Another Note:  It's really easier to turn the crepes with your fingers. They're less likely to be torn this way, but you'll need to move fast.


Heat crepe pan over medium high heat until a few drops of water sprinkled on the cooking surface skitter across the pan an evaporate almost immediately. Put a tiny pat of butter in the pan and use a paper towel to wipe out excess. Save the paper towel to wipe out the pan if crepes start to stick or if crumbs are left behind when you turn or remove a crepe. It is very important that the pan be crumb-free before pouring batter for another crepe.

Pulse the blender for 3-5 seconds to re-stir batter. Pour enough batter to coat pan bottom (about 2 Tbsps for my pan), swirling quickly to distribute thinly over entire bottom. If a bit of batter goes up the pan sides, it's fine. Cook until the batter is no longer wet, about 20-30 seconds. During this time, loosen the edges all around with a silicon spatula. Turn and cook other side for 5-10 seconds. Remove from pan. Stack crepes as they are completed. I usually pulse the blender every two crepes to make sure the batter stays stirred, but your own experience will guide you here.

Assembly
Personally, I prefer to fold crepes and eat them with a knife and fork. This is especially true when, as in this case, the filling is very juicy and there is a syrup to drizzle on top. Here's how:

Think of each crepe as a clock face. Between 12:00 and 3:00, place a slightly rounded teaspoon of cream cheese. Between 3:00 and 6:00 place 3-4 slices of apricot. Now, fold the half of the crepe from 6:00-12:00 over the 12:00-6:00 side. Fold again into quarters, so that the 12:00-3:00 cream cheese quarter is on top. Place onto a plate. Drizzle a bit of the juice from the apricot over the crepe. Enjoy.


A final note: The variety of fillings for crepes is limited only by your imagination. This recipe is a one I just came up with this morning because I was hungry, and last night's ice storm made heading out to the store unappealing, if not impossible. Use whatever you have on hand and let me know what you come up with!

French Onion Soup

After deciding to try going without using our freezer for at least part of the year, I had to find something to do with all the bags of frozen pearl onions I bought when they were on sale around Thanksgiving. French Onion Soup sounded good and tasty for the colder weather we're expecting this week. These amount make about a gallon of soup. Reduce amounts to suit your preferences. This is very low carb, despite the addition of a little flour and sugar, but it is definitely not low fat. Yum!

3-4 lbs. beef marrow bones, sawed into  2-4 inch lengths.
3-4 medium sweet onions (Vidalia, Walla Walla, etc.)
5 10 oz. bags frozen pearl onions
1/2 stick unsalted butter
3-4 large cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
1/4 cup white sugar
1 bottle dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Salt to taste (I used 3 Tbsps in the whole batch, but you'll likely want more.)

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Put marrow bones in baking dish and roast for 1 hour.
After roasting, put the bones in a large stock pot with 3 quarts water. Bring to rolling boil, then reduce heat slightly and cover. Cook, at a slow boil for 30 minutes. Remove bones from pot and use knife to loosen marrow, if needed. Return bones and any loose marrow to the pot and cook for another 30 minutes.

While bones are roasting, peel and slice sweet onions. After the hour of roasting is complete, put beef fat in electric skillet. Add half stick butter and heat to melt butter. Set heat to 300 degrees. Add sliced onions and bags of pearl onion to skillet. Stir to coat onion with the butter and beef fat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes.(This will have gotten you past the marrow loosening; the bones will have another 15 minutes to boil.) The goal is to caramelize the onions, cooking them until they are mahogany-colored. If they start to burn, reduce the heat a bit, but don't worry about a few very dark patches.
Add garlic and cook another 5 minutes.

In a medium size bowl, make a slurry with the 1/2 cup flour and a half cup of the wine. Add to onions and garlic and stir thoroughly to distribute the slurry. Cook about 3-5 minutes to remove any raw flour taste. Add  the sugar. Stir.
Pour in remaining wine, stirring to completely incorporate wine. Scrape the bottom of the skillet to remove any bits of onion clinging to the pan. Cook until the liquid is nearly absorbed and very syrupy.

Remove beef bones from stock pot. Add onions to the stock pot and stir. Add salt. Cook until mixture boils, 2-5 minutes. Use immersion blender to completely chop and incorporate onions into the stock. The texture will be that of a thick, slightly chunky, sauce. Taste, and add salt as needed.

To serve traditionally,  ladle soup into earthenware bowls. On each bowl, place a thick slice of toasted baguette. Sprinkle with a generous handful of gouda, swiss, or mozzarella cheese. Place bowls under broiler for 1-3 minutes, until cheese melts and begins to bubble.
To serve without adding the carbs of the bread, put a skillet over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles when dropped onto the cooking surface. Drop 2 oz preferred cheese into small heaps in skillets. Cook until cheese spreads and begins to bubble slightly. This will only take a minute or two, be careful not to burn the cheese. Place each cheese "crisp" on top of soup. Let sit one minute to soften bottom crust of the cheese.

Enjoy!

Best Creamy Salad Dressing

This is the base I use to make creamy salad dressings. You may add herbs or substitute other cheeses, or go without cheese altogether.  For this batch I used feta, but often use parmesan instead. This is almost completely carb-free and has decent protein and calcium. Obviously, amounts dictate calories.

1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup full-fat mayonnaise
a few Tbsps half-n-half or milk
1 large clove garlic
1 tsp coarse salt
1/2 cup crumbled feta

Peel and finely chop garlic clove. On cutting board (or using mortar and pestle) combine garlic and salt and mash together to form a smooth paste. Stir in crumbled cheese (or finely shredded if using non-crumbly cheese).

If you prefer a somewhat thinner (more pourable) dressing, add half-n-half or milk by tablespoons, whisking after each addition. Go very slowly here as it can get too thin more quickly than you might imagine.

Put this dressing in a jar or squeeze bottle and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. This will allow the flavors to meld. In the refrigerator, this will keep for at least a month. (To be honest, I've never had it around long enough to go bad, I eat it at least every other day.) This also makes a great dip for veggies or chips.

Combine yogurt, mayo, and garlic-salt paste in bowl. Whisk thoroughly to combine.