Fish Chowder

Two summers ago, on a foggy cool August afternoon, I had a bowl of heaven. A fish chowder so delicious that I wanted to grab the pot from the stove and hide it in a secret place so that every bit of it would be mine (I didn't, but it was so very tempting).

I asked for the recipe. Bad idea. Turns out, it's a secret family recipe and no one, but no one outside the family gets the goods (imagine a Portuguese Colonel Sanders and you'll get the drift).

So for almost two years, I've been googling fish chowder recipes, checking every cookbook that I own or can get my hands on, ordering fish chowder at any restaurant serving it, and experimenting with recipes. Nothing is ever as good. I started to think that it must have been a flawed memory.... my hunger and the cold tricked me into thinking the stuff was better than it was. It's just a bunch of potatoes and haddock in some milk, right?

Finally last week, I found a recipe over at Diana's Kitchen. (Thank you Diana!)
I added extra thyme, more pepper a bit more bay leaf, wine instead of water and poof. Heaven in a bowl.

Hearty Fish Chowder

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 medium carrots, cut in small dice
• 1 rib celery, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 pound frozen haddock fillets
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 bay leaf (I added an extra half leaf)
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried leaf thyme crumbled (I used quite a bit more)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (way, way more pepper)
  
• 1 cup dry white wine or water
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter; add onions, carrots and celery, stirring and cooking until onion is tender. Add fish, potatoes, bay leaf, salt, thyme, pepper, and wine or water. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until fish is cooked. Break fish into chunks. Add milk and remaining 1 tablespoon butter; heat through. Discard bay leaf, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Fish chowder recipe serves 4.

German Cole Slaw

My sister in law and I take cole slaw pretty seriously. We're aficionados--we like it all-american, jazzed up or made with stuff other than cabbage--like broccoli. We like it on sandwiches or as a side to a hamburg. My brother is passionate about bratwurst, and most especially during football season. We often serve potato salad or macaroni salad at a tailgate, but last week, we decided that there has to be a slaw that's perfect with brats. We tried Napa Cabbage slaw (she in Ohio) and the broccoli slaw (me in Maine). We adjusted a recipe that we found in an old church cookbook. None were right. Last night, we made a recipe that Betsy's mom suggested and we think it's just right to go with a mess of brats at tailgate.

German Cole Slaw

Ingredients
1 head of cabbage, shredded or chopped briefly in food processor
2 medium onions, cut in rings
1 green pepper; chopped
1 jar pimento peppers; chopped and drained
1 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
¾ cup canola oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoons celery seeds (up to 2)

Directions
Combine cabbage, green pepper, onion and pimento in large bowl. Mix sugar and celery seed into this mixture.
Combine vinegar, oil and salt in pan and bring to a boil. Pour immediately over cabbage. Refrigerate, stirring several times.

Make at least 8 hours before serving.

Two Great Summah Salad Recipes

Up at Kezar on Friday night we had a fantastic summer menu: grilled steak tips and two light salads, fresh warm bread and sangria. The two salads complimented each other and the steak perfectly.

I contributed nothing to the dinner, but a bit of manual labor and a willingness to clean my plate and empty my glass (a couple of times for both, as I recall). Compliments of my two friends and wonderful cooks, Joan and Doreen, here are the salad recipes(the first I've reprinted exactly as Joan emailed it to me):

Green Salad with Basil, Pear and Parmesan

Use any type of greens that you like. I used a Spring mix and added a bit of curly green lettuce. Add fresh basil leaves--again it is personal preference as to how much basil. I used a whole package--one of those small prepackaged ones from the supermarket.

Add cut up pears --I used bosc pears, but could use anjou or similar ones I would think. I used 2 for the amount of salad I made for the six of us.

Before serving add candied walnuts...I just threw in a couple of handfuls.... (as you can see, with this salad, you can take a lot of liberties.)

Pour dressing over the salad right before serving and add shaved parmesan cheese...whatever looks right.

Dressing:

1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar

1 TBSP sugar (I think I used a little more than that)

1 tsp. Jane's Crazy Salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 TBSP Olive oil (I think I used a bit more than 2 TBSPs.

Shake vigorously in a jar.

Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Basil and Cheese

12 oz. medium shells or rigatoni
1 clove garlic
4 oz. Havarti, cut into cubes
1 lb. tomatoes cut into cubes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
2 Tbs. olive oil or more to taste
1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. fresh pepper
grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and drizzle with olive oil. Set aside.
Rub the inside of a large bowl with the garlic (cut). Add cheese, tomatoes, basil and green onion to bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
Add mixture to pasta, toss to blend then add the grated Parmesan to the top of the salad.

Can be served warm or cold (we had it cold).

Wedding Weekend Cocktails

We had some tequila (Patron) leftover from the Cinco de Mayo party and I thought that the wedding weekend was a perfect excuse to use it up. Here are two recipes (compliments of my friend from NYC) that we'll be trying out this weekend. Yee Haw:

Roxie’s Heavenly Heart

2 cups tequila, good stuff
2 cups chilled blood-orange juice (or OJ)
1 cup orange flavored liqueur (Grand Marnier, Cointreau or Triple Sec)
1 bottle chilled Champagne or sparkling wine

Combine tequila, juice and liqueur in ice-filled shaker. Strain into chilled flutes: top with campagne. Garnish with orange peels. Makes 8.

All That Jazz

2 cups tequila, good stuff
2 cups chilled orange juice
½ cup fresh lime juice
1 cup orange flavored liqueur (Grand Marnier, Cointreau or Triple Sec)

Combine tequila, juices and liqueur in ice filled shaker. Strain into salt rimmed cocktail glasses. Garnish with lime wheels. Makes 8.

Rhubarb Berry Pie

A la Elise. I followed the recipe exactly as she posted it, except all the berries and the rhubarb were fresh. Next time I make it, I'll cut back just a bit on the blackberries and the strawberries, as the pie turned out extra juicy, as you can see. Th

I did use the 3/4 cup of sugar, and I gave up on the lattice crust after three failed attempts. While this pie won't win any beauty contests, Retired Guy has announced it's the best rhubarb pie he's ever eaten (even better than the rhubarb strawberry with crumb topping that I usually make). Even with pie, it's what's inside that counts.

Appeys on the Bar-B

Do you ever feel like you get into a cooking rut? I'm certain that I've served the exact same menu to some of our friends at least three times. While I most likely haven't, the mere suspicion means that new recipes need to be tried and this is my favorite of the new rotation. By the end of summer, I'm guessing all of our friends will have had it at least twice.

This one comes from my good friend the New Yawker. I adapted it just a bit to fit into our burgers and veggies from the grill theme for tomorrow night. I tend to like things hot, so I use considerably more pepper than the recipe calls for. Enjoy this one--- it's easy and really tasty.

Spanish Style Garlic Shrimp

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

4-5 Tbs. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. sweet paprika

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. dry sherry

Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, toss together oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, paprika, lemon juice, sherry, salt & pepper, and shrimp. Immediately toss on grill in a grilling basket .

Original recipe calls for shrimp to be broiled in a pre-heated tapas pan and served with fresh baguette for dipping (Spanish style).

Lemon Dilled Grilled Haddock

What a day. 62 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. The grass is perfectly green, the lilacs are in bloom, as are the flowering trees. The garden is coming in nicely and the rhubarb is ready for picking (pie, anyone?).

A day like today calls for playing hookey from work (I didn't quite have the opportunity, although I did have opportunity to put the top down on Lucy and head up to Ogunquit to Barnicle Billy's for a business lunch) and a suppah on the grill.

There was fresh Florida sweet corn at the farm stand and fresh haddock at the fish market. Instant meal.

We soaked the corn in the husk (after pulling out the silk and cleaning the ears as best as possible) in cold water for six hours, and threw it on the grill with the Lemon Dilled Haddock--a recipe I edited/rewrote this evening.

Lemon Dilled Haddock

Ingredients
1 lb haddock, rinsed and patted dry
2 lemons
fresh dill
butter
a dash of dry white wine (if you wish)

Pre heat grill to approximately 375 degrees.

Cut the haddock into serving sized portions and place each portion on a piece of foil large enough to fold over.

Slice one half of each lemon into thin slices. Squeeze the remaining half of each lemon onto the fish slice and discard.

Place two pats of butter on each portion of fish and layer the lemon slices (two to three lemon slices) on top of each piece of fish. Add a generous sprig of fresh grill. If you'd like, add a dash of white wine and seal the foil into a packet around the fish.

Place the fish on the grill. It should take the fish about 10-15 minutes to cook, depending on the thickness of the fillet. The corn should take about 10 minutes to cook--it will be ready when the outside layer of husk is completely charred. The corn will be sweet and smokey and wonderful.

I served the corn and fish with fresh steamed asparagus and a really lovely South African Sauvignon Blanc from the Neil Ellis winery. It's a dry white wine, with a hint of grapefruit and peaches and it held up nicely with the fish.

I have a couple of pictures to add to the post, but Blogger is being fussy and it's too nice a night to wait any longer. I'll add them tomorrow.
For now, it's Sox 4, Yuckees nada, donut, cookie, ditto zilcho.
NBA Lottery happens in 9 minutes. Fingers are crossed for the Celts getting pick number one and then drafting Oden.

Texas Sheet Cake

We liked last week's brownies so much, I spent the last few days looking for another chocolate recipe (chocolate goes so well with the red wine and a storm) to make, when it hit me: TEXAS SHEET CAKE!

When I was a kid, my mom made Texas Sheet Cakes like it was her job. Every church potluck, neighborhood picnic, visiting a friend or special dinner at home called for a Texas Sheet Cake. It required no stacking, no icing, no fancy stuff.
Later, I was enlisted to be the family baker (my mom had a job outside the home and wasn't shy about assigning in-home jobs to us), and I can just about make one in my sleep. Problem solved.
A sheet cake it is--with enough left over to share with the neighbors.

INGREDIENTS

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar

2 cubes butter
1 c. water
1/4 c. cocoa (I use Hershey's)

1/2 c. sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla and mix together.

Pour into a jelly roll pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

If you don't want the icing, you can just sprinkle with powdered sugar. If you're frosting the cake, make the frosting while the cake bakes as it's best when the frosting is poured on before the cake cools.

ICING FOR TEXAS SHEET CAKE:

1/4 c. cocoa (more or less to taste)
1/2 c. milk (start with slightly less)
1 cube butter

Cook these three ingredients together until bubbly. Add:

4 c. powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla

Pour frosting on hot cake when it comes from oven. Serve with a nice Red Zinfindel, but don't tell Mom I told you that part. She always preferred it with a refreshingly cold Diet Pepsi.

Perfect Brownies

I scratched the Heath Bar Brownies (apologies WisdomWeasel...will these do?) in favor of THE PERFECT Brownie.
Here's the recipe:

The Perfect Brownie

Ingredients
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 oz. bittersweet (I used semi-sweet) chocolate
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3/4 cups walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Spray an 8 x 8 baking pan with cooking spray.
Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside.

Melt the chocolates and butter in a medium bowl over a pan of simmering water or a double boiler. Remove from heat and mix in the sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next. Continue to whisk until the mixture is completely smooth and glossy. Add the dry ingredients (and nuts, if you're using them) until just incorporated.

Pour the batter into the pan, smoothing out the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with wet crumbs (about 35-45 minutes).

Cool teh brownies in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, and then turn out of pan. Cool completely before cutting.

Scarlet and Gray Cake

Those of you from the south might call this a Red Velvet Cake, but in honor of the Buckeye's Final Four appearance in Atlanta this weekend, I'm going to add a dash more red food coloring to the cake batter and then I'll see if I can mix up a nice gray color for the icing (we'll then pray that it doesn't look like a dead armadillo) and I'm gonna call it a Scarlet and Gray Cake.

Regardless of the coloring, as a kid, this was always my requested birthday cake and it remains one of my favorite cakes to make and eat. I haven't had one/made one since moving to Maine, so this is a lovely excuse to bake.

There are many red velvet cake recipes to be found; some recommend crushed pecans as a garnish and some (the heresy) advise the use of a store-bought devil's food cake mix and canned frosting, which absolutely does not do. Others substitute white frosting for the cream cheese. Not bad, but not great. This is my favorite recipe, from my good friend Joy's momma, Rosie, who hails from Russel Springs, KY.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)--I'm going to bump this up to three
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vegetable oil for the pans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour 3 (9 by 1 1/2-inch round) cake pans.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.

Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.

Divide the cake batter evenly between the three prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely before frosting the cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using a mixer, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, and beat until fluffy. Refrigerate until the frosting stiffens before frosting the cake.

Salsa Recipes

....are posted over at Mainely Cooking.