Seafood Stew

We had a fabulous dinner party last night with some foodie friends and decided to make this special-occasion stew which resembles a bouillabaisse. It's from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris cookbook - a source I always trust.

We got all our veggies and seafood for the stew from the Eastern Market in Detroit (highly recommended!), and also made a side of fresh local asparagus, roasted for 5 minutes at 400 degrees with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. A local wine merchant suggested a good cote du rhone to complement the anise notes in the soup. And you definitely need a hearty, delicious bread to sop up all the broth!

**Definitely take the time to make the homemade stock if you can.** I'm sure it would still taste good with store-bought stock but the flavors from this stock were just incredible.

Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons good olive oil
* 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 small)
* 2 cups large-diced small white potatoes
* 2 cups chopped fennel (1 large bulb)
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 cups good white wine
* 1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, chopped
* 1 quart Seafood Stock, recipe follows, or store-bought fish stock
* 1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)
* 1 teaspoon saffron threads
* 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined (reserve the shells for the stock)
* 1 pound each halibut and bass fillets, cut in large chunks
* 24 mussels, cleaned
* 3 tablespoons Pernod (we substituted Sambuca for 1/10 of the price)
* 1 teaspoon grated orange zest (I used 1.5 teaspoons)
* Toasted baguette slices, buttered and rubbed with garlic (we used crusty French round served plain, no butter or garlic)

Directions

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot, add the onions, potatoes, fennel, salt, and pepper, and saute over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until the onions begin to brown. Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the tomatoes with their juices, stock, garlic, and saffron to the pot, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Add the shrimp, fish, and mussels, bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit covered for another 5 minutes. The fish and shrimp should be cooked and the mussels opened. Discard any mussels that don't open. Stir in the Pernod, orange zest, and sea salt, to taste. Serve with bread.

Seafood Stock:

* 2 tablespoons good olive oil
* Shells from 1 pound large shrimp
* 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
* 2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
* 3 stalks celery, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 1/2 quarts water
* 1/2 cup good white wine
* 1/3 cup tomato paste
* 1 tablespoon kosher salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
* 10 sprigs fresh thyme, including stems

Warm the oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery over medium heat for 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add 1 1⁄2 quarts of water, the white wine, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain through a sieve, pressing the solids. You should have approximately 1 quart of stock. If not, you can make up the difference with water or white wine (following the recipe exactly, I got about 8/10 of a quart and used white wine to make up the rest; it tasted great).

Yield: 1 quart

Spinach, Pesto and Cheese Healthy Veggie Lasagna

"One of the best lasagnas I've ever had" according to a recent eater. Good ingredients are the key to this recipe, especially in the pesto - make it homemade or buy high quality. The prep is fast and the return on investment is high.

* 3 cups fat free ricotta cheese
* 1-2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
* 1 large egg
* 2 10-ounce packages chopped fresh spinach (I use a food processor)
* 1 7-ounce package prepared or homemade pesto
* 4 cups bottled chunky pasta sauce
* 12 no-boil lasagna noodles from one 8-ounce package
* 2 cups grated Fontina cheese
* Fresh mozzarella (about twenty mini bocconcini cut in half) - if desired

Blend ricotta and Parmesan in medium bowl. Season cheeses with salt and pepper; stir in egg. Blend spinach and pesto in another medium bowl.

Brush 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with oil. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce in prepared dish. Arrange 3 noodles side by side atop sauce. Spread 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese mixture over in thin layer. Drop 1/3 of spinach mixture over by spoonfuls. Repeat layering with sauce, noodles, ricotta cheese mixture and spinach mixture 2 more times. Put a layer of the fresh mozzarella half-moons towards the top. Top with remaining 3 noodles and 1 cup sauce.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cover lasagna with foil. Bake 35 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with Fontina cheese. Bake lasagna until heated through, sauce bubbles and cheese on top is melted, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes.

Maureen’s Curried Spinach Salad

Maureen is my mom's best friend, and we've had this *incomparable* salad every year on Christmas Eve for the past 25 years. Lately I've been craving it and indulging in making it even on non-special occasions. Luckily, it's easy.

2 lb. fresh spinach (I used baby spinach)
2 green apples, unpeeled
2/3 c dry roasted peanuts
1/2 c. dried fruit (cranberries or cherries)
1/3 c thinly sliced scallion (green onions)
2 T. toasted sesame seeds

For dressing:

1/3 c. white vinegar
3/4 c vegetable oil (I substituted olive oil and it was fine)
1/4 c finely chopped chutney (I used an apple-cranberry one but you can use most any kind)
2 T. sugar
1 t. curry powder
1 t. salt
1 t. dry mustard
3 drops tabasco sauce

To prepare salad, trim stems from spinach and chill (or, if no time and you don't mind stems, don't worry about it). When ready to assemble, tear spinach into bite sized pieces (not an issue if using baby spinach). Core and dice apples. Place spinach, apples, peanuts, dried fruit, green obions and sesame seeds in a salad bowl.

To prepare dressing: combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Toss with salad immediately before serving.

Marinated Apricot and Olive Roast Chicken

My mom introduced me to this recipe about 5 years ago, and every time I've served it at a dinner party, people literally lick the bowl. I've found it does turn out best when marinated ahead of time, but I've only ever done 2-6 hours, not the 24 hours the recipe originally called for. And the sauce is flavorful enough that even if you don't have time to marinate, it can still work. Could also be an excellent sauce for a white fish like tilapia.

Yield: 6 servings.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts to serve 6 (you can also do thighs,
other pieces, etc, I just like the white meat best)
1 1/2 t salt
5 large cloves garlic, peeled
4 t. ground cumin (1T + 1t)
1 ½ t paprika
1/3 c sherry vinegar (you can also do regular distilled white vinegar
with a tablespoon of sherry mixed in)
1/3 c orange juice
¼ c honey
3 T olive oil
Rice
4-5 oz. dried apricots
24 whole black olives

Wash and dry the chicken pieces thoroughly. Press down on the breasts with your hand to flatten slightly. With a sharp knife poke slits in both sides of each chicken piece to allow marinade to penetrate. Put chicken in a large bowl. Toss with 1 ½ t salt. Crush the garlic cloves, sprinkle with a little salt, and mince into a fine paste, and add to bowl and coat chicken with it.

Put cumin, paprika, sherry vinegar, OJ, honey and olive oil in a small bowl, whisk to thoroughly combine.

Scrape the above ingredients the big chicken bowl and marinate the chicken, plus 4-5 oz. dried apricots and 24 whole black olives, for 4-6 hours (up to 24 hours for maximum flavor). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate while marinating. Makes sure everything has marinate coating it.

Up to an hour ahead, remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Pour chicken and marinade into baking dish. Tuck apricots and olives under and around the chicken pieces. Let it sit at least 20 minutes to warm up a bit. Meanwhile heat oven to 400.
Bake the dish about 25 minutes at 400, check at 20 minutes to make sure it isn't overcooking.

Serve over rice.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, Cilantro and Lime

Last night, we recreated my childhood experience of chicken satay at the great Thai place by the Seattle Center where I grew up eating with my family, right down to the quarters of white-bread toast that accompanied the dish.

The amounts below are designed to make 24 skewers and be served as a party appetizer; we made it our entree dish and were very full by the end.

• 1 cup plain yogurt (original recipe calls for 1.25 cups but I found this to be a bit much)
• 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1.5 pounds of large skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips (we cut down to just 2 large breasts)
• Vegetable oil (for grill)
• 2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
• Lime wedges, 2-3 per person
• White bread, 1-2 pieces per person

For peanut sauce:

• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 drops hot pepper sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup water

1. Combine yogurt, ginger, garlic and soy sauce in a bowl. Toss in chicken strips until well coated. (The original recipe calls for marination up to 2 hours, but it was late and we were hungry so we didn't do this - just tossed the chicken in there for a bit before throwing on the grill. It still turned out great.)

2. Preheat grill. When ready to grill, thread the chicken pieces onto skewers, working the skewer in and out of the meat, so that it stays in place. Place on perforated pan over medium heat and brush with oil to prevent sticking. Grill for 5 minutes on each side, until seared and cooked through. (We used a perforated pan but if you don't have one, we found that it worked better to just grill the pieces directly on the heat; do whatever works best for you.)

3. While chicken is grilling, make the 5-minute peanut sauce with ingredients above. In a small bowl, stir together peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, hot pepper sauce and garlic until well mixed. Transfer to a small skillet and over medium-low heat, gradually stir in water until texture is smooth and creamy.

4. Toast pieces of white bread and cut into quarters.

4. Remove skewers from grill and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve with peanut sauce, lime wedges, and toast. I find that the lime really gives it an extra kick with the peanut sauce especially.

Madras Chicken with Couscous in Slow Cooker

• 3 onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4 apples, cut into chunks (I used gala; original recipe says to peel the apples but I decided it doesn't need this)
  
• 1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt (original recipe said 1/2 teaspoon but I felt it needed more salt so I upped it)
  
• 1-2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 (8-ounce) jar mango chutney (I used cranberry-apple chutney and it was good)
  
• 3 pounds boneless skinless breasts (recipe calls for thighs but I like breasts better)
  
• 3 cups hot cooked couscous
• Greek or plain yogurt
  

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is thoroughly cooked and onions are tender for about 3 hours and 45 minutes on high, 7-9 hours on low. (Original recipe says 7-9 hours, but this came out perfectly in our slow cooker, which doesn't have different temperature options.)

Stir well and serve over couscous with a dollop of plain yogurt on top and additional salt and pepper as desired.

Update on 2/23:
This has become one of our favorite dishes and I've made it several times. In the latest version, I just used one onion and upped the garlic cloves to about 12, and it was great. Also have not had chutney on hand a couple of times, so have substituted jam instead - not as perfect a flavor but still delicious.

Confessions of a Ph.D. Phoodie

A good friend from graduate school and I have recently been sharing lots of recipes back and forth, and were commenting on how much improvement we've witnessed in our culinary abilities - we've gone from perennial takeout consumption to delicious homecooked meals in just a few years. As my friend said, it's nice to have a hobby where, unlike the slogging pursuit of the Ph.D., one can actually see growth, accomplishment, and get occasional positive feedback! I started this blog to share some of my favorite recipes with friends who are also on the long road to the dissertation and need a few delectable distractions along the way.