PAGE 12
REDSTONE • REVIEW
NOVEMBER 17 / DECEMBER 15, 2021
WHAT’S COOKIN’ A simple delicious fish soup for a cool autumn day By Barbara Shark Redstone Review LYONS – I keep a good stock of favorite ingredients in the pantry, fridge and freezer so when time comes for supper, I can count on finding the makings of a delicious meal. Shark The other day I had my five o’clock writing meeting and hadn’t made a plan for dinner afterwards. What can I cook? It was a cool, grey day so soup sounded good. Something hearty enough to be the whole meal with corn muffins or garlic bread on the side. I remembered my trusty fish soup recipe, a simple, delicious dish. I had a head of fennel in the veggie drawer and onions in the pantry. With a can of fire roasted tomatoes, frozen pollack and shrimp, dinner was all set. Plus I could make the soup base in the afternoon and add the fish and shrimp just before we ate. If you are using frozen fish and shrimp, thaw them first. I used about 2/3 pound of frozen pollack fillets and six large shrimp for two generous servings. We had a bit left-
over for the next day’s lunch. This recipe is adaptable to whatever you have available. Use basil, tarragon or parsley instead of fennel, another variety of fish or scallops. Add green chile, celery, red peppers or potatoes. But do try this delicious version first. A simple fish soup Chop an onion and a head of fennel into thin slices that will fit on a soup spoon. Sauté these in a tablespoon of olive oil in a deep pot until translucent and almost tender. Add a couple cloves of garlic, smashed and minced, a teaspoon of fennel seeds and a big pinch of hot red pepper flakes. Pour in a 15-ounce tin of tomatoes, either pureed or chopped. Then add four cups of fish stock, vegetable stock, or water. I make a simple shrimp stock by cooking shrimp shells in four cups of water, with a hunk of the fennel top and a bit of onion, simmering it for 30 minutes, then straining it. Bring the soup base to a boil then lower the heat and cook over medium-low for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. At dinner time, reheat the soup and add a half to one pound of fish cut in one-inch slices – pollack, cod or other white fish – and one half a pound of
peeled shrimp cut into one-inch pieces. Simmer until just cooked, three to five minutes. Garnish each bowl of soup with chopped fennel fronds or parsley. I had leftover salsa verde to top our soup. Barbara Shark is an artist and author of How I Learned to Cook, an Artist's Life. She lives near Lyons, Colorado. For more recipes, read her blog at www.howilearnedtocookanartistslife.blog.
A very Caribbean/Latin American Thanksgiving 2 T freshly squeezed lime juice 1 t olive oil • Heat the peanut oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the bell pepper and the onion and cook over medium heat until onion begins to brown, stirring often. • Add the rice, water, tomato paste, black pepper, salt and lime juice and mix well. • Bring the mixture to a boil, add the olive oil, and immediately put a lid on the saucepan. Turn the heat to low and simmer 20 minutes. Serve hot. By Catherine Metzger Redstone Review SAN MIGUEL COUNTY – Have you heard the shocking Thanksgiving news? We’ve been warned that the supply chain and labor shortages will keep turkeys safely at the farms this year and breathing. Good news for the gobblers among us but, if the unthinkable happens, what are the alternatives to turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and green bean casserole? I recommend a very sweet, spicy and tangy Carribean / Latin American table adorned with Sugar Reef jerk chicken, Costa Rican rice, sautéed glazed vegetables and a sundried cranberry apple pie. If you don’t like rice, you can serve this chicken with your favorite salsa and tortillas. Tender and flavorful, this is a meal for company or just for a special occasion. Most of these recipes are interpreted from the vintage cookbook, The Turtle Bay Cookbook: A Feast of Flavors from Latin America and the Caribbean, by Marie Perucca-Ramirez and Julio J. Ramirez. Sugar Reef Jerk Chicken Serves four. Preparation time 15 minutes for assembly, four hours to marinade; grilling / baking time 20 to 30 minutes grilling or 30 to 40 minutes baking, depending on the thickness of the meat. For the marinade and chicken: 2 C water 1 T Jamaican jerk spices 1 1/2 t chopped, fresh ginger root 1 1/2 t chopped garlic 1/2 C unsweetened pineapple juice 1/2 C peanut oil 8 chicken thighs (about 2 lbs.) • In a small saucepan combine water with the jerk spice, ginger and garlic. • Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add pineapple juice and peanut oil mix well. • Transfer cooled marinade to a large, sealable plastic bag or a non-reactive container. Add the chicken. Cover or seal and refrigerate for four hours, turning occasionally. For the glaze: 3 1/2 T mango chutney 3 1/2 T sugar 3 1/2 T cider vinegar 4 T molasses Hot sauce to taste • Place the chutney, sugar, cider vinegar,
molasses and hot sauce in a blender and purée until smooth. (Extra glaze can be refrigerated and kept for several weeks.) To bake: • Preheat oven to 350°. Pour chicken and marinade over a strainer in the sink and discard the marinade. Place chicken in a medium-sized, shallow baking dish. • Bake the chicken 30 to 40 minutes, until the juices run clear and a meat thermometer placed in the center of the thickest pieces, not touching the bone, registers 180°. Brush on the glaze twice during the last five minutes of cooking. Serve immediately. To grill: • Barbecue the chicken, turning once only, for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the piece. Generously brush on the glaze after the chicken has begun to brown. Serve immediately. Costa Rican Rice Serves six to eight; preparation time 15 minutes, cooking time 20 minutes. 2 T peanut oil 1/3 C diced red or green bell pepper 1/3 C diced onion 2 C long grain rice, well rinsed 1 1/3 C water 2 t tomato paste 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper 2 t salt
Glazed Vegetables Serves four, preparation time 15 minutes. 4 medium-sized peeled carrots, tops and bottoms removed 1 T butter 1/2 t sugar Pinch salt Water to cover carrots 14-oz. can green beans 14-oz. can kernal corn • Cut carrots diagonally about 1/4 inch thick and place in a 9-inch sauté pan. Add butter, sugar and a pinch of salt and cover carrots with water. • Cook uncovered until the water evaporates and the carrots are becoming glazed, about 10 minutes. • Mix in the green beans and corn and heat through. Adjust seasonings if necessary, with salt and pepper. Sun-Dried Cranberry-Apple Pie Serves eight, preparation time 30 minutes, baking time 60 minutes. For the pie shell: 1 C all-purpose flour 2 T sugar 1/4 t salt 1/2 C (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 6 T cold water • Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Rub the cold butter into the flour mixture until it is crumbly, in peasized pieces. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, and mix until the dough leaves the side of the bowl. • Shape pastry into a ball and press onto
a small plate and cover with a damp towel. Refrigerate for a half hour. • Roll the pastry into a round on a lightly floured board. Fit into a 9-inch pie pan. For the filling: 5 apples, peeled, cored and cut into eighths (I used two Granny Smith, two Gala and a small McIntosh) 1/4 C sun-dried cranberries 1/4 C sugar 1/4 t cinnamon • Place apples in medium-sized saucepan filled with simmering water and parboil for three minutes, then pour through a strainer. Place the hot apples in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add cranberries, sugar and cinnamon and mix well. For the crumbly topping: 1/4 C unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 1/2 C all-purpose flour 1/3 C packed brown sugar • Combine flour and butter using your fingertips, breaking the butter into smaller, pea-sized pieces. • Mix in the brown sugar. Assemble and bake the pie: • Preheat oven to 350°. • Place the filling into the prepared 9inch pie shell. Sprinkle the crumbly topping over it evenly. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Catherine Ripley Metzger has been cooking professionally and privately since 1979. She is the proprietor of the food blog www.foodfortheages.com and cooks with curiosity from the ground up in her log cabin home on the Western Slope of Colorado.
Give the Gift of Massage Therapy! Shop Local • Shop Lyons
Hot Stone Massages Two 90-Minute Sessions
Save $10 each
Save $20
All Stages of Tree Care Residential & Mountain Properties
Aromatherapy Treatments
Bryan Baer
Save $10
ISA Certified Arborist INSURED
■
PROFESSIONAL
(303) 775 -5949 www.baerforestry.com
JJ Booksh-Asnicar, LMT
303.709.9090 454 Main Street, Lyons
