Category Archives: MAIN DISH RECIPES

CRUMBLED FETA CHEESE TOPPED VEGETARIAN LENTIL SOUP

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The leaves are changing color and dropping at a prodigious rate. The sky is replete with clouds in every shade of grey. And every once in a while a bit of blue sky allows us a teasing glimpse of the sun. In other words – it’s fall in the Northwest. And with fall comes my ingrained desire to build comfort food. And of course the first dish that comes to mind is soup. But what kind of soup? (That is always the question.)

So I decided to open my first self-published cookbook (Cooking with Family and Friends) to check out the soup recipes in case there was one that I had inadvertently forgotten. My instincts were spot on, because right there in black and white on page 29 was a recipe for lentil soup. And in the note at the bottom of the recipe were the words “Andy loves this soup generously sprinkled with crumbled feta cheese.” How had I let this lovely soup avoid my detection for all these years? Anyway, to make a long story short, the other evening I prepared this soup, with a couple of upgrades, and there was a very happy man sitting with me at the dinner table that evening.

Now one of the lovely aspects of this soup is that it is vegetarian. I try, most of the time unsuccessfully, to cook at least one dinner every week that doesn’t contain meat. We have actually cut way down on our meat consumption, but I still try to eliminate meat completely as much as possible. Not because we aren’t carnivores through and through. But because too much meat isn’t good for either one of us. So when I can serve a soup like this one that has all the flavor and heartiness of a meat dish, I feel extremely proud of myself. And with a soup like this one, neither of us miss meat in the slightest.

So if you too would like to build a healthy and delicious soup for yourself and your family, give this recipe a try. Just don’t forget the feta cheese. Its creamy salty deliciousness just can’t be beat in combination with lentils.

As always, make your kitchen a happy place. Keep it clean and tidy so you can feel refreshed whenever you walk into it to start your meal prep. A nice vase of flowers, or a couple of candles, or some special photos or your children’s art work on the refrigerator to welcome you and the rest of your family into the heart of your home.

When I was raising my children, we had, by today’s standards, a fairly small kitchen. However, there was still enough room for a small round ice cream table with 3 chairs. And even though the dining room table was large and just on the other side of the kitchen wall, plus each of the kids had their own desk, guess where they wanted to do their homework? Yep. When my three youngest children were young, that’s exactly where they wanted to be. At the kitchen table. Maybe not all at the same time. But I was never alone in the kitchen. And that was because the kitchen was warm and cozy, I was there, and I was going about the business of preparing a meal for them. They could see me and talk to me about their day. As far as I was concerned, that simple everyday occurrence was magic. And I wouldn’t exchange those memories with my children for any amount of money. As the kids got older, they shifted to doing their homework at the dining room table. But they were still always close enough to speak with me or hear me clanking cooking pans. (And no, they never once did their homework at their own desks.)

So I offer a toast to happy kitchens! And peace and love to all. And please enjoy this simple soup recipe. It really is delicious.

2 T. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for table

1 onion, chopped

½ tsp. granulated sugar

1 carrot, chopped

2 stalks celery (including leaves), thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. finely chopped fresh parsley

3 tsp. curry powder, divided

2 tsp. dried marjoram

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1 tsp. dried mint

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

freshly ground black pepper

2 c. dry lentils, sorted and rinsed (I use Bob’s Red Mill Lentils – Heritage Beans)

6 c. vegetable broth (I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base)

2 c. water

2 c. chopped fresh baby spinach

2-3 T. fresh lemon juice

crumbled feta cheese (French feta is our favorite)

Heat olive oil in a large heavy covered soup pan. (I use my Le Creuset Dutch Oven.) Add the onion and sugar. Slowly sauté the onion until it is very soft and starting to turn a light caramel color, about 30 minutes. Stir in the carrot and celery and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic, parsley, 2 teaspoons of the curry powder, marjoram, seasoned salt, dried mint, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, and the rinsed lentils. Sauté for 5 minutes more, stirring almost constantly.

Add the broth and water, stir well to combine, making certain you lift any delicious brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, stir again, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 1 hour. Stir periodically.

When the lentils are soft, and just before you are ready to serve, stir in the spinach, remaining 1 teaspoon of curry powder, and lemon juice. (Start with 2 tablespoons. Add more to taste.) Adjust seasoning.

At table, offer crumbled feta cheese and extra virgin olive oil for drizzling. Great served with warm bread.    

CAJUN SMOTHERED CHICKEN

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When I was growing up, my grandmother usually cooked our main Sunday meal. Supper was served after church at about 2:00 pm. And the entrée (which is really too refined a word, but apropos) was most often chicken. (I did grow up on a chicken farm after all.) And any dish that my grandmother prepared that included chicken was always delicious. Always. Even though as an all-around cook, she was lacking in many areas. But that’s neither here nor there. Her chicken dishes were fabulous. And my favorite was basically fried chicken that she had dumped some heavy cream or whole milk over and then baked in the oven until the chicken melted in your mouth. Basically – smothered fried chicken. And then to top things off, she served the chicken with mashed potatoes. OMG. There just wasn’t any food better in my life in those days than grandma’s smothered chicken. So of course it had to be one of the first things I wanted to learn to build for my own family.

And for years I completely failed at making this simple dish as tasty as my grandmother’s. Until the day I realized I was not starting with the same product. Grandma started with a fresh (and I do mean fresh), grain fed chicken fried in butter. (Home churned butter from our cows.) And then baked in heavy cream, again from our cows. While I was starting with a chicken that was fresh all right. Freshly purchased from our local grocery store! And I’m here to tell you, there is simply no comparing the two, even if in reality they are the same critter.

So for years I beat myself up trying to reproduce grandma’s chicken. Finally I figured it out. And decided that I was going to have to add a whole bunch of flavor to the gravy if I was going to produce anything with any flavor at all. The chickens I was able to obtain were never going to be anywhere near as flavorful as the ones my grandparents raised.  

My recipes for Smothered Fried Chicken and Chicken Paprika are already on this site. And they are darned delicious. But yesterday I wanted to come up with a Southern smothered chicken with a Cajun twist. So I went online and found the bones of this recipe on the Immaculate Bites web site. I did make some changes, but mainly this wonderful recipe is compliments of Imma. So thank you Imma for sharing your wonderful recipe.

Now, this is not a low calorie or carb dish. This is a down home, Southern comfort, diet be damned, treat. And absolutely perfect when what you need is a bit of pampering.

And can’t we all use a healthy dose of pampering right now as we ride out the pandemic, race relation havoc, wild fire and hurricane devastation, not to mention the upcoming presidential election. I think for Mr. C. and me, October is going to be dubbed “Comfort Food Month” here at Chez Carr! At least for this year. Hopefully next October will be another story and we can enjoy our usual restrained eating habits in preparation for the holidays. (Right, as if that ever happens!)  

Anyway, we really enjoyed this chicken dish last evening. I served the chicken with steamed rice and fresh green beans. Absolutely yum.

So as always, look on the bright side of life. And do whatever you can to make life better for not only yourself, but for everyone with whom you come in contact. Your smile might mean the difference between a bad day and a good day for a stranger. Your smile might help someone remember that kindness and courtesy are still the prevailing sentiment in our country. And your smile might remind someone that the essence of decency is still alive and well with the mass majority of US citizens.

Most of us are not racist, or homophobic, or xenophobic, or consider ourselves better than others. Most of us are just trying to live our lives as best we can. So please don’t let a few militants detract you from doing what you know in your heart is the right thing to do.   

I love this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King “Cowardice asks the question – is it safe? Expediency asks the question – is it politic? Vanity asks the question – is it popular? But conscience asks the question – is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.”

Peace and love to all.

Frying the Chicken:

1 whole chicken

1 tsp. kosher salt

2-3 tsp. Cajun seasoning, or more to taste

¾ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

pinch cayenne pepper 

½ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. granulated onion

1 tsp. dried thyme

2 tsp. granulated garlic

2 T. vegetable oil  

1 T. unsalted butter

1 med. onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, finely minced

Cut the chicken into 8 pieces – 2 thighs, 2 legs, 2 breasts – each cut in half. (I leave the skin on the chicken legs, but remove it from the thighs and breasts.) I use the wings and backs to make the chicken stock for the gravy. (See recipe below.)

Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel, then season both sides with the kosher salt and Cajun seasoning. Whisk the flour, cayenne, paprika, white pepper, granulated onion, dried thyme, and granulated garlic together in a shallow container. Dredge the seasoned chicken in flour mixture until well coated. Shake off excess flour. Save the rest of the seasoned flour.  

Heat oil and butter in a lidded cast iron or heavy skillet over medium heat. (I use my shallow lidded Le Creuset Cast Iron Braiser pan for this recipe.) Fry the chicken on both sides until golden brown. Remove chicken from skillet and place on a plate. (The chicken doesn’t have to be completely done at this point.)

Add the onion to the skillet; sauté until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another minute. Remove onion and garlic to the same plate with the chicken. Do not wash the frying pan.  

Making the Chicken Gravy:

3 T. unsalted butter

3 c. chicken broth, or more as needed (see recipe below)

¾ c. whole milk

Add the butter to the pan. Then add the remainder of the seasoned flour left over from dredging the chicken. Stir with a heavy whisk until it comes together and forms a dry paste. Let cook for a couple minutes over low heat until the roux starts to brown. Stir the whole time. (The darker the roux, the more flavorful the gravy.)

Then very slowly pour in the chicken broth and whisk like crazy. (You don’t want any lumps in your gravy.) And make sure you get every last bit of the stuck on brown stuff on the bottom of the pan. Therein lies a lot of flavor. Then add the milk and cook for about 5 minutes until the gravy is nice and thick. Return the chicken pieces including any juices, onions, and garlic to the pan. Mix all together. Taste the gravy and adjust seasoning. Bring gravy to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover pan and remove from heat.

Bake the chicken and gravy in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Halfway through the baking time, stir the chicken to prevent sticking. Add more chicken stock if the gravy looks too thick. When done, the chicken should be falling off the bone tender. Remove from oven and let sit covered for 5-7 minutes.  

Serve with rice or mashed potatoes and a green veggie or salad.

Please Note: You can use other chicken cuts based on your preference.

Simple Homemade Chicken Stock

4 c. water

1 T. chicken bouillon (I use Better Than Bouillon Chicken base)

wings and back from the cut up chicken

1 lg. carrot, cut into chunks

1 celery stalk, plus leaves – chunked

¼ lg. onion, chunked

1 lg. bay leaf

2 tsp. dried parsley

¼ tsp. dried thyme

¼ tsp. poultry seasoning

freshly ground black pepper

Place in a large covered soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for a couple of hours. Use as the broth for this recipe.

ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE, KALE, AND PASTA SOUP

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So once again it’s the beginning of soup season. Well that is, for most people. Not me. I love a good old bowl of soup year round. But I do have to admit, every year at this time the urge to make soup gets stronger. And yesterday was no exception.

I had just baked a batch of Chewy Sourdough Baguettes (recipe on this site) and thought a nice hearty vegetable soup would be the perfect accompaniment. (You realize I probably should have stated that the bread would be a perfect accompaniment to the soup. But for me, I know what comes first in my list of priorities!) Anyway, I had some Andouille sausage that needed to be eaten and I always have kale growing in a half wine barrel on the West side of our house. (The stuff grows like a weed. You can’t kill it. And the kind I have is a perennial. And I swear it lives to reproduce itself. I find baby plants in the ground all around the wine barrel.) But back to this recipe.

So researching under Andouille sausage and kale, I found the bones of this recipe on the healthyseasonalrecipes.com site. I changed things up a bit, but I still want to thank Katie for this fantastic recipe.

Now something you should know. We like our soup to have flavor. Shocking admittance, right?!?! But I have tried too many simple recipes like this one where any lovely flavors introduced into the soup completely disappear during the cooking process. (Where do you suppose they go?) Anyway, I’m really not sure how that happens, but I’ll bet you have had at least one similar experience. You start with a flavorful meat, add some veggies and herbs, and end up with a blah broth. Well, not if you make this soup. Ain’t going to happen.

(A neat trick I’ve learned over the years. When using a nicely flavored sausage like Andouille, brown it first in the oil you are going to use to cook your veggies. Then remove at least part of the cooked sausage, set it aside, and add it back towards the end of the cooking time. Then when you eat the soup, you get a nice burst of sausage flavor, not just a piece of meat with all the taste sucked out of it. But back to this recipe.)

Now let’s talk anise seed. DO NOT LEAVE IT OUT OF THIS SOUP! If you don’t enjoy licorice, fennel, or caraway, you are probably not going to like the flavor of anise seed. Therefore you might not enjoy this soup. But if you do like the flavor, you are going to love this dish. But don’t get me wrong. This is not a recipe for licorice soup. The flavor is there and it is a distinctive taste, but it’s not overwhelming. It’s simply YUM!!!

So if you would like a recipe for an easy to build soup, with simple ingredients, that doesn’t have to simmer for hours, this is the recipe for you. Plus this healthy vegetable soup is just different enough to appeal to taste buds that require constant gratification or bore easily. (Guilty as charged!)

My only mistake I made when preparing this soup was that I didn’t double the recipe. So if you have a large family or want planned-overs, I suggest you double the recipe.

As always, please vote in the upcoming election. But before casting your ballot, continue to search for the truth, consider global consequences, and above all – trust your instincts. If a food item looks rotten and smells rotten, then it probably is rotten. Throw it out! Same goes for words out of someone’s mouth. If someone is spouting hate, and derision, and condoning behavior you find repugnant, then that too is a sign of rot. And it too should be thrown out. Bad behavior should never be condoned or excused. So please, vote with your brain. Pretend you have no party allegiance. And forget the way you voted in the past. What does your brain (and your heart) tell you about each candidate? Then vote accordingly. Peace and love to all.

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

6 oz. Andouille sausage, halved lengthwise, then again, and diced into small pieces

¾ c. diced yellow onion

1 carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper  

1½ tsp. dry marjoram

½ tsp. anise seed

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. tomato paste

½ c. dry white wine

4 c. chicken broth  

½ c. pasta (I use small elbow macaroni)

4 c. chopped kale

grated Pecorino-Romano or Parmesan cheese, opt. garnish  

Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed lidded soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced sausage and cook until it is browned. Remove the sausage from pan and set aside.

Stir in the onion, carrot, and celery, stirring often, until the veggies start to soften and the bottom of the pot is starting to brown slightly, about 5 to 7 minutes. While the veggies soften, stir in the salt, pepper, dried marjoram, and anise seed. When the veggies are softened, stir in the garlic and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the wine and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer the soup for about 20 minutes.

Add the uncooked pasta, reserved Andouille sausage, and the kale. Cover the pot and return to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Pass the grated cheese at table. Great served with fresh sourdough baguette slices.   

     

LIGHTLY SMOKED BAKED STEELHEAD TROUT OR SALMON

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Over the years we have enjoyed this dish prepared by Andy’s sister Katie and husband Rick many times. Rick lightly smokes the fish, then Katie takes over and semi-poaches/bakes the lightly smoked fish in the oven. And every time we love eating this dish and threaten to learn how it’s prepared.

So a few months ago, we were all together and Rick taught Mr. C. how to smoke fish. And then I watched Katie do her magic in the kitchen to add even more flavor to this easy preparation. And wow, we followed their guide and the other evening we had a delicious dinner featuring this easy to prepare new favorite.

The first thing we learned was that Rick and Katie prefer to use Steelhead trout for this recipe (see below for information about this delicious fish) instead of salmon because it contains just the perfect amount of fat. Plus it’s high in omega-3 acids. Who knew? Not me, that’s for sure. But the proof is always in the pudding (so to speak), and their smoked and baked salmon was always the best we ever tasted. (Restaurants should prepare their salmon entrees this well. They would increase their profit margins considerably.)

So now you have a choice to make. (Not whether or not to make this dish. You should just do so at your earliest convenience.) No, your choice is whether to buy Steelhead trout or stick with your favorite   salmon variety. So, take your pick. And truly, any choice you make is going to be the right one. You simply can’t go wrong with this preparation.

No wait, that’s not exactly true. You could inadvertently bake the fish too long. Don’t do that! This is the time to pay attention and check the temperature of the fish frequently.

As always, keep cooking fun and wonderful new dishes with which to thrill and delight your family and friends. (Social distancing protocols in place of course!) And while you’re at it, have fun doing so! Food simply tastes better when it’s prepared with love. (One of the magic ingredients.) Peace and love to all. (And please vote!)

1-2 lb. Steelhead trout or salmon fillets, lightly smoked* (we all prefer Steelhead Trout**)

3 T. unsalted butter, melted

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

¼ c. dry white wine

2 T. fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley

lemon slices 

Melt butter in a small pan. Stir in the salt, pepper, white wine, lemon juice, and parsley.

Place salmon in a single layer, skin side down in a baking dish. Pour the butter mixture over the fish and place lemon slices on top.

(Please note: I used the ingredients listed above. But you can add fresh dill or capers, or change the ingredients altogether to better suite your own taste. This recipe is more about the method than the ingredients. My choice of ingredients just happened to work out well for us.)

Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 12-25 minutes, depending on thickness. When the fish is done, it should register no more than 125 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Or you can check for doneness by using a fork to pull back on a section of the thickest part of the filet. If the salmon is done, the flesh will look opaque and a knife will slide easily through the flesh. Remove from oven and let rest for about 2 minutes before serving.

*Rick suggests and Andy concurs that about 45 minutes using alder chips is the perfect amount of time and the best smoking wood for this recipe. Thank you gentlemen. And thanks again to Katie and Rick for this wonderful recipe.  

** Native to the West Coast and Alaska, steelhead trout are a silvery fish with a similar taste and look as Pacific salmon. Steelhead trout lack the fatty mouthfeel of some salmon, offering a more delicate flavor and flaky texture. Steelhead trout are often mistaken for salmon, as they both have bright orange-pink flesh that cooks to opaque. Steelhead trout can be substituted for salmon in most recipes.

Compared to Atlantic salmon, which is often found in thick cuts, steelhead trout are smaller and thinner, and cook more quickly. Steelhead trout are often confused with rainbow trout. While they’re of the same species, rainbow trout spend their lives in fresh water, and steelhead trout are anadromous (spend parts of their lives in fresh and salt water). Rainbow trout tend to be smaller, with paler flesh and a gamier flavor.  

BLACKENED SALMON CAESAR

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Yesterday as I was thinking about what to fix for dinner, my taste buds proceeded to full alert, and must have connected with my brain to inform me that they were in the mood for a big old salad. They were also hankering after seafood. So never being one to ignore my taste buds, I decided a Caesar salad with seafood would fill the bill. At about the same time, Mr. C. announced that he had to go into town.

Now going into town for us means leaving the island via a bridge, the one and only way off the island. Just over the bridge, whether you want to or not, you find yourself in the city of Stanwood. Stanwood is a pleasant little burg with a population of about 7,500 folks. It’s situated 50 miles north of Seattle at the mouth of the Stillaguamish River. And it contains 3 grocery stores. A QFC (Quality Food Center), a Haggen grocery store, and a Grocery Outlet.

Since Mr. C. had to go into Stanwood anyway, I asked him to pick up some salmon while he was out and about. I figured a blackened salmon Caesar salad would make a fine dinner for us. The only drawback to this plan, was that I had never prepared blackened salmon before. Blackened anything for that matter. But I had enjoyed blackened salmon at restaurants, so I figured I could do this type of preparation at home. What could possibly be difficult about throwing a few ingredients together, decorating the salmon fillets with the mixture, and throwing the whole mess in a stinkin’ hot pan? And as it turned out, there was absolutely no difficulty involved. I was absolutely right in my thinking. (I won’t say that was a first for me, but unfortunately, it doesn’t happen as often as I would like!)

So with a great recipe for blackened salmon in hand (thank you wellplated.com for this marvelous recipe) I proceeded to prep for our dinner. I cleaned the romaine, made the salad dressing, and cut and fried up some homemade bread for croutons while Mr. C. was at the store. Then I assembled the blackening ingredients and set them aside.

I often prep for dinner in the late afternoon. I do as much as I can ahead of time so that I can leisurely enjoy my before dinner libation. I got in the habit when I was first retired. It was just such a joy (and still is) to be able to unhurriedly prep for dinner after decades of coming through the back door after a long day at work, proceeding directly to the bedroom to change cloths, and then finding myself five minutes later in the kitchen frantically working at getting dinner on the table in a reasonable amount of time. (Sound all too familiar?) But I must confess. I always enjoyed my job. But being retired is ever so much nicer! But more about this recipe.

I have been making Caesar salads with homemade dressing for years now. And yes, homemade Caesar salads are just as good, if not better than you can find in restaurants. And not difficult either.

And after preparing the blackened salmon, which is also easy to prepare and even better than you will find in most restaurants since you have control of how long it stays on the heat (I hate when fish is overcooked and becomes dry), there is no reason not to fix this delicious salad yourself at home.

Well that’s enough about food for today. It’s supposed to be really warm in the Pacific NW for the next few days, and I believe it. The sky is clear, our mountain (Mt. Baker) is out in all its glory, the kitties are all napping, and Mr. C. is on the golf course. And I have nothing I need to accomplish which as luck would have it is in direct proportion to my decreased energy level today. So I’m going to leisurely build some bread (I love to make bread), then sit down in our courtyard and read. And while I’m at it, I’m also going to count my blessings and give thanks for my wonderful husband, for parents who taught me right from wrong, and for my immediate family, extended family, and close friends who have so graciously enriched my life and have helped me stay sane, grounded, encouraged, relatively calm (or as calm as I can be during these difficult times), happy, and content. Peace and love to all – be you family member, friend, or a reader discovering my blog for the first time.

romaine lettuce, cut, washed and spun dry  

Caesar dressing (see recipe below)

grated Parmesan cheese  

garlic croutons, opt. (see recipe below)  

blackened salmon fillet (see recipe below)

lemon wedges

Place the romaine lettuce in a large mixing bowl. Add just enough dressing to coat the leaves, but not so much that the salad appears and tastes “wet”.

Add Parmesan cheese. (I have found that using less Parmesan cheese than you think you need is probably just about right. Too much Parmesan overpowers the other flavors and makes the salad too rich.)

Stir in garlic croutons. (As few or as many as you like)

Plate individual salads. Top each with one of the blackened salmon fillets. Pass additional lemon wedges.

Caesar Dressing:

1 lg. garlic clove, finely minced

6 anchovy fillets or 1-2 tsp. anchovy paste

2 T. fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

3 T. sour cream

¼ tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil

Combine garlic and anchovy fillets or paste in a small bowl. Mush them together with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and whisk to blend thoroughly. Use immediately

Garlic Croutons:

1 T. butter or extra virgin olive oil (or a combination)

2-3 c. cubed crusty, chewy bread

granulated garlic

Melt butter or olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add bread cubes and slowly sauté until crunchy and browned. (This takes upward of 45 minutes, so plan to make croutons when you are working on other dishes and are close at hand.) Stir frequently. When the bread cubes are golden brown and crunchy, lightly sprinkle with granulated garlic. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Blackened Salmon:

1 T. paprika

1 tsp. brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

¾ tsp. granulated onion  

¾ tsp. granulated garlic  

½ tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. dried thyme

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

3-4 salmon fillet portions, skin on*  

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

lemon wedges

In a small bowl, stir the paprika, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, granulated onion, granulated garlic, cayenne, oregano, and thyme together. (I use my finger tips to moosh all the ingredients together.)

Place the salmon on a large plate, flesh-side up, and pat dry with paper towels. Brush the salmon fillets with the melted butter.

Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the buttered fish. Lightly pat the spices to adhere as needed.

Heat a large cast iron skillet or similar heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. (Do not add oil). (If you have an outdoor kitchen, now is the time to use it!) If not, turn your exhaust fan on high and open a window or door or both if things start to get smoky.

Salmon frying in a cast iron pan on one of the burners of my outdoor kitchen. And yes that is an empty martini glass you see on the white cutting board.

 Once the pan is completely hot (a droplet of water should dance on its surface), gently place the fillets seasoned side down. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes without disturbing the fillets, until the surface is blackened (peek as little as possible so that the salmon gets a nice dark color), then carefully turn each piece of salmon over.  

2nd side cooking

Continue cooking over medium heat until the skin becomes crispy, and the fish is fully cooked through, about 5 to 6 additional minutes depending upon the thickness of your fillets. (The fish should reach 145 degrees on an instant read thermometer at the thickest part.)

Squeeze lemon over the salmon. Carefully lift the salmon, minus the skin if possible, either directly onto salads or to a plate until you are ready to serve.

*If your salmon fillets come skinned on both sides, simply brush the top of the fish with melted butter while the first side (the one with the blackening seasoning) is cooking. Then flip and cook as directed above.

The moon over Port Susan Bay last evening. And yes it really was that color.

PORK TENDERLOIN IN CREOLE GRAVY OVER EASY CHEEZY GRITS

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And yes that’s a bowl of Slow Simmered Smoked Pork Shank/Hock with Mixed Greens you see on that plate. Yum is all I have to say!

I am such a lover of Cajun and Creole food. If it were possible, I would hop on a plane today and drift down to New Orleans for the fabulous food. And of course the great jazz and also to be able to spend time with our dear family friends John and Carol. But alas, there is no getting on a plane or eating in restaurants for us until the coronavirus is contained. So, the next best thing is to cook up some of my favorite dishes up here in the beautiful NW and listen to my very own resident jazz pianist. (Not a bad life dear readers. Not a bad life at all!)

But the ambiance is just not the same. For all intents and purposes, it appears to a visitor that New Orleans never sleeps. (I’m sure it’s because everyone, residents and vacationers alike, simply can’t stop eating the wonderful food and listening to fabulous jazz.)

Plus there’s just something exciting about being in a city that on average is six feet below sea level. FYI: The site of the city was originally very low in relation to sea level, but human interference has caused the city to sink even lower. When New Orleans was being constructed they ran out of good land. To make more room, engineers drained swamplands around the area so they could continue expansion. This drainage led to subsidence. Subsidence is sinking or settling to a lower level, in this case it was the earth’s surface sinking lower in relation to sea level. This sinking effect has led to present day New Orleans.

When we were in New Orleans several years ago, we watched as large ships navigated along the Mississippi river where the level of the diked water was actually higher than we were! After that exhilarating experience, we simply had to retire to Café Du Monde for beignets. (The beignets were wonderful. The chicory coffee, not so much!) We would have hit one of the local bars for a restorative, but it was only 10:30 in the morning. Just a bit too early for us to start imbibing alcohol. Even in New Orleans!

But enough about New Orleans. And back to Camano Island and our kitchen which is somewhere between 250 and 300 feet above sea level. Not nearly as dramatic as looking up at water, but a heck of a lot more relaxing. Pretty sure we aren’t at risk of being flooded out. Unless of course we are hit with the “really big one”. (A seismic catastrophe.) In that case, all bets are off! But back to this recipe.

My first experience making a Cajun pork stew was back in 2015 – Grillades (Cajun Meat Stew) and Cheese Grits. It too is a really tasty stew served over grits and quite similar in many ways to this recipe. The main difference is that this recipe has a stronger tomato component and uses roasted peppers (red and yellow) rather than a green pepper. Both recipes are delicious, but just enough different to make life interesting.

So if you get a hankering for some Creole Food, build this recipe. And if you want to go full in Louisiana, add a bowl of Slow Simmered Smoked Pork Shank/Hock with Mixed Greens or Collard Greens with Smoked Pork Hock. And don’t forget the corn bread. BTW – there are several great cornbread recipes on this site too.

As always, stay safe, stay diligent about protecting ethnic diversity that brings us wonderful dishes like this, and keep defending every person’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

None of us had a choice as to what ethnicity we would prefer, what nation we wanted to call home, who our parents would be, what level of intellect we would be given, how tall we would be, etc. The only thing we have ever had any control over, is the kind of person we would become and steadfastly remain. And how we would use the gifts we were given in a positive way to help everyone live a better and more productive life. 

So anyone who feels superior for being born a white person (for example), or intelligent, or physically attractive, or talented, or born into a wealthy family, or any of the other attributes that can lead a person to become conceited, is disgraceful in my opinion. A person should be proud of themselves and their accomplishments. That’s physiologically healthy, recommended, and applauded. But to feel superior because of one’s color, or monetary position, or societal status, or really for any reason, I find that behavior reprehensible. And yes, I am scared beyond belief at what might be the outcome of the upcoming November election. Our country has taken a terrible hit these last almost four years. I only hope and pray that a change for the better will come to pass.

Peace and Love to all.  

Pork Tenderloin in Creole Gravy:

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 pork tenderloins, silver skin and excess fat removed, cut into bite sized pieces

½ lg. yellow onion, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced 

1 T. paprika

pinch cayenne pepper

3-4 tsp. creole seasoning, or more to taste

pinch kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes (preferably Italian)

1½ c. roasted peppers, diced or 1 jar (12 oz.) Cento brand Red & Yellow Roasted Peppers)

2 T. tomato paste

½ c. beef or vegetable broth

1½ tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. unsalted butter

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large covered Dutch oven or heavy pan. Add the meat and fry until nicely browned. Add the remaining olive oil, onion, and celery; cook until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the paprika, cayenne, creole seasoning, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.   

Add the diced tomatoes, roasted peppers, tomato paste, broth, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and butter.

Bake covered in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for about 2 hours. Check after an hour and add additional liquid if necessary. (You want a thick sauce, but you don’t want it to burn.) (You also want the meat to be fork tender.)

Remove from oven, adjust seasoning, and serve over Easy Cheezy Grits.

Easy Cheesy Grits:

1½ c. whole milk

1½ c. water

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

¾ c. quick-cooking grits

2 tsp. dried chopped chives, opt.

1 T. butter

1 c. sharp cheddar, grated

Bring the milk, water, salt, and pepper to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Gradually whisk in grits and chives. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and cheese. Adjust seasoning. If you like thinner grits, add a little more milk before adding the butter and cheese.

PAN FRIED FISH WITH LEMON AIOLI

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About once a week I get a craving for seafood. But I’m not picky. I like seafood baked, poached, grilled, sauced, pan fried, sautéed with other ingredients – you name it. My mouth just wants to chomp on something that once either swam in or inhabited a river, lake, sea, or ocean. And the other evening was no exception. So when Mr. C. declared that he planned to do a bit of grocery shopping, I jumped at the chance to ask him to include some fresh fish in with the other purchases. And when that man exceeds, he does so in style. He brought home the most beautiful piece of ling cod I had seen in a very long time. Thick, firm fleshed, no fishy smell, and with a modicum of pin bones. Every cooks dream piece of meat. And yes, I consider fish meat. And I know, some would argue, but in my book, if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck! And no, fish is not a duck – but it is the flesh of an animal used for food. Anyway, with this beautiful piece of meat in hand, I felt obliged to do something marvelous with it.

Now, we absolutely love pan fried fish. And there are several recipes for fried fish already on this site. (Isn’t it fun to have choices?) But I was in the mood to play recipe developer, so after donning the appropriate cap, I proceeded to my kitchen.  

Now something I’ve told you before, but need to reiterate, is that sometimes I make miracles. Other times I make something that could be described as edible, but definitely doesn’t need to be repeated or recorded for posterity. But the other evening I produced a really excellent pan fried fish. The fish was perfectly cooked, had a crunchy and tasty coating, and was absolutely delicious served with this simple, lemony aioli. What could be better? OK, world peace would be better, but so far I haven’t found the right recipe to make that happen.  

But I now think I have tasty fried fish just about covered on this blog. So I can check that off my list. (This should allow me more time to work on world peace. Now, if I could only remember where I left my crystal ball!)

So stay cool, stay constant (no one feels comfortable or sometimes even safe with someone whose mood shifts faster than an Mk4 Toyota Supra), and stay informed. Always better to know what’s happening around you than to bury your head under a pillow. Even if what’s going on isn’t pleasant. Knowledge is power. And we all need to feel that we have at least some power over our own destiny and the destiny of our loved ones. Especially our children. Or at the very least, knowledge allows us to be semi-prepared to deal with circumstances over which we have absolutely no control.  

As always, peace and love to all.

Lemon Aioli:

¼ c. mayonnaise

¼ c. sour cream

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 T. fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

scant ¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Whisk all the ingredients together. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Pan Fried Fish:

1 egg

⅓ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

⅓ c. plain dry bread crumbs

½ tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

1 tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

pinch cayenne pepper

1-1½ lb. fish with a firm, almost dense texture – the thicker the fillet the better, cut into serving sized pieces (I used ling cod the other evening, but halibut, catfish, tilapia, or red snapper would have been wonderful too.)

vegetable oil

1 T. unsalted butter

Whisk the egg in a small shallow container. (I use an 8-inch round cake pan.) Whisk the flour, bread crumbs, Old Bay Seasoning, seasoned salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together in another shallow pan. (And yes, I use another cake pan for this purpose.)

Place the fish in the beaten egg, and turn until every bit of the fish is coated with egg. Move the pieces to the flour mixture and let the pieces sit for a minute or two on the first side. Then turn the pieces over and make certain all sides are all well coated with the seasoned bread crumbs. Let the pieces sit again in the seasoned bread crumbs for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, coat the bottom of a frying pan with vegetable oil. Use a pan that will accommodate all the fish (not touching of course), but not larger than required. Add the butter and heat until the butter is sizzling.

Place the coated fish carefully in the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, or until the first side is nicely browned. Then carefully turn the fish and cook the second side for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. The internal temperature should reach 145 degrees.

Remove from pan and place on a paper towel. Serve immediately. Pass the Lemon Aioli.

FYI – The 10-Minute Rule for Cooking Fish from Orca Bay Foods:

“Measure the fish at its thickest point. If the fish is stuffed or rolled, measure it after stuffing or rolling.

Cook fish about 10 minutes per inch, turning it halfway through the cooking time. For example, a 1-inch fish steak should be cooked 5 minutes on each side for a total of 10 minutes. Pieces less than ½-inch thick do not have to be turned over. Test for doneness. Flake with a fork. Fish should reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees.

Add 5 minutes to the total cooking time for fish cooked in foil or in sauce. Double the cooking time for frozen fish that has not been defrosted.”

     

FAST AND EASY ITALIAN SAUSAGE PASTA

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Now this is what I call an easy recipe. Hardly any prep work, and a resulting product that smacks of hours of simmering, when in reality, very little time is actually involved. And the results – absolutely divine.

I think sometimes we cooks over think and over ingredient dishes that should be left simple and basic. Good Italian sausage already has a lot of flavor. But I am as guilty as the next cook of not allowing just a few simple ingredients to speak for themselves. I’m always trying to over achieve, when almost any dish I prepare would probably be better served (literally and figuratively), if basically left simple. And this pasta sauce is a prime example. Simple ingredients, not a lot of time involved, and a taste that is pure Italian.

So if you are also one of those cooks like me that is always trying to make dishes more complex than necessary, give this recipe a try. You too might learn a valuable lesson. Of course with me, being older than dirt, the lesson might not stick. But if you are younger, and have a more flexible mind, you might be able to learn restraint. (It really is too late for me.) But I have confidence that those of you who are still learning might take advantage of what I am just now realizing at my advanced age. It’s the old do as I say, not as I do “thing”.

One thing I can promise you however, that regardless of your age or culinary experience, you are going to love this pasta dish. It’s clean tasting, simple, and reminiscent of late afternoon dinners in sunny Italian courtyards filled with happy diners, drinking young red wine, and dunking crusty, chewy, freshly baked bread in seasoned olive oil. (Oh how I love Italy.) So to all – keep striving for excellence.

I’ve been thinking lately of Corinthians 13:11, which has always been a part of scripture I truly felt was pertinent to everyday life. Now more than ever. “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child: When I became a man (woman), I put the ways of childhood behind me.”

It’s not easy being an adult. It’s a whole lot of hard work, often unrecognized or properly appreciated. It’s simply a whole lot easier to act like a child, than to think, react, and comport oneself as an adult. But especially now, all of us have a huge challenge. Especially parents of young children. How you manage your self during this difficult time is the lesson your children will be learning and taking with them into adulthood. So be kind, be loving, and be sensitive to the needs of those around you. I salute each and every one of you. And I pray for a better tomorrow for all of us. Peace and Love to all.

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage

¾ c. finely diced onion

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

¼ c. dry white wine

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes (preferably Italian)

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

4-6 oz. penne pasta (or pasta of choice) cooked al dente

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the Italian sausage until browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.

Add the white wine and cook until all the liquid is evaporated. Add the canned tomatoes, including liquid, crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 7-8 minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporated. Adjust seasoning.

Add the al dente pasta, and about a fourth cup of Parmesan cheese. Pass extra Parmesan at table.

 

BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH SWISS CHEESE AND SPINACH

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So whatever possessed me to ask Mr. C. to pick up some Swiss cheese and a big old container of spinach last time he made a grocery run was both prescient and fortuitous. Because twice this week already, I have wanted to use both ingredients. And there they were. Just waiting to be discovered in my refrigerator.

I used the Swiss cheese in my Shrimp, Sautéed Onion, and Swiss Chard Quiche. And last night I used it in this dish. I sautéed the spinach a couple nights ago as a side veggie, and used it again last evening in this glommed together chicken casserole. So it truly does pay to be well prepared. Even if, as in this case, my having both of these wonderful ingredients on hand can only be attributed to old fashioned blind luck.

But whatever the reason, it was great fun yesterday piecing this dish together. I read a few chicken casserole recipes before starting, but most of them either contained ingredients like cream of chicken soup or stuffing mix that I didn’t have on hand. Or didn’t include ingredients I did have on hand like various kinds of cheese and fresh spinach. So I stopped researching recipes and decided to wing it. And I’m so glad I did. It forced me to invent my own version of a can of condensed cream of chicken soup, and it allowed me to use some more of the fresh spinach and most of my remaining Swiss cheese. And the result? Magnifique!

So if you too would enjoy owning a recipe that features chicken, Swiss cheese, and spinach – I highly recommend this one. It’s quite easy to prepare. And yes, if you must, you can substitute a can of condensed cream of chicken soup and a bit of dry white wine for the first 9 ingredients in this recipe.  

Since the first 9 ingredients are basically the equivalent of undiluted cream of chicken soup, I replicated the recipe at the bottom of this post in case you would like to print it as a stand-alone recipe. It is really tasty and would be a fine substitute in any recipe calling for a can of C of C soup. I also posted my Condensed Cream of Mushroom soup recipe, just in case you might want to make your own C C of M soup rather than opening a can.

Since I am being magnanimous today, I am going to spare you my thoughts concerning our current government leaders, racist idiots, bigots, gun freaks, maskless morons, and other groups of people who absolutely do not meet my non-prejudicial, accurate, and reasonable assessment of their value in today’s society. In other words – it’s your lucky day!

As always, peace and love to all.

8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided

6 T. flour

¼ tsp. seasoned salt, plus a pinch more for topping

freshly ground black pepper

lg. pinch granulated garlic

lg. pinch granulated onion

1 c. chicken stock or 1 c. water and 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base

½ c. whole milk or ¼ c. heavy cream, ¼ c. water  

¼ c. dry white wine

2 lg. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half, then sliced in half again lengthwise (you want all the chicken to be about the same thickness)  

2 c. roughly chopped fresh spinach

generous 1/8-inch thick slices Swiss cheese (enough to cover the chicken pieces)

1 c. Panko bread crumbs

In a small sauce pan, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter over medium low heat. Add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. Add the ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and granulated onion. Add the chicken broth, milk, and white wine. Whisk together to smooth out the lumps, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. (The sauce will be very thick. That’s what you want. And it can be made ahead.)  

Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or 8×10-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Place chicken pieces in pan in a single layer, top with the raw spinach, and then the Swiss cheese slices. Smooth the sauce evenly over all. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the topping.

To make the Panko topping, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small pan. Remove from heat. Add the Panko bread crumbs and a pinch of seasoned salt; stir to combine.    

After the 45 minutes of baking time, remove from oven and evenly sprinkle the Panko topping over the casserole. (I turn on my ovens convection option at this time to help brown the Panko topping.)

Bake another 15 minutes, remove from oven, and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving. I served the chicken last evening with seasoned brown rice (see recipe below) and steamed fresh green beans. Made for a lovely meal.

SEASONED BROWN RICE (made in a rice cooker)

1 c. brown rice

1¾ c. water

¼ tsp. seasoned salt, or more to taste

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Throw everything in your rice cooker. Set the rice cooker on GO. Takes about an hour.

CONDENSED CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP (homemade version = roughly 1 can)

6 T. (¾ stick) unsalted butter

6 T. flour

¼ tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

lg. pinch granulated garlic

lg. pinch granulated onion

1 c. chicken stock or 1 c. water and 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base

½ c. whole milk or ¼ c. heavy cream, ¼ c. water  

¼ c. dry white wine

In a small sauce pan, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter over medium low heat. Add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. Add the seasoned salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and granulated onion. Add the chicken stock, milk, and white wine. Whisk together to smooth out the lumps, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. (The sauce will be very thick. That’s what you want. And it can be made ahead.)

CONDENSED CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP (homemade version = roughly 1 can)

3 T. unsalted butter

½ c. chopped button mushrooms, or mushrooms of choice

3 T. flour

¼ tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

pinch granulated onion  

pinch granulated garlic

¼ – ½ tsp. dried mushroom powder*, opt., but really makes a difference

1½ c. whole milk

1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base
 

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the chopped mushrooms. Sauté slowly until the mushroom start to brown.  

Add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. (If it feels like a little more butter would be nice, add a bit.) Add the seasoned salt, pepper, granulated onion, granulated garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of the dried mushroom powder. (You can always add more mushroom powder when you taste and adjust seasonings later in the recipe if you would like a stronger mushroom flavor.)

Slowly whisk in the milk and vegetable base. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust seasoning as required. Use in any recipe calling for an a can of cream of mushroom soup.

* Dried Mushroom Powder: Can be purchased online or you can make mushroom powder at home. Start with any type of dried mushrooms. Place in your blender or spice grinder and let it whirl. (My spice grinder is an inexpensive coffee grinder dedicated just for the purpose of grinding herbs, spices, and anything other than coffee!)

Store mushroom powder in an airtight container. Great for adding depth of flavor to almost any dish that calls for mushrooms.

   

       

SHRIMP, SAUTÉED ONION, AND SWISS CHARD QUICHE

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I love quiche. I also love shrimp. So yesterday, as I was planning what to cook for dinner, remembering that I had a tiny bit of Swiss chard that needed to be used, and some Swiss cheese that kept yelling at me from the deli drawer of our refrigerator, I put my thinking cap squarely on the top of my head! (But before I go on, don’t you just hate it when ingredients yell at you? And if you respond in kind, your spouse looks at you as if your mind has slipped yet another cog. That of course may be true in my case, but no one likes to be reminded of their incipient mental infirmity.) Anyway, the Swiss cheese won. So what to do with the lovely combination of Swiss chard and Swiss cheese. Of course the solution was evident. Make a French dish. Duh!

Actually there’s a bit more to it than quiche being a French invention. This bit of quiche history from the finedininglovers.com site, is most interesting and enlightening. I’ve edited the original article a bit, but not in any significant way.

“At its most basic, quiche is dough. There are numerable variations, but the most famous is quiche Lorraine. This was the first quiche that Americans learned of, thanks to Julia Child, and so it is the one most likely to come to mind. This specialty comes from the Lorraine region of France.

Alsace and Lorraine hug the border between France and Germany, so that Alsace and Lorraine are both French and German and are also their own unique place. The most ubiquitous dish from Lorraine is quiche. And the specialty quiche from Lorraine features Gruyère cheese, onion, fatty bacon (French lardons), and nutmeg as its primary flavors.

The history of quiche, a dish we think of as quintessentially French, is actually a liminal one, in that the dish is of German origin. The word ‘quiche’ comes from the German word kuchen, meaning cake. Thus quiche is a savory cake, and Lorraine is a rather new name for a region that, under Germanic rule, was called the Kingdom of Lothringen. There are 13th century recipes for egg and cream baked in a dough crust in Italy, so it is difficult to say exactly where such a simple and ubiquitous approach to baking first began. In the 14th century English recipe collection, The Forme of Cury, there is a recipe like this with the unappetizing name – Crustardes of flesh.” But back to this recipe, which I must say is appetizing!

But why a shrimp quiche you might ask?

Well, if you are following my posts, you know that our beloved upright, non-frost-free freezer is coming to the end of its very long and useful life. And because everyone and their cousin are apparently just discovering the joys of storing more than one day’s supply of food in their home since the pandemic, there isn’t an upright freezer to be begged, borrowed, or even stolen in our area. So using up our frozen food ASAP (especially seafood) has been the driving force behind many of the main dishes I have been currently preparing. (I really can make a short story long. Sorry about that!)

Anyway, I glommed this recipe together yesterday, and we were both very pleased with the result. The quiche was very tasty, and it hadn’t been that difficult to prepare. And I had used up some of the ingredients that were either quietly going bad or noisily reminding me of their presence.

So next time you get hungry for quiche, give this recipe a try. But remember, the nice thing about quiche is that it allows you to use almost any ingredient you have on hand. Love mushrooms, add them. Don’t care for shrimp, replace them with small chunks of Black Forrest ham. Matters not. As long as your egg batter is properly proportioned, and your choice of additives are not terribly wet, you’re good to go.

As always, have fun in your kitchen, don’t let your ingredients give you any guff, and keep an open mind. People with open minds (and ears) let new ideas in. They aren’t afraid that their long cherished beliefs just might be misguided. Open minded people welcome facts over feelings, science over skepticism, and experience over egotism.

Peace and love to all.

No-Roll Pie Crust

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour   

heaping ½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

scant ¼ tsp. baking powder

7 T. vegetable or canola oil

5 T. cold water  

Whisk the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder together. Whisk the oil and water together. Pour over the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork until the dough is evenly moistened. Pat the dough across the bottom of a fairly deep pie pan, then up and over the rim. Crimp or mold the pie crust around the edge to make it pretty.

Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside until you are ready to assemble the quiche. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Shrimp, Sautéed Onion, and Spinach Filling

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

½ med. yellow onion, diced

2 c. finely chopped Swiss chard or spinach, not packed

1 lb. raw shrimp, cut into small pieces

5 lg. eggs

¾ c. whole milk

¼ c. sour cream

¼ tsp. kosher salt, plus more for shrimp

freshly ground black pepper, plus more for shrimp

pinch ground nutmeg, plus a bit more for sprinkling

tiny pinch cayenne pepper

¾ c. grated mozzarella cheese

¾ c. grated Swiss, Gruyère, or Emmental cheese  

Heat oil in a fry pan over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions start to become a light golden brown, about 20 minutes. (Don’t fry at too high a heat or the onions will start to burn. You do not want that to happen! Onions are bitter when they are burnt.)

Add the Swiss chard and sauté for a couple of minutes, just enough to wilt the chard a bit. Add the shrimp, season with a tiny bit of salt and pepper, and cook just until shrimp are barely done. 

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk the eggs, milk, sour cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper together. Set aside.

Spread the onion, chard, and shrimp mixture on the crust. Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the shrimp mixture. Pour the egg mixture on top. Sprinkle with nutmeg. 

Bake the quiche until puffed and firm when touched in the center, 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving. To serve, cut into 6-8 pieces.