Jack's Fish Chowder

My husband, Jack, is dairy-free. Since we're not going home this Christmas, my mom sent me the fish chowder recipe that she makes every year. But I'm facing a big dilemma. How can a chowder be made without any cream? Or milk? Or butter? So I'm going ahead with a clear-broth version of this recipe and I'm using my old trick of pureeing some of the potatoes to give it a creamy texture. Wish me luck! Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb cod fillets 1/2 lb bacon 7 medium potatoes, cubed 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup onion, chopped 1/2 cup celery, diced 1/2 cup carrots, diced 3 cups unsalted vegetable stock Olive oil Directions: 1. Cook the bacon till crisp. Set aside. Pour bacon grease into large Dutch oven. 2. Reserving 3 potatoes, add vegetables, salt, and pepper. If desired, 2 cloves of crushed garlic may be added. Cook till vegetables are almost soft. If necessary, add some extra olive oil to keep from sticking. 3. Meanwhile, boil the remaining three potatoes until tender. Drain and puree; set aside. 4. Add cod; stir frequently until cod is cooked. Stir in the vegetable stock and potato puree. Cook another thirty minutes on low heat. Dish servings into a flat bowl. Top with crumbled bacon and oyster crackers.

End-of-Summer Pie

My mom brought me a big bunch of peaches and apples from a local farm this weekend. So I put them together in a pie.

Ingredients:

Filling
3 large golden delicious apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly
3 large peaches, peeled and sliced
½ cup sugar
1 tsp freshly grated cinnamon
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp lemon zest
½ tsp honey
Dots of butter

Crust
2 ½ cups flour
1 cup butter, cut into half inch cubes and placed in the freezer for 30 minutes
½ tsp salt
5-7 tbsp iced cold water
Butter, melted for the top of the pie



To Prepare:

1. Stir the all filling ingredients except the butter together in a large bowl until the fruit is well-coated, let sit at room temperature.
2. Put flour into a food processor with the butter cubes and pulse until pea-sized balls form.
3. Add one teaspoon of water and pulse until incorporated, repeat until it comes together as a ball, do not add too much water.
4. Separate the dough into two balls and placed onto a well-floured surface.
5. Gently roll out the dough balls and, flouring the surface and rolling pin well.
6. Place the first crust into the bottom of a deep pie plate and gently ensure that it conforms to the plate without stretching.
7. Fill with the filling and place dots of butter evenly over the surface.
8. Place the top, fold and pinch the edges together, and pierce the surface with a knife in a circular pattern.
9. Brush the top with butter and bake at 375º for 35-40 minutes or until the center bubbles.
10. Serve warm.

Summer Fresh Gazpacho

I’ve been inspired by some amazing bowls of gazpacho this summer. During a trip to Milwaukee my boyfriend and I stopped for a light lunch and coffee at Alterra by the Lake Michigan marina and it was the first time we ever tried this chilled soup. After a visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s current Renoir exhibit, we stopped at Frog Burger for corn on the cob, garlic fries, and a bowl of our new favorite soup. Somehow it’s just the perfect thing to enjoy in the shade on a beautiful late summer day.

So I’ve been experimenting. Here’s my favorite combination of these beautiful ingredients which I’ll be serving up for dinner tonight with some nice fresh bread.

Ingredients:

5 cups garden fresh beefsteak and roma tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped
1 medium cucumber, peeled, deseeded, and diced
3 celery heart stalks, diced
2 large red bell peppers, deseeded and diced
1 small red onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ cup white vinegar
3 cups tomato juice
10 drops tobacso
1 small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small bunch fresh basil, chopped
Olive oil, drizzled liberally
Salt and pepper to taste

To Prepare:

1. Combine the ingredients in a large bowl, tasting as you go.
2. Chill for at least four hours to allow the flavors to come together. The longer it sits, the better!
3. Serve in chilled crocks. Eat outdoors.

Pasta with Apple and Oyser Mushrooms

I walked down to the Rittenhouse square farmer's market this morning as part of my attempt to jump back into cooking.

I found an excellent selection of mushrooms and threw together this delicious pasta dish.

Ingredients:

1 cup oyster mushrooms, washed and broken into large bites
1 cup shitake mushrooms, washed and broken into large bites
1/2 large cortland apple with skin, cut into half-inch pieces
2 cups freshly cooked pasta (I like Barilla Plus)
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

To prepare:

1. Lightly coat a medium frying pan with olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the mushrooms and toss lightly until coated, add salt and pepper to taste, cook, covered, for 3-5 minutes.
3. Lower the heat and add the apple, recover and cook for about 2 minutes until the apple are just blanched.
4. Add the pasta and drizzle with olive oil. Season to taste.

Spiced Nut Clusters

This recipe was inspired by a similar concoction that is part of Prevention Magazine’s new DTOUR diet. The diet is designed to reduce blood sugar spikes and avoid diabetes. This recipe is pumped up with extra-healthy nuts and seeds, plus cinnamon can increase metabolism.

Ingredients:

1 tsp honey
1 egg white, whisked
2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cardamom
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 cup walnuts, broken into pieces
½ cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup flax seeds
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup sultanas

To prepare:

1. Whisk the egg white, honey, and spices until smooth.
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients, coat well.
3. Drop by the teaspoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet, you may need to shape the clusters gently so that they are a solid shape.
4. Bake for 15 minutes at 350º until golden brown.
5. Store in an airtight container, they make a great afternoon snack!

Potato Leek Soup

This soup employs a delicious, creamy texture without any cream!

Ingredients:

5 lb russet potatoes
3 cloves garlic
2 large leeks
1 yellow onion
2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp ground mustard
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Chicken stock
3 lbs carrots
1 tbs butter

To Prepare:

1. Carefully rinse the potatoes until clean, place into a large soup pot and add broth until all of the potatoes are covered boil, uncovered until the potatoes are cooked through.
2. In the meantime, finely chop the garlic, leeks, and onions.
3. Brown the garlic in the butter and a few tsp. of olive oil in a large fryer then sauté the leeks and onions until they are very soft. Season with poultry seasoning, mustard, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Using a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes from the pot and place them in a large bowl.
5. Peel the potatoes and set the peels aside, chop the peeled potatoes into 1-inch sections
6. Return the potatoes to the broth and add the leeks and onions.
7. Place a few cups of the soup and the potato skins in a food processor or blender, pulse until well combined and return to the soup pot. Blending the skins allows you to enjoy all of the nutrition found in the skin of the potato without sacrificing texture.
8. Repeat the above twice until the soup reaches a rich, creamy consistency.
9. Roughly chop the carrots and add to the soup.
10. Simmer for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Season to taste and serve topped with light cheese or fresh black pepper.

Oven Fries

It’s surprising that you can easily find such a great healthy alternative to one of the most cravable treats. Once you remove the grease, fries can actually be a healthy snack or side dish. The key is getting the satisfying crunch that you love in fried fries. That’s what your broiler was made for.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. russet potatoes
1 tsp. olive oil
Garlic salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Smoked Hungarian paprika

To Prepare:

1. Soak potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes to get them clean.
2. Leaving the skins on, cut the potatoes lengthwise into half-inch slices.
3. Cut each slice lengthwise into half inch fries.
4. In a large bowl, coat with olive oil.
5. Gently toss fries with garlic salt, pepper, paprika, and any other spices or herbs you enjoy. Try crushed garlic or rosemary!
6. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray.
7. Spread fries on the baking sheet evenly and cover with another sheet of aluminum foil. This will steam-cook your fries before you broil them.
8. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 425º.
9. Remove from the oven and gently toss to ensure that the fries don’t stick to the foil. Discard the top sheet of foil.
10. Broil for an additional 10 minutes, turning once until desired crispness is reached.