Recipe: Spring Seafood Stew

This is an elegant meal perfect for serving to guests.  Easy to prepare and so fresh and delicious.  You can use frozen seafood or fresh as both would work well.  First you poach the fish in a delicious wine broth, then you make a savoury broth with tarragon, a touch of butter and tomatoes to pour over the fish.  Make sure you have lots of crusty bread as your guests will be cleaning their bowls with it.

SPRING SEAFOOD STEW
from Cooking Light Cookbook

1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray
1 cup thinly sliced leek (about 1 large)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (I used homemade)
3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/4 pound large sea scallops, cut in half horizontally (I didn't cut these)
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups chopped plum tomato
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add leek and garlic; cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add wine and broth; bring to a simmer. Stir in shrimp and scallops; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 3 minutes or until shrimp and scallops are done.

Remove shrimp and scallops from pan with a slotted spoon; keep warm. Bring broth mixture to a boil; cook 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add butter, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in chopped tomato and remaining ingredients.

Divide shrimp and scallops evenly among 4 soup bowls; spoon 3/4 cup broth mixture into each bowl.

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from the book "The Happy Owls"

a legend illustrated by Celestino Piatti

1964 Atheneum, New York

Recipe: Quinoa, Apricot, and Nut Clusters

For this week's Martha Monday's Lyndsey over at The Tiny Skillet selected these Quinoa, Apricot, and Nut Clusters from Martha Stewart.  I liked these as they're crunchy and chewy with lots of cardamom flavour as I added a teaspoon of it.  Without the added spice, I think these would be very bland.  Our daughter had one for breakfast and said "I can't taste anything, just crunch".  As with many of Martha's recipes there are lots of steps to this one, but I did skip many of them :)

This was very expensive to make.  I've never purchased quinoa so maybe it's always this expensive?  Just these 3 ingredients alone were almost $20.00 and I had the rest of what was needed at home, thank goodness. 

If my husband likes these, then I'll make them again as they are so healthful.  Otherwise, they were too pricey and complicated.

QUINOA, APRICOT, AND NUT CLUSTERS
From Martha Stewart Living, October 2004


3/4 cup white quinoa (I used whole grain)
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup shelled raw sunflower seeds (mine were already roasted)
1/2 cup shelled raw pistachios, chopped (mine were already roasted)
1 cup dried apricots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Vegetable-oil cooking spray (I skipped this)
1 teaspoon cardamom (I added this to the recipe)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve; drain. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add quinoa; return to a boil. Stir quinoa; cover, and reduce heat. Simmer until most liquid is absorbed and quinoa is slightly undercooked, about 12 minutes; transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, fluffing with a fork occasionally, until pale golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in a large bowl.

Spread oats on baking sheet; bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add oats to quinoa. Spread seeds on baking sheet; bake until lightly toasted, about 7 minutes (I skipped this step). Add to quinoa mixture; let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Toss nuts, apricots, sugar, and salt with quinoa mixture. Beat honey, oil, and vanilla into eggs; stir into quinoa mixture.

Line a 12-by-17-inch baking sheet with parchment; lightly coat with cooking spray. Spoon 1/4 cup batter onto sheet for each cluster; space 3 inches apart. Flatten to 1/4 inch thick. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until crisp, about 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Store, loosely covered with foil, up to 2 days.

Makes 20

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from "The Cratchits Christmas Dinner"
by Charles Dickens
Illustrated by Matilda Breuer
1953, Spenser Press

Recipe: Banged Potatoes with Parmesan and Herbs

These are the best potatoes I've ever had.  I was looking for a tastey, healthful sidedish to go with our roast chicken besides potatoe salad or mashed potatoes and found this recipe on allrecipes.com. 

These potatoes are parboiled, then you lay them on a cookie sheet, gently squish them with the heal of your hand, then put them in a bowl and coat them in olive oil, paramesan and herbs, then roast them until they are golden and fluffy with a crispy edging all over.  Absolute perfection.

BANGED POTATOES WITH PARMESAN AND HERBS
from allrecipes.com

5 pounds small new potatoes
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).  Place the potatoes in a large saucepan of water. Cover; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; gently cook potatoes until tender but still firm, about 20 minutes. Drain.

Place potatoes on a greased, rimmed baking sheet. Smash the warm potatoes with the heel of your hand or a small pan to flatten slightly and break the skin (I wore my oven mitt).

Mix together the olive oil, butter, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; add the potatoes and toss well. Return coated potatoes to baking sheet, leaving 1/2 inch space between each potato.

Roast potatoes in the preheated oven until lightly browned and slightly crispy; about 30 minutes. Place hot potatoes on a large platter; sprinkle with parsley and the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

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Enjoy!

from the story "The Lady Who Put Salt in her Coffee"

by Lucretia P. Hale

Illustrated by H.I. Bacharach & Frances Eckart

1953 Spenser Press

Recipe: Cardamom Citrus Fruit Salad

I wanted to serve a healthier dessert after dinner and this didn't disappoint.  This was a real treat with it's sweet and sour flavours and the wonderful aftertaste of cardamom.   Everyone loved the cardamom spice and the honey-lime sauce.

CARDAMOM CITRUS FRUIT SALAD
from Simply Recipes

1 large ruby pink grapefruit
3 navel oranges or a combination of naval oranges, blood oranges, mandarin oranges and/or tangerines
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Peel the fruit. Cut away the membranes of the individual segments with a sharp knife. Collect the peeled segments in a bowl.

Drain off any excess juice from the fruit into a small saucepan. Add the lime juice, honey, and cardamom to the saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes and then remove from heat and let cool to room temp. Pour over fruit mixture and gently fold in so that all the fruit is coated. Let stand for 15 minutes or chill until ready to serve.

Serves 4.

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from "Barbie Goes to a Party"

Story by Jean Bethell

Pictures by Claudine Nankivel

1964 Mattel, Inc.

Recipe: Shrimp Scampi

This is a nice light meal with lots of garlic punch.  It's also light on calories and fat as the white wine, lemon and garlic dominate the taste of this dish.  The whole wheat angel hair pasta add lots of good nutrition to round out the meal.  I cooked this dish in the time it took to boil the pasta, very quick and easy to prepare.  Next time I'm going to add some vegetables like zucchini and eggplant.

SHRIMP SCAMPI
from Cooking Light Cookbook

2 teaspoons olive oil
28 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1 1/2lbs)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used regular parsley)
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add shrimp, saute 1 minute.  Add garlic, saute 1 minute.  Stir in wine, salt and pepper, bring mixture to a boil.  reduce heat to medium, cook 30 seconds.  Add parsley and juice, toss well to coat.  Cook 1 minute or until shrimp are done.

Makes 4 servings of 7 shrimp each.

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from "The Puppy Who Found a Boy"

story & pictures by George and Irma Wilde

1951 Wonder Books, Inc.

Recipe: Mango and Radish Salad with Lime Dressing

Oh my goodness this was a fantastic salad!  It's as flavourful as it is colourful.  I could've easily eaten this as a dessert.  I even drank the leftover dressing from the bowl... yes, I did.  My kids loved this too.  The combination of sour lime with the sweet from papaya and honey is heavenly.  This would go perfectly with grilled chicken, pork chops or steak.  This is very easy to make and comes together in a flash.

MANGO AND RADISH SALAD WITH LIME DRESSING
from Matha Stewart Living May 2010

1 mango, peeled and cut into wedges
1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced (I used a regular cucumber)
1 bunch of radishes (about 8), halved or quartered (I thinly sliced mine)
1 Tablespoon finely grated lime zest
2 Tablespoons lime juice (from 2 limes)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon honey
Coarse salt (I used Kosher)

Arrange mango, cucumber, and radishes on a platter.  Whisk together lime zest and juice, oil and honey.  Season with with salt.  Drizzle dressing over salad, and season with salt.

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from the book "The Puppy Who Found a Boy"

Story and Pictures by George and Irma Wilde

1951 by Wonder Books, Inc.

Recipe: Basil Orange Cookies

My kids love these cookies.  A soft cake-like cookie full of orange flavour with a hint of fresh basil.  I frosted them with vanilla frosting as I didn't have any pistachio nuts and orange extract as called for in the original recipe.

This makes a huge batch of cookies (7 dozen) so you may want to half it unless you're feeding a crowd.  I'm going to freeze some of mine.  The longer they sit, the more prounounced the flavouring becomes.



BASIL ORANGE COOKIES
from "Heartland, The Best of the Old and the New from Midwest Kitchens"
by Marcia Adams
makes 7 dozen

Cookies
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening (I used unsalted butter)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups orange juice (about 4 oranges squeezed)
3 tablespoons grated orange rind (about 2 oranges)
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup dried basil

Frosting
2 cups or more confectioner's sugar
1 table spoon butter, melted
2 to 3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
Pinch of salt
Chopped pistachio nuts, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, cream the granulated sugar and shortening (or butter) for 3 minutes.  Add the eggs and continue beating until blended; add the milk, mixing thoroughly.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; add to the mixture.  Add the juice, rind, and vanilla, then stir in the basil by hand.  Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets, approximately 2 inches apart.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the top springs back when touched with your finger.  Remove to a rack to cool.

To make the frosting, combine all the ingredients except the pictachio nuts in a mixer bowl, and beat until smooth.  The frosting should be rather thick; add more sugar if needed.

Spread a generous smear of frosting on each cookie and psrinkle on some pistachio nuts.  Pack the cookies in tins or plastic containers, using wax paper to seperate each layer.

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from the book "Now We Are Six"

by A.A. Milne

with decorations by Ernest H. Shepard

1950 E.P. Dutton & Co, Inc.

Martha Mondays: Sirloin Salad with Cilantro

This tender steak has a touch of citrus, some heat from jalapeno and cool fresh cilantro.  What a nice flavour combination.  While this is called a salad, it's more like steak with sauce.  This would be delicious served on top of greens and would make a more complete meal.

I'm happy to be participating in Martha Mondays again and it was my turn to select what we made this week.  Next time I choose our pick, I need to make sure I can actually get the ingredients here in the country - like champagne vinegar.

SIRLOIN SALAD WITH CILANTRO
from Martha Stewart's Whole Living
Serves 4

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/3 cup champagne vinegar (I used rice wine vinegar as I couldn't find champagne vinegar)
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (I squeezed the juice from 2 oranges)
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 pound sirloin steak (about 1 1/2 inches thick)
1 small red onion, halved and sliced into wedges
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Process 1/2 cup cilantro, vinegar, oil, orange juice and zest, jalapeño, and salt in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Rub half of the marinade over steak, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat grill to medium-high. (If you are using a charcoal grill, coals are ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill for just 3 or 4 seconds.) Grill steak, flipping halfway through, until a meat thermometer registers 125 for medium-rare, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, grill onion, flipping once, until it begins to soften, 3 to 5 minutes.  (Our grill wasn't ready for the season yet, so I broiled this in the oven for 6 minutes on each side).

Let steak rest for 10 minutes before thinly slicing. Serve with onion and remaining 1/2 cup cilantro and marinade, and garnish with parsley.
 
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I wish I had this dress :)

from "Barbie Goes to a Party"

Story by Jean Bethell

Pictures by Claudine Nankivel

1964 Mattel, Inc.