My lazy post.

I haven't been trying out a lot of new recipes lately, so this is my lazy post ;-)
I have been making modifications to some of my usual recipes, nothing new and brilliant but very tasty.

For instance, kale salads are very delicious with peeled and chopped pineapple guavas in them.
This is the time of year that pineapple guavas are falling on the ground. Since most people use them for landscaping rather than the fruit, you can often find them for free in your neighborhood. I have seen them at the farmer's market and in natural food grocery store as well.

The other day I wanted to stuff my delicata winter squash, I looked up my recipe for stuffed winter squash, it calls for cooked rice, I didn't have any. I wasn't in the mood to saute onions either, so I made it with the carrots, cabbage, bread crumbs, herbs and some grated cheddar cheese, simple but sooo good. I'll be getting more winter squash at the farmer's market tomorrow !!

I made these chocolate chip bars for a recent trip and while they disappeared rapidly, when I went to make them again as a gift I added 1 cup of rolled oats to the recipe. The oats gave them a great flavor and texture boost.

We love soup at our house and I have made my own soup stock, in fact, I noticed that I had lots of seafood stock in my freezer. Mostly I have been making green soups and the seafood stock isn't a very good match for that kind of soup.

It was time to make a fishy soup and use that great homemade stock. I love bouillabaisse , I had some frozen sea bass and salmon but didn't want to be bothered with the shrimp and shellfish. So I made the broth and didn't strain it and added the fish cut in chunks. It was an ocean delight !! If you don't have your own stock, clam juice would be a good substitute.

Bouillabaisse, seafood soup !!

My take on  Bouillabaisse with Rouille inspired by Julia Child.

Living on the bountiful Monterey Bay I finally got up the courage to make this wonderful seafood stew from the south of France. I found this recipe inspired by Julia Child, it is easier than I thought it would be mainly because I  already fish stock in my freezer. I made this for company a few weeks ago, they were very impressed !! I served it with my no-knead bread and homemade cheese.

The key to a good fish soup it the stock you use. I made mine a month ago from the shells of our holiday seafood feast: lobster, crab, shrimp...I cooked it with onions, celery, herbs. It smelled strong as it cooked in the stock pot but it was well worth it.
The recipe below includes making your fish stock the day you make the bouillabaisse.

Bouillabaisse
     1/2 cup olive oil
     1 cup each chopped onion and leek
     4 cloves mashed garlic
     2 or 3 large, ripe tomatoes*
     2 1/2 quarts water
    Fresh herb sprigs: thyme, parsley, fennel fronds and basil (in any combination)
    1/2 teaspoon saffron
     1 tablespoon sea salt
     3 - 4 pounds fish heads, bones, trimmings, shrimp shells or any other fishy stuff, crab shells, lobster shells...
     1 1/2 pounds each; shrimp, white fish like snapper or halibut cut into chunks, and debearded, scrubbed mussels or clams
 
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat; add the onion and leek and cook gently until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant, then add the tomatoes, herbs, saffron, salt . If you are making the stock now add fish bones and water or 2 1/2 quarts of fish stock. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat so that the broth bubbles slowly without boiling. Cook 30 minutes, then strain the broth into a large bowl or another pot and discard the solids.

Pour the broth back into the stockpot and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink, a minute or two. Add the rest of the fish and shellfish, cover and simmer until the mussels or clams open. Taste the soup and add more salt and freshly ground pepper if needed. Serve the bouillabaisse with crusty bread and rouille on the side.
   
Rouille Sauce
    1 roasted and peeled red bell pepper*
    1 roasted hot red chile pepper or ground cayenne pepper to taste
    1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    1 small peeled garlic clove
    1/4 cup almond meal (or fresh bread crumbs)
    1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
    Fine sea salt, about 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
     1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Puree everything except for the olive oil in a food processor until smooth.
Slowly add the olive oil while processing to form a  paste.

* I take advantage of tomatoes and bell peppers when they are in season. I peel and freeze whole tomatoes and roast , peel and freeze whole red bell pepper. I used both in this recipe with great results. If they are not in season locally I would use a small can of stewed tomatoes and a red bell pepper from a jar, they will work just fine.