Seafood stews from around the world have distinct ingredients but the similarities are clear. Since there is no meat to brown, steps 2 - 5 go quickly, so get a early start on the veggies! Preliminaries For a total of 2 - 4 pounds of raw seafood: peel and devein shrimp (or buy it that way), scallops or sturdy white fish such as cod or halibut cut into in large chunks. For extra flavor and panache, scrub clean a pound of clams, mussels or octopus. Rinse in a colander, put the … [Read more...]
Lentil Stew
When there's nothing in the house to make; make this. Preliminaries Prep any meat or poultry from Step 1 of the Stew-cordion: chicken, sausage, lamb, or soak dried mushrooms in hot but not boiling water. Otherwise just rinse and just pick over the lentils. Heat pan And decide what the fat will be: healthy olive oil, or a combo of butter, bacon or nearly any other fat and/or oil. Heat oil And start to rummage for the veggies. Brown meat Brown it if you've got it. Otherwise, just quickly … [Read more...]
Cacciatore, Tomato Sauce or Italian Gravy
Hunter stew, tomato sauce or gravy? Grandma was Sicilian and made a thin, soupy sauce. Like most Americans, I like mine thick. A very liquidly stew is a soup; a stew poured over a starch is a gravy or sauce. Stretching one ingredient and pulling back on another creates a different dish, but why bother with a different recipe? Preliminaries Optionally cut up a chicken (or buy it that way), cut Italian sausage into chucks (or leave whole, but larger pieces take longer to cook.) The image below … [Read more...]
