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Simple fish gumbo

simple fish stew

I may be caught in a rut, cooking-wise, but it is a tasty rut and I can’t help but blame it on the weather, work, and February. This is another spur-of-the-moment, what’s in the pantry, kind of dinner. After our weekend of feasting on pancakes, scones, pasta, and pizza (YIKES… when I write that out it actually scares me) we’ve gone back to a lower carb existence. The boy’s were counting on homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner but I knew that would be the wrong path for GH and I to take.

As I was digging some frozen cod out of the freezer I saw a bag of red, yellow, and green pepper strips from TJ’s and a bag of frozen okra. It seemed logical to put together a fish gumbo for me and the GH. It was easy to chop and assemble the gumbo as I made noodles for the boy’s soup. I timed it so they were both done at the same time and the only snafu was hunting down Dexter since he was outside playing in the snow. The boys sat down to steaming bowls of chicken noodle soup and GH and I were spared another carb massacre by dining on a delicious fish stew. No muss, no fuss, and everyone was happy.

Simple Fish Stew

2 pieces of cod, fresh or frozen, cut into chunks
1 large onion, diced
1/4 cup of diced ham, bacon, or smoked pork jowl
6 cloves of garlic, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 cup of fresh or frozen bell pepper strips
1 cup of fresh or frozen okra
1 large can of roma tomatoes
8 ounces of chicken stock or water (if needed)
Tabasco Sauce to taste
Worchester Sauce to taste
2 teaspoon Gumbo Filé powder

If your using frozen fish get it out of the freezer now. Add to a 4 quart pan on medium heat the pork, celery, onion, and garlic. Allow this to cook until soft. Add the pepper strips, tomatoes and stock or other liquid if needed. Bring the heat back up and then add the Tabasco and Worchester sauces to taste. Check for salt. Add the okra and bring back up to heat. Cut the fish into chunks and add it to the pot. Bring it back up to heat. Once the fish is cooked through add the Gumbo Filé and stir well. Serve with some parsley on top.

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February 27, 2007 | Filed Under beef, fish, poultry, pork, food, gratins, stews, and stir-frys, low carb, low cal, pork jowl, recipe, spicy | 1 Comment 

Strawberry scones…again


We are nothing around if not predictable. While the rest of you are off baking three layer cakes that look fabulous I’m over here working the same concept over and over until it meets my expectations, which may or may not be reasonable.

Last night we got at least 12 inches of snow so it seemed fitting to indulge in another carbfest. Strawberry Scones were the request from the troops so I found a new recipe to try. This one is from Baking With Julia by Julia Child and Dorie Greenspan.

The recipe is originally for Buttermilk Scones with a jam or jelly and dried fruit/nut filling. Changes were made and it all came together pretty well. They were delicious and everyone said they were the best ever…yet I know that they still aren’t “the scone” I’m trying to make. All the recipes I’ve tried have been basically the same so I think the next time I make them I’ll try a recipe that is radically different…stay tuned.

Strawberry Scones
adapted from Baking With Julia
By Julia Child and Dorie Greenspan

3 cups all purpose, unbleached flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks of cold, unsalted butter cut into tiny pieces
1 cup Half and Half
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
12 frozen Strawberries, sliced

Preheat oven to 425°.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar together. Add the cold pieces of butter and work it into the flour using your hands. Don’t overwork the flour and butter. Mix the yogurt into the Half and Half and add the strawberries. Add the liquid to the flour and mix gently. Turn the dough out onto the lightly floured counter. Pat the dough into a square about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough into squares and place on a parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then glaze with a mixture of 1/2 cup powder sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and a splash of Orange Juice.

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February 26, 2007 | Filed Under baking, breakfast, cookbook, food, recipe | 3 Comments 

Ginger Pancakes…best pancakes, ever

I’m not a huge fan of pancakes and I’ll be honest…I hadn’t heard of Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday until just this week. But the Homesick Texan served up some some delicious looking Ginger Pancakes that I knew I had to make. You see, I’m a Ginger freak. I’ll try almost anything if it involves Ginger.

Last night, much to my chagrin, it snowed about 7 inches or so. Before that we had a thaw that practically eliminated the snow. Winter is fine, cold temps are okay, but I hate snow. However, it did give me the perfect reason to make HSTs Ginger Pancakes. Now if you read HSTs post on her Ginger Pancakes you will find that these pancakes have a long history of deliciousness at the Magnolia Cafe in Austin, TX. But I’m not a Texan and I cannot under any circumstances put brewed coffee in pancakes I want my sweet GH to eat. So some modifications to the original recipe were in order.


My sous chef today was the delightful Dexter. His skills include measuring, sifting, cracking eggs, whisking, and gently mixing. He’s very useful to have around plus he was really jazzed about the concept of Ginger Pancakes. GH was outside blowing snow, Alex was shoveling the deck so the dog could get out, and Dex did the pancakes while I instructed and cooked bacon. Once he got our solids measured and sifted and the liquids thoroughly combined he gently folded the liquids into the solids and then we saw that we would need to add more liquid. The HSTs original instructions indicate that the batter will be thick but mine was way too thick. So we added some more Half & Half and it seemed right. I put the pecans in the toaster oven and the oven was preheated to keep the pancakes warm while we cooked them. It was go time. They definitely cook up thick and cakey. But boy, oh boy…they are light and tasty and topping them with maple syrup and toasted pecans made all the difference….they were fabulous. I’ll be making them again, but next time I think I’ll increase the amount of Ginger I use.

Ginger Pancakes
adaptated from The Homesick Texan blog
and the Magnolia Cafe in Austin, Tx.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups Half & Half
3 eggs
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ginger
1/2 tablespoon nutmeg

Melt the butter, add the Half & Half, the eggs, the yogurt, and sugar and mix well. Sift together the dry ingredients. Combine the two gently and then judge if the batter is too thick. It should be thick but have some movement. I ended up adding another 1/2 cup of Half & Half.

Cook them on a hot griddle or pan. I make a landing place of a cooling rack on a cookie sheet with a clean tea towel to keep them warm and I put them in an oven that was heated to the lowest temp and then turned off.

Serve with maple syrup and toasted pecans. Enjoy.

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February 24, 2007 | Filed Under baking, breakfast, eggs, cheese, dairy, food, recipe, spicy, sweets | 9 Comments 

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