MADDIE DAY here, ready to give away a brand-new ARC!
Days are short and dark in New England, with only a few fresh bits of produce left in the garden. But the fishing boats go out year-round. What better time to remember one of my standby recipes, fish stew? Especially with a new Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery coming out at the end of the month!
This fish stew uses haddock, not lobster. I'll leave it to your imagination about how rich it would taste with the addition of some lobster meat.
Without further ado, I present Maddie's Fish Stew, an easy, warming, and delicious meal that will satisfy all but committed vegetarians.
Fish Stew
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
I medium onion
1 green pepper, diced
1 sweet red pepper,
diced
1 carrot, peeled and
diced
2 big cloves garlic,
minced
1 pint chicken or fish
stock
1 big can crushed
tomatoes
2 tablespoons basil pesto
1 whole habanero pepper
2 tablespoons chopped
rosemary
½ cup uncooked brown
rice
1 1/2 pounds white fish,
in inch cubes
¼ cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
Directions
Saute the onion in olive oil in a heavy stock pot or Dutch oven.
Add the peppers and saute until tender. Add the garlic and stir for one minute (don't brown the garlic).
Add the stock. Add the tomatoes, rinsing the can with a bit of white wine or stock, then add carrots, rosemary, and pesto. Float the whole habanero on top – use a tea ball so it doesn’t get lost. (Don’t chop unless you use hand protection and want a really spicy stew.)
Big dollop of pesto and habanero in a tea-brewing spoon. |
Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and add rice. Stir frequently so it doesn’t stick to bottom. Cook for an hour or until rice is tender. Fifteen minutes before serving, gently stir in parsley and fish and simmer until fish is opaque.
Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
Serve hot with a crusty bread and a green salad. Taste improves over the
next few days. The soup freezes well for a later meal.
Note: you can easily improvise with this recipe. Use white wine instead
of stock, white rice instead of brown. Use homemade tomato sauce or home-preserved tomatoes instead of
canned. Add a bottle of clam juice. Use fresh dill rather than rosemary. Throw
in bite-sized pieces of broccoli or green beans with the fish. Substitute orzo
or potatoes for rice (although it might not freeze as well with potatoes) And
so on!
Readers: What's your favorite stew or soup? Do you make it at home or get it frozen or as takeout? (No judging!) I just got in a box of ARCs of Batter Off Dead, Country Store mystery #10, and would love to give one away!
My most recent release is Country Store Mystery #9. No Grater Crime came out in August!
My favorite soup is my mom's chicken noodle soup. It is one of those comfort foods that will warm you up on a cold day and fill you with great memories. cherierj(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is homemade turkey soup with the leftovers from Turkey Day. It is so good. My dad made a great beef stew and mom made the homemade bread to go with it. This was when I lived in MA, it rarely gets cold enough in SWFL to want soup. Thank you for this chance at your giveaway. pgenest57 at aol dot com
ReplyDeleteThat's what a/c is for!
DeleteI live in south east Florida.
First off, CONGRATULATIONS on being able to continue the Cozy Capers series! Speaking for all us reading, that makes us extremely happy and excited.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I've never eaten fish stew, but your recipe sure sounds delicious. Living in the middle of the country with no easy access to fresh fish, I'm jealous of you. I'm going to have to be on the lookout for some decent fish when we make one of my many trips to the doctors in Little Rock.
My favorite is my Mom's recipe for vegetable beef soup. Growing up it was a given after Mom's famous roast dinner as a way to use up leftover meat. After Dad retired from the Army and we were able to have access to fresh veggies, my love for this meal grew even more. When made with fresh meat meant for a bigger pot full which is great because to me the longer it sits and the flavors blend the better it tastes and freezes well too. Nothing better than on a cold winter's night to pull out a big bowl from the freezer to enjoy with some fresh made cornbread. Now you've done went and made me hungry for some.
Thank you for the fabulous opportunity to win a copy of "Batter Off Dead". - another series I dearly love. The Country Store series is another one I love. Well, I love them all! Sharing and hoping to be the fortunate one selected.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
My favorite soup is the Marshmallow soup from Rose Soufflé.
ReplyDeleteKitten143 (at) Verizon (dot) net
My favorite soup is Chicken Tortilla. I can make it in the crock pot so it's something I don't have to watch. Served with shredded Jack cheese, crispy tortilla strips, and diced avocado. So spicy and yummy for cool fall days. 3labsmom(at)gmail(dot)com.
ReplyDeleteNow that it's cool again, I made turkey chili, which is warm and comforting. Best of all, it yielded FIVE dinner-sized leftovers. All I need to do is thaw it out, add some chopped avocado, shredded cheese, chopped red onion, and a dollop of sour cream. mbunting(at)sbcglobal(dot)com
ReplyDeleteMargie, you are our lucky winner! Congratulations, and please check your email.
DeleteActually, your email bounced back, Margie. Please write to me at edith@edithmaxwell.com!
DeleteI got a corn soup recipe from a neighbor one year that it absolutely perfect for cold weather and easy to make.
ReplyDeletekozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com
My favorite soup is homemade cream of mushroom with heavy cream. Warm and filling for the cooler days.Crusty bread and warm Cider. Yum,yum.
ReplyDeleteSoups are one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteMy father was infamous for making homemade soup. He'd start with one pot, fill it to the top, take out another pot and fill it, etc. Whenever he made soup you could be sure there would be plenty to share with friends!
libbydodd at comcast dot net
Congrats on the book deals. Looking forward to all those reads. I make a homemade chicken soup that is a hit, and I have an oven beef stew recipes made with tomato soup as a base that is especially comforting.
ReplyDeletesallycootie@gmail.com
I like to make lamb barley soup when I can find lamb neck bones
ReplyDeletesgiden at verizon(.)net
My favorite soup/stew is beef chili. It's so good on a blustery day. It's getting to be soup or stew weather here. I make chili and home but not soup.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
My favorite is lentil soup.
ReplyDeletejtcgc at yahoo dot com
Can't wait for the next book
ReplyDeleteI keep some canned soup on hand for emergencies, but I prefer to make my own. I like white bean with ham soup, split pea with ham soup, and loaded baked potato soup. Those are my three favorite soups to make. I also make a great chili! After Thanksgiving I like to make turkey noodle soup. Soups, chilis, and stews are fabulous to serve when the weather is cool or cold.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Congratulations on signing the contract for three more Cozy Capers Mysteries! Long may you write! I love making soup all year round and searching for new soup recipes to try and "doctor up" but my favorite soup is my homemade Minestrone! Its healthy,warming comfort food for me.Your Fish Stew looks and sounds both delicious and warming with all those wonderful ingredients and I'm wishing I could taste it right now because of the Habenero, Pesto, and red and green peppers in your recipe, plus I love fish! Love your books too! Thank you. oh_bother88@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteEdith, your recipe reminds me of one of my Cajun dad's favorites,besides gumbo, and that's Louisiana-style Courtbouillion. You can use frozen, thawed fish if fresh isn't available. I love most any soups and stews, and make them often, especially Beef Burgundy, Caribbean Callaloo (subbing spinach),minestrone, tortilla soup,Italian Wedding Soup (tiny meatballs are a pain to make)on down to tomato-basil or potato. I'll eat almost any kind, and I'm not averse to keeping canned good ones and doctoring them up! My mother called some of hers "Kitchen Sink" soups, but I preferred to make up names to amuse my dad, like "Rainy Day Soup"! It's all good! Congrats on your books! lola777_22 at hotmail dot com
ReplyDeleteVegetable soup is my favorite. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom
ReplyDeleteI love all soups and stews but I have to be honest - the best is good old tomato soup with a lovely golden brown grilled cheese.
ReplyDeletelindalou64(@)live(dot)com
This sounds delicious! My all time favorite is homemade vegetable beef with the stock made from bone-in chuck roast...which is all by impossible to find anymore. Nowadays, I just use leftover pot roast and the drippings to start my stock.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite soup is my Mom's vegetable soup. She always served it with cornbread. It was perfect on a cold day. lnchudej@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteWe get minestrone soup take out! Delicious! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dotcom
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is a gumbo! I will be making this recipe and thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteJess
maceoindo(at)yahoo(dot)com
My favorite soup is minestrone soup! Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
ReplyDeletejarjm1980(at)hotmail(dot)com
I like beef stew which my DIL makes very well. I am lucky. She makes dinner for me every night. Thanks for the recipe.
ReplyDeletelkish77123 at gmail dot com
my favorite soup is hot and sour soup.
ReplyDeletewskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com
Margie Bunting is our lucky winner! Congratulations, Margie, and please check your email.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all these great soup ideas, everyone!