Friday, November 12, 2021

Fish Stew from @MaddieDayAuthor #Thanksgiving #GIVEAWAY

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! 


Murder at the Lobstah Shack is Cozy Capers #3. I've turned in #4, Murder in a Cape Cottage, which will be out in about a year. I'm delighted to announce here that I've signed a contract for three more in the series!

But what does this stew have to do with Thanksgiving, you ask? I have family members who won't eat turkey but do venture into consuming seafood occasionally. This stew could be their hearty main course at the feast table. It could also be a perfect way to feed a crowd on the day before Thanksgiving.

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!




Murder at the Lobstah Shack, the third Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery, is up for preorder and releases at the end of November.


The next up is Batter Off Dead, Country Store Mystery #10, to release in February 2022.



We hope you'll visit Maddie and her Agatha Award-winning alter ego Edith Maxwell on our web site, sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit us on social media, and check our all our books and short stories.

Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.




30 comments:

  1. 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

    ReplyDelete
  2. My 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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's what a/c is for!
      I live in south east Florida.

      Delete
  3. First off, CONGRATULATIONS on being able to continue the Cozy Capers series! Speaking for all us reading, that makes us extremely happy and excited.

    Honestly, 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

    ReplyDelete
  4. My favorite soup is the Marshmallow soup from Rose Soufflé.
    Kitten143 (at) Verizon (dot) net

    ReplyDelete
  5. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Now 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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Margie, you are our lucky winner! Congratulations, and please check your email.

      Delete
    2. Actually, your email bounced back, Margie. Please write to me at edith@edithmaxwell.com!

      Delete
  7. I got a corn soup recipe from a neighbor one year that it absolutely perfect for cold weather and easy to make.
    kozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  8. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Soups are one of my favorites.
    My 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

    ReplyDelete
  10. 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.
    sallycootie@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I like to make lamb barley soup when I can find lamb neck bones
    sgiden at verizon(.)net

    ReplyDelete
  12. 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.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  13. My favorite is lentil soup.
    jtcgc at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  14. I 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.

    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  15. 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

    ReplyDelete
  16. Edith, 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

    ReplyDelete
  17. Vegetable soup is my favorite. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
  18. I 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.
    lindalou64(@)live(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  19. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  20. My favorite soup is my Mom's vegetable soup. She always served it with cornbread. It was perfect on a cold day. lnchudej@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. We get minestrone soup take out! Delicious! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dotcom

    ReplyDelete
  22. My favorite is a gumbo! I will be making this recipe and thanks for sharing!
    Jess
    maceoindo(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  23. My favorite soup is minestrone soup! Thanks for sharing the recipe!!

    jarjm1980(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  24. I like beef stew which my DIL makes very well. I am lucky. She makes dinner for me every night. Thanks for the recipe.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  25. my favorite soup is hot and sour soup.
    wskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  26. Margie Bunting is our lucky winner! Congratulations, Margie, and please check your email.

    Thanks for all these great soup ideas, everyone!

    ReplyDelete