Thai Seafood Stew

I came across this recipe a few weeks ago on NPR's Fish Stews: Comfort Without The Work. I love seafood and I love a good stew, but the idea of a good comfort meal with seafood, beyond the chowders, is not an everyday phenomenon. There is nothing wrong with a warm bowl of creamy, hearty chowder, like the kind you will have to get at Union Oyster House the next time you are in Boston, however, I don't always look forward to the after-chowder chow-down feeling where I have to be rolled back home. By the way, the cornbread at the Oyster House was delicious too!

Then I discovered  this fish stew and I just HAD to try it.

1 tbsp vegetable/canola oil (I think coconut oil might be really good here!)
2 shallots thinly sliced
1 clove garlic minced (I didn't have any garlic around, so I used a dash of garlic powder)
2 cups chicken stock
1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
1 lemongrass stalk finely chopped
2 serrano peppers, one cut into rings another cut into two pieces
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp (light) brown sugar
zest of one lime
1/4 lb shrimp (a little over that amount is fine)
1 small fillet of tilapia, about 1/4 lb (you can use any other firm white fish, but this dish is so flavorful, I recommend not wasting your money on a more pricey kind)
2 sea scallops
Salt
2 tbsp cilantro chopped
2 tbsp basil chopped

For serving:
Lime wedges
Steamed white rice

Prep tips:
1. Marinating the seafood with a sprinkle of salt enhances the flavor of the seafood pieces in the dish. A little something I learned from my mom. For this dish, you can do this step right before you start cooking.

2. "Chopping lemongrass" is not really chopping as much as it is hitting the stalk hard with a knife. This YouTube video might help in that venture.

In a stock-pot or a dutch oven, warm the oil and then sweat the shallots in medium-low heat until barely brown. Add the garlic. Cook for about a minute until fragrant. Add the stock, coconut milk, lemongrass, pepper, vinegar, fish sauce, sugar and lime zest. Turn the heat up to high. Let the mixture boil. Turn heat down to medium high and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. The length of time really depends on how thick you want the sauce to be. I never had this dish anywhere else, but I am guessing, not chowder thick. I just kept tasting for salt and when I thought the concoction boiled down enough to have the right amount of salt (thanks to the fish sauce), it was time for the fishes!

Add the basil, cilantro and the seafood. Turn the heat up to high and cook for 3 minutes. Overcooking seafood is synonymous to sin. Save thy soul! Serve immediately as a standalone soup or with white rice. I love lime, so my bowl got a good dash of lime juice.

The simplicity of this stew/soup/stoup is what makes it so darned good. You taste each and every element down to the bit of sugar and vinegar with every spoonful. My favorite elements were the lemongrass, lime and the coconut milk.

The recipe is actually for four servings, but after our dinner for two, only the lemongrass stalks were left behind. You feel full, but it's a good full. You don't immediately sit down making your running diary for the next month.

It's delicious, it's pretty and it smells like heaven's banquet (bet they feed you light there). And it's quick! Comfort food without the dis-comfort of spending hours making it!

Out-of-stock Soup: 3 peppers, 2 beans, 1 pot of happiness

'Tis the season!
The coats, hats, scarves are out!
We have had flurries, snow and frost.
The sun sets before I leave work.

Soups for dinner!

Did I say, I love soup-dinners? Not only do they warm your core and all those senses numbed by the cold and gray, but they can be incredibly flavorful and healthy. I have been craving chili for a while and first decided to make a white chili-soup (Rachel Ray would call it a stoup) with chicken sausage. While I was at it, I picked up a can of red kidney beans to give my soup a bit of color. Trader Joe's had cheap jalapenos, and I thought, "Sure!" The lemons looked incredibly fresh and plump and I love citrus. By now it's no longer a chili, but who cares?
When I went to the kitchen to begin cooking, I realized, I forgot to pick up stock. I was in no mood to get into the car and drive to Whole Foods then. I decided to take a chance and skip the stock. Live a little, you know?

2 links of chicken chorizo (can use pork/regular), about 0.6 lb
1 can red kidney beans
1 can cannelloni (or any white) beans
3 jalapenos sliced into 1/4 inch thick rings (adjust according to taste)
1/2 cup onions finely diced
4 cloves garlic finely diced
1 tsp cumin toasted
1 cup water
1 lemon juiced and zested
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

In a dutch oven, warm the oil until shimmering but not smoking. Add the chorizos. Brown on all sides (mine usually curl up, so I end up browning on three sides) in medium-high heat. They don't have to cook all the way through. After you are happy with the brown and crispy skin, take them out and let them rest. Slice the chorizos into discs when you get a moment. In the same pot, add the onions with a pinch of salt. Let them sweat in low-medium heat. Turn the heat up and cook until golden brown.

While the onions saute, toast the cumin in a dry skillet. Be careful, cumin toasts quickly. Once the cumin is dark brown and fragrant, add to the onions. It doesn't really matter at what time-point you add the cumin (I think). Also while the onions cook, drain and preserve the liquid from both the bean cans. Grind about half the cannelloni beans with a bit of the the liquid to make a coarse paste.

Once the onions get the beautiful golden brown color, add the garlic. Cook for about two minutes, stirring frequently. Once the garlic is fragrant, cook for about 30 more seconds. Cooking the onions and garlic well releases fragrance and adds depth of flavor to the food. Add the beans. Cook for about two minutes.

Add the ground beans, the preserved liquid from the beans and one cup water. The bean mush does wonders to thicken the soup and you won't miss the stock at all. Turn the heat up to high to bring the liquids to a boil. Add the discs of sausage, a dash of red pepper flakes and lemon zest to the boiling pot of goodies. Mix everything, wait for a boil and turn the heat down to low.

Cook for about 15 minutes and add the jalapenos. Cook for about 10 more minutes or until you get your desired consistency. Remember, this soup is going to thicken once it cools because of the bean mush. Add the lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper, and taste for salt before you take the soup off the heat.

I garnished the soup with a bit of cilantro, because I love cilantro and it augments the flavors of jalapeno and lemon. It also adds the burst of bright green. I am bragging, but this soup was a feast in a bowl. The combo of beans adds great depth of flavor and texture to the dish. Good food is like classical music. Often it is simple, often it is complex; at the same time. I would serve this soup with a simple veggie stir-fry, good music and probably a bottle of red for a warm and cozy night in.