The Blue View - The Whole Enchilada

About a hundred years ago, when I was a bachelor, I took a gourmet cooking class at the local community college. I thought that would be a great way to meet women, and if I learned how to cook, I would be able to dazzle my dates when I invited them over for dinner. I wasn't all that successful at either objective. The women in the class were either married or much older, and the men were there to meet other like-minded men. As to learning to cook, I am a real klutz with a knife, and I soon learned I was more adept at dicing my fingers than onions. Fortunately, when I met Marcie, I didn't have to depend on my cooking skills to convince her to let me stick around.  

I did manage to become proficient at a couple of recipes, however. I do enjoy making breads, and I have a focaccia bread recipe that isn't too bad. The nice thing about making bread is that it is quite difficult to injure myself with a mixing spoon.

Colorado has a strong Mexican influence, and I have a real fondness for Mexican food. Another of my favorite recipes is for a chicken enchilada casserole. (When I hear the word casserole, my Aunt Evelyn's infamous tuna and potato chip casserole comes to mind. Maybe I should call this my Mexican Lasagna?) This recipe has evolved over the years, and I can now call it my own. By substituting rice flour for the small amount of white flour, it is gluten-free. Serve it with the colorful Mexican bean salad.

( 4 servings)

1 medium onion, chopped (watch the fingers)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 Tbs (25g) oil

1/3 cup (32g) flour (use rice flour for a gluten-free version)

2 cups (.5L) chicken stock

8 oz (225g) chopped green chilies

1-2 Tbs (10g-25g) seeded and chopped jalapeños (to taste)

1 tsp (1g) cilantro

1 cup (120g) sour cream

8 corn tortillas

3 chicken breasts

½ tsp (2g) salt (to taste)

16 oz (450g) shredded cheese (Mexican blend or a mix of Mozzarella and medium cheddar)

Cut the chicken into 1” (25mm) wide strips and boil in chicken stock for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the stock and when cool enough to handle, shred it with your fingers. Set aside.

Saute the onions and garlic in oil until transparent. Remove from oil and stir in a small amount of the flour. Slowly combine the chicken stock and remaining flour, stirring until smooth. Continue to simmer, stirring constantly until thickened. Add the onions, garlic and sour cream. Mix well, then add cilantro and salt to taste. Add chilies and jalapeños, and simmer until hot.

Microwave the tortillas for 1 minute, or heat ¼ cup (50g) oil and cook tortillas for 20 seconds on a side, and drain on paper towels. Fold and divide into quarters.

Preheat oven to 350º F (175º C). Lightly grease a 9”x13” (230mm x 330mm) dish. Spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of tortillas, a layer of chicken, a layer of cheese and a layer of sauce. Repeat the layers, then top with another layer of cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the broiler on for the last 5 minutes to brown the cheese. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Mexican Bean Salad

This is a nice, colorful side dish to accompany the chicken enchilada.

16 oz. (450g) corn, canned and drained or frozen, defrosted

16 oz. (450g) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 medium green pepper, diced

1 medium red pepper, diced

1- 2 Tbs (10g-25g) seeded and diced jalapeños, (to taste)

3 green onions thinly sliced (or 1 small onion, diced)

2 Tbs (5g) fresh parsley, minced

¼ tsp (1g) salt

3 Tbs (35g) olive oil

3 Tbs (45g) fresh lime juice

1 tsp (10g) cumin

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and served chilled. Best if the flavors are allowed to meld for 2-3 hours.

Four Days of Fish

 

When David catches a fish, we're pretty picky about the ones we keep. If it's too large, we let it go. If it's too small, we let it go. Since we rarely use our freezer when we're underway, four days is about the maximum amount of time a fish can be kept in the fridge. If we have too much fish, we'll waste it and we hate that, so we let the big ones go. If the fish is too small, it's too much effort to clean it and clean up after for so little return on time investment, so we wish the little guys well and let them go. But, if the fish is the right size, about 5-6 lbs (2-3 kg) it's a keeper and depending on what's in the larder, we have four favorite ways to prepare it for four consecutive nights.

As soon as David cleans the fish, I rinse it and put it in Ziploc bags in the fridge. I get the sticky rice going and we have sushi for the first night. Day 2 is usually sesame-encrusted, seared filets. Day 3 is baked, stuffed fish. Day 4 can be chowder or fish cakes. There are variations on the theme, but we pretty much stick to this menu. There's no waste and we have four nights of fresh fish. Here's our recipe for Day 3 baked fish.

Day 3 Baked Fish a la Nine of Cups

Recipe Type: Main Dish

Author: Marcie Connelly Lynn

If you don't mind using the oven, this is a great tasting dish and baking offers a completely different approach to our usual fish preparation.

Ingredients

• 6 slices of stale bread, crumbled
• 1 clove garlic, minced fine
• ½ medium onion, minced fine
• ¼ tsp (.15g) sage
• ½ tsp (.3g) basil
• 1 tsp (.6g) Old Bay Seasoning
• 2 tbsp (30g) butter/ margarine
• ½ cup (120ml) white wine
• ¼ cup (60ml) olive oil
• Hot water as needed, about ½ (120ml) cup
• l lb (.5 kg) of fresh fish fillets
• 1 tsp (5ml) fresh lemon juice (or bottled)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Saute onion and garlic in butter until soft. Stir in sage and Old Bay. Add crumbled bread and enough hot water until the stuffing is a thick, moist consistency, tossing lightly with a fork. Grease or spray the bottom of a casserole dish. Lay the fillets on the bottom of the casserole and sprinkle with lemon juice. Divide up the stuffing and place on top of each fillet. Mix olive oil, basil and white wine and pour over stuffed fish. Bake in a 400ºF (200ºC) oven for 15 minutes. Serve with rice or a baked potato.
2. Variation on the theme – Sprinkle grated cheese on the top or add pre-steamed veggies like cauliflower, broccoli or carrots to the casserole … or both.

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Chowdah - Wicked Awhsome

This blog post was written and queued before Casey's death. If we stumble a bit over the next few days, please understand. Being back home in New England, it's hard to go to any restaurant or little diner that does not offer some New England chowder. For our non-American readers, New England is the region of the USA comprised of the six most northeastern states and known, among other things, for its “white” chowder, or if you're from Massachusetts like I am, it's called chowdah!

Let me explain that New Englanders have a tendency to pronounce “er's” as a's and ah's, hence chowdah, instead of chowder. We also manage to turn “a's” into “er's”, e.g. My sistah, Linder, wants some soder crackahs with her chowdah.

There's a rather emotional controversy about types of chowders beyond the traditional white, milk-based variety. New Englanders firmly believe other types of chowdah do not exist. Manhattan chowder, which is tomato-based and by dint of its name from New York, is just another soup, not a chowdah (and not very good according to some). Rhode Islanders have a distinctive thin, broth-based chowder (no milk) and although the state is part of the New England six, its chowder is not acknowledged as the real thing...unless of course, you're a Rhode Islander....er, Rhode Islandah.

We love chowders of all descriptions. They're tasty and make good use of any type of fish, seafood or shellfish we have available ... or not.

Chowdah - Wicked Awhsome

Author: Marcie Connelly Lynn

Here's our recipe for Any Fish Chowder/No Fish Chowder*. It's wicked awesome.

Ingredients

• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp (15g) butter/margarine
• 6 medium potatoes, pared and chopped into bite-sized cubes
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ lb (¼ kg) raw fish or seafood, cut into bite-sized pieces**
• 1 cup (250ml) clam broth or fish stock***
• 1 cup (250ml) milk or cream

Instructions

1. In a soup pot, melt butter and saute onions till soft. Add potatoes, stock or broth and enough water to cover potatoes. Add bay leaf. Simmer until potatoes are nearly done. Add fish. Cook another 7-10 minutes (don't overcook the fish). Add milk or cream and heat through, but do not boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes 4-6 servings.
2. And when there's no fish? We make corn chowdah by substituting a 15½ oz (425g) can of corn with liquid to the soup pot. Sometimes for variety, I add a can of corn anyway.
3. You can substitute canned clams or seafood if no fresh is available.
4. You can also add ¼ cup (45g) of chopped celery if you have it available.

Notes

Note that this is not the thick, pasty white chowder some restaurants serve. The thick consistency is the result of adding flour or other thickeners. The chowder will naturally thicken some once the potatoes meld with the other ingredients. If you like it thick, add some flour if you must.

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