Grilled Fish
It's Spring, it's warm outside, it's time for eating a bit lighter! With temps hitting the high 70's yesterday, it was obviously another "grill dinner." I love grilled foods - and one can grill just about anything! The grill is still looking good from the major cleaning I gave it the other day, too! (Who knows, if I play my cards right and actually CLEAN it on a regular basis... well... no promises...)
ANYWAY..... Into the freezer I went to see what delectable delights awaited me. I was greeted with the usual array of chicken, beef, pork - and a great-looking piece of red snapper. Dinner solved.
I did a 'counter-thaw.' You know, the kind everyone warns against. (I am such a rebel!) and then squeezed a lemon on top and sprinkled with a bit of dill. Onto the hot grill, skin side down. It cooked fairly quick for a fairly thick piece of fish. During the last few seconds, I flipped it over to get a bit of grill marking on the flesh.
It was really quick and easy! I grilled up some red potateoes in the grill basket (added olive oil, garlic, S&P) and had steamed broccoli on the side. Added a piece of grilled garlic bread, and voila! Dinner!
Simplicity of flavors, here. Nothing over-powering, nothing complicated. No 450 ingredients/exotic herbs and spices only available by special order from Madagascar..... Simple additions to let the natural flavors of the food come through.
That's not to say that I don't or won't do those 450 ingredient dishes - I definitely do! But ofttimes the best cooking is simple cooking. And simple cooking doesn't have to equate boring cooking.
Tonight is chicken breast of some sort. (Thawing properly in the fridge, 'cuz I thought about it yesterday!) Hmmm... maybe Mexican.....
New England Clam Chowder
Heavy fog, rain, ice, and blazing sun. I had originally planned to make a stuffed chicken breast tonight, but the weather screamed soup, so... time to break out the clam base! It's such a pleasure to have a well-stocked larder. I had all the ingredients I needed, so out came the pot and to work I went.
I lived and worked in Boston for about 5 years and have had many versions of "New England Clam Chowder" from the thin but creamy fish chowder at the No-Name Restaurant to the thick chowder served at Legal Seafoods. (Boy, I just checked out their website - they're getting fancy...) But I digress... We made it at The Hyatt, we made it at The Charles... You really can't go anywhere without seeing it on a menu. Some great, others merely okay.
Now, I know I should have boiled down my clam shells, and all, but I just bought my Clam Base and just had to use it. I sauteed 1/4 lb chopped bacon with a cup of diced onion and a cup of diced celery. When it was looking right I added about a half cup of flour and mixed it all in a bit. Next was 3 cups of water and 2tbsp of the aforementioned Clam Base, 2 cans of minced clams, and a couple of turns of pepper. I let it thicken up then added a quart of half and half, and 4 diced potatoes. Let it simmer until the potatoes were done, and voila! Rich, creamy, and full of clam flavor! That base is damn good!
Dessert is going to be a Chocolate Pudding Cake. But I have to wait for a while. I'm stuffed.....