August 16, 2013

 

August 16, 2013

A Thought for Today

All creative work has a starting point in the imagination of the individual and then it is his/her power to bring the work to fruition.

                                                                      EMM, 1958

A Piece of My Work

Between February and May, 2012 I learned to do coil work. It's simple and very rewarding as I could not make friends with the turn table for pottery. Here is the first vase I made. Its glaze was surprisingly beautiful. It encouraged me to make quite a number of vases.

A Recipe for Today

Cioppino 

1. White fish stock 

Ingredients: 

1 lb. bones and trimmings of any white fish such as sole, flounder, or whiting, chopped

1 cup sliced onion

12 long fresh parsley sprigs

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

½ tsp. salt

3½ cups cold water

½ cup white wine 

Procedure: 

In a well-buttered heavy saucepan cook fish bones and trimmings, onion, parsley, lemon juice, and salt, covered, over moderate heat, 5 min. Add water and wine and bring to a boil. Simmer stock 20 min. and pour through a fine sieve into a bowl.  

Stock may be made 3 days in advance and cooled uncovered before chilling covered. Stock keeps frozen 3 months. Makes about 3 cups.

 

2. Ingredients for Cioppino: 

24 small clams

12 mussels

Salt

2 tbsp. olive oil

6 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 shallots, minced

½ tsp. crushed red pepper

1/3 cup tomato paste

7 cups fish stock

1 lb. fish (cod, sea bass, snapper, salmon) cut into chunks

¾ lb. shrimps, peeled and deveined

½ lb. bay scallops

Juice of one lemon 

Procedure:

Soak clams and mussels in a large bowl of salted water at least 15 min.

 

Rinse clams and mussels under running water, scrubbing them with a small brush. Pull beards off mussels. Discard any mussel with cracked or open shells. Return clams and mussels to salted water and let stand until ready to use. 

Heat oil in a very large pot. Add garlic, shallots, and red pepper. Cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 min. Add tomato paste and continue to cook another 5 min, stirring constantly. 

 

Add 1 cup of fish stock and bring to a boil. Remove clams and mussels from salted water and add to the pot. Cover and cook just until shells open, about 5 min.

 

Add remaining stock, 1 tsp. salt, fish, shrimps, and scallops. Cook over medium heat 8-10 min. Add lemon juice. 

3. Lime gremolata: 

2 limes, finely grated peel

1 lemon, finely grated peel

3 tbsp. parsley, minced

1 tsp. garlic, finely minced

 

 Mix the ingredients and sprinkle over individual portions of cioppino.