Great New Blog: Supper By Six

A good friend, fellow foodie and amazing cook, just started a great new blog -- Supper By Six.

The blog focuses on recipes that she can either make ahead, freeze or make on a Monday night. In other words, the working mom's (or dad!) dream come true. If you are a regular Maine-ly Home follower, you'll know what I mean when I say that a lot of the recipes are likely to make it to the "Do-Over Dinner" list in my house.

Check it out, you'll be SO glad you did.

Do-Over-Dinner: Thai Curried Fish Chowder

I can't believe I'm even going to admit this.

I'm a Maine-r and I've never made fish chowder (or, more appropriately said, "chow-dah"). Shocking, right?

Truth is, I'm not a huge fan of it. Don't get me wrong, I won't refuse (and, I'll probably even really enjoy) a really good chowder. But, the really good ones are few and far between.

But, I decided it was time to learn to make my own fish soup or chowder. I mean, goodness, I have fresh fish at my doorstep and I love soup...what is holding me back?

So I purchased some really fresh chowder pieces from Port Clyde Fresh Catch (at the Bath Farmer's Market -- but you can also order online) and decided to try my hand at a Thai Curry Fish Chowder. But, remember, I live in Bath, Maine. And, while this town has many wonderful things to offer, an ethnic supermarket is not one of them. So, naturally, I couldn't find all the ingredients I needed for any of the recipes I found. So, my recipe, which one do-over status, involved a whole lot of improvisation.


Maine-ly Home's Thai Curry Fish Chowder

What You Need:

• 1 tablespoon live oil
• 5 green onions, finely chopped (white and green parts)
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2-3 tablespoons green curry paste (start with 2, add another -- or more - for more spice)
• 3/4 cup fish stock (I bought it in a box - but your fish counter might sell their own.)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cans (~13 oz each) of coconut milk (I used one "light" one regular.)
• 1 large carrot, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 2 handfuls of snow pea pods
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 lb of fish, cut in small chunks (my fish was haddock)
• 1 tablespoon of fresh mint, chopped finely
• 2 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped finely
• salt, to season
• a wedge of lime

What to Do:

• Heat oil in dutch oven (or a saucepan with a thick bottom) over medium heat.
• Add garlic and saute until fragrant (20 seconds-ish).
• Add green onion. Saute 1 minute, stirring frequently (to prevent burning).
• Once garlic is browned, add a large spoonful of the coconut cream (don't shake the can - just open and the coconut cream will be separated).  Melt.
• Add in green curry paste. Stir and cook approximately 3 minutes. The fragrance is amazing!
• Add the rest of the coconut cream and "milk" (the watery part), water and stock.
• Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer.
• Add salt to taste.
• Add in fish. Cook for 5 minutes.
• Add in carrot. Cook another 5 minutes.
• Check fish for "done-ness".
• Add in pepper, snowpeas, basil, mint and lime juice. Simmer 1 minute.
• Serve over jasmine rice.

YUM.

Do-Over-Dinner: Roast Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb Reduction

Yum.

Years ago, at a wonderful restaurant that sadly no longer exists, I tasted wild boar served with a rhubarb reduction. It was amazing. And, I've wanted it ever since.

Well, this year, I did it. I came up with a rhubarb reduction for pork -- and it won "do-over" status!

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb Reduction

What You Need:
1 pork tenderloin
herbs for pork (Herbes de Provence or Coriander, kosher salt and pepper)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 shallot, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 cups of rhubarb, diced
1/8 cup white wine vinegar
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
fresh ground pepper

How to Make:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Rub herbs (I prefer Herbes de Provence -- but I think coriander would be a good choice as well.) and fresh ground pepper on your pork tenderloin.
3. Place pork tenderloin in roasting pan and roast until an instant read thermometer registers 145 degrees. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
4. Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan (I use my enamel-coated cast-iron dutch oven.) over medium heat, saute onion, shallot and garlic with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed to prevent sticking. Saute for 5-6 minutes until tender.
5. Add rhubarb, vinegar and sugar. Cook 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until rhubarb is broken down and soft. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper. (You can use as is - or, I pureed with a blender.)
6. Drizzle reduction over slices of pork tenderloin. Enjoy.

Optional: Consider garnishing with minced chives and parsley.

Do-Over-Dinner: Watercress Soup

Just when I thought all my cooking inspiration was gone...

Just when I thought that a "do-over-dinner" was no longer possible...

...in walks my father-in-law with a bucket of freshly-harvested watercress from a nearby creek.

My Mom immediately suggested watercress sandwiches.

While those little tea sandwiches are tempting (she made a delicious batch for my baby shower a year ago), I had my heart set on soup. So, I searched high and low for a recipe that seemed "just right".

After finding a handful of recipes that were either more broth-y than I was looking for or too laden with cream, I decided to make my own.

And, well, it got "do-over-dinner" status...!

I'm headed out to the secret spot tomorrow to gather up some more watercress...

Recipe: Watercress Soup
About 4 Dinner-Size Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Yellow Onion, Finely Chopped
• 3 Cloves of Garlic, Thinly sliced
• 3 Medium-sized White Potatoes, Peeled and Cut into 1/2-inch Chunks 
• 3 Cups of Chicken Stock
• 1 1/2 Cups Water
• 2 Bunches (2-3 Cups) Watercress (thick stems trimmed), Coarsely Chopped
• Coarse Salt (Sea or Kosher)
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• Lemon Wedges and Greek Yogurt for Serving

Directions:

1. Heat a stock pot (I use a Le Creuset 7 quart dutch oven--my very favorite kitchen item.) over medium heat. 
2. Add oil, butter, garlic and onion. Saute until fragrant and translucent (a minute or two). 
3. Add potato and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook 1 minute.
4. Add stock and water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender (5-10 minutes depending on how big your chunks of potato turned out).
5. Stir in watercress. Let simmer 1 minute.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Puree (an immersion blender is easiest -- but, if you don't have one, puree in batches in a traditional blender or food processor).
8. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a wedge of lemon (and, some yummy bread, too!)
   

Do-Over-Dinners

We love to cook and we love to sit down to dinner as a family. Given this, we are especially lucky (I used to try to claim credit to this, but in recent years I've decided it is never wise to claim credit for any parenting-related thing...it always seems to come back to haunt you!) to have one daughter (we've yet to see how number two daughter will feel...) who shares our interest in cooking, entertaining and eating. We rarely cook what I would call "kid food", we simply expect our daughter to eat whatever we're eating. And, she does. Every once in a while, however, she sighs and says, "Can't we just have macaroni and cheese?" After a few times of hearing this, I decided that we ought to give her some choice...or at least create a democracy around dinner. So, now after a meal we vote on whether a dinner is a "do over" or not. It has been a huge success--and I'll take total credit for this! In the spirit of this, Maine-ly Home will regularly feature meals that win the "do over" status in our home.  What "do-over-dinners" does your family have? 

This week's "do-over-dinner" is as basic and simple as can be--but it wins "do-over" status every time.

Lentils and Rice

Ingredients

•  6 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large white onion, sliced
• 1 1/3 cup uncooked lentils (pick over and rinse before using)
• 3/4 cup long-grain white rice
• salt and pepper to taste
• plain yogurt (we like Greek-style)
• 1 lemon
• 1-2 cups of your favorite tomato sauce

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute onions until browned (about 8-10 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside. (If you don't like onions, this can easily be omitted.)
2. Place lentils in a medium sized saucepan. Cover with water (with a dash of salt). Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes or until beginning to become tender. (I suggest keeping an eye on this as the water can quickly disappear.)
3. Add rice to pot. Add enough water to cover both the rice and lentils. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until rice and lentils are tender.
4. Add onions to the cooked lentils and rice. Serve. We serve in a bowl with a choice of condiments -- lemon slices, plain yogurt and tomato sauce.

(Time Saving Hint: If this sounds good to you, but you don't have the desire to cook lentils, look for cooked lentils in the refrigerated section of Trader Joes and serve with your choice of rice and condiments.)