Tag Archives: fish

Jul13

Baked Trout with Sour Cream Parmesan Sauce

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 all in one pan end result

 

Baked Trout With Sour Cream Parmesan Cheese Sauce

Serves 4

I love Idaho trout and yesterday, I was in the mood for just that. I also was in the mood for an easy dinner fix and that’s what this was. I sliced some new baby potatoes very thin and added some olive oil and sliced onions plus herbs and put them in aluminum foil which I folded to close. I did the same for some broccoli crowns but you could have used squash, whatever. The trout I made as this recipe calls for and left the aluminum foil open. Into the oven it all went and voila, 25 minutes later a glorious meal. I made the trout with the larger amounts written for the sauce but actually wished I had only used 1/2 of the amounts because frankly that was too much sauce for me. So, that’s why I put the amounts of the ingredients the way I did. If you like a lot of sauce use the larger amount and if you are not a huge sauce person, go for the lesser amounts.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound trout fillets
  • 1/2 to 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
  • 1/8 to 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 to 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 to 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Paprika

Directions

  • Place fish in a greased shallow 3-qt. baking dish.
  • In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, cheese, lemon juice, onion and salt; spread over fish. Sprinkle with paprika.
  • Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Oct4

Mediterranean Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

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mediterrean spaghetti squash close up mediterrean spaghetti squash

Mediterranean Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Serves 4

Easy on the belly and good besides—that’s what this dish presents. You don’t have to add the shrimp so it can be a totally vegetarian dish. I also have another recipe that uses this kind of squash, so be on the look out for that. It’s a south of the border version.

Ingredients:

  1. One spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded (I save the seeds to roast in a 400 degree oven. I let the seeds dry and then sprinkle them with olive oil and red pepper flakes. It takes about 20-30 minutes to roast them.)
  2. 2 Tblsp. olive oil
  3. 1 onion-chopped
  4. 2 garlic cloves minced
  5. One 14.5 oz. canned dice tomatoes including its’ juice. (The can I used also included oregano, garlic and basil.)
  6. 1/2 C. chopped artichoke hearts (I used the slightly marinated kind.)
  7. 3 Tblsp. sliced black olives (I used the slightly marinated kind.)
  8. 2 Tbslp. chopped fresh basil
  9. Medium sized cooked deveined shrimp, defrosted, tail taken off—I used about 15 (Optional)
  10. 3/4 to 1 C. crumbled feta cheese

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In an oven proof dish, put in 1/2 to 3/4 C. water and place the 2 squash halves, flesh side down, in your dish. Bake about 35 minutes in the preheated oven. You can check at 30 minutes however the squash is done when you are able to insert a sharp knife with little resistance. When the squash is done take a fork to rake the flesh into your “spaghetti”. Be careful not to rake through the skin because you are going to use that for the stuffing.
  3. Meanwhile, in a large deep pot heat the olive oil and when heated, put in the onion. Sauté till it has softened. (about 5 minutes) Add the garlic and sauté for about 2 more minutes. Stir in ingredients number # 5 through # 8, place a lid on the pot and let the sauce simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
  4. If you are using the shrimp, now’s the time to put them in the sauce for 3 or so minutes or till they are heated through.
  5. Add the feta last and stir it in quickly.
  6. Spoon the sauce into your squash halves. I surrounded mine with some cold marinated hot Italian styled red peppers which I thought tasted quite good with this.
  7. If you wish, you can serve some crusty hot French bread with this. And of course a nice crispy light white wine would be nice to have as well. But even red is good with this dish.

 

 

Jul22

Shrimp Bruschetta with Arugula and Wine

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Shrimp Bruschetta with wine and arugula


Ingredients

Baguette slices or toast points

Topping:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large or 2 small shallots, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 pound extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 packed cup arugula, chopped
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

Directions

For the toasts or baguette slices: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Arrange the bread/baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until light golden, about 10 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes. Rub the warm toasts/baguette slices with the cut side of the garlic. Set aside.

For the topping: In a medium skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 2 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, to taste, and add them to the skillet. Cook until the shrimp are pink and cooked through about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the shrimp and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.

In the same skillet, add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook over medium-high heat until the tomatoes start to soften, about 4 minutes. Turn the heat to high. Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the stock and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the tarragon, arugula, mascarpone cheese, and chopped shrimp. Stir until the mixture is creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

 

Arrange the toasts/baguette slices on serving plates and drizzle with the sauce. Sprinkle with salt and pepper before serving.

 

Jun9

The One Dish Oven Roasted Salmon with Asparagus, Fingerling Potatoes and Sliced Lemons

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salmon dish ready to eat  salmon roasted,plated

The One Dish Oven Roasted Salmon with Asparagus, Fingerling Potatoes and Sliced Lemons

Serves 4

Oh my—so easy and so delicious. It’s a country style dish— not quite the elegant dish that my previous oven poached salmon presents however in a different way, every bit as excellent and certainly a bit more economical. This time I bought a nice fresh flown-in salmon fillet for $6.99/lb. It weighed a little more than 1 lb.; it was not super thick but just perfect for the making of this one dish meal.

 

Spring time does bring some of the best foods around such as the fresh salmon from WA and Alaska; and then there is the fabulous fresh asparagus that appears. Lucky are we that there is a continual wonderful array of lemons, dill and fingerling potatoes that arrive in our markets for us to purchase. We are so spoiled; sometimes I really feel guilty being able to enjoy these feasts on a daily basis. I truly think about those in other parts of this world who are going hungry—no food for them—no glorious markets and displays for them. I think about that a lot however, that doesn’t stop me from writing these recipes for all of us to enjoy. So, here I am with another yummy recipe for you to cook for your family and friends—and maybe when enjoying your repast, you could send out a little prayer for those who aren’t fortunate enough to be able to enjoy a repast such as this. Sorry to have become maudlin but I do think that prayers are important. Enough Margot—-and on to the good stuff!!!!

 

Ingredients:

  1. 1 lb. plus a bit more if you wish of a nice fresh salmon fillet—skin on
  2. 1 lb. fingerling potatoes, washed and cut in half
  3. 4 Tbsp. olive oil divided in two parts plus some more
  4. 1/2 lb. asparagus—medium sized- washed, ends trimmed (if you wish you can cut the asparagus in 1-inch pieces but I like to leave them whole. If your asparagus are pencil thin and in particular if you have cut them they may only need 12-15 minutes of baking so you might have to add them a bit after you’ve added your salmon and then continue cooking the dish.)
  5. 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
  6. 1 strip of lemon zest and 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
  7. 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
  8. S&P to taste
  9. 1 lemon sliced thin
  10. 1 other lemon for garnish—cut into wedges
  11. Dill sour cream sauce if desired (combine 1/4 C. sour cream with 1/2 tsp. dill and 1 Tsp. lemon juice; I like it plain like this but if you insist, you could add a bit of Dijon)

 

Directions:

Place the asparagus, lemon slices, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 Tbsp. chopped dill, 1 Tsp. grated lemon zest, garlic and a bit of salt in a plastic bag, close, shake and let marinade for at least 20 minutes up to 30 minutes. I also add a bit of my Gomasio (a sesame seed splash) to this mixture. For the Gomasio recipe please refer to my roasted vegetables on my blog: http://blog.tempinnkeeper.com

asparagus marinating

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a large Pyrex baking dish, place the cut potatoes with 2 Tbsp. olive oil and a bit of salt. Stir well and place in oven for about 10 minutes fingerlings in dish to roastor until the potatoes begin to brown a bit. At this point, shake the dish and roast the potatoes for another 10 minutes.Take the dish out of the oven, push aside the potatoes to the side and place the asparagus mixture in the dish and mix it all; then place the salmon, skin side down, on top of all and brush some olive oil on top of the salmon.Isalmon,etc. in dish ready to go in ovenI roasted my 1 lb. plus a bit salmon for about 20 minutes. (See below for further baking instructions for salmon.) The salmon was divine, the asparagus not too done and the potatoes were perfect. I did serve the sour cream sauce (minus the mustard addition) with the dish. Also, before serving the salmon, if you wish, lift it off the skin with a metal spatula.

All in all, it was a delicious and easy dish to serve.

And best of all, the next day I had the Real Deal Caesar with the left over salmon, etc.

 

caesar,salmon,asparagus,potatoescaesar salmon lemmon

 

Please see below for “good rule of thumb’s “rules for baking salmon:

  • A good rule of thumb is that the salmon will bake about ten minutes per one inch thickness of your fillet. A two-inch thick fillet will bake for 20 minutes. A 1-1/2 filet will take 15 minutes and so on.
  • Check the salmon frequently. Start checking at about 10 minutes, and keep checking until the flesh of the fish is just barely an opaque pink.
  • As previously mentioned, salmon baked in a closed packet – whether parchment, foil or a covered dish – is likely too cook a bit more quickly. Check it starting at about ten minutes and re-cover the fish before continuing.
  • Remove the salmon from the oven as soon as the flesh becomes opaque. Serve immediately.
Jun3

Margot’s Oven Poached Salmon with Dill Sauce

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DSCN0729 DSCN0735 DSCN0742

before poaching                             after poaching                     ready to eat


I love fresh salmon and when I find some well priced, I buy it immediately. I was really lucky to have found this King Salmon for the same price as the North Atlantic variety–$6.99/lb. What a deal!!!! I have many recipes for salmon but there are two which I prefer: oven roasted and this recipe which is oven poached. Both are simple and easy to prepare yet make for a very elegant looking and tasting dish. As such it is a fine one to serve for guests.

 

I many times serve my poached salmon with couscous or roasted fingerling potatoes (see my blog for vegetable roasting recipes) as shown in the third food picture above; they took about 20 minutes to get done in the 450 oven so see how easy this dinner can be because you can roast them during the same time that you oven poach the salmon. Sometimes I’ll serve this dish with our wonderful Hagerman fresh corn which I so easily cook in the microwave (see my blog for the easy recipe). For the greens I really love making my Lemon Lovers’ Asparagus recipe (also found on my blog) which features roasted asparagus and freshly cut and roasted lemon slices.

 

You can use any kind of nice looking and fresh salmon fillets but the King Salmon makes for a very fine dish indeed. You can roast fewer fillets or more so for instance for one fillet in a smaller baking dish, I reduce the specified amounts of wine, water, etc. mentioned below to 1/2 of what the recipe calls for. As well, because my fillet (shown in picture) is one luxurious inch thick and measures 4” X 4”, it took about 13 minutes instead of 10 minutes to poach. So, take this all in consideration if you poach fewer or more fillets and as well as to the thickness and size of each one. The trick here I think is to keep a close eye on it all. You definitely don’t want an overdone fillet. Lastly, this is a dish that does not have to be steaming hot when served. It is fine served at medium hot temperatures or even at room or cold temps.

 

In conclusion, I think that this is an easy meal to serve for just yourself or for a crowd of people without sweating the preparation because actually you can make it well before you serve it and serve it at room temp.

 

Ingredients for the salmon poaching:

  1. Four 6-8 oz. salmon fillets with the skin. I lift the salmon off the skin with a metal spatula.
  2. For 4 filets, use 2/3 C. white wine or white dry vermouth. Adjust the amount for less or more filets.
  3. 1/4 C. water –once again adjust if necessary
  4. Salt to taste
  5. 1 Tblsp. chopped FRESH dill and some more for presentation purposes
  6. 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  7. Lemon wedges for décor and individual use if desired

Directions for the oven poaching of the salmon:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Smear olive oil on a 7 X 11 nonreactive (glass, Pyrex, etc.) dish
  3. Place the fillets, skin side down, into your dish. Pour the wine and water over them, season lightly with salt and sprinkle the 1 Tblsp. dill and the scallions on top.
  4. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven.
  5. Bake until just cooked through and flaky usually about 10 minutes however, if your fillets are quite thin, you might check after 5-7 minutes. Be sure not to cook them too long. Even if they look a bit underdone, remember, they will cook a bit longer when out of the oven.

Ingredients for the Dill Sauce:

  1. 1/4 C. sour cream
  2. 1/2 Tsp. Dijon mustard
  3. 1 Tsp. lemon juice
  4. 1 Tsp. chopped FRESH dill
  5. Ground black pepper to taste

Directions for the Dill Sauce:

  1. In a small bowl place the above ingredients and stir well.
  2. I place a generous dollop of the sauce on top of the salmon, but if you wish you could pass the sauce around and let people serve themselves. In that case, I do put some extra chopped fresh dill on top of the salmon for the presentation.

 

Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share.

 

Be sure to take a minute to visit Margot’s blog http://blog.tempinnkeeper.com for over 200 more simple and delicious recipes. You also can call Margot for personal cooking help or hosting for small B&B kinds of food gatherings. Margot’s phone number is: 208-721-3551. Friend Margot on Facebook and also find her on Linkedin,Twitter,Pinterest and other social sites.

 

pic Pats oven poached salmon 6.14

Pat’s picture above of her oven poached Copper river salmon

 6/18/14  email from Pat below:

Hi Margot

Did your poached salmon with my Copper river salmon. It was outstanding !!!

Will do again in SV

Yummy. Pat

 

May5

Bouillabaisse–Quick and Delicious

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quick bouillabaisseBouillabaisse-Quick and Delicious

Serves 4

 

 

 

 

OK—if you don’t like sea food, don’t even bother looking at this recipe. But if you do—well, here’s an uncomplicated (don’t let the 20 listed ingredients scare you) and delicious way to make what many consider the Cadillac of fish stews. There are so many different versions and recipes for an original and good bouillabaisse; many take hours and a huge amount of various ingredients to make. However, the following recipe results in my opinion in a delicious dish that is not complicated, particularly if you can procure all of the few ingredients that I have mentioned. Please know that you can use fresh or dried seasonings but if you use the fresh variety, it’ll take twice as much of the recipe’s called upon amount as it calls for the dried variety. Fish wise, this dish can be a bit pricey to make if you get fresh non-farmed fish from the fish monger, however if you get the frozen variety (and some of it is wild caught) it can be a lot less expensive. So, here’s a dish that you can make fast, fast for guests, for your family or just for your lonesome and then have some delicious left-over’s.

Ingredients:

  1. 1-2 Tblsp. olive oil
  2. 1 medium yellow onion peeled and cut into eighths or if you wish, rough chopped by hand or food processor.
  3. 3 large peeled garlic cloves, rough chopped either by hand or in a food processor along with the onions.
  4. 2 celery stalks fine chopped by hand or food processor along with ingredient # 1 and #2.
  5. One 15-oz. can of whole tomatoes rough chopped if you want bigger chunks or even a can of commercially chopped tomatoes. Whatever, be sure to save the liquid to include in the recipe.
  6. 1-2 ears of unshucked corn, priorly soaked in water for about 1/2 hour and then microwaved for 2 minutes (for each ear) and then shucked and kernels cut off cob. Now you can use frozen corn or even rinsed canned corn. (optional)
  7. 3-5 baby red or white potatoes—cut in 2 inch pieces. (optional)
  8. 2 -8-oz bottles of clam juice and/ or seafood stock or a combination of both and actually you may want a bit more if you want a “thinner” potage.
  9. 2 Tsp. ground fennel
  10. 1/2- 3/4 Tsp. ground thyme
  11. 1-2 Tsp. dried parsley
  12. 1 Bay Leaf
  13. 1/2- 3/4 Tsp. dry basil
  14. 1/4 to 1/2 Tsp. Saffron powder
  15. S&P to taste
  16. 8-oz. combination of monkfish, swordfish, halibut, snapper or sea bass cut into large pieces.
  17. 8-oz. clean squid bodies, cut into rings and threads cut in large sections when unfrozen. (I found fresh frozen squid and they were delicious.)
  18. 10 to 15 whole unfrozen cooked medium sized or could even be small deveined shrimp with or without tail on. Sometimes I think it’s fun to present a dish which people have to actually participate in, ie, taking the shrimp tail off. And actually, some people like to munch on the tail.
  19. For last minute topping, freshly chopped parsley or even cilantro.
  20. Crusty French Bread to dip into your fish stew. If you wish, you could broil the bread spread with a bit of butter or olive oil and garlic.

 

easy bouillaibaisse

Directions:

  1. If your fish, squid and shrimp are frozen, unfreeze them per package instructions.
  2. In a large deep pot heat the 1-2 Tbslp. olive oil over medium heat. Then add the garlic, onion and celery and sauté till they are soft and slightly golden (about 5 minutes.)
  3. Then add ingredients # 5 to # 15. Also add in the potatoes if you are using them. Stir well and bring to a slow boil. Place a top on the pot, turn the heat down to medium and simmer with a top on for 30 minutes.
  4. Add the cut fish when the sauce is ready and cook covered for an additional 5 minutes or till the fish is fork ready.
  5. For your very last minute or two of cooking over medium heat and with a top on, add the squid and shrimp and the optional corn.
  6. You can top this all, when serving, with additional freshly chopped parsley or even cilantro.
  7. And don’t forget the crusty French bread and wine, like a rose(accent over the e).

 

Mar29

Shrimp a la Dijon

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shrimp dijon 2Shrimp a la Dijon

Serves 4

 

For my taste, this recipe results in a truly delectable dish.  It’s a quick and easy one to serve however looks and tastes like you might have spent hours on it.  The sauce in particular is divine.  You can serve it over rice, pasta or with crusty French bread and a nice light green salad.  It’s perfect for last minute guests or just for last minute family dinners or even just for your lonesome.  Just make sure that you have some dried mushrooms or frozen pre-cooked mushrooms and uncooked peeled and devinne with tail on shrimp in the freezer.  You can even substitute for the shrimp left-over chicken.  You also can add chopped light tasting veggies like chopped yellow squash (not broccoli, Brussel Sprouts and such), when sauteing the onions and mushrooms.

Ingredients:

  1. 12 Oz. Shrimps with tail defrosted per package instructions
  2. Butter and/or olive oil to amount to 3 Tbls. (I use a bit of both)
  3. 1 ½ C. sliced mushrooms
  4. 1/4 C. finely chopped onions and/or 3 finely chopped garlic cloves
  5. 1 Tblsp. flour
  6. 3/4 C. very warm chicken broth
  7. 1/4 C. dry white wine (I used dry vermouth)
  8. 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  9. 1 Tsp. crushed dry tarragon and/ or a heaping 1/2 Tsp. fennel seeds
  10. 1/4 Tsp. paprika
  11. 1/4 Tsp. ground pepper
  12. 1/4 C. heavy cream (you can use ½ and ½ or milk if you wish to lighten the load)

Directions:

  1. In a large measuring cup, combine the chicken broth with the white wine, Dijon mustard, and tarragon or fennel seeds, paprika and ground pepper.  Let sit while you do the rest of the steps.
  2. In a large skillet, heat the butter and/or oil till it is hot.  Add the mushrooms and onions/garlic and over medium heat, sauté till the mushrooms and onions/garlic are soft, limp and glistening. Stir in flour till all is well mixed and no more flour white remains.
  3. Add the chicken broth mixture and stir till thickened and the mixture bubbles.  Reduce heat to medium low.
  4. Stir in the cream and shrimp.
  5. Cook covered for 2 minutes or till shrimp is done.  Don’t overcook or shrimp will become tough.
  6. Garnish individual plates or platter with lemon slices and sliced tomatoes and top with parsley or herbs.
Mar10

Garlic Shrimp–3 different ways

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Garlic Shrimp (3 different ways) for an appetiser or for a light mealgarlic shrimp

Serves 4

Well, I love shrimp and I love garlic so you know what I think of these simple, delicious and lovely to look at dishes.  If you like the two ingredients I just mentioned,  don’t wait to create these easy ecstasies; they can suffice as hors d’oeuvres or as a luncheon or supper dish.  Easy and good–I aim to please.

Ingredients:

  1. 1/4 C. Olive Oil or more (Make sure that the olive oil covers the pan bottom. DON’T SKIMP!)
  2. 4 large garlic cloves, finely minced
  3. 1 Tsp. red pepper flakes
  4. 1 to 1 ½ Lb. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and unfrozen (I do not buy the ready to cook type of shrimp because for my taste, the uncooked shrimp is so superior and it’s a breeze to handle).
  5. 2 Tblsp. lemon juice
  6. 2 Tblsp. dry sherry (I used white vermouth because I didn’t have dry sherry.  White wine would be OK as well.  I hear that even white vinegar or rice wine will do but I haven’t tried that for this recipe).
  7. 1 Tsp. paprika
  8. Chopped Italian parsley for garnish and lemon wedges as well
  9. Crusty sliced French bread or white rice to go with this dish

Directions:

  1. In a sauté pan or a large deep skillet, over medium heat, heat the olive oil.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until the garlic turns golden (about one minute).
  2. Raise the heat to high and add the shrimp, lemon juice, sherry and paprika.  Stir well, then sauté, stirring briskly, until the shrimp turn pink and curl slightly (about 3-4 minutes).
  3. Season to taste with S&P and sprinkle with parsley.
  4. Serve hot over white rice or even Spanish styled rice or sided with sliced crusty French bread.  Left-over’s? Place in frig. and reheat slightly in the micro the next day.  They’ll still be good.

Variation to the above recipe:

  1. Chop roughly the peel of one orange and add it when you sauté the garlic and red pepper.
  2. Substitute the lemon juice with the juice of your one orange.
  3. 1 Tsp. of ground cumin can be added to the paprika if you wish or you can delete both of these spices totally.
  4. Substitute chopped cilantro for the Italian Parsley.
  5. Serve this with warm corn tortillas or over Mexican rice or with sliced crusty French bread.

Very Lastly:

If you wish you can easily make a broiled shrimp scampi from both of the above recipes:

Directions:

  1. Preheat the broiler
  2. Make sure your pan that you are using stove top will be broiler proof and will fit on the oven rack correctly as near to the broiler as possible. Turn the fan on.
  3. Where the directions say to add the shrimp etc., do so but very quickly so as be able to stir everything to blend well—- once again quickly.
  4. Immediately place the pan under the broiler
  5. Cook, shaking the pan once or twice and stirring if necessary, but generally leaving the shrimp undisturbed until they are pink all over and the mixture is bubbly.  This may take from 5 to 10 minutes depending on the heat of your broiler.
  6. Garnish and Serve IMMEDIATELY.

 

Feb22

Cream of Shrimp Soup

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cream of shrimp soup close up

Cream Of Shrimp Soup

Serves 4

It was another cold day here in the mountains so once again, I was thinking soup. For some reason I was hungry for shrimp so here you are—my recipe for a nice tummy warmer for lunch.  I hope that you’ll enjoy this as much as I did.

cream of shrimp soup1

 

 

Ingredients:

  1. 2 C. chicken stock combined with 1 C. vegetable stock
  2. 1 zucchini, sliced
  3. 1 crookneck yellow squash, sliced
  4. 1/2 C. frozen peas (or if you wish a pea/carrot combo)
  5. 1/4 C. sliced green onion-tops and whites
  6. S&P to taste
  7. Dash or more nutmeg
  8. 1/2 C. half and half and 1/2 C. milk (or all of one or the other)
  9. 2 Tblsp. corn starch
  10. 1 Tsp. Dijon-style mustard
  11. 1 ½ C. frozen deveined and peeled shrimp thawed-

Half of the shrimp to be the tiny variety with no tails; the other half the larger kind with tail— chop off most of the tails and then chop the remaining shrimp in thirds. However save a couple of tail on shrimp to add to your soup for looks.

  1.  For garnish, chopped parsley and crème fraiche

 

Directions:

  1. In a large saucepan combine broths and bring to a boil.
  2. Add the squash, peas(carrots), chopped green onions, S&P & nutmeg and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes or till vegetables are tender.
  3. In the milk/cream stir in the 2 Tblsp. cornstarch till smooth.
  4. Stir the milk/cream mixture and mustard in the vegetable mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat till bubbly and thick, about 1 or 2 minutes.( If you wish more thickness, dissolve some more cornstarch in a bit of water and add it till you get your desired thickness.)
  5. Stir in shrimp and heat through but not too long because otherwise the shrimp will get tough.
  6. Garnish with parsley and a dab of crème fraiche if you wish.
Feb19

Smoked Salmon with Endive, Mini-Bagels, & Seasoned Cream Cheese Dip/Spread

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smoked salmon

Smoked Salmon with Endive & Romaine Inner Leaves, Mini Bagels & Thin French Bread Slices with Seasoned Cream Cheese Dip/Spread and Other Significant Additions

Makes 30 to 40 appetizers

 

I love smoked salmon and as far as I am concerned, it can be the thick or the very thin variety.  I don’t care; I just really like it and I’m sure I’m not the only one.  So, still thinking about picnicking on the beautiful lawn listening to the even more beautiful and melodious Sun Valley Summer Symphony, here’s something you can enjoy with your picnic gang.

 

Ingredients:

  1. 1 lb. whipped cream cheese (at room temp.)
  2. 1/2 C. sour cream
  3. 2 Tblsp. lemon juice
  4. 3 Tblsp. minced shallot
  5. 1/4 C. fresh dill finely minced and save some sprigs for garnishes
  6. 1 smoked salmon fillet (2 ½ to 3 Lb.)
  7. About 1 Lb. endive, washed and separated in spears; or small inner leaves from 6 heads romaine lettuce; or some of each.
  8. Medium sized sliced cucumbers which can be topped with the salmon, etc.
  9. 3 to 4 dozen small bagels (2-“size) partially split and/or combine the bagels with thinly sliced crusty French bread.
  10. 3 lemons thinly wedged mostly for décor but some like it squeezed on their salmon.
  11. Thinly sliced red onions for toppings.
  12. Capers (in the bottle and drained for easy picnic serving but you can put them in a small bowl if you would rather.)

Directions:

  1. Beat the cream cheese with the sour cream, lemon juice, shallot and dill till nicely blended; put it in a serving bowl.
  2. Set the salmon on a large platter or board. Surround the boarded salmon with the lemon wedges, dill leaf sprigs and sliced red onion; a bowl with the cream cheese dip; a larger bowl filled with endive and romaine inner leaves; a bowl with the medium thick sliced cucumbers and the drained bottle of capers which has a little fork in it for easy serving (hint: capers usually go on last).
  3. Place the split bagels and thinly sliced French bread in a pretty basket near the boarded salmon.
  4. Pre-fill/top some of the endive/romaine lettuce leaves and sliced cucumbers with some of the salmon topped with the cream cheese dip and other goodies; set these on a separate dish or if your board is large enough, on that—to show guests how really yummy this is and for quick, fun appetizer grabbing. Let the guests put on the capers because not everyone likes them.
  5. PS—Napkins, toothpicks and small plates are a nice addition for this spread.
  6. Frankly, I love a bit of champagne with this spread.

 For easy access and printing of this and past recipes, visit Margot’s blog http://blog.tempinnkeeper.com  Call Margot for personal cooking help or hosting

 @ 721-3551.

Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share.