Still Winter

We’ve been living in a bit of domestic chaos aside from the national woes and concerns for our country. Our sewer line needed to be replaced and that required jack hammering the concrete floors in the laundry room and art storage area. What a mess. Then a crew dug a four foot deep trench outdoors to replace the line to the septic tank. Lots of noise and activity, then lots of cleanup. We are back to normal and I hope, finished with major home repairs.

On these cold, gloomy days full of national turmoil and worry I look to comforting dishes to cheer us up. I have many new cooking inspirations and often forget past favorites. Then the yen for those familiar flavors pops up. This fish soup had been a mainstay of my cooking, a favorite dish for company. One cold evening a simple take on the recipe seemed like just the thing for our dinner. I usually have most of the ingredients in my pantry and freezer.

Fish Soup

Makes two servings.

For the soup base: chop an onion and a head of fennel into bite-sized pieces. Sauté in a tablespoon of olive oil until translucent and starting to get tender, about ten minutes. Add a half teaspoon of crushed fennel seeds if you have them and four cloves of garlic, chopped. Stir in a small tin of crushed or diced tomatoes and two cups of water or fish stock. (I keep shrimp shells in the freezer to make a light stock. Cover with water, add some parsley stems and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain.) Bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes until veggies are tender.

When it’s time to eat, bring soup base to a simmer and add eight large shrimp cut into bite-sized pieces, and half a pound or more of fish chunks – cod, hake, halibut or whatever you or the fishmonger have. Cook only until done, just a few minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley. This is my everyday recipe. For a fancy version, add mussels, scallops and/or squid.

Arugula and Orange Salad

I like the sharp, sweet flavor of oranges with fennel and fish so I made this salad to accompany the fish soup. Peel an orange with a sharp knife: take a thin piece off the top and bottom then remove peel and white pith. Slice into ½ inch half-moons. Combine with arugula, avocado and thinly cut red onion. Dress with olive oil, salt and pepper. Top with toasted, sliced almonds.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Deep in winter I long for the sunny taste of garden tomatoes. Alas, winter produce just isn’t the same. But the readily available cherry tomatoes are delicious when simply roasted. Halve the little orbs and spread on a baking tray lined with parchment. I do this in my toaster oven. Lightly sprinkle with coarse salt, just a couple grains on each tomato. Bake at 350° for an hour. Watch in the last minutes so they don’t burn. Store in the fridge and add to salads and pasta dishes.

Mimi recommended a banana cake recipe from “Good to the Grain” by Kim Boyce, a baking cookbook introducing whole grains like amaranth, millet and buckwheat. This recipe includes quinoa flour and is a winner. My new favorite banana cake. At Mimi’s suggestion I ground whole quinoa seeds in my spice grinder, a dedicated coffee grinder, rather than buy expensive flour.

Banana Walnut Cake

Preheat oven to 350°. Toast two cups of walnuts until fragrant 5 – 10 minutes. Watch them! Grind one cup in the Cuisinart and coarsely chopped the second cup. Grind ½ cup of quinoa seeds into flour. (Use a spice or coffee grinder.)

Cream together four ounces (one stick) of unsalted butter with ½ cup brown sugar and ½ cup white sugar. Add three ripe bananas, then two large eggs. Stir in 1/3 cup sour cream or yogurt and one teaspoon vanilla.

Fold in the quinoa flour, the ground walnuts, one cup unbleached flour, one tablespoon baking powder and one teaspoon kosher salt. Scrap batter into a buttered nine-inch springform or round cake pan. Bake at 350° for 50 – 60 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the pan for ten minutes. Remove and top with a thin glaze – ½ cup sifted powdered sugar mixed with a teaspoon or more of lemon juice. Top with the chopped walnuts.