F.E.A.S.T.: Clam Chowder

Wait a minute, didn't I just post something yesterday? I seem to recall doing something with lots of pumpkin....

Eh, what're you gonna do?

Hello again, dear readers!

In honor of the recent snap of cold weather we had a short time back (when everything decided to get down below freezing before jumping back up to the 70s), I decided that it was the perfect time to try my hand at making some soup. OK, so my roommate requested it, but who's keeping track?

So I made it my mission to make New England style (or close enough) clam chowder, from scratch, as a F.E.A.S.T.! I got everything together, I worked my tail off, and I made a pretty delicious bowl of soup, thank you very much. Then I looked at my budget. And then I looked at the clock.

::sigh::

Yeah. So, not a F.E.A.S.T., or at least, not really. I went over on both time and funds, which are two of the four pillars that hold up this whole wacky concept. So to say that this one is teetering would be an understatement. However! The soup was a success, and I think that with a bit of stretching, we can make this work, even if we have to bend the rules a bit. Regardless, I think this one is worth sharing, so I'm going to do just that!

WHAT I USED!!!
2 small yellow onions, diced ($1.0)
10-12 yellow potatoes, cubed (from a $1.5 bag)
4 cans baby clams, water reserved ($8.0)
32oz veggie stock ($2.0)
1pint heavy cream ($2.0)
1/2 package of bacon!, diced (from a $3.5 package)
a few sprigs of fresh thyme ($2.0)
3-5tbs AP flour (stock)
a few bay leaves (stock)

Final Price: $20

Huh, OK, so now that I've written it out, maybe I didn't go as over on the budget as I'd thought. I must be remembering something else. And it does make a lot of chowder, so I don't feel too bad about being on the borderline.

WHAT I DID!!!
In a large stockpot, cook the bacon over medium heat until almost crispy, then toss in the onions. Throw a bit of salt on top of them for good measure. Give the onions about 5-7min to soften. When the onions are cooked, but before they start to take on too much color, sprinkle on your flour. You want enough to absorb all the bacon drippings and form a roux. This will help to thicken the soup. It's hard to describe, but suffice to say, when it looks like a thin paste with no flour lumps, you should be set.

Once you have your roux, add the veggie stock and stir to combine with all the flour. Once it's smooth, add the water from the clams, the cream, and the potatoes. You can toss the bay leaves (which will have to come out at the end) and the thyme in as well, or you can put them in a large tea ball and let them steep that way. Bring the mixture just to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 15-20min., or until the potatoes are fork-tender.

Toss the clams in, and sprinkle a healthy amount of freshly-ground black pepper over the whole thing. Give it another five minutes for the clams to firm up, and you're ready to serve with (or in!) the bread of your choice!

Alright then, let's get right to our acronym. I, for one, am anxious to see how this all pans out!

Fast: Not really. The whole thing, starting with chopping the veggies, took about an hour and twenty minutes. So no luck there. But what am I saying? Get some help and make it go faster! (Just be careful out there with all the sharp knives, OK?)

Easy: Yeah, it's basically adding a bunch of stuff to a pot and letting it go. That's why I love soup; it really is just that easy!

Affordable: Twenty bucks for about 8 servings seems pretty awesome to me. Woo-hoo! We made this pillar work after all!

Super Tasty: Oh very yes. The clams, so plump and juicy, with just a hint of the sea, were definitely the main attraction. But the seasonings and the potatoes added their own unique flavors as well, providing a perfect balance. It was creamy and hardy without being too thick, like canned chowders so often are. I call it good ol' fashioned comfort food, the kind that fills you up and warms you through. And the bacon, of course, makes everything better.

So there you have it: a savory bowl of clam chowder, prepped in just over an hour with a conscious nod towards a healthy budget. I hope you enjoyed this entry, and I hope that you will give this soup a try and tell me what you think. I more or less crafted it myself, taking elements and inspiration from about three or five different methods I found around the internets, so I am very interested to hear what people think.

(Oh, and this shouldn't be an issue, but we did find a wee piece of clam shell in with the meat, which was very unpleasant to bit down upon, I am sure. Just be careful, kids.)

Until next time, go forth and eat well!

F.E.A.S.T.: Shrimp Risotto

Yeah, you read that right: Shrimp. Risotto. As a F.E.A.S.T.

Where did this come from, you ask? Surprisingly, nowhere in particular. I like shrimp. I like risotto, and I hadn't made any in some time. And while I was planning my meals for the week, I remembered that I needed to blog about something. So I asked myself, what do I do? And then the idea just came to me: what if I could do risotto as a F.E.A.S.T.?

"Madness!" I hear you say. "You can't do risotto on the cheap! You can't do it in under an hour!"

Oh, but you can!

::cue maniacal laughter::

OK, so it really isn't all that crazy truth to tell. And I didn't quite hit all the points needed for it to qualify as a F.E.A.S.T., but I'll explain that in a minute.

The truth is that shrimp, like most seafood, is actually quite easy to cook. You just have to have quality ingredients and you need to not over-complicate things. And trust me, I am the master of over-complicating things that don't need to be over-complicated. Luckily, seafood is not really one of them. The same goes for risotto. In reality, it isn't all that tricky; you just have to be diligent. That means that unlike with regular rice, you can't just walk away from it. It needs tending.

So, if you treat the ingredients right and just pay attention to what you're about, you can come up with something that's truly delicious. And everyone you serve will be so impressed that you made freaking shrimp risotto of all things, that you come off looking like a master chef. It really is just that impressive!

Oh, but still you doubt me? Well, read on dear readers, and judge for yourselves!

WHAT I USED!!!
1 yellow onion, diced  ($1.0)
a few tsp garlic, divided  (stock)
2 cups Arborio rice  (from a $6.0 container)
Approx. 5 cups vegetable broth or stock  ($3.0)
1 1/4 cup dry white wine (like chardonnay), divided  ($5.0)
6 tbs (unsalted) butter, divided  (stock)
1 lb frozen medium shrimp (raw, de-veined, tail-on), thawed  ($6.5)
Basil, julienned  ($2.0)
Juice of 1 large lemon  ($1.0)
Parmesan cheese, to taste  ($2.5)
Salt and pepper  (stock)

Final price for ingredients: $27.0

OK, so I'm over on my budget here, I admit that. But I only used about half the rice, and we were able to drink the rest of the bottle of wine with the meal. So technically I only went over by a little bit.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

WHAT I DID!!!
Bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat. Once you reach that point, drop the heat and keep the broth hot.

Meanwhile, melt 4tbs butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Toss in your onion and some garlic, and cook for around 5 minutes, until the onion begins to turn translucent. Season with your salt and pepper, and don't be skimpy.

Add your rice to the pan and stir/toss the grains to coat them in the butter and onion mixture. Toast the rice, stirring regularly, for a few minutes, taking care not to let the rice burn.

Add 1 cup of white wine and stir occasionally until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Then, add your hot broth a ladle-full or two at a time, and stir until that liquid has also had a chance to absorb.

Once you've gotten through about half to two-thirds of your broth, melt the remaining 2tbs butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the rest of your garlic, the shrimp, half of the lemon juice, and the remaining 1/4cup of wine to the skillet, and season with salt and pepper. Saute until the shrimp turns opaque all the way through.

Taste the rice after each broth addition when you get near the end. The grains should be firm but not crunchy, and soft but not gummy. If you have to, ease up and don't add the last cup or so of the broth, but I found that this wasn't necessary.

Add the remaining lemon juice to the rice, then pour in all of the liquid from the shrimp. Stir in the shredded basil and the Parmesan.

Scoop the rice into a bowl, top with a few shrimp and some more Parmesan, and enjoy!

There now, that's not so difficult, right? Let's review our acronym.

Fast: Yep, right on the nose. From prep to eat took exactly one hour, and that was with me sort of making things up as I went. I had a couple methods to use as guides, true, but I really did just do this one on my own accord. The point is that I said it would take an hour, and it did!

Easy: I would say so. Sure, it's not as easy as making a sandwich, but it ain't rocket science either. Just keep your eyes on the rice and don't let it burn or get soggy, and you'll be fine. The trick is to just keep stirring the pot, and I know that you can handle that part.

Affordable: Like I said, I did go over my $20 budget, which is unfortunate. But I have enough rice left over to make a second meal, so I feel like I only went over by a few dollars. But, a budget is a budget, and I did bust it on this one. Still, the results were worth the extra expense, in my opinion.

Super Tasty: Yes. Very yes. The shrimp were succulent and juicy, with a light, aromatic flavor. The rice was wonderfully creamy, cooked to a perfect al dente. Together, with the acidity of the lemon and the pepperiness of the basil, they came together to make a wonderfully light, and surprisingly healthy, meal that was very satisfying nonetheless.

So there you have it: shrimp risotto in an hour for around twenty bucks. It's easy, it's delicious, it's a F.E.A.S.T.!

As always, thanks for reading. I hope that you enjoyed it. Comments and suggestions for new meals are always welcome. Until next time, go forth and eat well!

Scallops with mashed potatoes and asparagus

Hello again, dear readers!

Today, I just wanted to share a tasty dish I made for dinner last week: scallops. Nothing fancy, nothing crazy, not even a F.E.A.S.T., just a simple meal that you yourself can make without too much effort.

"Ye gods!" you say. "But wherein lies the adventure?" you ask. An excellent question, indeed! And I have an answer for you!

::cue crickets chirping::

Ok, so there really isn't one. I've made scallops before, and they're easy. I mean, super easy. But I haven't had the chance to prepare them in ages, so I wanted to try my hand again. I looked up several methods and then adapted my favorites into a cohesive whole. And I am pleased to say that they turned out marvelously. And that's why I decided to tell you about them: because they're easy enough to cook that with a little effort you too can plate a mighty impressive dish that will have others saying, "ooh" and "ahh."

Don't believe me? Come now, have I ever led you astray? And no, don't even talk about my last experiment with ice cream; that was for science!

WHAT I USED!!!
1lb. frozen bay scallops, thawed, drained, and patted dry
3 slices bacon, chopped
2/3 cup apple juice or cider
1 half-pint heavy cream
approx 2lbs golden potatoes
1 stick butter, softened
1 bunch of asparagus
garlic, minced, to taste
salt and pepper
fresh chives, chopped

WHAT I DID!!!
Drop the potatoes in a pot and add enough water to cover by an inch. Give it a good pinch of salt and then set it over high heat. Once it boils, drop the heat to med-low and let them simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until the taters can be easily pierced by a knife without much resistance. Drain the spuds once they're done.

Meanwhile, prepare your asparagus. Hold the stalks one at a time by the base and near the middle, and start bending them gently. The hard, undesirable part of the stalk should snap cleanly off. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once this is ready, drop the asparagus in and give it a minute to blanch. This will improve both the color and the flavor. After a minute, transfer the veggies using a slotted spoon into a waiting bowl of ice water to halt the cooking process. Once they've cooled, set them aside to dry.

Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned. Using your trusty slotted spoon once more, transfer the bacon to a waiting pile of paper towels to drain. Up the heat to high and add the scallops to the bacon drippings! to cook. Give 'em a few shakes and cook until they all just turn opaque, or about four minutes. Grab that ever-so-useful slotted spoon once more and remove the scallops to a dish, and stash said dish in a warm oven to keep things toasty.

Add the apple juice/cider and 1/3 cup of the cream to the pan. Cook this mixture to boiling over med-high heat until the sauce thickens, or about seven minutes, stirring occasionally. You'll know it's ready when the sauce coats the back of a metal spoon and holds its shape when you swipe your finger through it. This is called nappe', as I've mentioned before. Add salt and pepper to taste.

While the sauce does its magic, cook your asparagus. Get a nonstick skillet warmed up over medium to med-high heat and give it a swirl of olive oil. Add as much or little garlic as you care to and saute until the garlic just begins to gain some color. Add your asparagus and give it a toss to coat the veggies in olive oil and garlic. Cook the asparagus until it softens slightly and begins to pick up some color of its own.

Warm the remaining cream for a few seconds in the microwave. Then simply go to town with your favorite potatoes masher or a hand mixer if you so choose. Once the potatoes have been mashed, work in the butter and cream and blend it all into one amalgamous mixture.

To serve, place a good pile of potatoes on each plate. Top with a scoop of delicious scallops, then place a few stalks of asparagus off to one side slightly. Give the whole thing a bit of sauce, and sprinkle with bacon and chives. That's it, you're done!

Ok, so maybe it looks a little complex once I write it all out, but it's really not all that bad. Trust me, this may seem like a handful of steps, but they're all pretty basic steps if you really stop and break it all down: prep and make mashed potatoes, saute some asparagus, saute scallops, make a basic sauce, combine. That's it! Trust me, it's easy.

And totally worth it too. The scallops have a natural sweetness to them, and they lack any of that "fishy" smell that turns off so many people. Moreover, the potatoes are rich (but not too rich), and the asparagus provides a nice counterpoint both in texture and in flavor.

If I were to offer any critique of the meal, it's that the scallops can get lost in the potatoes. This is simple because they are so small. You don't lose the flavor much, it just gets mixed in with the rest of the dish. To be honest, I would have preferred to use the larger, meatier sea scallops, which are three times as big. The problem was they were also three times the price, so I had to pass. Maybe next time though.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post. And I hope you'll go out there and give this method a try. It'll impress and amaze your friends, I guarantee!

Comments and suggestions are welcome as always. Until next time, go forth and eat well!