There are some things I can’t do, because they are
impossible. I can’t flap my arms as fast
as I can and fly. No matter how hard I
try, can’t do it.
There are some things I’d like to do, but can’t. I can’t peel an egg. Oh, every once in a while I get a pristine
peeled egg. But in general? No.
And please don’t tell me you have an easy way to peel an egg. I’ve watched every video known to
mankind. I’ve soaked them, I’ve rolled
them, I’ve cracked them in the pot, heck, I've even cracked both ends and tried
blowing it out. Got a mouth full of shell
on that one. The fact is, no matter how
hard I try, can’t do it.
Then there are some things that I’d like to do, but just
don’t have much time for. This blog is
one of them. Most of the second half of
last year, I worked on the weekends…much as I did this weekend. I mean, I get it, sometimes you gotta work
weekends. But I worked nearly every
weekend. And as much as I like my job,
and don’t mind working a few weekends here and there, my mind became mush, and
the last thing I wanted to do after sitting in front of a computer working
seven days a week was to then to sit in front of a computer and write. No matter how hard I tried, couldn’t do it.
And of course, my cooking suffered as well. Well, I shouldn’t say suffered. I should say it was nonexistent. Because, after having a mushy brain, all I
wanted was to stare at the television.
But until this weekend, I hadn’t worked weekends in a
while. So I thought, “I want to cook.” As long as there are no eggs I need to peel,
because…can’t do it.
Soup.
I love soup, especially on a cold winter day, and although
this has been a pretty good winter so far in New England, the past few weeks
have been brutal. So, a bowl of soup was
just the right thing to make.
The soup I made is adapted from a Rachael Ray cioppino
recipe called “A Fine Kettle of Fish.”
I’ve made it before, and it is pretty easy. The most challenging part for me is making
sure I used the kinds of fish Cathy will like.
Put ¼ cup of olive oil in a large pot, and add in crushed
red pepper, garlic, a bay leaf and two or three anchovy fillets. Yes, anchovy fillets. They break down and give a salty flavor to the
dish, as well as adding a “depth of flavor” to the dish.
Then add a couple of ribs of celery that are chopped, along
with a chopped onion, and cook until softened.
Add some white wine, let it reduce for a minute, and then add a 16-ounce
can of chicken stock, a 32-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, some thyme and some
parsley. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, uncovered.
Once the soup simmers, you can season and add the fish. I added tilapia and cod. Both are firm white fish with a mild flavor that
I knew Cathy could eat. After five
minutes, I added some scallops and some shrimp, covered the pot, and gave it a
good shake. That’s so the fish won’t
break up. After ten minutes, and a few
shakes later, I ladled it into some bowls, and added some chopped parsley for
some color.
It was everything I like in a soup. Bold flavor with a little bit of heat from
the crushed red pepper, with different textures from the different kinds of
seafood.
As for calories, each bowl was only 337 calories, 12 grams of
fat, mostly from the olive oil, 18 carbs, and 36 grams of protein. A perfect low fat meal for a winter’s day.
