May 19th: fish stew

Finally, after a week of duds, I landed on a spectacular meal for tonight's supper. At least, I loved it and had seconds. Greg was iffy and O didn't eat much. Sometimes their views don't get reflected here. This was, I thought, a delicious and quick fish stew that I pulled out of the Ottawa Citizen in May 2010. It is surprisingly creamy given it is a broth-based soup. To accompany, I baked up some plain biscuits from the freezer. Not quite suitable for a beautiful 17°C evening, but the weather's been so wacky recently I can't properly plan meals around it. Here's the recipe:

Fish Stew

2 tbsps unsalted butter
1/2 small onion, diced small
1-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small carrot, quartered lengthwise and diced small
3 tbsps all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves OR a few sprigs of fresh thyme*
2 3/4 cups chicken broth (plus more, if required)
2 medium potatoes, diced
454 g white fish (haddock, halibut), skinned and diced
10-12 asparagus spears, diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

*I wouldn't buy fresh thyme just for this recipe, but if you happen to have some on hand, it is a lovely upgrade.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot set over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and carrot and cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Mix in the flour and dried thyme, if using, and cook 1 minute more. While stirring, slowly mix in the broth. If using the fresh thyme, add it now, as well as the potatoes. Bring the mixture to a slow simmer, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the fish and asparagus and simmer until the fish is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

If you find the stew too thick, thin with a bit more chicken broth to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Serves 4.

N.B.: the original recipe called for the potatoes, fish and asparagus to be cut into 1/2 inch and 1 inch cubes, which I did. Greg found them too large, which is why I'm suggesting diced above. However, if you're not into eating baby food, I say, go big.

Remove thyme sprigs prior to serving.

Eating outside. Ah...