Fish in Artichoke and Tomato Broth

Another Sunday night family dinner feast! Tonight we decided that we would like something a little bit lighter as we have been eating A LOT of yummy comfort food this winter. I had seen Giada's recipe for Halibut in Artichoke and Tomato Broth awhile back and have been meaning to try it. The nice thing is this is much lighter than a pasta dish, but was still warm and comforting on a chilly evening. And I don't think there is anything better than dipping crusty bread in a delicious broth :).

I changed up the recipe a little bit to use ingredients I already had and make it quick and easy to assemble. One main swap I did was use tuna steaks and sea bass that we had rather than getting halibut. I would say choose your favorite fish or one that there's a good deal on and your good to go! I also added kale because I can't get enough of this superfood lately and am having fun using it in recipes.

Recipe

Fish in Artichoke and Tomato Broth

(Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network)

Ingredients

Olive oil

4 servings of fish (your choice, I used tuna and sea bass)

Salt and pepper for seasoning the broth throughout

1/2 red onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 14oz canned artichokes in water, sliced in half or quarters

1/2 cup white wine

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried thyme 

1 bunch kale (remove stems and chop or tear into bite size pieces)

Crusty bread 

Directions:

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onions and saute until translucent. Next add the garlic, artichokes  and kale... cooking until garlic starts to brown. Add the white wine while continuing to stir and removing brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the broth, tomatoes (and juice) and thyme and stir together. Let the mixture come to a simmer. 

Meanwhile grill up the fish that you have seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper (it should only take a few minutes on each side). 

Once the fish is ready spoon the broth mixture into shallow bowls and top with the fish. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

Provencal Fish Stew

Today we celebrated my Mom's birthday and I knew I wanted to cook up something special for the occasion. I have been wanting to try making a decadent seafood stew for some time now and with the combination of the snowstorm today and the fact that my Mom love's seafood I knew this was the perfect occasion.

The recipe I choose is from a new cookbook that I just bought (and am so excited about), The Foster's Market Cookbook, by Sara Foster. This is definitely a larger undertaking as far as making a meal goes, but when you have an afternoon to cook up a storm it's definitely worth it! One other aspect I love is that I was able to cook with some fun, rare ingredients like saffron, fennel and leeks (I was able to find all of the below ingredients at Whole Foods).

Fennel



Leeks


I took pictures step by step to help show you the process. This meal was a huge hit with my family and I can't wait to use it for a dinner party.

Below is the recipe and directions with pictures

Provencal Fish Stew
(Adapted from The Foster's Market Cookbook)

Olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 leeks, trimmed and split lengthwise
1 fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
One 28 oz can of whole tomatoes
8 cups fish broth
1 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Grated zest and juice of two oranges
2lbs of white firm fish (the originally recipe called for red snapper or grouper, I used an Australian fish barramundi)
1 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded
12 small littleneck clams, cleaned
1 lb large shrimp
2 teaspoons saffron threads (this spice is pretty expensive, I think the stew would still be good without it, it just makes it extra special!)

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent (about 10 minutes).

2. Soak the leaks in a large bowl filled with cold water for about 10 minutes; rinse, drain and slice into 1/4 inch half rounds. Add the leeks to the onion and cook for 5 minutes until the leeks have softened.

3. Add the fennel, celery, and carrots stir all of the ingredients together and cook for 10 more minutes. Next, add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.



4. Add the tomatoes, fish broth, wine, salt, pepper, marjoram, and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low and let simmer (uncovered) for an hour.

5. Increase heat to medium-high and add orange zest & juice, fish, mussels, clams, shrimp and saffron (stir everything together). Cook, stirring occasionally, 6-7 minutes, until all the clams and mussels have opened and the fish begins to flake. Remove from the heat to serve discarding any clams or mussels that didn't open.



Serve with fresh bread (I choose sourdough) and enjoy!