MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large Spanish onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 celery stalks, chopped
• 7 cloves garlic, minced
• Pinch crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3 sprigs parsley
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 large waxy-style potato (about 3/4 pound), diced
• 5 cups clam juice (five 8-ounce bottles clam juice)
• One 28-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes (with liquid), roughly chopped
• 1-1/2 cups minced clams, drained (about four 6-1/2 ounce cans)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic, and crushed red pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute more. Tie the parsley sprigs, fresh thyme, and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the pot with the potatoes. Pour in the clam juice and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and clams. Cover and bring to a low simmer. Season with pepper to taste. Divide among warm soup bowls and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately.

NEVER BROWNS GUACAMOLE

NEVER BROWNS GUACAMOLE

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: zilch

yield: 1 1/2 cups or so / 6-8 servings

1/4 cup sea salt

1/2 cup hot water

1 1/2 cups cool water

3 ripe avocados, stone (pit) and skin removed

small handful cilantro, minced

3 scallions, white and light green part only, diced

1 jalapeño, minced (seeds and membrane removed for mild, or not for spicy)

juice of 1 lime

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the salt in the hot water. Add the cool water.
2. Halve the avocados and remove the stone (see the video below for tutelage)
3. Using a large spoon, scoop out the avocado halves and drop in the salt water. Allow them to soak in there for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, chop up your guacamole additions and add them to a bowl that has enough room for them and the avocados. My preferred combination is in the ingredients list above, but feel free to add your favorites.
5. After the avocados have soaked, remove them from the salt water, give them a quick rinse, and drop into the bowl with the veggies. Mash with a fork, whisk, or potato masher. Season to taste; you probably won’t need any additional salt.

MY CEVICHE

CATFISH CEVICHE

Words Fail Me...

Serve with corn chips.  I especially like the cup-shaped ones for this.

1 lb U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish fillets, cut in to 1/4-inch pieces (the smaller the better-hard to do but worth the effort)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
½ cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup seeded and diced ripe tomato
½ cup finely diced red onion
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon oregano leaves
1 jalapeno, seeded, deveined, and minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced

In a large reseal able food-storage bag, combine the fish with the lemon and lime zests and juices. Allow to marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 18 hours, turning every once and a while to mix.

Thirty minutes before serving, drain the fish and discard the liquid. Put the fish in a large mixing bowl and add the olive oil, tomato, red onion, garlic, cilantro, oregano, jalapeno, salt, sugar, and avocado. Mix gently, cover, and chill until ready to serve.
Serves 6