Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Fish and Homestead Bread

Last night, I wanted fish without fuss. What to do? Fish out the ol' skillet, of course, and fill it with fish. This isn't really a recipe, so much as an idea; I make variations of this often, and it sits well. Plus, it was easy to chew, always a plus (although the gums are nearly healed up; now, if only the temporary crown was level....).

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a pan; shave some onion into the pan and saute it a minute. Slice in a carrot and a rib of celery, then toss the fish in the pan and cover it for 3 to 4
minutes. Flip the fish, recover and cook another 3 to 4 minutes, and you're nearly done. Remove the fish from the pan, whisk in 1 tbsp cornstarch and a cup of milk plus a touch of cream, then add a touch of sherry. Return the fish to the pan for a minute, and it's all set! I served this with angel hair stirred with diced tomatoes and cream, plus some nice whole green beans; it was a good meal.
Last night, I also made a batch of homestead bread. Since my bread machine was Kaput, I did it in the mixer again. Try this; it's really good - not too filling, nice and light!

HOMESTEAD BREAD


1-1/2 cups warm water

6 tsp yeast
4 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil


Soften the yeast in the water and add the sugar. Stir in the flour, salt and oil, then knead for about 10 minutes. Let the dough rise for about 10 minutes; split into two loaf pans, and let rise for another 20 to 30 minutes, and bake at 375 for 22 to 25 minutes, or until golden. Let it cool for a few minutes, and slice. This is a really soft bread, and it makes excellent toast.

I was greatly p
erturbed when my bread machine died Monday, to say the least. (And, Paula, the appliance gremlins had better darn well have left the building, because I will be severely honked if a stove or refrigerator bites the dust!) Anyway, Monday night, I ordered a Sunbeam bread machine from amazon.com for $42, and, of course, I wasn't about to pay $16 for shipping to get it faster. Well, it arrived this morning. I wonder, if I had paid the $16, would someone have trotted to my front door on Monday night? This bread machine has a pretty big footprint (deep, but not terribly wide), but I have a little nook on one counter where the bread machine lives, and this one tucks right in there. So, I'll doubtless give this machine its inaugural run tonight, but if anyone's in the market, this one appears to be a reasonable bread maker at an excellent price! I'll report back tomorrow!

6 comments:

Paula said...

Marjie, I love how you can whip up a cream sauce, with sherry no less, and consider it a no fuss preparation! This meal is my idea of wonderful ... lovely fish with a beautiful cream sauce, cream and tom angel hair pasta (I love that shape), and summery green beans. I would have eaten every bite, and then, when no one was watching, I'd probably lick the plate, too! Glad to hear that your gums are nearly healed; that temp crown leveling thing, though, UGH!

Glad to hear that you rec'd your new breadmaker! That was quick! Aren't those delivery fees bizarre?

Oh, the gremlins have landed ... in my dishwasher. For some reason, this beast of a machine, which is only a couple years old, has decided to just start running ... whenever. I was working in the other room yesterday morning when all of a sudden, I hear it start running. Then again at 11:00 am ... then again at 8:00 pm ... then again at 5:00 am. You get the picture. So now I have the door propped open ... it better not start up!

The Blonde Duck said...

Did you make the homestead bread by hand since your machine bit the dust? It looks wonderful.

I love the fish! We really need to eat more of it, and we've grown tired of salmon. Since we live in the Pond far from a coast, we have to be careful what fish we get so it's fresh. This looks wonderful.

If you like appliance gremlins, I should share the tale of Fuzz the lint gremlin with you.

Anonymous said...

Your meals are so fabulous, you just cook it up like it's nothin'. Great food!

grace said...

i don't care for fish, but i could guzzle that cream sauce. :)
the bread looks perfect too. maybe i could just soak it in the cream sauce and be all set. :)

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

Your cream sauce sounds so delicious and everyone that has commented is right, you make it seem so easy. The bread looks amazing too...I'm definitely a fan of bread and cream sauce...just dn't tell my hips!

pam said...

I'm so glad you got your new bread machine. I always get so excited when I replace an old machine (even if I am mad because it broke)!