Afritadang Manok 2

Chicken not pictured - this was a meatless helping for breakfast.

Based on the contents of our fridge, I refined this afritada recipe, with happy results. Turned out perfectly, with the vegetables cooked through but still firm. And like all good stews, it tasted even better the next day.

3 T vegetable oil
4 chicken thighs, skin-on (about 1.75 lbs.)
1 head garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
3 T fish sauce, plus more to taste
1 cup tomato sauce (I used about 5 oz. tomato paste and 3 oz. water, seasoned with salt and pepper)
2 cups chicken stock (used Better than Boullion)
5 carrots, chopped into 1-1/2 inch pieces (about 1 lb.)
6 small red potatoes, quartered/eighthed (about 1 lb.)
1 green pepper, cut into strips

Brown the chicken thighs in the oil then set aside.

Saute the onion and garlic till they begin to soften, 3-5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and stir them around the bottom of the pot, making sure to loosen all the browned chicken bits.

Add the fish sauce, tomato sauce, stock, carrots and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, cover and cook till vegetables and chicken are almost done, about 30 minutes.

Add green pepper strips and cook a few minutes more to desired doneness. Tweak seasoning if necessary. Serve over rice.

Salad Nicoise

Salad Nicoise, originally uploaded by essgee51.

Though we still have plenty of delicious navy bean stew in the slow cooker (more recipe backlog for me to catch up on), I was in the mood for a cold, composed salad. This will definitely become a summer staple - filling without being heavy, flavorful without being overly rich, and easy to prepare. Next time, though, I may arrange in individual portions - John and I had a bit of a fun but messy time transferring the food to our plates.

Recipe variant notes: I'm glad I didn't skip the potatoes - they added a new bit of texture and soaked up the dressing well. Alas, John couldn't find any green beans nearby, but we'll definitely add them in next time. Our version (fed two very heartily, and could probably feed one more below):

• 1 head Boston lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried
• 1 pound green beans, cooked and refreshed (skipped but definitely happening next time)
• 2-3 T minced shallots 
• 1 large ripe red tomato, cut into wedges 
• 2 potatoes, sliced and cooked 
• 1 5 oz. can chunk tuna, preferably oil-packed 
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved (all we had)
• 1 freshly opened can of flat anchovy fillets 
• 1/3 cup small black Niçoise-type olives 
• 2 T capers 
• 3 T minced fresh parsley
• 1/3-1/2 c vinaigrette (see below)
• salt and pepper to taste

• 1/3-1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 t Dijon mustard 
• 1/4 t salt 
• 2-3 t freshly squeezed lemon juice 
• 1-2 T red wine vinegar 
• 1/2 T minced shallots 
• freshly-ground pepper to taste

Arrange the lettuce leaves in a large, shallow bowl or platter. Toss the green beans with a few spoonfuls of dressing, then arrange on platter.

Add tomatoes and potatoes, drizzling with more dressing.

Arrange the rest of the ingredients in desired position, draping a half- or full fillet of anchovy over each egg.

Season to taste. Garnish, add more dressing, then serve with extra dressing on the side.

Chicken and Potato Pesto Salad

I'm ashamed to admit that this was our first Nats game of the season, but hey - they blew out the Mets (Espinosa even hit a grand slam, I think the first I've seen in this park) and we had a delicious picnic lunch. Pesto recipe modified from der Bittman's. I've included the chicken cooking here, though ideally this would be made with leftovers.

• 1.5 lbs. chicken thighs
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• salt to taste

• 6 small potatoes, brushed (and peeled if you're so inclined) and cut into quarters

• 2 cups basil leaves, loosely packed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp. - will use more next time though)
• 2 tbsp. chopped walnuts (will try more next time)
• about 1/4 + 1/8 cup olive oil
• salt to taste (I ended up using about a heaping 1/4 tsp.)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

If you aren't using leftover chicken, cook the thighs in water to cover with  garlic, onion, peppercorns and salt. When done(30-40 mins.), put the chicken in a bowl to cool; remove skin and shred chicken. Reserve chicken broth.

Cut potatoes into chunks and cook in the broth till done but still firm (8-12 minutes).

Combine basil, garlic, walnuts, 1/4 cup olive oil and salt in food processor. Pulse till saucy. Add more oil as necessary (I ended up using just another 2 tbsp. or so). Add cheese.

Toss chicken, potatoes and pesto till coated evenly. Adjust seasoning, then refrigerate.

Roasted, Mashed Vegetables: Potatoes, Carrots and Garlic

Yes, I know it's not a very appetizing picture, but I was grumpy and hungry. And seriously, it tasted great.

I had a couple of teeth extracted last week, and am thankfully past the protein-shakes-and-pudding phase of things. Over the past few days, I've been eating a lot of chicken tinola (may (re)post my current favorite recipe later), mashed potatoes (courtesy of John) and sundry soft food. Yesterday, I found the idea for mashing roasted vegetables somewhere in a wisdom tooth extraction thread on the internet, and decided to try it. Simple, delicious, and definitely something to return to even after my mouth fully heals.

• 2-4 tbsp. olive oil (not sure how much exactly - enough to coat the vegetables when tossed)
• 1 lb. carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1-1/2 - 2 lb. potatoes, peeled if you want to peel them (I didn't) and chopped
• 1-1/2 head garlic (about 10-12 cloves), peeled
• 6 long sprigs thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup whole milk

Combine vegetables, olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper in a roasting pan, tossing till the vegetables are evenly coated.

Roast in an oven at 350 till vegetables are tender and easily pierced by a fork (1 - 1-1/2 hours).

Mash with a fork, ricer or whatever, adding butter and milk till desired consistency and richness is reached. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Garlic Scape Soup

Though I was fighting off yet another illness, in between naps I managed to make some of this creamy (even without the optional dairy), flavorful and comforting soup. Remind me to consider unpeeled russets in future soups and stews -- the skins add welcome texture to the dish, and contrast nicely with the scapes. And the smell  of scapes sauteing in olive oil is a wonder - garlicy and yet with a snappy freshness reminiscent of green beans or grass. Original recipe here - halved and tweaked version below.

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 14 garlic scapes, chopped and with bulbs removed
• 2 medium russet potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/2 in. dice
• 2 cups vegetable broth (used Swanson this time) + about 1/3 cup water
• 1 handful baby spinach leaves (about 2 cups)
• juice of 1/4 lemon
• salt to taste (since the broth was heavily salted)
• pepper to taste
• 1/8 cup heavy cream (optional - skipped in this case)

Place the oil in a pot; turn the heat to medium. Add the scapes and saute till they start to ever so slightly brown, 2-4 minutes.

Add the potatoes and liquid. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer till the potatoes are cooked through but not mushy (20-30 minutes).

Remove from  heat, then add the spinach. Blend if you want to (I prefer chunky soups, so I didn't), then season with the lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Simple Chicken Soup (Nilagang Manok)

This simple but nourishing soup (pictured at the noon and 3 o'clock marks) served as a light dinner for two people fighting off a bug, a breakfast and three days of lunch. A few splashes of salty, savory fish sauce make it sing, so make sure you have your favorite (nuoc mam, patis, whatever) on hand.

My [vegetable] mise en place, let me show you it

The recipe can vary widely depending on  your mood and what you have on hand (for example, I replaced the traditional cabbage with baby bok choy); the following  is just what went into this particular iteration. I forgot to separate and weigh the potatoes and green beans (which came with a tomato in a farmer's market grab bag), so all measurements are approximate.

• 2-2.5 lbs. chicken thighs (five plump ones in this case)
• 5 cups water
• 1/2 head garlic, cloves peeled and smashed (about 7 fat cloves)
• 3 young onions, sliced, with greens washed and tied together
• 1-1.5 tsp. salt
• 5-6 young potatoes,  quartered
• 2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and chunked
• 10-12 oz. green beans, sliced
• 6 baby bok choy, stems and leaves separated and roughly chopped
• salt to taste
• patis to taste (I like about a tbsp. per small bowl)

Put the chicken, water, garlic, onions and onion greens in a large pot. Bring to a boil then simmer till chicken's fairly well cooked but not yet done, about 20 mins. Remove greens and discard.

Add salt, potatoes and carrots. Cook till the vegetables start to soften, about 7-10 minutes. Add green beans and bok choy stems; cook till beans are becoming tender, but still have a bite to them (about 5-7 minutes).

Taste and adjust seasoning. Add baby bok choy leaves, cover and remove from heat. Serve with rice and patis on the side.

Caldereta

The dish so nice I packed it twice - pictured here with the rest of today's bento: rice and a spinach-red onion salad with homemade red wine-Dijon mustard vinaigrette.

I was hankering for some home cooking, and so created a riff on this recipe. Alas, the butcher stand was out of goat, but I made do with what was left of the stew lamb and some beef to make up the difference. Turned out wonderfully - rich and umami-filled from the long-simmered meat and soy sauce, tangy from the vinegar and tomato sauce, and just a tad sweet from the vegetables. Next time, I'll probably add another bell pepper, more peas and carrot; I'll also add some garlic during the vegetable sauteing process and remember to use either liver pate or the liverwurst we had in the fridge.

• 2 lbs. stew meat, cubed  (I used 1-1/2 lb. lamb and 1/2 lb. lean beef and cut it into 1 to 1-1/2 in. pieces)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 heaping cup garlic, minced (most of a plump head)
• 2-3 tbsp. oil (I used peanut)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 heaping cup)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups water or broth
• 1-1/2 medium carrots, chunked (about 1-1/2 to 2 cups)
• 1-1-1/2 lbs. potatoes, chunked (about 3 heaping cups)
• 1 cup peas (frozen were fine)
• 1 small can liver pate (couldn't find any, alas, so skipped this)

Marinate the meat in the soy, vinegar and garlic for at least an hour. Pat the meat dry (forgot to do this) and put in a bowl; reserve the marinade.

Put the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meat briefly, in batches (got about halfway through this and raised a decent amount of fond despite the added moisture from the marinade). Remove from pot and set aside.

Add more oil if necessary. Saute the onion and bell pepper till onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce and simmer till slightly reduced, about 3-5 minutes.

Return meat to pot. Add reserved marinade and water or broth. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium-low. Cook, covered, till meat is tender, about 30-40 minutes.

Add carrots, potatoes and peas. Simmer till vegetables are tender, about 30-45 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir pate (next time!) into dish. Adjust seasoning and serve over white rice.

Leek, Potato and Mushroom Soup

The soup that keeps on giving - just finished the last bit today, but it's featured in two other packed lunches this week and a few meals at home besides. The recipe is courtesy of the talented Flit, who I encountered via the Mr. Bento Flickr pool; my halved and tweaked version is below. My first attempt turned out extremely tasty, though a bit watery, partially because I had more stock than expected. Next time, I'll lessen the amount of liquid (and probably reduce what I do use a bit more beforehand); I'll probably also keep the increased leek and carrot proportions and cut down the dairy a bit.

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 3 large leeks, white and pale green parts, sliced (about 4 cups)
• 2 medium-sized carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
• 8 oz. mushrooms
• 2 russet potatoes, diced (about 2. cups)
• 5-6 cups chicken stock (homemade this time - next time I'll use less and reduce what I do use)
• 1 tsp. dry dill
• 1 tsp. dry thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup half-and-half (will try less, maybe 1/2 cup next time)

Over medium or medium-low heat, sprinkle the leeks and carrots with salt and sweat in the butter till soft, but not colored (around 5-10 min.).

Add mushrooms, potatoes, black pepper, dill, thyme and bay leaf; then add enough broth to cover by 1-2 inches. Simmer till potatoes are tender (around 20-30 min.).

Remove from heat. Stir in half-and-half.

If possible, let sit a few hours/overnight, then reheat before eating.

Today's Bento: I Know My [Roast] Chicken

Didn't bring Mr. Bento today - just two small plastic containers: one full of salad greens and homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing, the other loaded with roasted chicken and vegetables (carrots, potatoes and a nice, plump clove of garlic).

Brining the meat for 24 hours (have to get the recipe from John at some point; he certainly knows both his brines and his chickens) worked wonders. The bird was tender and moist -- ever so slightly tangy but not salty (even the breast meat, some of which I packed alongside a wing for today's lunch). The herbed butter (about 2 tbsp. + 8 sage leaves + salt and pepper, chopped and mixed in a food processer) we rubbed under its skin beforehand probably helped too.

We roasted the bird - breast-down for the first 30 minutes - on a bed of potatoes, carrots, garlic and onions for somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half, basting occasionally, till the meat thermometer told us we could stop. As noted, the meat was very good; the vegetables, alas, were a bit underdone, but that was our fault for not chopping them into small enough chunks.

UPDATE: Brine recipe is here, and in the comment below.

Lamb Stew with Dill and Root Vegetables

Yesterday was the first time I cooked with dill. Handling the delicate, feathery herb is such a pleasure, even when you're frantically stripping fronds from stems because you forgot to add the latter to the cooking lamb. Gathering up the loose cupful of leaves to chop tickled my palms and fingertips; the delicate, fresh scent brought back memories of a summer night in Portland and the mild, gentle Bloody Dane I had there.

Herewith, the recipe I used last night - a riff on one of Bittman's riffs. While the stew turned out a tad soupy, it tastes good - lightly flavorful, but filling - and will probably taste even better tomorrow. I can also reduce the sauce a bit later on.

• 3 lbs. lamb shoulder, cut into 2-in. chunks (original: 2 lbs.)
• 1-2 tbsp. oil (used vegetable, because that was closest to hand - original recipe doesn't call for browning)
• 2 medium onions, chopped (original: 1-1/2 cups)
• 1 bunch dill
• 5 carrots, cut into 1-1/2 in. chunks (about 1-1/2 lbs.; original calls for about 3 lbs. of any combination of root vegetables)
• 3 potatoes, cut into 1-1/2 in. chunks (another 1-1/2 lbs. or so)
• 2 cups of liquid (used a low-sodium beef broth this time; may use less next time)
• salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Brown lamb chunks in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Remove and set aside.

Deglaze pot (I used a wee bit of cider vinegar and some broth, this time).

Strip the the leaves from a bunch of dill. Tie the stems together. Chop the leaves and set them aside.

Return meat to pot along with onions and dill stems. Season with salt and pepper, then add liquid. Bring to a boil, then cover, turn to low, and simmer till lamb is getting tender (about 60 min. in my case, but then again we were also playing Borderlands).

Add the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat till they're tender but not mushy - about 30-40 min., in this case.

When everything's done, stir in the dill. Correct seasoning, if necessary.

Afritadang Manok (Chicken Sauteed with Tomato Sauce and Vegetables)

Market Manila's discussion of this dish rightly notes that, for such a comfort food, "[o]ne shouldn’t really have a recipe...rather it is done by mood and feel and available ingredients." Nevertheless, I like having jumping off points. A quick Googling revealed a wide variety of recipes - including one with oyster sauce and ginger - but I decided to stick with the basics. The recipe below is based off this one - how could I resist an entire head of garlic to start with? It's now cooling on my stove, and both John and I agree that it tastes good - deep, almost creamy with a tang given to it by the fish sauce. Next time, I think I'll add some peas and more chicken (I only had 1.8 lbs. vs. the recommended 2.2). I'll probably throw in some bay leaves, too.

• 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 medium head garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 small tomatoes, sliced (may use more next time)
• 4 chicken thighs, skin-on
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tbsp. patis (or more to taste)
• 5 medium potatoes, halved or quartered
• 3-5 medium carrots, cut about the same size as the potatoes
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, saute the onion and garlic till softening, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the chicken and slightly brown, 4-7 minutes. Remove from pot; add tomatoes and saute till soft - 2-4 minutes. Return chicken to pot. (This came to pass because I forgot about the tomatoes; I assume it's fine to saute them along with the onion and garlic.)

Add tomato sauce, stock and patis. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20 or so minutes, till chicken is almost done.

Add carrots and potatoes to pot. Cook till almost done - 10-15 minutes or so.

Add peppers to pot. Cook till slightly softened - 3-5 minutes. Adjust seasonings, then serve with lots of white rice.

Mutant "Minestrone"

For the record: I have been cooking, albeit mostly repeating old recipes and sometimes being too lazy to update.

I've become addicted to Annie's Organics Minestrone (despite its deplorable lack of animal protein), and so resolved to make some minestrone of my own. Alas, things didn't quite turn out the way I'd planned: the term minestrone is in scare quotes because had to make do without things like a mirepoix or fresh herb; also, the current proportions are more familiar as pasta sauce or tomato-garlic soup. So far, the resultant concoction on my stove tastes fine, but could taste better. Meh as it may be, here it is for my records and to build on.

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6-10 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 oz. proscuitto
• 1 medium-sized potato, cubed
• 1 28-oz. can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed or chopped
• 1 14 oz. can kidney beans
• 1 can shoepeg corn

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat till onion is soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add proscuitto and saute for 3-5 more minutes.

Add potato, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Stir for one minute more.

Turn heat to high. Add tomatoes, broth and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer for about 15-25 minutes, when tomatoes have started to break down. (At this point, I also threw in 2 cubes of sugar because it was too sour without the counteracting notes of the celery and carrot).

Add kidney beans. Return to a boil, then to a simmer. Add corn 5 minutes before everything's done.

Will wait for this to age a bit before figuring out what I want to do with it. Seems certainly good enough to eat while watching the NYY-NYM game tonight, though, and to take to work tomorrow.

You Say Puchero, I Say Pochero (Filipino Beef Stew)

This took quite a bit longer than I had anticipated, and was a bit more complicated than I wanted dinner to be, but turned out wonderfully. And, as it's a stew (albeit a very soupy one, as I used all the delicious broth), I expect it will taste even better tomorrow. It's based on two recipes - one from Filipino Cooking Here and Abroad, and the other from this website - and the usual impulse to use up the greatest number of perishables. Would have rather gotten shanks instead of supermarket-style stew beef cubes, but EM was closed, alas.

• 1.75 lbs. stew beef, cut into inch-square cubes
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 medium onions - 1 sliced,1 chopped
• 7 cloves garlic - 4 crushed, 3 minced
• 3 celery stems - 2 cut into 4 in. lengths, one chopped (will probably leave out the chopped portion next time)
  
• 2 chorizos or 4 oz. spicy pepperoni (used the latter since I didn't have any chorizo handy)
• 1 14-oz. can of tomatoes
• 1 14-oz. can of chickpeas
• 2 tbsp. peanut oil
• 1/2 head medium cabbage, quartered
• 1 medium potato, cut into 1-2 in. chunks
• 6 scallions, cut into 2-in. lengths

Place the beef, peppercorns, salt, sliced onion, crushed garlic and 2 celery stems in a large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water (about 4 cups in this case). Bring to a boil then simmer till the beef is tender - anywhere from 1-1/2 to 2 hours. (The recipe to this point makes a nice, tasty beef broth that I'll be using as a base in the future, especially for nilagang baka [beef soup].) Add the chorizo or pepperoni 30 min. before you finish cooking this part.

Place the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the chopped onion and garlic for a few minutes, till the onion turns translucent. Add the tomatoes - crushing or chopping them, as is your preference - and cook till the mixture turns saucy for about 5 minutes (if you're more patient than I was at this point, you can cook them for another 5-10 minutes or so, till they break down and turn saucy). Add the chickpeas and cook for another 5 minutes.

Once the beef is tender and the chorizo/pepperoni has cooked, add the potatoes, chopped carrots and chopped celery. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the cabbage. Cook for about 10 minutes more or till the vegetables are tender but still have bite to them.

Add the tomato mixture to the large pot. Stir to combine and cook for another minute or two. Correct seasoning.

Remove from heat, add the scallions and cover. Wait 5 minutes, then serve over white rice.

A Riff on Bittman's "Anti-Ramen" Soy Broth

Being home sick today meant scarfing up all of yesterday's soup well before dinnertime. So, I decided to try a variation on Bittman's "anti-ramen": "Egg Noodles in Soy Broth." Despite a misstep and a few varations (reproduced in the recipe below for posterity and further experimentation), the broth's incredibly rich and flavorful, especially for something meatless. It's also the inspiration for the new "comfort food" tag.

• 3 cups water
• 1/6 cup ketchup (I use a HFCS-free organic store brand)
• 1/6 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. mirin (whoops - picked up the wrong bottle)
• 2 tsp. white vinegar (to make up for the mirin)
• 1 hefty squeeze of sriracha
  
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 potato, diced (had to use up leftovers)
• 3 baby bok choy, chopped, stems and leaves separated
• 2 scallions, chopped (for garnish)
  

Put water, ketchup, soy sauce, mirin, white vinegar and garlic cloves in a pot. Add potato and baby bok choy stems. Bring to a boil, then simmer till potato is nearly cooked, about 10-15 minutes.

Add baby bok choy leaves. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes, correct seasoning, then serve with noodles or (in this particular case) over day-old rice, garnishing with scallions.

Potato and Leek Soup

My tag cloud is making me want to vary my cooking habits somewhat, so I acquired a big bag of potatoes from Peapod this weekend and came home early tonight in order to get some cooking in. After taking an ingredient inventory, I figured the best way to use up the largest number of perishables would be to cook some chicken stock from scratch (4 cups water, 4 chicken wings, 1 large celery stalk, 1 medium carrot, 2 small onions, about 1 tsp of peppercorns plus salt and pepper to taste, brought to a boil then simmered for 30-40 minutes), then strain it into the recipe below to make a standard potato and leek soup.

• 3 medium-to-large leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped
• 1 and 1/2 large potatoes, chopped into small cubes
• 2 tsbp. butter
• 4 cups chicken stock
• salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

Put the butter in a Dutch oven or large pot on medium heat. When it's melted, add the leeks and potatoes. Stir for a few minutes; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add stock. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Simmer till vegetables are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Puree if you like. Correct seasoning and serve.

NOTE: I overcooked the potatoes a bit - they're still solid, but soft and without the slight bite I like - and so will probably puree some of the soup instead of leaving it be.

Cheesy Catfish Chowder

So catfish was on sale at Peapod again. While I typically make catfish sinegang or Bittman's "Catfish Poached with Ginger and Soy Sauce," it was time to branch out. To the internet! And behold - this recipe (via Allrecipes.com) came to light. Did I have everything? Close enough. A search through the fridge produced a few stalks of limp celery and a half-bag of forlorn, drying carrots; an IM sent across the hall revealed both a baking potato and a large container of cow juice that I could borrow. Thus came about my first attempt at a milk-based soup - the version below incorporates my modifications.

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup; more is fine)
  
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrots
  
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 large baking potato, cut into 1/2-3/4 in. cubes
  
• 3 cups whole milk, divided
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp. celery salt
• 1 tsp. salt + more to taste (used maybe 1-1/4 tsp. total)
  
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper + more to taste (used maybe 3/4 tsp. total)
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1- 1/2 lbs. catfish fillets, cut into 1 inch pieces
• about 1 cup grated cheese (this time I used a mix of Parmesan and Parmigiano-Reggiano)
  

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter and saute onions, carrots and celery for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, till the vegetables soften a bit.

Add potatoes. Cook 10 or so minutes, so vegetables are soft but still firm.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour into 1-1/2 cups of milk. Add to Dutch oven and mix.

Add the rest of the milk, the salt, celery salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens - maybe 5-7 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning.

Add catfish. Cook another 5 or so minutes till fish flakes easily on a fork but isn't overdone.

Stir in cheese; cook another minute or so, then turn off heat. Serve with more grated cheese, if you like.

NOTE: This came out wonderfully - vegetables were cooked through but not mushy; the catfish was moist and soft and chewy. A bowl apiece is more than enough dinner for myself, John and Bradley; the rest is currently cooling on my counter.