If you’ve tuned into Fork This with IntoxiKate or if you are a member of the #FoodieNation, you know there are a few things that are near and dear to my heart: supporting local business; farms; and trying new seasonal recipes. When a cookbook came across my desk featuring all three, I couldn’t wait to talk The Connecticut Farm Table Cookbook with co-author Christy Colasurdo (Tracey Medeiros completes the duo).
Colasurdo swung by the WGCH studio yesterday to discuss the 150 seasonal recipes from the state’s top chefs and farmers. The stunning photography showcases the food and the recipes are paired with profiles of all the participants. It’s a cookbook I’m really excited about, and can’t wait to bring to my next visit to the farmers market.
Below is a recipe from The Connecticut Farm Table Cookbook using the best bounty from the Long Island Sound. According to Colasurdo, it’s a fun summer dish, inspired by the South!
Low Country Bouillabaisse
From Mama’s Boy
SERVES 6
This recipe is our version of Frogmore Stew, which is a traditional shrimp boil indigenous to John’s Island, SC, just south of Charleston. Traditionally, shrimp, smoked sausage, potatoes, and corn are boiled with bay leaves in water and served family style. For Mama’s Boy, we jazzed it up a bit by adding additional locally caught shellfish and fish, fresh herbs, and steaming in an aromatic stock made from the shells of the shrimp.
—Greer Fredericks, Mama’s Boy (From The Connecticut Farm Table Cookbook, W.W. Norton)
Ingredients
– 1 pound uncooked shrimp peeled and deveined, reserving shells
– Shrimp Stock:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
1 rib celery, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1/2 cup white wine
6 cups water
– Bouillabaisse:
1 pound red skin potatoes, quartered and roasted
3 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed
1/2 pound lean white-fleshed fish fillets, such as red snapper or cod, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
1 pound littleneck clams, scrubbed
1/2 pound smoked sausage, such as Andouille, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
3 ears fresh corn, steamed and cut into 1-inch rounds*
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
– 6 slices crusty bread, toasted
Directions:
- To make the shrimp stock: Heat the oil in a 14-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the reserved shrimp shells and cook, stirring often, until shells turn opaque, about 2-3 minutes. Add the fennel seeds, red pepper flakes and paprika and stir until well combined. Add the wine and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the 5 cups of water to cover the shells, bring to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes. Strain the stock into a saucepan, discarding any solids and reserve.
- To roast potatoes: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place potatoes in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss until the potatoes are well coated. Transfer the potatoes to a sheet pan into 1 layer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast in the oven, stirring occasionally, until fork tender, about 45 minutes. Set a sided for bouillabaisse.
- To steam the corn: Cook corn in the microwave on high for 2 minutes. When cool enough to handle cut into rounds. Set aside.
- To make the bouillabaisse: Reheat the reserved stock in saucepan until hot. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a medium stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high-heat. When the oil is hot, add the clams, cover, and cook, shaking the pot occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the mussels, cover, and cook, shaking the pot occasionally, for 3 minutes. Season the fish with salt and pepper to taste. Add the hot stock, fish, shrimp, sausage, roasted potatoes, and butter and bring to a simmer. Add the corn and parsley, cover, and steam on medium-high until shellfish open and the shrimp are opaque throughout, about 5minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard any shells that do not open.
- Divide fish mixture evenly between six large bowls, ladle over heated broth and serve with crusty bread and a side salad, if desired.
Photography by Tom McGovern
