stew | strawberryplum

Calamari & Artichoke Soup with Garlic Crostini

May 1, 2014 | posted by Sarah | 3 Comments

Many of my favorite dishes are the ones that have the ability to transport. You inhale, take a bite, and suddenly you’re not sitting at your kitchen table anymore, you’re off exploring the world or being whisked back a couple of decades and remembering a dinner you ate half a lifetime ago.

This soup is one of those dishes; it’s a soup that transports. As soon as it started to simmer, I breathed in, and thought, “ahhh…Italy”. While it’s not a replica of any dish I’ve eaten on Italian soil, the smell of squid and artichokes bubbling away in white wine and too much/just the right amount of olive oil smelled so unmistakably Italian. Immediately, I was flung from my dreary Minnesota kitchen, into the warm Mediterranean sun.

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Lamb Stew with Artichokes, Olives & Mint

March 5, 2014 | posted by Sarah | 1 Comment

Spring Lamb Stew with Artichokes One of the joys of writing a blog is having an online record of how often I contradict myself. Last week, I stood up here on my soapbox and declared myself officially stewed out. And then, naturally, 2 days later, I hauled out the old Dutch oven and made a lamb stew.

What can I say–coming up with dinner this time of year can be tricky. Your heart aches for spring produce, but your chilled bones still crave heartier dishes. Even though emotionally you might be ready to trade beets and squash for peas and asparagus, hefty meat-based mains for light fish dishes and salads, physically you’re still battling cold weather and want to eat something warm and satisfying.

Thankfully, this stew gives you the best of both worlds. It’s a hearty, but not heavy, celebration of in-between seasons eating. Chunks of lamb shoulder are braised until fork-tender in a bath of white wine and tomatoes. Artichoke halves and green olives share the spotlight with the lamb, keeping it from being nap-inducingly heavy and a handful of mint scattered over the top keeps it fresh and lively.

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Hvarska Gregada (Croatian Fish & Potato Stew)

July 8, 2013 | posted by Sarah | 9 Comments

Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!

Let’s have an adventure on a secret beach. Okay, maybe it’s not a secret, I mean there’s a restaurant 2 steps away and someone else motored us to it, but no one else is here, so it feels secret! Let’s bake under the sun and float in the clear, turquoise water. When all of that gets too exhausting, we can unwind in the shade with a carafe of white wine and eat an amazing fish lunch.

Let’s pretend this day isn’t going to end. We’ll sit and appreciate the breeze coming off the sea, the smell of pine trees and rosemary bushes. We’ll admire sailboats in the distance and hunt for the smoothest, whitest pebbles.

But, sadly, the sun sets, perfect days always come to a close, and vacations have to end. We’ll do what can though to bring the vacation feeling home. I’ll look at the pictures and think about the clear water, the perfumed air, and, of course, I’ll remember the food. I mean, come on, it’s me.

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Clam, Chorizo & Chickpea Soup with Saffron Aioli

February 10, 2013 | posted by Sarah | 5 Comments

I can hardly claim to be an “expert” on any cuisine, but based on my family name, my travels, and my resume, I am at least familiar with a lot of what Italian and French cuisines have to offer.

Not Spanish food, though. Spain is a bit of a mystery.

I’ve been there, but it was brief and at the end of months living abroad on a student budget. Sure, I remember having churros con chocolate (life-changing, obviously) and paella but my funds and timeframe didn’t allow me to dig in much beyond that.

So that’s my disclaimer.

That being said, I like to imagine if I’d stayed a little longer, turned a few more corners, stepped into a couple more restaurants, and eaten a few more dinners, I might have had something like this: a tomatoey clam, chickpea, and Chorizo soup, scented with smoked paprika and plenty of garlic, served with crusty, crunchy bread and saffron aioli. Perhaps? I’d like to think so.

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Zuppa di Pesce (Italian Fish & Seafood Stew)

January 25, 2013 | posted by Sarah | 12 Comments

Remember, way back in September, when I first introduced myself? I showed you a picture where I’m digging into an obscenely large bowl of zuppa di pesce and told you how much I like to eat.

If you’ve been around long enough to remember that, maybe you’ve also noticed that some woman named Pam comments on darned near every recipe I post. Who is this woman? Why is she StrawberryPlum #1 fan? Is this Sarah character really popular enough to have some crazy stalker?

No, she’s my mother, of course, and a very special lady whose birthday happened to be this last weekend.

There’s something else you should know about my mom. She looks at least as giddy as I looked in that picture when faced with a giant bowl of cioppino, bouillabaisse, fish stew, or zuppa di pesce. Whatever you call it, if it involves some combination of shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, and fish she is totally into it. In other words, deciding what to make for her birthday dinner is kind of a no-brainer.

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