Food In The Fort

This is a recipe that Catherine and I are wild about. We positively love the rustic, hearty taste of the fish, mushrooms and potatoes coupled with the creaminess of the evaporated milk, and the spicy kick of the chili powder and ground red pepper. Weekday nights are notoriously hurried and since Catherine often has after-school activities she’s usually starving by the time she gets home. So I like to have something quick, simple and filling ready when she walks in the door so we have more time for talking and cuddling. And this recipe certainly fits the bill. That it should be so delicious just makes this recipe all the more perfect.

In fact, now that I think about it, this may have been the very first meal I ever made for Catherine. I don’t think I’ll forget the look of surprise and delight as she walked in the door and the warm, fishy aroma first hit her, or the look of joy that overtook her face on first tasting it. As I said above, Catherine and I both go nuts for this time-saving stew which leads me to wonder why I waited almost a whole year to make it again.

I mean, really, why don’t we make this more often? It’s so simple to make that you can chop up everything the night before, fry up the bacon and onion the next morning and toss it all in the crockpot before you leave for work. By the time you come home, you’ve got a wonderful, tasty and satisfying home-cooked meal that beats the pants off any pizza. And if you knew how much I love pizza, you’d know how strong of a statement that is.

You’ll want to serve your stew with your favorite cheap beer and a nice crusty bread to sop up the soup left at the bottom of your bowl.

Hearty Crockpot Fish Stew
Ingredients

• 2 lbs. fish (flounder tastes great, but almost any oldfish will do), chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 4 med. potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 lb. bacon, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 med. onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp. dried parsley
• 3 tsp. garlic pepper salt
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 (8 oz.) can evaporated milk

Preparation

1. Chop up your fish, bacon, onion and potatoes.
2. Throw the potatoes, fish, and mushrooms into the crockpot and add the water.
3. Saute the bacon and onion together until the bacon is just this side of crisp and the onion is golden and transluscent.
4. Spoon the bacon, onion and bacon grease on top of the fish, potatoes and mushrooms.
5. Add seasonings.
6. Give everything a good stir or two so everybody gets acquainted.
7. Put the lid on and cook on low six to eight hours or on high four to five hours.
8. Stir the evaporated milk in about an hour before eating if cooking on low, or a half hour if cooking on high.

About the author:  Leo is a technologist and writer living in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is a transplant to the Mid West from Central New York and was promised cheaper gas and better winters. He feels somewhat lied to in this respect but otherwise finds the people pleasant. Read more from this author