Provencal Seafood Pie

PROVENCAL SEAFOOD PIE

Steps:

• Heat oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek, fennel, and garlic; cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes. Add flour; cook, stirring, 6 to 7 minutes. Whisk in stock. Bring to a boil. Stir in tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add lobster, shrimp, scallops, bass, and halibut; cook 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in parsley. Let cool.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 10-inch square, about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out a small vent in center. Transfer stew to an 8-inch square baking dish. Cover with dough, allowing excess to overhang. Transfer to freezer until cold, 20 minutes.
• Whisk cream and egg yolk in a small bowl. Brush crust with egg wash. Bake pie on a rimmed baking sheet until crust is golden brown and puffy, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with aioli.

SEAFOOD POTPIE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and fennel and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, bring the stock to a simmer in a large saucepan. Add the shrimp and scallops and cook for 2 minutes, just until firm. Remove the seafood to a large bowl with a slotted spoon, reserving the stock.
• When the flour is cooked in the onion and fennel mixture, slowly add the stock, the Pernod, salt, and pepper and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream.
• Cut the lobster meat into medium-size cubes and add it to the onion and fennel mixture with the shrimp and scallops. Add the frozen peas, frozen onions, and parsley and pour the mixture into a 9 by 13 by 2 baking dish.
• For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse 10 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough on a floured surface and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Roll the dough out to fit the baking dish with about 1/4-inch overlap. Use the egg wash to paint the outside rim of the dish. Place the dough on the filled baking dish and press it lightly to adhere to egg wash. Brush the dough with egg wash. Make 3 slashes in the top to allow the steam to escape. Place the dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

PASTA WITH PROVENCAL SEAFOOD SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a big pot of water to a boil.
• Put the oil in another large, deep pot over medium heat; one minute later, add the onion and cook/stir for 2-3 minutes.
• Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
• Add in the red pepper flakes, wine, and tomatoes; bring to a boil; decrease heat to med-low, and let cook for about 15 minutes.
• Salt the boiling water and cook the pasta until it is tender but firm.
• When the pasta is almost done, add the parsley, half the basil, and all the remaining ingredients to the sauce; simmer until the seafood is cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.
• Drain the pasta and serve with the sauce, garnished with the remaining basil.

IMPOSSIBLY EASY SEAFOOD PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Grease pie plate, 9x1 1/4 inches. Mix crabmeat, cheeses, onions and pimientos in pie plate.
• Stir remaining ingredients in bowl with fork until blended. Pour into pie plate.
• Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean (some cream cheese may stick to knife). Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

SHRIMP PROVENCAL

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Quickly saute shrimp until they turn pink, but are not cooked through; remove from skillet and set aside. Add the bell peppers, onion, garlic, fennel seeds, and thyme; cook until the onion softens, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in white wine, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the flavors blend, about 10 minutes. Add the shrimp, and simmer until they are cooked and turn opaque, about 3 minutes. Stir in the basil, and season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

COD PROVENçAL

Steps:

• Neatly trim the cod fillets. Score the skin of each fillet 3-4 times at regular intervals. Lay the fish in a shallow dish and sprinkle both sides of the fillets with the salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Set aside or chill overnight, see box, far right.
• Deseed and finely slice the peppers, then finely grate the garlic and lemon zest over the peppers. Carefully slice the fennel on a mandolin, or as finely as possible with a sharp knife, then tip half the fennel into a bowl of iced water and set aside.
• Brush the salt off the fish or, if it has dissolved, wipe the brine off with kitchen paper. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large non-stick pan, cook the fish, skin side down, for 4 mins until the skin is crisp and browned, then remove from the pan.
• Put 1 tbsp more oil into the pan. Fry the fennel and the marinated peppers together for 4-5 mins until soft and starting to brown. Throw in the tomatoes and the balsamic vinegar, then continue to cook for 2-3 mins until they soften and release their juices. Scatter over the olives, capers and herbs, then toss everything together.
• Nestle the fish fillets, skin side up, among the vegetables, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5-6 mins until the fish is just cooked through. Lift the fish from the pan and give the sauce a final simmer and stir, then turn off the heat. This dish is better served warm rather than hot, so don't worry about the vegetables or fish resting before you serve.
• Drain the reserved fennel and pat dry with kitchen paper. Toss with the juice from half the grated lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil and the anchovies. To serve, spoon the vegetables into the middle of two large dinner plates. Sit the cod, skin side up, on top of the vegetables and top with a neat bundle of fennel salad. Drizzle everything with a touch more oil, then scatter with the small basil leaves.

PROVENçAL FISH STEW

Steps:

• Drain chickpeas. If you used dried, reserve cooking liquid; if they are canned, discard the liquid and rinse the chickpeas. Put 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it's hot, add bread crumbs, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until they're crisp and toasted, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet; increase heat to medium-high. When oil is hot, add garlic, olives, capers and anchovies. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, a minute or two. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until it darkens slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Start adding spinach a handful at a time; keep stirring until all the spinach fits in the pan and starts to release its water; sprinkle with a little more pepper, then add the stock, chickpeas and red chile flakes if you're using them. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently but steadily, then stir in the squid and the shrimp. Cook until the seafood is just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning. Divide among bowls, sprinkle with bread crumbs and serve.

COLONIAL SEAFOOD PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375F 10 minutes before the pie is ready to go inches.
• Dissolve the chicken bouillon in 2 cups hot water and bring to a boil.
• Cook the scallops, oysters and fish in the chicken stock for 5 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when pierced with a fork.
• Remove seafood and strain the stock.
• Reserve the stock.
• Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions and celery.
• Stir in the flour; add the stock and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
• Add the scallops, oysters, fish, lobster and sherry.
• Season with salt and pepper; cool.
• Line a 1-quart casserole, deep-dish pie plate, or four individual 5-inch casseroles with the pastry.
• Pour in the seafood mix and top with pastry.
• Cut vents int eh top so that the steam can escape.
• Bake at 375°F for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.