‘Fish’ Category

  1. Island Dinner (Hawaii)

    May 20, 2012 by Tarrant Figlio

    Something interesting in older cookbooks is that although Hawaii was made a U.S. state in 1959, cookbooks don’t always regard it as a state–even a decade later. An example of this is from yesterday’s Vegetables cookbook-part of the Favorite Recipes of America series. 1966. In the “Foreign Vegetables” section–there is a recipe called Island Dinner (Hawaii) much like it shares a page with “Creamed Cucumbers” (Hungary)

    Island Dinner
    1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted
    1 4-oz can mushroom stems and pieces
    1/2 cup diced green epper
    1/4 c slivered almonds
    1 tsp. grated lemon rind
    2 6-oz packages frozen king crab meat, thawed and drained
    1 envelope cream of leek soup mix
    1 c water
    1/4 c. chopped pitted ripe olives
    1/4 c. chopped pimento
    2 tbsp. snipped parsley
    Dash of Tabasco sauce
    3 c. hot fluffy rice

    Combine all ingredients except rice in large skillet. Simmer 15 min, stirring occasionally. Pour hot mixture over rice on platter. 6 servings. Mrs. D.W. Emery, Patterson, Calif.

    Category Fish, retro food | Tags: | No Comments

  2. Tuna-Lima Bake

    May 9, 2012 by Tarrant Figlio

    Over the weekend I suggested to Denise that she make casseroles for our daughter who is going to have our first grandchild very, very soon. She claimed she wasn’t that kind of mother. She did suggest after reflection that she might make some ground beef/rice casserole of hers.

    It didn’t sound too appealing to me but this one sounds even less appealing. The picture even makes that clear. This is the sort of casserole that gives people nightmares about casseroles.  I am sure someone out there would like this twist on a tuna casserole though. Just not me.

    Tuna-Lima Bake

    1 can solid-pack tuna, coarsely flaked (1 cup)
    1 can condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
    1/4 cup water
    1 pkg frozen limas, thawed
    3 slices packaged, process Cheddar cheese, cut into triangles
    3 slices toast, cut into triangles

    Start heating oven to 375. Combine tuna, soup, water, and limas. Turn into 10 x 6 x 2 baking dish. Place cheese triangles on top of toast triangles; arrange in center of dish. Bake 45 min. Makes 3-4 servings.

    From Good Housekeeping’s Casserole Book, 1958

    Category Casseroles, Fish | Tags: | 2 Comments

  3. My First Tuna Casserole (Or Food Waste Free Tuna Casserole)

    April 13, 2011 by Tarrant Figlio

    It seems unreal that I made my first Tuna Casserole tonight — but I think that is the case. I remember my ex making them. I know my older sister made them. My mother would NEVER make one. I don’t think I ever did before tonight.

    Extreme Coupon Denise (man, every time I think that I want an action figure of Denise with her coupon-ing gear) has brought home tuna (and we had tuna in the house from some “Tarrant is in the mood for tuna salad (once) so let’s buy the cheaper option of 8 cans of solid white tuna.” Tarrant thoughts from before the launch of Extreme Coupon Denise (so that tuna is not Denise’s doing at all). The Denise tuna was free or better than free or whatever. I don’t get it. If you want to understand it–there is a whole series over here about extreme couponing. We also have a lot of pasta for the same reason.

    So I have been threatening tuna casserole for a few weeks. Mama doesn’t eat tuna casserole. Denise doesn’t eat tuna casserole Tarrant doesn’t eat tuna casserole. My children don’t even like the WORD casserole.

    I put it on the menu for the week thinking Friday, but realized today was better. Tomorrow is trash day and so I don’t get shamed for food waste–I decided I could hide all sorts of odds and ends in a casserole. Right? Right!

    I then set about making it knowing really nothing of the making of tuna casserole other than remembered snippets of this and that. So here is what went into my tuna casserole.

    First-I cooked 1/2 a bag of egg noodles in the microwave pasta boat thing I mocked at Christmas. Yeah, it is handy.

    While that was cooking I grabbed odds and ends out of the fridge:

    1/2 ear corn on the cob
    leftover pico de gallo (about 3/4 cup)
    7 mushrooms
    3/4 red bell pepper
    1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
    1 container minus 1 spoon of Santa Fe Philadelphia Cooking Creme
    4 boiled fingerling yukon potatoes
    end of a package of shredded cheddar (probably 2/3 cup)

    I chopped the mushrooms, bell pepper and potatoes. I cut the corn off the cob. I mixed all of that together except the shredded cheese. I drained the now cooked pasta and two of the cans of tuna. Mixed with vegetables/Philadelphia Cooking Creme blend. Then tossed the shredded cheddar on top. Baked at 350 until cheese melted/heated through.

    Mama asked for seconds. I liked it. Denise said it was ok. Seems like a win. I forgot to serve the dilled green beans with it though darn it.

    Category Casseroles, Fish | Tags: | 7 Comments

  4. Shrimp Newburg in Popovers

    March 23, 2011 by Tarrant Figlio

    My mother makes fabulous Seafood Newburg. I remember the first time I ran across it was when my sister had a party of some sort when living in Cape St. Clair. I can picture the crockpot on the table still. I have no idea what the party was for…perhaps my niece’s birthday? A housewarming? No idea.

    I had an allergy to some seafood as a child–most notably crab which would turn me a strange shade of purple–mostly my chin. This wasn’t necessarily a problem growing up in my house–my father wouldn’t touch seafood. It was a problem growing up in Maryland. Hello. Maryland Blue Crabs. (which I still dream of from time to time)

    I would venture a cup of cream of crab soup with sherry at The Oxbow from time to time. I had more than my share of Maryland Steamed Crabs every so often. So what if I wheezed and turned purple? (ah the indestructibility of youth)

    This recipe is certainly NOT my mother’s recipe and it has shrimp which never seemed to trouble my allergies. It also has something I adore…popovers. In my mind the Treaty of Paris restaurant is notable for one thing: popovers. I could have eaten baskets and baskets of them. I still probably could.

    All that said–this recipe won’t help you much if you want to make a good shrimp Newburg. It calls for you to have made the popovers. Of course, you can find a popover recipe. It calls for canned Newburg sauce which is surely an atrocity, if it is even still available. It calls for canned shrimp. So, it is a quick recipe but not one that is going to make you realize the wonder that is Shrimp Newburg. It definitely won’t be my mother’s recipe.

     

    Category Fish, Recipes, retro food | Tags: | No Comments

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