Sunday Breakfast

Scrambled eggs with herbs and goat cheese.
Not terribly creative but it was delish.  Picked some basil from my little patio garden then added some parsley and salt and pepper.

Invictus by William Ernest Henley

Invictus is Latin for "Unconquered"

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Bouillabaisse Recipe

Serves 6
Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1 leek- chopped
• 1 large pinch saffron, soaked in 2 tablespoons orange juice for 10 minutes (optional)
• 1 strip orange zest
• 1 (14-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, in juice
• 6 cups seafood stock
• Seafood;  halibut, cod, tilapia, or snapper (in large chunks); shell-on large shrimp or lump crabmeat or lobster; clams or mussels
• 1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped          

Prep

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, leek, and fennel and saute  until just brown, 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Add the saffron and  orange zest, tomatoes, and stock

3. Bring to a boil and cook until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is reduced by half, about 20 minutes.

4. Reduce heat to medium and add the fish (but not shellfish). Cook for about 2 minutes.

5. Add any clams, mussels, and shrimp. Simmer until the shells just begin to open, about 4 minutes more.

6. Add lobster 

7. Cook until all shells have opened, the shrimp is pink and curled, and the fish flakes easily, about 2 minutes.

8. Serve sprinkled with the parsley

Tonight I am making Bouillabaisse.   I suffered a small injury removing the meat from the lobster.  Lobster was 3.99 a pound.  Also bought some cod, still need to run to Wholefoods for the shrimp, squid and French bread.

Catching Up

I had abandoned this blog for a couple of reasons.  I don't like doing what everyone else is doing and I felt everyone was blogging.  I also wasn't sure what I wanted this blog to be.  Well, I am setting all that aside.  I have finally decided I will blog for me and it doesn't really matter who else is doing it or who decides to read it.