Jason and I are back from a whirlwind vacation in Spain! We ate and drank our way through seven cities (Madrid, Toledo, Córdoba, Seville, Granada, Valencia and Barcelona) in 11 days, and, thanks to our amazing tour guide, learned a lot about the country’s history and culture along the way. It was an incredible experience.
Unfortunately, the two of us got sick on the last leg and came home with headaches, sore throats and runny noses. Thankfully, I planned to take an extra day off before returning to the office to recuperate, restock the fridge and spend a little time in the kitchen with Rookie at my side.
To help soothe our colds, I whipped up a batch of this acorn squash and cod chowder with homemade oyster crackers; the crackers are superfluous but add a welcome crunch. All in all, the dish was just what the doctor ordered.
Special thanks to Sizzlefish for providing the sablefish featured in this post.
Recipes adapted from Wonderland Kitchen and Every Day with Rachael Ray.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons half-and-half
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 strips bacon, diced
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 1½ stalks celery, diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, divided
- 1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded and diced
- 2¼ teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 skinless sablefish or cod fillets (4-6 ounces each), cut into large chunks
- ¼ cup half-and-half
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- cayenne pepper (optional, for garnish)
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add the butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles coarse meal. Add the half-and-half and water and mix with a fork until the ingredients start to come together. Then use your hands to lightly knead the dough in the bowl until it forms a ball; cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough until it's about ⅛" thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut out crackers with a ½" round cutter or apple corer.
- Place the cutouts on a baking sheet. Press together scraps and repeat.
- Bake crackers until lightly brown around the edges, about 15 minutes. Turn off oven. Open door slightly and leave crackers in oven for 30 minutes; then remove from the oven and let crackers cool completely.
- In a large pot, cook bacon on medium heat until fat renders and bacon crisps, about 3 minutes.
- Add onion, celery and 2 teaspoons thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 6 minutes.
- Add acorn squash and flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
- Add vegetable broth, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add sablefish or cod, cover and simmer until fish flakes easily with a fork, 4-5 minutes.
- Add half-and-half and stir to combine. Remove about 1 cup of vegetables and liquid from pot and purée; return to pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately with remaining thyme, cayenne pepper, if using, and oyster crackers.
[…] via twoofakindcooks.com. […]