King crab being offloaded in Kodiak.
King crab being offloaded in Kodiak.
A Cache of Recipes 
LAURA COLE
Fennel is often compared to anise, but it has a far sweeter, more delicate flavor. When shopping for fresh fennel, look for bulbs with the greens still attached. The greens will show age much sooner than the bulb. The bulb itself should be heavy and firm. Do not worry if it has some slight signs of browning.
5 fennel bulbs (about 5 pounds)
2½ tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon Pernod (anise-flavored liqueur)
8 cups rich chicken stock
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound Alaskan king crabmeat
• Trim the fennel down to the bulbs, reserving 8 fronds. Halve the bulbs lengthwise, core, and slice thinly. Set aside.
• In a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden. Add the fennel and potatoes. Turn to coat completely with oil. Sauté for 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the Pernod. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. When the potatoes and fennel are very tender, puree the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
• Carefully pick over the crab to remove any shell fragments. Divide the crab among the serving bowls. Ladle the soup on top of the crab. Serve garnished with the reserved fennel fronds.
MAKES 12 CUPS OR 8 SERVINGS.
Lowbush Moose GORDON NELSON
My recipe for clam chowder is world famous. Really! One man who has had it is in Cambodia and the other is in Africa. Europe, however, may have to hear of it from this document along with you.
The type of clam used in chowder is not critical. I’ve found that fresh or canned calms work almost equally well, so you can use whatever is available. I’m giving you the reduced recipe, not the one we usually use, which requires an especially large kettle.
I should mention some of the things that you can use to expand the chowder if you desire. You can always add more clams and milk, but some of the following are good too: 1 4-ounce can mushrooms, lightly sautéed; 1 16-ounce can corn; 1 cup celery chopped fine and sautéed with the onions; 1 cup chopped ham, added to the pot when juice is added; heavy cream instead of milk.
Serve in a tureen if you’re going formal or set the pot in the middle of the table if things are informal. Large soup bowls and an endless supply of sourdough bread, and you have a meal to remember.
24 small steamer clams or 2 8-ounce cans of chopped clams
2 cups juice from steaming the clams or juice from the canned clams and enough water to make 2 cups
2 onions, chopped
4 tablespoons butter diced in ¼-inch cubes
2 slices of bacon, cut in ⅛-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 teaspoon salt
Black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 13-ounce can evaporated milk or ½ cups fresh milk
• Steam open the clams and remove them from the shells, saving the juice and supplementing it with water if necessary. Or open the 2 cans of chopped clams, save the liquid, and supplement with water.
• Sauté the onions in a tablespoon of the butter in your chowder pot, which in my case is my faithful Dutch oven. When the onions are transparent, add the clam juice, potatoes, bacon, carrots, salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Simmer until the carrots are just tender.
• Add the milk, clams, and remaining butter to the pot. Bring the chowder almost to a boil, take it off the heat, and let it set for 5 minutes before serving.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS.
The Alaska Heritage Seafood Cookbook ANN CHANDONNET
The dining room at the Reluctant Fisherman Inn in Cordova is famed not only for its pressed copper ceiling—made from copper mined nearby at Kennecott—and its view of the busy small boat harbor, but also for its assertively seasoned king salmon chili. Inn owner (and Cordova’s first woman mayor) Margy Johnson told me, “The secret, of course, is the great salmon from the Copper River.” Cooks far from a river of kings can use any salmon. For a flavor boost, toast whole cumin seeds instead of using ground cumin. Simply heat the seeds in a dry skillet over low heat until fragrant, about 8 minutes, then grind with a mortar and pestle.
The Reluctant Fisherman dishes up its chili in crispy fried flour tortilla “bowls.” Alternatively, warmed flour or corn tortillas may be served on the side.
1½ cups dried kidney beans
8 cups water
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
½ cup diced green pepper
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced white onion
4 cups canned, diced tomatoes packed in puree
3 cups hot water
2 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste
2 pounds Copper River king salmon, skinned and boned
3 quarts water
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• Soak the dried beans overnight in the 8 cups water.
• The next day, cook the beans slowly over medium heat until barely tender. Drain the beans and rinse with cold water.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the cayenne, cumin, oregano, garlic, green pepper, celery, and onion, and sauté lightly. Add the tomatoes.
• Mix together the 3 cups hot water and the chili powder in a large pot. Add the sautéed tomato mixture and the drained beans. Simmer for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the salmon. Cut the salmon into ½-inch cubes. Bring the 3 quarts of water to a boil. Place the fish cubes in the water and stir gently for 1 minute. Drain in a strainer and rinse gently with cold water.
• Remove the chili mixture from the heat. Fold in the salmon. Garnish each serving with some of the grated cheese.
MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS.
Life’s a Fish and Then You Fry RANDY BAYLISS
Thai cooking blends East Indian with Chinese cooking styles and spices. Hot and sour seafood recipes highlight shrimp, squid, and shellfish.
6 stalks lemon grass
2 red onions
12 thin slices ginger
1 ounce peanut oil
1 quart fish stock
Chopped peppers or paste (to taste)
1 pound prawns, peeled with tails left on
2 pounds whitefish (cod, rockfish) in chunks
1 cup rice vinegar
1 ounce honey
Sprigs of mint and cilantro
• Peel and cut the tough parts from the lemon grass. With the flat blade of a large knife, lightly crush the lemon grass. Either grate the onions or puree them in a food processor. Then add the lemon grass, onions, and ginger to the oil in a wok or large skillet and sauté for 5 minutes.
• Add the fish stock and peppers and bring to a simmer. Add the shrimp and fish and simmer for 10 minutes. Just before serving, add the vinegar and honey. Garnish with mint and cilantro.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS.
Life’s a Fish and Then You Fry RANDY BAYLISS
A taste of Russian America.
• Poach about 2 pounds of salmon, chill, and cut into chunks. Clean carefully, trim and puree a pound of fresh spinach leaves. Do likewise with ½ pound sorrel. If you can’t get sorrel (which grows wild as sourdock), substitute more spinach and the juice of a lemon. In a large serving bowl, mix the spinach and sourdock together and add a glug or two of dry white wine and the juice of 1 lemon. Peel a cucumber and cut it into strips. Chop a bunch of green onions into 2-inch lengths.
•Add the chilled salmon chunks, cukes, and onions to the spinach-sorrel puree. Garnish with sprigs of dill and place dishes of sour cream and horseradish nearby.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS.
Life’s a Fish and Then You Fry RANDY BAYLISS
Hemingway’s deep-sea fishing centered on his boat, the Pilar. The boat’s master and cook, Gregorio Fuentes, became well-known for his Snapper Stew, highly acclaimed by Hemingway’s many famous fishing guests. This calls for one red snapper, whole, without guts, but you can substitute rockfish or bass.
Hemingway’s cooking tastes may have matured from bacon grease to olive oil, but he always relished “good, fresh fish.” In his later years, his health failed him. A careful diet that included grilled fish helped him control the weight and blood-pressure problems.
1 red snapper Sauce
Sauce
1 Bermuda onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, more if you can take it
Olive oil
1 8-ounce can tomato puree
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
1 4-ounce can green olives with pimentos, chopped
½ glass of sherry (you know what to do with the other half)
1 ounce capers
1 ounce raisins
• An hour before beginning to cook, take a red snapper and score it several times, cutting diagonally to the backbone. Rub salt into the cuts.
• Select a pan large enough to hold the snapper, head and tail. In it, first make the sauce. Sauté the onion, pepper, and garlic—use plenty of garlic—in olive oil, until the onion turns slightly soft. Add a can of tomato puree, a bay leaf, and oregano. Let this simmer for half an hour. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for a few minutes more.
• Scrape the salt off the snapper, rinse it slightly, and place it into the simmering sauce. Cook slowly until the snapper turns white and the flesh firms up. Serve, with sauce, over white rice.
MAKES 6 OR MORE SERVINGS.
Crab CYNTHIA NIMS
(Northwest Homegrown Cookbook Series)
This vibrant green pea soup is distinctly accented with a delicate crab mousse that is subtly flavored with fresh mint. If you’re using shell peas, the general rule of thumb is that 1 pound in the pod will produce 1 cup shelled peas, so you’ll need 4 pounds of in-shell peas. If using frozen peas, be sure to look for the “petite” variety, which tends to be more tender and flavorful than regular frozen peas.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup chopped onion
4 cups freshly shelled English peas, or frozen petite peas (about 1 pound)
4 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock, preferably unsalted
½ cup whipping cream or half-and-half
2 teaspoons minced mint
4 mint leaves, for garnish
Crab Mousse
5 ounces crabmeat
1 whole egg
1 egg white
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1½ teaspoons minced mint
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
• For the mousse, pick over the crabmeat to remove any bits of shell or cartilage, and squeeze the meat gently in your fist to remove excess water. Put the crab in a food processor and pulse a few times to chop it up a bit, and then add the whole egg and egg white and pulse to form a smooth puree, scraping down the sides a few times to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed. Add the cream and pulse to mix. Transfer the puree to a small bowl and stir in the mint with a pinch of salt and pepper. Refrigerate the mixture for about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter four ¼-cup ramekins or other small ovenproof dishes (you can use larger ramekins, though the mousse will be shallower and will need a bit less cooking time). Spoon the crab mousse mixture into the ramekins and set them in a baking dish. Add boiling water to the baking dish to come about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake the mousse until it is lightly browned on top, pulls away from the sides of the ramekins, and is firm to touch, 20 to 25 minutes.
• While the mousse is baking, prepare the soup. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until tender and aromatic, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the peas, and then add the stock. Bring the liquid just to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a food processor or blender. Pass the soup through a sieve, pressing on the solids with a rubber spatula to remove as much of the liquid and puree as possible, leaving only the tough skins. Scrape the puree clinging to the bottom of the sieve into the soup. Return the soup to the saucepan, stir in the cream and mint, and season the soup with salt and pepper. Gently reheat the soup over medium heat.
• When the mousse is cooked through, carefully lift the ramekins from the baking dish and unmold the mousses upside down onto a plate. Ladle the soup into 4 warmed shallow soup bowls, set a mousse in the center of each bowl, and garnish the mousse with a mint leaf. Serve right away.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS.
Crab CYNTHIA NIMS
(Northwest Homegrown Cookbook Series)
Bruce Aidells is just the guy to take a San Francisco classic such as cioppino and make it his own without rocking the boat. He’s lived in the Bay Area for more than forty years, so he knows a little something about Dungeness crab and the Italian heritage of the region that led to this marriage of crab with tomato sauce, a quintessential seafood stew. But he’s also a chef and sausage maker by trade. His embellishment? Hot Italian sausage. You’ll be surprised at how well the spicy, rich meat blends with the tomatoes, herbs, and crab. You could use mild sausage instead if you prefer.
Although it’s virtually always based on Dungeness crab, cioppino often includes other types of seafood as well. Bruce’s original recipe added a few dozen clams or mussels and a couple of pounds of halibut cut into cubes. You may do the same, reducing the number of crabs from three to one, but I have always preferred crab-only renderings of cioppino myself. Sourdough bread is de rigueur with the redolent crab stew, as are plenty of napkins.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1½ pounds hot or mild Italian sausages
1 cup chopped onion
⅓ cup diced celery
1 cup thinly sliced green onion
½ cup diced green bell pepper
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 pound fresh Italian plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped, or 2 cups coarsely chopped canned Italian-style tomatoes
2 cups fish stock or chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 cup bottled clam juice
½ cup dry red wine
¼ cup tomato paste
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
4 bay leaves
2 teaspoons minced basil, or ½ teaspoon dried
2 teaspoons minced thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried
3 Dungeness crabs (about 2 pounds each), cleaned and portioned, shells lightly cracked if precooked
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon slices, for garnish
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, for garnish
• Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven (about 8 quarts) over medium heat. Add the sausages whole and fry until they are firm and lightly browned, turning them often, about 10 minutes. Set the sausages aside to cool; if there are more than 2 or 3 tablespoons of fat in the pot, spoon out the excess and discard.
• Add the onion and celery and cook until tender and aromatic, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the green onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes longer.
• Cut the sausages into 1-inch pieces and put them back in the pot along with the tomatoes, stock, clam juice, wine, tomato paste, lemon juice, bay leaves, basil, and thyme. Bring just to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the crab pieces, cover the pot, and cook until the shells are bright red and the flesh is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes for raw crab (pick into a couple of the thicker sections of body meat to check for doneness), or 10 to 12 minutes for precooked crab.
• Season the cioppino to taste with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Serve at once in large, shallow bowls, garnishing each bowl with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of parsley.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS.
The Winterlake Lodge Cookbook KIRSTEN DIXON
Vegetable stock paired with fish is a delightful combination for this soup. It offers a delicious harvest flavor.
8 small red potatoes cut into ½-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into eighths
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground Winterlake pepper blend (page 59)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
2 large leeks
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 pound hot-smoked (kippered) salmon, flaked
Hot pepper sauce
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes, garlic, and onion lightly with some olive oil. Season the mixture liberally with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the thyme over the mixture. Spread the potato-onion mixture on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender and brown and the mixture is aromatic. Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
• In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Trim the leeks to include the white and pale green parts only. Cut the leeks down their centers and rinse under cool water, fanning them out to remove any dirt. Slice the leeks and add them to the saucepan. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook the leeks until they begin to soften, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Don’t let them brown. Add the roasted potato mixture to the leeks. Stir in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 6 minutes. Add the cream and return the mixture to a simmer. Add the smoked salmon and simmer gently uncovered for about 5 minutes. Add the hot pepper sauce to taste.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS.
The Winterlake Lodge Cookbook KIRSTEN DIXON
I bake beets rather than boil them so they don’t lose flavor or color. Sometimes we add baked apple to this recipe or we make beet soup with beef and cabbage added, which is hearty and comforting on cold evenings.
4 large beets
1 medium red onion Light olive oil
4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Sour cream or yogurt, optional
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Wash the beets and dry them. Prick the beets a few times with a fork. Cut the onion in half. Rub the beets and onion lightly with oil. Wrap the beets and onion in aluminum foil and bake in the oven until tender, about 1 hour. Cool the beets and onion to room temperature and peel. Roughly chop the beets and onion. Place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse several times. Add 1 cup of broth to the mixture and continue to process until the mixture is pureed. Add in the lemon juice. Place the puree mixture in a medium saucepan and stir in the remaining broth. Heat the soup over medium heat and serve hot. Spoon a dollop of sour cream or yogurt on top of the soup as garnish, if desired.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS.
The Winterlake Lodge Cookbook KIRSTEN DIXON
The rich and hearty combination of winter squash, cheese, and halibut becomes a distinctive dish. A panade can be thought of as a thick soup fortified with bread or as a soupy casserole. By using less broth, you might call it a bread pudding. You may modify this soup by omitting the halibut so that it’s a squash soup—or you may leave out the squash for a fish panade. The dish is best as a main course served with a light salad and perhaps some crusty French bread.
1 small winter squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground Winterlake pepper blend (page 59)
½ loaf hearty sourdough bread (½ pound)
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
8 cups chicken broth
1½ cups grated Gruyère cheese
1 pound halibut
• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 6-quart ovenproof casserole.
• Cut the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds. Brush the squash with a little oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the squash skin side up on a baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil, and bake on the bottom oven rack for 1 hour, or just until tender. Set aside to cool. When cool, carefully remove the peel from the squash and cut the flesh into 1-inch cubes.
• While the squash is baking, cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and place the cubes on a baking sheet. Toast the bread on the top rack of the oven for 15 minutes, or until all the cubes are lightly toasted and slightly crunchy.
• In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Reduce the heat slightly and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the broth over medium heat.
• Cut the halibut into 1-inch cubes.
• In the casserole, spread half of the onion and garlic. Add half of the toasted bread cubes. Then add half of the squash cubes. Add half of the cheese. Add the halibut. Repeat the layering of the onion-garlic mixture, bread cubes, and squash. Top with cheese. Ladle in the broth. Bake, uncovered, for about 40 minutes.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS.
Cooking Alaskan RECIPE FROM SEAFOOD MOODS
A quick and easy full-meal soup.
2 pounds rockfish
1½ cups sliced celery
½ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup butter
1 large can (29 ounces) tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 package (7 ounces) spaghetti
2 cups boiling water
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Cut fish into 1-inch chunks. Sauté celery, onion, and garlic in butter in a large, heavy pan until tender. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and seasonings. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook slowly 15 to 20 minutes. Add uncooked spaghetti and boiling water, stir and cover. Cook slowly another 10 minutes or until spaghetti is almost tender. Add fish, cover and cook slowly 7 to 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve hot with cheese sprinkled over top.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS.
After breakfast I inspected the red beans for stones, dumped them into a fresh pot of water-from the lake, and let them bubble for a spell on the stove. I sliced some onions. What in the world would I do without onions? I read one time that they prevent blood clots. Can’t afford a blood clot out here. I threw the slices into the beans by the handful, showered in some chili powder and salt, and stirred in the thick stream of honey. I left the pot to simmer over a slow fire. Come suppertime they should be full of flavor.
—One Man’s Wilderness, SAM KEITH FROM THE JOURNALS
AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF RICHARD PROENNEKE
The Riversong Lodge Cookbook KIRSTEN DIXON
The idea for this soup came from the French version of onion soup. The tomato-garlic garnish can be added to taste.
½ cup unsalted butter
12 large slices sourdough bread
12 slices Danish white cheese ¼ inch thick), such as Danbo
8 cups homemade or canned beef stock
1 tomato, blanched, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large skillet, melt the butter. Fry each slice of bread in the butter on both sides until crisp. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside. Drain the bread on paper towels. Place the bread in a 4-quart casserole or ovenproof soup bowl. Place a slice of cheese on each piece of bread.
• Heat the beef stock to a boil and pour over the bread and cheese. Place the casserole in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
• Meanwhile, add the tomato and garlic to the skillet and sauté until any moisture from the tomatoes is absorbed and the garlic is aromatic. Serve the soup in individual bowls, or family-style, with a dollop of tomato-garlic garnish.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS.
The Riversong Lodge Cookbook KIRSTEN DIXON
This soup is Danish in origin. It is a sweet onion, apple, and cream combination that is perfect for a winter’s day. Serve it with open-face grilled sausage sandwiches.
½ cup unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, peeled, thinly sliced, and separated into rings
4 large tart green apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
3 cups homemade or canned chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Calvados or applejack
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the onion until golden and softened, about 10 minutes. Add the apples and continue to sauté for an additional 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, cream, and Calvados. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS.
In and out of the cabin all day. A kettle of red beans on the fire. Put in bacon rind and bacon chunks and onions and all my favorite seasonings. That’s the kind of cooking to do in the wilderness, something that cooks while you do something else and don’t have to stand over.
—One Man’s Wilderness, SAM KEITH FROM THE JOURNALS
AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF RICHARD PROENNEKE
The Riversong Lodge Cookbook KIRSTEN DIXON
Besides the salmon, trout, and pike that swim in our river, we have access to other Alaskan seafood, such as halibut. The shredded carrots and cheddar cheese in this chowder make it distinctive.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
2 large potatoes, scrubbed and diced (about 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
6 cups homemade or canned chicken stock
1 can (8 ounces) stewed tomatoes, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and shredded
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1½ cups milk
½ cup heavy cream
2 pounds halibut fillets, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Hot red pepper flakes to taste
• Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and garlic. Cook, stirring well, until the potatoes are crisp-tender, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Bring the chicken stock to a boil over high heat in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat and add the tomatoes, potato-onion mixture, and the carrots. Stir gently and simmer for 10 minutes. Check the stock for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if desired. Gradually stir in the milk, cream, and the halibut. Simmer, uncovered, for an additional 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the shredded cheese. Sprinkle the chowder lightly with the hot red pepper flakes. Serve immediately.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS.
The Riversong Lodge Cookbook KIRSTEN DIXON
This recipe has great outdoor potential. Sweet potatoes last forever, and this soup is so easy it could readily be prepared on a camp stove.
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 large onion, peeled and diced
2 medium tart green apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
3 large sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and sliced
1 quart homemade or canned chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
½ pound Alaska reindeer sausage
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Hot red pepper sauce to taste
• Heat the oil in a large stockpot. Add the garlic and onion. Sauté over medium heat until the onion is softened, about 10 minutes. Add the apples and sweet potatoes. Stir in the stock. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are very soft, about 40 minutes.
• Add the cream and stir well. Slice the reindeer sausage and add to the soup. Heat the soup until the sausage is warmed through, about 10 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce to taste. Serve immediately.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS.
I wanted a salad for supper. Fireweed greens make the best, and fireweed is one of the most common plants in this country. Its spikes of reddish pink brighten the land. They start blooming from the bottom and travel up as the season progresses. When the blossoms reach the top, summer is almost gone.
I went down along the creek bed where a dwarf variety grows. None were in bloom yet. I squatted among the stems and slender leaves and picked the tender plant crowns into a bowl. Then I rinsed them in the creek.
Sprinkled with sugar and drizzled with vinegar, those wild greens gave the red beans just the tang needed.
—One Man’s Wilderness, SAM KEITH FROM THE JOURNALS
AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF RICHARD PROENNEKE
The Alaska Heritage Seafood Cookbook ANN CHANDONNET
The bright colors of yellow, red, and green in this chowder should delight young diners. Teens may even want to try their hand at preparing this recipe themselves.
Leftover grilled corn can be substituted for the fresh corn. Rather than using leftover seafood, raw seafood could be used as well; add it about 5 minutes before the cooked seafood is added.
As the seafood in this satisfying chowder, use one of the following:
8 ounces smoked black cod, smoked halibut, smoked trout, or smoked salmon, cut into ½-inch cubes
12 ounces chopped, cooked clams
8 ounces orange roughy fillets, cut in 1-inch pieces
12 to 14 ounces raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 slices bacon
3 medium onions, diced
3 carrots, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons crumbled dried thyme
4 cups water or low-salt chicken stock
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
3 potatoes, scrubbed and cut in ¾-inch dice
4 cups fresh corn kernels, cut from 6 to 8 ears
2 cups milk
1 jar (2 ounces) pimientos, drained and diced
8 to 14 ounces cooked seafood
Salt and pepper to taste
• In a large skillet, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towels. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat.
• In the same skillet, sauté the onions, carrots, and celery. When limp and transparent, stir in the bay leaves and thyme.
• In a 5-quart Dutch oven, bring the water or chicken stock to a boil. Stir in the sautéed vegetables. Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaves.
• Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth.
• Return the puree to the Dutch oven. Add the black pepper, green bell pepper, potatoes, and corn kernels. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 8 minutes, or until the potato cubes are nearly tender.
• Add the milk, pimientos, and the cooked seafood, and bring just to serving temperature. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS.
The Alaska Heritage Seafood Cookbook ANN CHANDONNET
During the spring and summer, Kathie Mears of Seward labors on the processing line at Icicle Seafoods. Cheeking halibut heads is an employment benefit that she and her coworkers on the line gleefully anticipate, as halibut cheeks are delicious boneless chunks ranging in size from as small as a sea scallop to as large as one’s palm.
One year, Mears says, “I filled my freezer with over 100 pounds of this treat. I’ve been gradually trying to eat my way to the back of my freezer—trying out new and unconventional recipes.” She serves her cheeky soup with Scandinavian rye crackers.
2 tablespoons oil or clarified butter (page 200)
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup sliced carrots
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1½ cups water
1½ cups cooked wild rice
1 cup raw halibut cheeks or boneless fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces
1¼ cups light cream or half-and-half
½ cup toasted slivered almonds
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence (see Note)
• Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan. Add the broccoli, carrots, ginger, and pepper, and sauté for 3 minutes. Gradually add the flour, stirring. The mixture will be sticky.
• Add the water and stir until the flour is thoroughly incorporated. Then stir in the wild rice and halibut. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the cream, almonds, and herbes de Provence. Serve at once.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS.
Note: Herbes de Provence is a traditional French blend of dried marjoram, rosemary, sage, thyme, aniseed, and savory, often marketed in a small crock.