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Creamy Potato Soup
From Dorothy McNett’s Recipe Book at www.dorothymcnett.com.

4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, slivered
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
3 to 4 cups milk or half and half
1/2-1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper or Zip
Crumbled crisp bacon or toasted croutons, for garnish

Place potatoes, onion, garlic, and parsley in large casserole. Microwave, covered, on High 9 to 11 minutes, until potatoes pierce easily when tested with a fork. (Or boil gently in water about 20-25 minutes) Process in food processor or put mixture through a food mill. Return to casserole. Gradually mix in milk until smoothly blended, adding just enough to make desired consistency. Microwave, uncovered, on High 4 to 5 minutes, until steaming hot but not boiling. Season to taste with salt, pepper and red pepper. Serve sprinkled with bacon or croutons. Makes 6 servings.

Note: To use this soup as a basis for seafood chowder, stir in cooked fish or shellfish before reheating with milk.

Crab Ravioli with Saffron Butter Sauce
From Dorothy McNett’s Recipe Book at www.dorothymcnett.com.

3/4 pound fresh or canned crabmeat
3 green onions
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1 batch of pasta dough

5-6 saffron threads
3-4 tablespoons boiling water
1 cup cold, unsalted butter
2 green onions
3 tablespoons dry white wine
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Drain the crabmeat if necessary. Using fingers, coarsely shred the crabmeat, discarding any membrane, and put in a bowl. Finely chop the scallions, using the white and green part. Add half of the scallions and the ricotta to the crabmeat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Reserve the remaining scallions for sprinkling at the end. Make the pasta dough, ending with the rollers at the narrowest setting. Using a ravioli maker, make and fill the dough with small mounds of the filling. Use water to seal the edges. Cut and spread them out on a floured dish towel and sprinkle with flour. Let dry, or cook fresh.
For the sauce, put saffron threads in a small bowl, add the boiling water and stir well to mix. Let soak 10 minutes. Meanwhile chop the shallots. Put the wine in a medium saucepan and add the saffron and liquid and the shallots. Boil 2-3 minutes to reduce to a syrupy glaze. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, a little at a time, until the butter thickens the sauce without separating. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook the ravioli in a pot of boiling, salted water for about 3-5 minutes. Drain, arrange on a plate, and spoon the saffron sauce over, garnishing with the remaining scallions.

Crab Fritters
From Dorothy McNett’s Recipe Book at www.dorothymcnett.com.

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
a few shavings of whole nutmeg, or pinch of ground nutmeg
dash of hot sauce, as desired
2 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions or chives
1 pound crabmeat, picked clean of any shell

1/2 cup or so olive oil
a great tomato sauce to use as a dipper (Sun Dried Tomato Sauce…Horseradish Sauce…etc.)

In batter bowl whisk together flour, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and mustard. In another bowl whisk the egg yolks with the milk and hot sauce. Add to the flour mixture along with the green onions and crab. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the crab mixture. In a heavy bottomed skillet heat the oil until it just begins to give off a haze but is not smoking. Add spoonfuls fo the fritter batter in whatever size you desire. These can be finger foods, or they could be made larger to be a main dish. Cook until brown on one side and then turn to brown on the other, only a few minutes total. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with the preferred sauce.

From Dorothy McNett’s Recipe Book at www.dorothymcnett.com.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2-3 medium yellow onions, chopped
1 leek, trimmed and chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 green bell peppers, sliced and chopped
4 cups fresh or canned tomatoes, chopped
1 cup fresh or canned tomato sauce
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or Zip
2 cups fresh fish stock, chicken stock, or water

1 cup fresh or bottled clam juice
1-2 cups dry wine (new version uses white…old version uses red)
1 pound firm fish, such as red snapper,. rock cod, or sea bass
1/2 pound fresh bay scallops
1 pound fresh raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 dozen well washed small fresh clams or mussels, in the shell
1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh oysters with their liquor
1/2 pound lobster tail, cooked in the shell, optional ($$)
1 crab, cooked in the shell and cracked

In a large heavy bottomed stock pot, heat the oil and butter and sauté the onions, leeks, and garlic until they are lightly browned, about 10 minutes on medium heat. Add the green peppers and continue cooking, stirring, until peppers wilt. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce along with salt, pepper, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, basil, and pepper flakes or Zip. Add the fish stock or water and cook slowly for about 1 hour, stirring once in a while. More fish stock may be added if desired. Add the clam juice and wine and cook about 10 minutes. The soup may be made in advance to this point. Twenty minutes or so before serving, return the soup to the boil and add the chunked fish. Cook for about 5 minutes and add the scallops and shrimp, Simmer for about 8 minutes and add the clams, oysters, lobster tail, and crab. Cook, stirring gently, for about 5 minutes or until the clams open. Serve in flat warmed soup bowls, with more red pepper flakes on the side.

See Also: Salads · Side Dishes · Vegetable Dishes

Cherry Tomatoes and Green Peas with Basil Dressing
From Dorothy McNett’s recipes at www.dorothymcnett.com. This is wonderful tossed together and served over a beds of lettuce on individual plates.

1 basket fresh cherry tomatoes
2 cups fresh green peas

2-3 cloves garlic
3-4 fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup good quality mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey or sugar
freshly ground peppercorns
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon semi-coarse sea salt, as desired
1/2 cup good quality vegetable or beef broth, cold

lettuce leaves, as desired

If necessary slice the tomatoes but if they are small enough, leave them as they are. Cook the peas if you insist, but they are so wonderfully crisp and sweet eaten raw. Place tomatoes and peas in a bowl and set aside. In food processor with steel chopping blade in place, have motor running and drop in the garlic cloves and then the basil leaves to thorougly chop finely. Add mayonnaise, Worcestershire, green onions, mustard, honey, pepper and salt. Blend. With motor running, slowly drizzle in the cold broth. Serve with the tomatoes and peas, adding as much as the dressing as you desire and serve with lettuce.

Buckskin Bread
From Dorothy McNett’s Recipe book at www.dorothymcnett.com.

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water

Sift together the dry ingredients, then quickly mix in the water.
Press the dough into a 9″ pie pan and bake in a hot oven, 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve. This is the perfect bread for “sopping up” potlikker and gravies.

Brine for Smoked Salmon
by local cooks Jon and Jerry Stuefloten

1 large bottle of Kikkoman’s Teriaki sauce
1 large bottle Wishbone Italian dressing (equal proportions to above)
1 medium white onion
2 buds garlic
pinch of salt and pepper
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup white wine

Fine dice the onion and garlic and mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly to ensure that the brown sugar is dissolved. Brine the fish for one day. Remove fish pieces and let drain. Pat dry. In a cold smoker (under 180 degrees) with Hickory chips, place the pieces of salmon on the racks provided. Salmon pieces should not exceed 3/4 inches in thickness. Smoke for 12 hours.

From Dorothy McNett’s recipes at www.dorothymcnett.com. These can be baked as regular biscuits, or they can be used as a topping for a great Beef Pot Pie. For 2-3 small individual pot pies, cut this recipe in half. If making a larger pot pie in a 2 quart casserole or deep pie dish, make the full recipe.

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon sea salt (try our Italian Herbed Sea Salt)
4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons crystalline brown sugar
few grindings of pepper, if desired
1/2 cup butter, cold
2/3 cup milk

Prepare the beef pot roast or stew and scoop into your choice of baking dishes, such as a 9 or 10 inch pie plate or 2 quart casserole. If making only 2-3 servings, cut the above recipe in half and use 2-3 small deep chowder bowls or ramekins. If the stew is quite thin and runny, sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons flour into the dish and stir well.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In food processor with steel chopping blade in place, whirl the flour, salt, baking powder, cream of tartar, sugar and pepper to blend well. Add the pieces of cold butter and process just to cut it into the flour into chunks. Add the milk and blend to form a ball. Remove onto a lightly floured surface and hand knead a few times. Roll out to about 1/2-3/4 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes. Arrange the biscuits close together on top of the stew. Or, you could roll out one large circle and place it on top of the stew and then pierce it in several places with a sharp knife for steam vents. Bake about 15-20 minutes, or until biscuits are done, nicely browned, and the stew is bubbly.

Blenheim apricots from San Benito County!

2 cups all-purpose unbleached organic flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
few grindings of white pepper (or try a pinch of Zip)
2/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons real butter
1/2 cup ice cold water

4 to 5 cups fresh apricot slices
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1-2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In food processor, combine flour, salt and pepper to blend. Add the butter and process just until the butter is cut into small lumps. Add the water and process just until the dough wants to form a ball. Divide in two parts, one slightly larger than the other. On a floured pastry cloth, roll out the larger piece and fit it into a glass or ceramic pie dish. In large bowl, combine the apricots, sugar, flour, salt, and spices. Pile into the pie dish, dot with the butter, and then roll out the second part of dough, and place it over the top, sealing the edges with a little water between the layers. Brush with milk or cream and sprinkle on a little sugar. Place in microwave on high for 10 minutes. Then transfer to your hot oven, REDUCE THE HEAT to 375 degrees and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until crust is browned. Allow to cool down about 1/2 hour before serving.