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      Title: Chunky Peanut Soup
 Categories: Soups
      Yield: 8 servings
 
      2 tb Unsalted butter                     3 tb Minced fresh parsley
      1 md Onion, peeled and diced             1 lg Zucchini, trimmed and diced
      2 md Carrots, peeled and diced           1 c  Button mushrooms, stems
      8 c  Chicken stock                            -drimmed, caps diced
      1 c  Unsalted crunchy peanut             1 lb Firm white fish such as
           -butter                                  -halibut or snapper, bones
      1 sm Tomato, quartered                        -removed,
      4 sm Potatoes, peeled and cubed               Cut into bite-sized pieces
      1 sm Green pepper, roasted,              1 c  Fresh peas
           -cored, seeded, peeled, and         3 tb Freshly squeezed lemon juice
           -diced                         
 
  Info:  from Farm House Cookbook, Susam Herrmann Loomis, 1991
  
  Sidedish:  Serve with freshly baked bread. Wine: Chardonnay such as Raymond
  California Select 1989
  
  Makes 8 to 10 servings.
  
  salt cayenne pepper
  
  1.  Melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium heat.  When it is hot,
  add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring constantly, until the onion
  begins to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
  
  2.  Meanwhile, mix 1 cup of the stock with the peanut butter in a
  medium-sized bowl until smooth.
  
  3.  Add the remaining 7 cups chicken stock to the vegetables.  Stir, and
  add the tomato, potatoes, roasted pepper, and 2 Tablespoons of the parsley.
  Pour in the peanut butter mixture, and stir.  Cover and bring almost to a
  boil.  Simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are cooked through,
  about 15 minutes.  Then add the zucchini and the mushrooms, stir, and
  continue cooking until the zucchini is tender but still has texture, about
  10 minutes.  Stir in the fish and the peas, and cook until the fish is
  opaque and the peas are still bright green, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the lemon
  juice, stir, and season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper.
  
  4.  Ladle the peanut soup into warmed soup bowls, garnish with the
  remaining 1 Tablespoon parsley, and serve immediately.
 
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      Title: Crawfish and Corn Soup
 Categories: Soups, Crawfish
      Yield: 8 servings
 
      1 lb Crawfish tails - peeled             1 ts Thyme
      2 c  Corn - cut from the cob,                 Salt, pepper and Tabasco to
           -reserving about 4 cobs                  -taste
      1 cn Corn - cream-style                       STOCK:
      1 c  Onions - finely chopped                  Shells and claws for peeled
      2    Ribs celery - finely chopped             -crawish, NOT the heads
      1    Med. bell pepper - finely           4 tb Butter
           -chopped                          1/4 c  Brandy - or Cognac
      1 bn Green onions - finely               1 c  White wine
           -chopped (use about 2 or 3"              Water
           Of the fresh green part)            1    Carrot - cut into large
      4 tb Parsley - minced                         -pieces
      3    Clove garlic - minced (3 or         1    Rib celery - cut into large
           -4 cloves, depending on                  -pieces
           -size)                              3    Green onions - cut into
      6 tb Butter                                   -large pieces
      6 tb Flour                               3    Sprig parsley - whole
      1 tb Worcestershire sauce                2    Clove garlic
      1 lb Tomatoes - canned, drained          1    Bay leaf
           -(reserve liquid)                   1 pn Thyme
      1    Bay leaf - or 2                
 
  Number of Servings:   8
  
  Make stock first.  Ten pounds of boiled crawfish make one pound of meat.
  Peel crawfish, reserving shells and claws.  Rinse shells and let drain.
  Melt butter in a large pot; add shells and fry until sizzling and hot,
  turning them often.  When shells are hot enough, heat a small pot, pour in
  brandy and ignite.  Remove shells from fire, pour in brandy, tossing and
  turning until the flame dies down.
  
  Add wine and water to cover shells.  Add onion, celery, green onions,
  parsley, garlic, thyme and bay leaf.  Let it all simmer for an hour. Strain
  carefully and reserve.
  
  In another pot, melt butter, add flour and let cook on low fire until
  medium brown.  Add chopped vegetables and let cook on a low fire until
  wilted, stirring often.  Chop tomatoes and add to pot with reserved liquid.
  Let cook a few minutes.
  
  Add stock -- just enough to make a soupy consistency -- then add
  Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, thyme, crawfish, corn and about four of the
  cobs (for added flavor).  Let simmer an hour.  Taste for salt, pepper and
  Tabasco.  If using boiled crawfish, it is usually peppery enough.
  
  Remove the cobs and serve.
  
  If the soup is too thick, add more stock or water.  If it's too thin, cook
  a little more flour and add to thicken it.
  
  Serves 8.
  
  NOTE:  If you prefer to buy crawfish tails already picked, buy a couple of
  pounds of boiled crawfish and pick them so as to have the shells to make
  your stock.  Shrimp may be substituted.
  
  
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      Title: Fish Chowder
 Categories: Soups, Fresh herbs
      Yield: 4 servings
 
      1 c  Water                             1/8 ts Thyme
      1 c  Diced Potatoes                      1 c  Half And Half
      3    Slices Of Bacon                   1/2 ts Salt
      1 md Onion                             1/4 ts Pepper
    3/4 lb Fish Fillets                        2 tb Fresh Parsley
 
  Bring water to a boil in a Dutch oven; add potatoes.  Cover and cook 10
  minutes.  Fry bacon until transparent; add onion, and cook until onion is
  soft and bacon is lightly browned. Add bacon, onion, bacon drippings, fish
  fillets, and thyme to potatoes.  Simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are
  tender.  Stir in half and half, salt, pepper, simmer 5 minutes.  Sprinkle
  with parsley.
 
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      Title: Fish Soup with Fennel
 Categories: Soups
      Yield: 6 servings
 
      1 lb Flounder                            1    Small onion
           Bones from fish                     1    Carrot
      1    Bay leaf                            1    Leek
      4    Parsley stalks                    1/2 lb Hake
      2    Lovage stalks                       2 tb Butter
  6 1/4 c  Cold water                          1 tb Flour
           Sea salt                            2 tb Sour cream
      6    Black peppercorns                   2 tb Chopped fennel leaves
 
  Put the fish bones in a pan with the bay leaf, parsley, and lovage.  Cover
  with cold water, add salt and peppercorns, and bring to boil.  Simmer for
  30 minutes.  Peel and chop the onion and carrot.  Trim and chop the leek.
  Put them in a saucepan.  Pour the fish stock over the vegetables through a
  seive (strainer).  Bring to a boil, then let simmer for another 30 minutes,
  then put in the hake.  Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the hake is cooked.
  Remove the hake and put the plaice (flounder) filets into the pan. Simmer
  for 5 minutes, then remove them.  Cool the soup slightly, then puree it in
  a blender. Melt the butter in a clean pan, stir in the flour and cook for
  one minute.  Stir in the blended soup and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring.
  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Take the hake off the bone and chop it; skin
  the plaice (flounder) filets and chop them.  Put both sorts of fish into
  the soup and stir in the sour cream.  When all is hot, add the chopped
  fennel and stand, covered, for 3 to 4 minutes before serving. Serve as is,
  or with fennel dumplings.
 
  
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