Last summer's tomatoes star in tonight's dinner. As this year's garden begins to come alive I become more aware of what is left in the freezer from last summer.  The goal is always to put away just enough to get us through to the next garden. The trick is to know what quantity to save and to determine what types of produce we will actually use over the winter.  I always freeze as many green beans as we have available, as well as tomatoes.  The tomatoes I freeze simply peeled and quartered, made into sauce, or oven roasted. We always use almost every container before the next crop ripens. Our freezer is now beginning to look a little bare - at this point, that's a good thing.

For tonight's dinner I made a traditional fish stew or bouillabaisse using one container of oven roasted tomatoes with basil and garlic, as well as a container (16oz) of quartered tomatoes, dated 9/08 - (they were fine). You can always use chopped fresh or canned tomatoes, but I think that the concentrated flavor of the oven roasted tomatoes added a deep richness to the broth that would not be obtained with fresh or canned tomatoes. I didn't have fish stock available, so substituted chicken stock.  The bouillabaisse was quick and easy to prepare and was delicious!

Bouillabaisse
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, slivered
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp fennel seeds
10 - 12 saffron threads
2 Tbsp boiling water
16 oz , or more chopped tomatoes, canned, frozen, or fresh
4 cups fish or chicken stock
3/4 lb. of white fish, cubed (I used halibut)
3/4 lb. shrimp
1/2 lb of butter clams
2 Tbsp italian parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, garlic, red pepper, and fennel seeds.  Saute until onion is soft and golden - about 6 - 8 minutes.  Meanwhile, place the saffron threads in a small bowl, pour boiling water over and let steep.

When onion is cooked, add the tomatoes, saffron/water, and stock to the pan.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the clams and cook for about 2 minutes, then add the fish and shrimp. Simmer for about 2 - 4 minutes more.  I found that the clams took longer to cook than the fish.  Clams are done when their shells open, the shrimp should be an opaque pink color and the fish flakey.

Adjust seasonings, stir in the chopped parsley and serve.

Add a fresh green salad and crusty bread for a lovely spring dinner.

Sometimes you just need something that is quick and easy.  Of course, that's my speciality.   Don't get me wrong, there are times when I love getting involved in the long drawnout process of planning, shopping, and executing a complex multi-step meal.  For me, those times usually involve hours of pouring over cookbooks, several attempts at putting together a menu, long shopping lists and timetables, and most importantly, dinner guests. The truth is that while I thoroughly enjoy the preparation, by the time I serve my guests I am often not very interested in the food. I hope that the others find the dinner more appealing than I do on those occasions.  The planning and the preparation have been the focus of my pleasure, not the eating. For me, the most enjoyable meals are often entirely spontaneous, last minute, off-the-shelf ,or just from the garden affairs. 

Here is a simple, quick, and delicious meal for those times when I don't really feel like cooking - Shrimp and White Bean Salad on a bed of Baby Spinach.  The beans are out of a can, unless I have leftover beans, and what could be faster to prepare than lightly sauteed shrimp.  It is possible to use frozen, pre-cooked, shrimp, but I prefer fresh.

White Bean  and Shrimp Salad (for 2)
1 can of white beans, drained

2/3 - 3/4# of fresh shrimp (frozen if you choose)
2 tomatoes cut 1" cubes
2 scallions, sliced
1 tsp basil
1 tsp lemon zest
juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 Tbs olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, 1 clove of minced garlic, sliced scallions, basil, lemon zest, juice of 1/2 lemon, and about 2 Tbsp of the olive oil.  I used lemon infused oil. Toss together and set aside. Saute the shrimp over medium high heat in the remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil with 1 clove of minced garlic, just until it turns an opaque pink color. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the shrimp and add all to the bean/tomato mixture.  Gently toss together and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve on a bed of baby spinach, toss spinach with a little vinaigrette and arrange on plates.  Top with Shrimp Salad.  A nice baguette or slice of sourdough bread completes the meal.  Hmmmm, makes me hungry again.