Perhaps one of the ultimate ‘retro’ cocktail party snacks, smoked oysters are something people either love or hate.
Here in our province of Alberta, Canada fresh seafood and fish are definitely not always available. Brion and I enjoy pretty much ‘anything seafood’, so I’m always looking for new ways to incorporate it into our meals. Of course, this means using canned or frozen for most part, so thinking ‘outside the box’ is important.
You can do almost anything with smoked oysters that you do with any seafood. They’re at their freshest when packaged. Canned smoked oysters are usually steamed when they are fresh, smoked for extra flavor and finally packaged in oil.
Over the years, I’ve used them in pate, stew, soup and stuffing, so why wouldn’t they work in pot pie?! Doing a little of my favorite ‘recipe development’ cooking, this is what materialized. We had two for supper and I froze the other two ….. bonus for a later date.
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Pork & Smoked Oyster Pot Pies
Votes: 2
Rating: 5
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Ingredients
- 4 individual POT PIE shells (see pastry recipe on my blog from late August 2019 - Blackberry/Peach Hand Pies)
- 454 grams pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 strips bacon, crisp fried, crumbled
- 1 onion, diced small
- 6 large fresh mushrooms, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 carrot, diced small
- 1 large celery stalk, chopped small
- 2 cups (320 gm) potatoes, diced small
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1 tsp Old Bay or your favorite seafood seasoning
- 236 ml clam nectar PLUS 1 cup chicken stock
- 85 grams smoked oysters, drained & roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cups half & half cream
- salt & pepper to taste
Ingredients
- 4 individual POT PIE shells (see pastry recipe on my blog from late August 2019 - Blackberry/Peach Hand Pies)
- 454 grams pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 strips bacon, crisp fried, crumbled
- 1 onion, diced small
- 6 large fresh mushrooms, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 carrot, diced small
- 1 large celery stalk, chopped small
- 2 cups (320 gm) potatoes, diced small
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1 tsp Old Bay or your favorite seafood seasoning
- 236 ml clam nectar PLUS 1 cup chicken stock
- 85 grams smoked oysters, drained & roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cups half & half cream
- salt & pepper to taste
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Votes: 2
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
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Instructions
Prepare pastry for Pot Pies. Preheat oven to 425 F. Dice tenderloin into 1/2-inch cubes & roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven & set aside. Turn oven off, if you wish until ready to bake pot pies.
In a large saucepan, fry bacon until crisp; remove & drain on paper towel. Saute onion, mushrooms & garlic in bacon drippings for a few minutes. Add carrots, celery & potatoes & continue to saute until soft; add flour & seasoning.
Saute for another minute, making sure to coat everything with the flour. Add clam nectar & chicken broth, stirring well to dissolve the flour; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add oysters, roasted tenderloin, crumbled bacon, cream & salt & pepper to taste; stir to combine.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove filling from heat & allow to cool for a few minutes then divide between individual pot pie pastry shells. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until pastry is baked & golden.
Recipe Notes
- Another pastry that would go real well with this filling would be the one with cornmeal in it.
Edible bread bowls were a huge hit in the 80’s and 90’s, but the idea fizzled at the start of the 21st century. Bread has always been a main stay of any meal, from toast at breakfast to sandwiches at lunch and rolls for supper. Many restaurants used the bread bowl idea as a way to justify charging more for soup. They are an extremely versatile way to hold thick, creamy soups, spicy chili or stews as well as dips and warm melted cheese.
While its not that difficult to make a bread bowl, the kind of bread you make determines your success. Some examples would be a hearty bread like pumpernickel or a chewy, crusty sourdough. Rye, crusty white or wholewheat will work fine as well.
It’s always a good idea to match the flavor of your bread bowl to the filling used if possible. These roasted vegetable bread bowls were just perfect with the oyster stew.
Bread bowls will always hold a special memory for Brion and I. Over the course of probably the last sixteen years we have made many trips to the California coast. We always stayed in the Carmel/Monterey area and walked the coastline with our destination being Fisherman’s Wharf. It was a special treat having clam chowder in a sourdough bowl at a wharf restaurant.
I used roasted potatoes and parsnips in my dough today, which added an amazing flavor to these bread bowls. The stew is made with smoked oysters which adds a unique smoky flavor. The whole meal came together beautifully and was super good!
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Roasted Veggie Bread Bowls with Oyster Stew
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
Roasted Veggies
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Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a small baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Peel potato & parsnip & cut in uniform pieces. Place veggies in a bowl; add olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper & toss to combine. Spread veggies evenly on baking sheet; bake for 45 minutes, until roasted & soft enough to mash. Remove from oven, mash & cool.
Bread Bowl Dough
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In a small bowl, combine yeast with warm water; whisk until yeast is dissolved. Let stand about 3 minutes until foamy. Add butter, salt, sour cream & cooled, mashed veggies; mix well. Add bacon & chives; mix until just combined.
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Stir in flour, one cup at a time. When dough is completely blended, turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough about 10 minutes, until smooth & elastic. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap & allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Punch down dough & divide into 2-3 pieces. Form each piece into a ball as if you were making a large bun. Place 'buns' on baking sheet allowing enough space in between each for rising. Cover with plastic; allow to rise for about 15 minutes while preheating oven to 350 F. Brush bread bowls with egg wash; bake 25-30 minutes until golden. Remove from oven to a wire rack.
Smoked Oyster Stew
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In a saucepan, fry bacon until crisp; remove to paper towel, blot off grease & crumble. Set aside. To bacon drippings, add carrot, onion, celery & potatoes. Saute, seasoning lightly with salt & pepper; add garlic, seafood seasoning & flour. Saute 1 minute more, making sure to coat everything with flour.
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Add clam nectar & chicken stock, stir well to dissolve the flour & bring to a boil. Cook until veggies are cooked through. Turn heat to low & add the chopped smoked oysters, bacon & 1/2 & 1/2 cream. Stir until heated through; remove from heat.
Assembly
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Using a serrated knife, carve a deep wedge out of the top of bread bowls. After the initial cut, use your fingers to pull the soft bread out to make a big enough soup bowl. Fill with oyster stew, serving the top piece on the side.
