Best Muddle Recipes

NORTH CAROLINA FISH MUDDLE

Steps:

• Clean and scale fish, cutting off head and tail. Place the fish, and its head with other ingredients for court-bouillon in a large pot. Cover with cold water and simmer just until meat flakes from bones.
• Remove pot from heat and let cool. Remove fish and pick out all fish bones. Set meat aside. Strain broth, discarding the solids. Return liquid to pot and reduce over high heat to about 1 cup.
• Meanwhile, to prepare muddle, heat a large pot over medium heat and put in salt pork and water. When pork cubes are edged with brown and fat is translucent, add chopped scallions and celery and cook until moist and limp.
• Pour in reduced broth and diced potatoes and simmer until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Then gently stir in fish and simmer 10 minutes more, tasting for seasoning, and adding salt and pepper as necessary. Ladle muddle into soup bowls, garnishing servings with minced fresh parsley. Serve at once, accompanied by lemon wedges and griddle cornbread (see recipe).

MUDDLE

Steps:

• Put the bacon in a kettle and cook, stirring often, until the pieces are rendered of fat and crisp. Remove and reserve the pieces.
• Cut the quartered onions crosswise into thin slices. There should be about 5 cups.
• To the fat in the kettle add onions, celery, garlic and orange rind. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes.
• Cut the tomatoes into thin slices. Cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes; there should be about 2 cups. Add the tomatoes to the kettle and cook about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and fish or shrimp broth. Add the thyme, red pepper and salt. Let simmer about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender without being mushy.
• Add the fish and shrimp and let simmer about 1 minute. Add the scallops and stir.
• Break 1 egg at a time into a saucer and carefully slide the 4 eggs onto the simmering soup. Cover closely and let the soup simmer slowly until the whites are firm and the yolks remain runny. As the eggs cook, baste them carefully with some of the hot liquid. Immediately spoon 1 egg into each of 4 hot soup bowls. Spoon the soup with fish and potatoes over all.
• Blend bacon bits, scallions, basil and parsley together and garnish each serving with an equal portion of the mixture. Serve immediately

BACON-INFUSED CAROLINA FISH MUDDLE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shrimp shells and cook, stirring constantly, until pink. Add 3 cups water and bring to a simmer. Cook gently until liquid is reduced to 2 cups. Strain stock, discarding shells. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill stock and shrimp separately.
• Tie thyme sprigs and bay leaves into a bundle with kitchen twine; set aside. Pulse tomatoes with juices in a food processor until chunky purée forms; set aside. Heat bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until some of fat is rendered and bacon is just beginning to crisp, 10-15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain; reserve 2 tablespoons bacon drippings for croutons.
• Add celery, carrots, onions, and leek to pot. Increase heat to medium and cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, jalapeño, and herb bundle; cook for 2 minutes. Add reserved tomato purée; cook, stirring often, for 20 minutes. Add shrimp stock (or, if omitting the first step, add 2 cups fish stock or clam juice) and bring to a simmer. Add potatoes and cooked bacon and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Season stew with salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce, if desired.
• Add fish and shrimp; bring to a gentle simmer. Cover; cook until fish and shrimp are just opaque in center, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, brush bacon fat onto toast to make croutons. Ladle muddle into bowls over grits or rice, sprinkle with parsley, and garnish each bowl with a crouton.

WILLIAMSBURG SEAFOOD MUDDLE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large kettle or soup pot over medium-high heat.
• Add the onions, carrots, and celery and sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes; add the garlic, stir, and sauté 1 minute.
• Add the tomatoes and potatoes, stir; reduce the heat to medium low then cover and simmer until the potatoes are just softened, about 10 minutes (make sure to check it to make sure it doesn't scorch, you can add a few tablespoons of fish stock to keep it safe).
• Add the fish stock, increase the temperature to high, and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the saffron and simmer until the potatoes are cooked completely through, about 10-15 minutes.
• Add the scrubbed clams and cook until they begin to open, about 5 minutes.
• Add the fish, shrimp, and mussels and cook until the shrimp is pink and the mussels are opened, about 10 minutes.
• Discard any clams or mussels which did not fully open, check seasoning and adjust as necessary (with salt and pepper).
• Serve hot in warmed bowls, garnished with chopped parsley.
• Note: if you don't have saffron, you can leave it out - but it's more authentic with it.
• Also, for a good fish stock, check White Wine Fish Stock recipe #51186.

PEACH AND BLACKBERRY MUDDLE

Steps:

• In a double old-fashioned glass, combine 2 peach slices, 3 blackberries, mint, honey, and lemon juice. Mash gently with the back of a spoon until fruit releases juices. Add bourbon, remaining peach slices, and remaining blackberries. Fill glass with ice and top with seltzer.

MéLI-MéLO:A MUDDLE AND MEDLEY OF HEIRLOOM TOMATOES

Steps:

• Cut, dice and slice your assorted tomatoes - making sure that there are plenty of different shapes, sizes and colours of tomatoes available. I like to leave small cherry tomatoes whole, and then slice large tomatoes, whilst dicing and cubing medium and round tomatoes - try to make the salad look "textured"!
• Place the sliced and diced tomatoes into a large colander. Sprinkle over some sea salt - not too much, about 1/4 teaspoon, then shake the tomatoes gently and sprinkle over some more sea salt. Do this one more time and allow them to sit for 15 to 30 minutes in a sink or over a bowl.
• Transfer the tomatoes to a large attractive serving bowl or platter, and sprinkle over your choice of chopped fresh or dried herbs, see above in the ingredients list.
• Make the dressing using one part vinegar to three parts olive oil, then add the minced garlic and some freshly ground black pepper - taste and adjust the seasoning; salt should not be needed as the tomatoes will have some residual salt left - but add salt to the dressing if you feel it is needed.
• Drizzle the dressing over the tomatoes and chopped herbs and then decorate the salad with whole herb leaves and flowers, serve immediately.
• If you are transporting this salad to a picnic, decant the dressing into a bottle and only dress the salad just before serving and eating it.
• Serve with assorted crusty and artisanal breads and rolls - for ease of "juice mopping"!

THE STRAWBERRY MUDDLE

Steps:

• * Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Cool syrup. * Divide strawberries among six 6- to 8-ounce glasses; add 1 tablespoon syrup to each and mash with muddler or handle of wooden spoon. Add lemon slice to each and mash to release flavor. Add several ice cubes to each glass, then fill with Prosecco.