So it’s the middle of winter. Rather  2 months into winter and besides these couple of days that have been all about sunshine and clear skies; the rest of the days include cold winds, cloudy skies and temperatures below 10 degrees! I’m never a winter person, more an autumn or spring person. There’s something about leaves falling from the trees and flowers blooming (opposite ends of the spectrum, I know) that puts a smile on my face.

So the only way to cheer me up during this gloomy winter is to cook something that would warm us up (with a little kick of spice) What do I have in mind? Fish stew! (: And it goes really well with … Garlic bread ! My favourite winter warmer at the moment. A one pot wonder too! No mess, no fuss! And pretty yummy if I could say so myself (:

Please pardon the lack in quality of my photos. Was too hungry and didn’t really adjust the lighting well enough! Plus the messy bowl. Goodness me!

So here’s the recipe, give it a shot and warm yourself up this winter! (:

Fish and Seafood Stew (A Food Made With Love Original)

1 leek, sliced thinly

4 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly

1 onion, cut into wedges

1 carrot, cut into small cubes/pieces

3 red chillies, de-seeded and sliced thinly

2 tbs olive oil

1 tin chopped tomatoes

2 tbs tomato paste

1 tin tomato puree

2 tsp hot paprika

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp garlic salt

2 fillets of basa, sliced into 1-inch pieces

300g marinara mix

50g spinach

750ml fish stock

100ml white wine

Steps :

1) In a large pot, heat the olive oil on a medium heat and add the leeks, garlic, onion, chilli and carrot and cook till soft and fragrant. (make sure the onion or garlic does not brown, just until the onion is translucent)

2) Add the hot paprika, chilli powder and garlic salt and stir to incorporate.

3) Add the dried oregano and allow mixture to cook for 5 minutes before adding the wine. Allow the wine to reduce by half before adding the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and tomato puree. Stir it well and add the fish stock. Cover the pot and cook over low heat for 2 hours.

(note : you don’t have to cook for this long, if you want a quick meal, just allow it to cook for 30 mins before going on to the next step. If you have the time, allow it to cook for at least 2 hours or more for more flavour as well as a thicker stew)

4) Add the fish fillets and seafood 20 minutes before serving, and the spinach 10 minutes before serving.

5) Serve with a side of homemade garlic bread or white rice.

ENJOY !

Stay warm everyone ! (: