February Issue of Fine Cooking

Tried the Fennel, Pepper and Saffron Stew last week in the Feb/March issue.   It was wonderful!  The only change in the recipe I'd make going forward is a practical one - forget about the halibut and just use the mussels.  The recipe only calls for 10 musssels and I wasn't about to throw the rest away,  so I threw them in.  I only had to adjust the seasonings a bit because there was so much fish.  I'd say, either use the fish and double it, or use the mussels.  I'd never seasoned with Smoked Paprika before and it's a really nice addition.  I used it again the your other recipe in the same issue - the Ribeye steaks with mashed potatoes.  My husband really loved this dinner!  The only change I made was that I added potato cooking water instead of milk when I mashed the potatoes.  With the sour cream, the extra diary seemed like too much.  We really enjoyed the bacon in the mashies - not exactly diet food but really excellent!  Thanks! (Sorry, no pictures....ate too fast!)