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"Arsters" He-Stew
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Seafood/Fish
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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Mess of bacon
8 Large onions
2 hefty stalks of celery
48 oysters
oyster liquor
tapioca powder
milk
saffron
1/2 Lb. butter
From James A. Michener's "Chesapeake", Copyrighted in
1978 by Random House, Inc., Chapter 22, "The Waterman":
(An excerpted conversation between the cook, Big Jimbo
and the crew aboard the Skipjack, Jessie T. as she prepared for
her maiden trip to dredge for "arsters" in Maryland's Choptank River).
eaters.'
the galley.
A She-Stew is the traditional one: Eight oysters per
person boiled slightly in their own liquor, then in milk
thickened with flour, flavored with celery, salt and pepper. A
great opening course, but not a meal for a working man.
A He-Stew is quite different, as Big Jimbo prepared his
version. First he took a mess a bacon and fried it crisp. As
it sizzled he chopped eight large onions and two hefty stalks
of celery. Deftly he whisked the bacon out, tossing the
vegetables into the hot oil to saute. Soon he withdrew them,
placing them with the bacon. Then he tossed the forty eight
oysters into the pan, browning them just enough to implant the
flavor, then he quickly poured in the liquor from the oysters
and allowed them to cook until their gills wrinkled.
Next Big Jimbo did two things that made his stew unforgettable.
Taking a small pinch of tapioca powder, he tossed it
into the oysters and liquor and in a few minutes the finely
ground tapioca powder had expanded it into a large translucent,
gelatinous mass. When he was satisfied he poured the oysters
into the milk, which he had already brought to a simmer, tossed
in the vegetables, then crumbled the bacon between his fingers,
throwing it on top.
The sturdy dish was almost ready. Finally, Big Jimbo
dusted the top of the stew with Saffron, giving it a golden
richness, which he augmented with a half-pound of butter at the
last moment. When the crew dug in, they found one of the
richest, tastiest "Arster" stews a marine cook had ever devised.
'Do we eat this good every day?' and Big Jimbo replied.
'You brings me the materials, and I brings you the dishes.'
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