My Stove Blew-Up

This is the first electric oven I’ve ever used, and five minutes after I began making dinner, the heating element exploded. I saw a flash of light and smoke. Apparently, these things happen (well no one told me about it) and it is easily remedied with a trip to the hardware store. Needless to say, I had to switch gears for this evening’s dinner plans. The range top was still in good working order so I went ahead and turned the fish into fish and chips-always a favourite at our house. I’m just pleased that it happened after my two lovely loaves of whole wheat rustic bread came out of the oven.

This seems like a good opportunity to share the recipe for my cornmeal fish coating and to disclose how I make the chips. It is all really quite simple.

You’ll need three shallow bowls and a plate for the fish. Fill one bowl with flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Fill the next with milk. Fill the last with cornmeal that has also been mixed with salt and pepper but in that one add a small shake of cayenne pepper. Wash and shake water from the fish. Press it into the flour until coated. Dip quickly in milk. Hold at one end and let extra milk run back into bowl. Dip and coat thoroughly in corn meal. Place on plate and let sit in refrigerator about an hour before frying.

For the chips:

Peel and slice potatoes and place in a bowl of cold water in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Drain, dry carefully in dish towels and fry in hot fat until barely browned. Remove to a rack placed over a baking sheet (this keeps them from getting too soggy). At this point, fry the fish. When that is completed, take the chips back for another pass in the oil until nicely browned. Then blot in a bowl lined with brown paper bags. Don’t use paper towels-they just make food soggy. The rack and pan technique has always served me well and isn’t that big of a hassle to clean-up (you’re already frying for heaven’s sake-what’s a bit more grease to clean?).

I suppose this illustrates why it is helpful to have more than one possibility in mind for the meal you are preparing. Fish is pretty versatile and had things gone worse and the stove was ruined as well, it could still be poached in the microwave. The carrots and potatoes I intended to cook in a casserole came out for the frying pan and the stock pot. Carrots cooked in butter and broth (a bit of sugar, salt and pepper) are pretty popular here, and if I put a turnip in it, no one will be too terribly disappointed at missing out on the potato/paprika casserole.

I can’t believe my stove exploded. Who knew?