Comforting chicken soup - with an Asian twist

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I'm feeling a bit under the weather today, and also a bit blue, so naturally a nice chicken soup comes to mind (after all, it's the cure for what ails you, no matter what the problem).  I needed some ingredients, and as the super-mega-Asian market is the closest store to the house I thought, "why not spin the traditional recipe, and incorporate some other elements?".  More East meets West; I have high hopes.

I like strong, rich stocks simmered for 10-12 hours with tons of mirepoix vegetables and herbs.  My freezer is currently devoid of chicken stock, so I must start from scratch.  I am making a "quick" stock, then simmering in the rest of the ingredients for the soup.  This recipe picks up some of my favorite Asian flavors while retaining the soul-quenching goodness of homemade chicken soup.  You can go further and add some of your favorite ingredients such as noodles, dumplings, shrimp or other vegetables.

THE RECIPE

For the stock:
One 3-4 pound chicken, rinsed with cold water
Two large onions, quartered
6-8 stalks Chinese celery, leaves included AND the leaves from the rest of the bunch.  Cut these on the bias and also lengthwise to expose the maximum surface area.
3-4 large carrots, quartered on the bias and split lengthwise
6-8 cloves garlic, quartered down the center
1/2 bunch flat leaf Italian parsley, torn into segments
1/2 bunch Asian basil (rau que, hung que), torn into segments
1/4 bunch baby dill, torn into segments
3T dried lemongrass
2/3 T sea salt
2 T freshly cracked black peppercorns
Water to cover (approx. one gallon)

Section the whole chicken with poultry shears or a cleaver.  Remove and discard half the skin.  Place in a large stock pot or Dutch oven.  Add the balance of ingredients and cover with water.  Simmer over a low flame but do not boil.  Stir minimally, only on the half hour and just enough to turn over the ingredients; doing so helps to keep the stock clearer.  Also, keep the stock temperature above 150 degrees Fahrenheit while cooking.

After 90 minutes, remove the chicken parts.  Set aside, cool, remove the meat from the bones.  Return the bones to the pot.  Chop the meat into bite-sized pieces and keep in refrigerator.  Continue to simmer for another 90 minutes.  IF you are pressed for time, and just jonesing for your soup you can skip this additional simmer (but you end up with such good flavor with the extra time investment).

OK, now it's time for soup.

Remove from heat and allow the stock to cool a bit.  Strain through a fine mesh sieve or china cap strainer.  Twice.  Rinse the stock pot and return stock to the pan.  Return to low flame.  Add:

2-3 large carrots, 1/2 inch slices on the bias
2-3 stalks Chinese or western celery, large slices on the bias
1 small onion, large slices
1/2 jalapeno or other hot pepper, minced
3T dark (thick) soy sauce
3T Ketjap manis (Indonesian sweet and spicy reduced soy)
2T shaoxing cooking wine
1T five fragrance spice

Simmer for approximately 30 minutes, then add:

2 medium white rose potatoes, 1/2 inch dice

After approximately 15 minutes, taste and correct seasonings.  Add softer vegetables (I added some fresh green beans) or skip the potatoes and add noodles / dumplings.  Garnish with parsley and shallots; serve with bread or the wonderful cheese popovers from the last post.  Kick back and enjoy your soul therapy!

Gouda and black pepper Popovers

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Baking is less forgiving than many other cooking technologies, and more exacting in its recipes; I like to experiment and thus work in this arena less frequently than others.  I came across a base recipe not long ago which looked delicious and simple and seemed to leave itself open to a bit of interpretation so I gave it a shot.  I used a muffin pan, as I could not find a popover pan.  Some of the popovers came out looking a little funny and I lost some presentation points, but the result was great.

The base recipe appeared recently on Tasting Table ("Gruyere and Black Pepper Popovers").

https://webmail.nethere.net/x/m/view.php?thismailbox=INBOX&index=14115&id=2&actionID=113&mime=3c5a08e259073c342addb7f7ddbe5f40

I found these to be light and airy inside with a crisp exterior.  My attempt came out rich and savory with the addition of a little sweet creamery butter and a touch of smoky paprika and cinnamon.  They really satisfied!

THE RECIPE

1 1/2 cups whole milk
2T sweet butter
3 large eggs
1 1/4 t sea salt
1T smoked paprika
3/4 t freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 oz. Gouda cheese, cut into 12 cubes (feel free to substitute any other semi soft cheese you prefer)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place muffin or popover pan on a lower rack.  Meanwhile, heat the milk and butter over medium flame until warm and the butter has melted. 

Whisk together the eggs and spices until smooth; slowly stir in the hot milk and butter.  Add the flour in small increments and whisk until smooth.

Once the above steps have been completed, pull the pan out of the oven and coat thoroughly with pan release spray.  Pour the batter evenly among the baking cups and top each with a cube of cheese.  Bake at 375 Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.

RESIST the temptation to peek in the oven, or as my Mom would say when she was baking, "For God's sake, don't go stomping around the house, or it will fall!".

Serve the popovers immediately, and don't be afraid to top with some grated cheese or more butter.

Suburban Pate

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I am trying for a hybrid of two styles here.  I've eschewed some of the classic terrine and pate rules and ingredients, and clung to others.  This is not the elegant, cultured liver pate to grace the finest salons, yet not quite the more rustic country pate ("Campanard", essentially a meat loaf, albeit a really, REALLY good one).  It lands somewhere in the middle incorporating my favorite elements of both.  I still kept some of the rich, defining elegant ingredients dearest to me - cream, liver, Cognac and capers, and I believe I have achieved a touch of the rustic texture by blending ground meat with the liver.

The baking dish is lined with bacon slices (as if we didn't already have enough fat in the dish) which serve both to keep the pate from drying out and add a wonderful finishing touch to the presentation.  After cooling, the pate is pressed into the pan for its final shape.

Fat, Cognac, baked meat wrapped in bacon -- what's not to love?  Feel free to express yourself and let me know how you interpret this dish.

THE RECIPE

2# ground pork
1/2# pork liver
1/2# chicken livers
1/2# pork fat (I used bacon ends and pieces - These add a nice smoky flavor, and you will not need to add as much salt if you go this route)
2T dried thyme leaves
2T sea salt (I used alderwood smoked salt)
1 1/2t freshly cracked pepper

1 small onion, diced
1 medium shallot, diced
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
1t capers, drained
2T cold butter


2T flat leaf Italian parsley, minced
1 large egg, beaten slightly
1T dry Sherry
3T Cognac
1/2 Cup bread crumbs
1/2 Cup heavy cream

1 1/2 pounds thickly sliced bacon

Place the ground pork in a food processor and pulse briefly, just enough to break the meat down a bit.  Remove and drop in the liver and pulse again, until it is blended and smooth.  Scrape all the meat into a large mixing bowl and stir in thyme, salt and pepper.

Place the onion, shallot, garlic and capers into food processor and pulse until finely minced.  Add the butter and pulse.  Add to the meat mixture.  Add the next 6 ingredients to the bowl and fold together.  Allow the mixture to rest for approximately 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Set rack one level up from the bottom rung.


Line a 9" X 5" loaf (bread) pan with the bacon slices, perpendicular to the long sides of the pan (FLUB on my part, in that as often happens the volume of the product got away from me and I had to stretch the bacon between two pans.  This has been corrected in the ingredients listed above).

Scoop the pate into the loaf pan and smooth down with a spatula.  Cover with the ends of the bacon and more strips if necessary.  Place the pan in a deep roasting / baking dish and pour boiling water up to 2/3 the height of the loaf pan.

Cover the loaf pan tightly with foil and set the roasting pan on the lower rack of the oven.  Bake for approximately 1 hour 45 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.  Remove the loaf pan and cool for a bit on a rack.  Re-wrap the loaf pan with a piece of plastic wrap and a piece of foil atop it.  Use a heavy piece of cardboard cut to fit the top of the loaf pan OR another pan the same size to press the pate down.  Add a brick or several heavy cans to increase the weight.  Refrigerate overnight; you can prepare the pate up to 4 days ahead of time.

When it is time for service, remove the loaf pan from the refrigerator and place in hot water up to the 2/3 level on the pan for approximately 5 minutes.  Invert the pan onto a serving plate.  Remove the excess fat which has accumulated, garnish and slice into 1/2 inch thick pieces.

Serve this pate at room temperature with plenty of crackers, rustic Ciabatta bread slices, dijon and whole grain mustard and pickles (sweet and dill).  Voila!

"Beefed up" Oxtail Barley soup

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It's close enough to Fall for me to think about a hearty soup - one of my favorite types of food.  I didn't get around to Vichychoisse or Gazpacho while it was hot (too busy), and split pea soup doesn't happen until the first rainy day of winter, but really isn't any time a good time for soup?

I woke up today craving oxtail soup (which is really beef) and thinking also how to improve upon the last batch I made -- MORE BEEF and more vegetables is what I came up with. I like to use mirepoix vegetables to kick up the strength of the stock; a dash of Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes and a little sherry give the soup a a touch of sweetness and a smooth, rich flavor.  I've used my homemade beef stock, added stew meat, carrots and fresh green beans at the finale.  This preparation ends up somewhere between a soup and a stew as the vegetables and barley break down and thicken the stock.  Finally, it seems a dash of balsamic vinegar just "Mediterraneanizes" a dish, somehow...

You can prep this a day ahead of time if you wish; like most soups / stews the flavors will meld and improve overnight.

THE RECIPE

Approximately 3# Oxtails
Approximately 1# Beef stew meat, 1/2 inch dice
1T Extra Virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning the beef
1t Worcestershire sauce

One large onion, medium dice
2 carrots, small dice
2 celery ribs, near the heart including leaves, small dice
4 large cloves garlic, grated
Sea salt and pepper for the soup, to taste
2T dry sherry
5 Cups beef stock
1 1/2 t dried marjoram leaves or 1t minced fresh leaves
1 1/2 t dried oregano leaves or 1t minced fresh leaves  (if using fresh leaves on these two herbs, add at the halfway point in cooking)
4 Bay leaves

1 cup pearled barley (added at the halfway point.  If using slow-cook barley, add at the beginning.)

4 carrots, 1/2 inch slices on the bias
14oz. can crushed tomatoes with juice

1/4 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, heavy stems removed, minced

1/2# fresh green beans, cut in half
1T aged balsamic vinegar

Additional minced parsley, for garnish

Season both sides of the oxtails and stew meat with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce; heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high flame.

Brown the oxtails on all sides; remove then brown the stew beef.  Remove stew beef and set aside.

Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic; sweat these in the fat and juices rendered from the beef for about 8 minutes.  Deglaze the pan with sherry.  Stir well, and add the beef, stock, herbs and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer for 1 hour.  Add the barley, carrot slices and tomatoes.  Simmer for 30 minutes more.  Add the Italian parsley.  Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. At the 2 hour mark, check the beef for tenderness.  If done, remove the oxtails, add beans to the pot and turn off the heat.  Finish with the balsamic vinegar and cover completely.

Allow the oxtails to cool and pull the meat off the bones.  Chop into small pieces and return the meat to the soup.  Stir and serve in bowls, garnish with parsley and hearty bread.  This preparation is reminiscent of Eastern European recipes, with my added touches.  Enjoy!