CONFESSION: Chicken soup is reserved only for when I’m sick. Much like 7-up and flat coca-cola, chicken soup just tastes like being sick to me when I’m healthy. I feel pretty much the same for all chicken broth-based soups. Conversely, when I’m not feeling well, there’s nothing better.

I prefer to make this with a whole chicken, making my own stock, but sometimes I just don’t have the time. Shortcut Wife Soup is actually quite easy if you’ve got the chicken stock to start with. I love the Kirkland Chicken Stock that we buy from Costco by the case. It’s not overly salty like Swanson’s, and has a richer flavor. The trick to it is seasoning it to your tastes. I prefer mine very heavy on the herbs, not so much with the salt, but again, I don’t really measure spices much, but this is how I made Wife Soup… this time around, anyway.

INGREDIENTS:

• Two chicken breasts (or one full split breast)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 medium-large carrots, diced
• 1 large potato, diced (seeing a theme here?)
• 1/2 small cabbage, chopped
• 8 cloves of garlic — yes, I said eight — crushed. Keep three or four separate.
• Ground Sage (a couple pinches)
• French Thyme (a couple pinches)
• Rosemary (yup, a couple pinches)
• Seasoned Salt (I prefer Penzey’s 4S Seasoned Salt) and Pepper to taste
• Fresh Parsley, chopped. I probably use about 1/4 cup. I love the stuff in this soup
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 64 oz. (2 cartons) of Chicken Stock
• Kluski Egg Noodles (if you can find them) or other egg noodles (I used No Yolks this time)

Put about 1 tbsp EVOO in the bottom of your soup pan. Add all but 3-4 of the crushed garlic cloves and the diced onion. Sauté until soft, then add the carrots and potatoes. Sprinkle with the ground sage and sauté for a couple minutes. Add one container of broth and the rest of the dried herbs and bring to a boil.

While this is going, dice the chicken breasts and toss with seasoned salt, pepper and some rosemary. Heat another tsbp of EVOO in a sauté pan an add the garlic when hot. Cook until it is a little soft but not browned and add the chicken. Cook until the outside of the chicken is browned slightly and add the chicken, herbs and oil to the soup base. Lower heat.

Add the second carton of chicken stock, the bay leaf and parsley. Add the cabbage and let simmer for 30 minutes, tasting frequently and adjusting the seasonings to your taste.

This is even better after the first night, but it’s really yummy right away.

When I offered to host vegan friends for our weekly TV night this seemed like an exciting challenge! I combined the recipe for Mark Bittman’s Faux Pho with a couple recipes I found online to create the amazing broth. I made a double-batch for our dinner party, and served it up with all the fixins, many picked up at my local H-Mart Asian Grocer:

• Mung bean sprouts
• Thai Basil
• Cilantro
• Sliced Jalapeño
• Five-Spice Tofu, cubed
• Napa Cabbage
• Pea Pods
• Fresh Lime Wedges
• Hoisin Sauce
• Sriracha Sauce
• Thinly sliced steak for the carnivores

The recipe for the wonderfully rich vegan broth follows behind the cut. This made 8 dinner servings for my dinner party but could easily be cut in half. It was an enormous hit and I’ll definitely be making it for another dinner party in the future!

Vegan Pho Broth

• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 8 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp ginger (I minced some fresh and the rest I used from a jar)
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  
• 3 star anise pods
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 4 bay leaves
• 12 cups water

In the bottom of a stock pot heat up your peanut oil. Sauté the garlic and ginger until just softened. Add the soy sauce, coriander and nutmeg and stir to combine. Let cook for 1–2 minutes and add the water, star anise, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves.

Bring to a rolling boil and let cook for 10 minutes. Remove the star anise and cinnamon sticks or the flavor runs the risk of becoming too strong. I let my broth sit for 3–4 hours (made it at lunchtime, served it at dinner time) so the flavor of the broth could really develop.

Serve the broth over Vietnamese rice noodles (prepare to package directions) and garnish with fresh veggies and condiments as listed above.

]]> http://www.shortcutchef.com/archives/529/feed 0 http://www.shortcutchef.com/archives/493 http://www.shortcutchef.com/archives/493#comments Fri, 14 Jan 2011 05:29:53 +0000 Tiara Lynn http://www.shortcutchef.com/?p=493

When I bought the pork chops from Costco, I thought they were stacked two deep in the package. What I found when I opened the package was beautiful, impossibly thick chops that were begging to be stuffed.

QUICK TIP: StoveTop Stuffing is boring and salty on its own, but bulk it up with carrots, pears or apples, onions and celery and it cuts the saltiness down considerably. I start by putting a little butter or olive oil in a small pot. I sauté the vegetables (and apple/pear) until a little bit softened before adding  the vegetable or chicken stock (whatever I have around, in the quantity required for the recipe). I bring the veggies to a boil until the carrots are soft. From that point, just follow the box directions and you’re set!

I’ve also developed an obsession for squash soup thanks to Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks, a local produce service that we’ve had delivering new and exciting produce to us every other week. My secret to amazing squash soup?

1) Roast the squash with some red pepper, onions, olive oil and herbs

2) Blend with chicken or vegetable stock (I like a thicker soup, so I don’t use much)

3) Add a splash of half & half

4) LET IT SIT FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS. Seriously. The flavors in this need to blend and evolve.

I love this on its own or mixed with chunks of chicken breasts as a delicious saucy treat. I’m sad butternut squash is pretty much done for the season, but I did the same thing with a carnival squash and it was *almost* as good. Almost.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cans of stewed or diced tomatoes with juice (I like the ones with basil, onion and garlic)
• 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
• handful of asiago cheese
• 1/4 diced onion
• fresh or dried basil to taste
• 1/4 stick butter

Puree everything but butter in blender or food processor. Pour into a saucepan with the butter and cook for 20 minutes on low.

This alone makes a really good soup, but it’s a bit strong on the tomato for me. The recipe could easily stop here.

After 20 minutes, add to crock pot with:

2 cans condensed tomato soup
2 cans full of skim milk
Basil, oregano, rosemary, and other italian herbs to taste

Let cook on low for at least 3 hours to allow the flavors to meld.

The photo isn’t mine and I can’t recall where I got it from. If it’s yours, please let me know and I’ll happily credit or remove it.

TOO MANY PUMPKINS! A friend of a friend had a fall wedding and left my friend, the maid of honor, with dozens of pumpkin gourd favors left by guests. She decorated her home with them and wondered what to do with them. I didn’t actually believe I’d do anything with them, but I shocked myself by actually following through.

I found a basic mini-pumpkin soup recipe and modified the hell out of it. I basically used the recipe to get the skinny on cooking the pumpkin and the order in which to do things. I eliminated the italian herbs and parmesan and instead aimed toward a ginger-flavored soup, lightened with whipping cream. I also toasted the pumpkin seeds in oil and salt to use as a garnish. YUM!

Also, the product of the day is The Ginger People’s Minced Ginger. I’ve moved at least twice with this jar of ginger, which means I’ve had it at least 4 years and it’s still delicious, spicy and wonderful for flavoring asian dishes and, well, this particular soup. It’s exceptionally strong, so a little goes a LONG way. I’m finally running out and will definitely be buying a new jar!