a different kind of chicken soup – part 1: broth

there are two things that i actually almost like more about roast chicken than the steamy-hot version that comes out of the oven.

1) cold leftover chicken

2) chicken soup

so since it’s still summer (barely! where the heck did this summer go?!), i decided to make a south-of-the-boarder-inspired chicken soup, rather than your classic i’ve-got-a-cold, onions-carrots-and-noodles version.

but first, broth.

take the remains of your chicken and pick the meat and skin off. (save the meat, discard the skin.)

there was a lot more meat left on him than i thought!

put all the bones and junk in a soup pot, and cover with water. (i took out the lemons, but left the onions and herbs)

bring to a boil, then simmer, covered for a couple hours.

strain,

let cool and refrigerate overnight.

now you can skim all the fat off.

voila. chicken broth.

pickled mushrooms

my mom found this recipe in a magazine. you were supposed to prepare the mushrooms, and then use them to make some sort of fancy pizza. while i might end up doing that, too, i think they will be quite delicious in a number of ways, not the least of which will be spooning directly from jar to mouth.

you start with six cups of mushrooms, which sounded like so much to me that i used less and regretted it later. (mushrooms cook down a LOT.)

those are enoki (the long white ones), oyster and maitake. i also threw in some regular old white buttons for (cheap) bulk. slice mushrooms thin-ish.

then the recipe said to boil them for 10 minutes until soft, which is a horrifyingly long amount of time. i actually think they would totally disintegrate in that amount of time. i merely blanched mine.

drain. see how small an amount it is now?!

then put them in a jar (or two) with a couple sprigs of fresh thyme.

in a small sauce pan, bring to a boil 1 cup white wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 10 whole peppercorns, 1 dried bay leaf, 1 large clove of garlic slivered, 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1/2 a cup of water.

a couple notes: i forgot (until i started writing this post moments after i finished the recipe) to include the garlic. heresy, i know. so i thinly sliced some, opened the jars and stirred it in. i wouldn’t recommend trying this because who knows what the raw garlic will do, but i would rather have some than none!

i also thought we didn’t have any bay leaves… turns out we did… oh well.

also, the recipe also included one 2-inch dried hot red chili which i omitted (don’t tell him!).

once it boils, pour into the jars.

screw on lids, cool (then refrigerate), and wait three days before using. these will keep in the fridge for a couple weeks.

erin’s balsamic brussels sprouts

the technique i’m featuring here is how to prepare brussels sprouts so i will eat them.

although it’s not hard, it’s elusive. my mum spent many years trying to figure it out, before i made her promise once and for all that she would never, ever serve brussels sprouts to me again – a pledge that she has impeccably honored. (she would say the promise was re: eggplant, but i disagree…)

however! fear not, mother dear, i’ve found a way to make your beloved vegetable palatable – nay, enjoyable – courtesy of miss erin.

prep your sprouts by cutting the dry end and peeling off outside leaves.

toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.

bake at 375-ish until done (tender).

try not to overcook, which makes them mushy. but getting them browned is key.

meanwhile, mix equal parts balsamic vinegar and honey.

and toss in the hot pan.

enjoy!

polenta cakes

you may remember this recipe for tomato and white bean yumminess on cheesy polenta cakes. in fact, i’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback on it, but readers always want to use those tubes of premade polenta from trader joes. i, on the other hand, was skeptical because the cheese throughout was so key to the recipe.

well, i’m happy to report that you can proceed with the premade!

first, grate a bunch of parm. then, squeeze all the polenta out of the tube into a bowl, breaking it up and mushing it around with the back of a large spoon.

add cheese and mix well.

then proceed with shaping into burgers and browning well in a skillet.

top with beans and tomatoes, and enjoy dinner without the hassle of cooking polenta!

lemon-roasted asparagus

asparagus is such a great spring vegetable, but sometimes (at least when you live in washington) you have spring days that aren’t warm and sunny. so this recipe combines a springy ingredient with a cool-weather technique – perfect for a cold, gray “spring” evening. (have you noticed how important weather and season are in my cooking?)

anyway, start with one bunch of asparagus.

cut off dry ends, and cut remaining stalks into thirds or fourths.

next, use a vegetable peeler to remove four or five pieces of lemon rind. (wash the lemon well first!)

and finely mince two or three tablespoons of red onion or shallot.

then toss asparagus with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon rind and onion, making sure it’s all coated well.

dump in a baking dish.

bake for around 20 minutes (until fork-tender but not mushy!) at 400 degrees.

meanwhile, mix a simple vinaigrette of good olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, a pinch of sugar and pepper, all to taste.

oh by the way, hold on to an old mustard jar or similar to make your salad dressings in. makes mixing easy (by shaking), and storage a cinch if you make too much.

the asparagus is done when it starts to blister. just please, in the name of all that is holy, don’t over cook it. there’s nothing worse that mushy asparagus. okay, celery maybe. but that’s it.

pour vinaigrette over and sprinkle with fancy red finishing salt (in this case) or a dash of kosher salt. serve as a side dish, or over rice as a main course.

risotto with peas

this is a very yummy early spring dish that can be modified with whatever early-spring veggies you have around – peas, asparagus, whatever. (actually, it’s a very yummy anytime dish, but i’m trying to work with a theme here!)

start by heating up about three cups of chicken broth/water. i used two cups broth and one cup of water. don’t bring it to a boil, but it needs to be hot.

also, cut up an onion. or in my case, since i didn’t have an onion, a chopped a measly half shallot and a clove of garlic instead.

melt half a tablespoon of butter with a tablespoon or so of olive oil.

add the onion/shallot/garlic/leek/whatever and cook until soft, not brown.

add a cup and a half of arborio rice (this is actually important) and cook for about two minutes, stirring.

next i added about half a cup (or “one dump”) of white wine, and let it cook down.

then came my decadent part:

some parmesan rind. a fairly traditional addition to risotto (if you’re not making it in a risotto BOWL… i wish!)

so i tossed that in, too.

now here’s the technique when it comes to risotto: add a cup of (hot) broth, cook it down. add more, cook it down. over and over, stirring frequently. this makes the risotto creamy and gives it that special risotto texture, which isn’t just cooked rice.

etc.

when the rice was almost ready, i added another “dump” of white wine and a cup and a half of frozen peas (and some salt).

cook until the peas are heated through, the wine has cooked down and the rice is done.

the whole process sounds long and complicated, but it really only takes 20-30 minutes and is totally worth it.

when serving, i added a squeeze of lemon juice for freshness, a healthy sprinkle of parmesan, some freshly ground pepper and some baby broccoli on the side.

silpat pizza

i found another use for my silpat!

that’s right – pizza.

instead of rolling the pizza dough out on the counter and lifting it into the pan, i rolled it out on my silpat.

then i dressed it on the silpat (yes, we were sharing a pizza; yes, we clearly have different tastes in pizza; and yes, he eats more than i do so we account for that!)

i had the oven and the baking sheet preheated and when the pizza was ready to go in, i just lifted the whole silpat right on to the baking sheet!

the best part? it didn’t stick to the pan at all!

the only downside is that you cannot – i repeat, canNOT – use a knife on a silpat, so we used a technique from our favorite asian restaurant, and cut the pizza with kitchen shears.

there was so little clean up it was criminal. which makes dinner even that much more enjoyable!

have i convinced you to get your own yet?!

toasted macaroni

this is one of those recipes that someone in cooking-blog-world makes and then a bunch of people (including me, i guess!) just have to try and then it pops up all over the place.

the reviews – so far – have been glowing. i, however, will be more tempered in my praise: the recipe itself was good – as in, the flavors were great at the end. when i made it, i didn’t have all the ingredients called for, but i don’t think that changes my verdict.

because honestly, neither of us thought that toasting the pasta added anything to the dish except time. so, i will make the dish again, but i will omit the toasting step.

i guess that means i’m not recommending this technique.

start by slicing mushrooms (you can check the recipe for exact amounts. i used what i had in the fridge… two different kinds)

add to a skillet over med heat with some olive oil and/or butter (actually, using a combination is a great idea that i use a lot – you get the flavor of butter, but the oil lets it get hotter without burning) and saute.

while they’re cooking, i minced a bunch of garlic and measured out some dried herbs. the recipe calls for fresh, but i didn’t have any.

add to the mushrooms and cook just until the garlic starts to smell, which means it’s cooking.

transfer to a bowl.

here’s the part i would leave out… melt butter in your skillet, toss the pasta to coat, then start toasting it.

starting to toast. keep stirring to make sure it doesn’t burn.

finally (about 10 minutes later!) it seems nice and toasty. add chicken broth to cover the pasta.

bring to a boil and then simmer until the pasta is cooked and the chicken broth has cooked down a little.

then you add the mushrooms back in, along with a splash of cream.

along with grated cheese and more herbs. heat through.

i definitely recommend you make this recipe… modified. and next time i make it, i’m going to use the wine called for!

but as i said, we liked it.

[if you missed it at the top and are now hungry, here’s the recipe again.]

baked chimichangas

omg, you guys, you have to try these.

don’t worry about not having the exact “right” filling. the take-away here is the technique of getting a super crunchy outside with a hot, cheesy, melty filling on the inside. without frying.

although the filling was pretty darn good, too. i used brown rice, chicken, black beans, cilantro, minced shallot, s&p and (of course) “mexican blend” cheese.

you could definitely use leftover chicken or even buy a rotisserie chicken from the store (or leave it out entirely and add extra beans for you veggies out there), but since i had the whole day, i started by baking 2 pounds of skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs.

this is ina garten’s technique for starting chicken salad, and it certainly keeps the meat extra flavorful and moist.

rub with olive oil and sprinkle with s&p, then bake for about 30 minutes at 375.

when the chicken cools, remove the meat and shred it.

then mix your filling. i’m sure there’s a recipe somewhere for “correct” proportions, but that’s really not important. what’s important is that it looks like you have a nice, happy little ratio of meat-to-rice-to-beans.

i definitely recommend adding cilantro for freshness, but if you don’t have it, no sweat.

i also recommend using minced shallots or green onions (milder than regular onions) so if they don’t cook all the way, you don’t bite into a huge chunk of raw onion. if you only have regular onion, you might want to sautee it in a little olive oil before adding it to the filling, or mince it very very finely.

microwave several 10-inch flour tortillas for less than a minute just to soften them up and roll thusly:

meanwhile, preheat your oven – and a metal baking sheet – to 450 degrees.

brush the chimichangas with olive oil, quickly set them on the hot baking sheet and return it right away to the oven.

this preheating helps brown the bottoms really fast, sealing the tortilla together and the delicious filling inside.

bake for 10-15 minutes until nicely browned on top.

serve with salsa. see how crispy the outside is?

and the best part? leftovers heat up great and even re-crisp in a toaster oven for lunch the next day!

[inspired by cook’s country]

duchess potatoes

this technique for a potato side dish comes from cook’s country. sort of a cross between mashed potatoes (but fancier) and hash browns (the “browned” part is the best), these are even better because you can make them in advance and keep them in the freezer until you’re ready to use them.

we served them with sauteed greens and a fancy roast chicken for a sunday night feast!

start by microwaving three pounds of potatoes on high for about 25 minutes, or until tender. don’t forget to stab them all over before going in the microwave to keep them from exploding.

i’m learning that the microwave is a really quick and easy way to cook potatoes.

when they cool down from “atomic,” scoop out the insides, mash very well and mix with 1 cup milk, 3 tablespoons of cold butter (cubed), 1 large (whole) egg and 1 egg yolk, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, pinch of nutmeg (sounds weird, tastes great. go with it) and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.

next, spoon the potato mixture into a large piping bag (like the one i got for christmas) or a large (clean, food-safe, zip-lock) bag. this takes more than two hands, which is why there aren’t any pictures.

screw on a star tip or just cut off the plastic bag’s corner and start piping the potato into pretty mounds on a baking sheet.

this was MUCH harder than it sounds. the potato didn’t really want to cooperate. any time there was a lump, it got stuck and wrangling a huge pastry bag of potato actually took two people.

maybe i should have added a little more milk?

not quite as pretty as the picture in the magazine… but they cooked up deliciously. spray with cooking spray first (i used sunflower oil) and bake at 475 degrees for 15-20 minutes until nicely browned.

freeze duchess potatoes BEFORE baking. when they are hard, transfer to a freezer-safe container (i used a zip-lock bag). don’t thaw before baking, just transfer to a cookie sheet, spray with cooking spray and proceed as directed.