Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love the adventure of trying out a new recipe; but sometimes, I just don't have the drive nor the time to take a chance on something I may not like.  I have a collection of family-tested, quick to fix recipes that I fall back on time and again.  This chicken tortilla soup is one of them.  It goes together quickly and everyone loves it.  Plus, it's hardy enough that I don't really need to make anything else to go with it!

This recipe is adapted from one found in The Whole Foods Market Cookbook.  Don't be put off by the seemingly long list of ingredients.  The recipe is really simple!

Ingredients:

2 T. canola oil

1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 t dried oregano

1 1/2 t cumin

1 t chili powder (such as cayenne)

1 jalapeno, chopped (I leave the seeds because I like the heat, but you can remove them)

1 14.5 oz can whole tomatoes, cut up with juice

4 cups chicken broth

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts, if you prefer)

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained

2 cups frozen corn

1/2 cup minced cilantro

salt to taste

For Serving:

blue tortilla chips

Monterey Jack cheese

diced avocado

Method:

1.  Heat oil in large pot and saute peppers, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and chili powder until onion is translucent.

2.  Add jalapeno and cut up tomatoes.  Stir and cook briefly.

3.  Add chicken broth and chicken pieces.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is done.  Remove chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces.

4.  Return chicken to pot along with black beans and corn.  Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors.  Add salt and cilantro.

To Serve:
Crumble some tortilla chips into a bowl and top with a sprinkling of cheese.  Ladle hot soup over chips and garnish with avocado.

Fish Tea

Does that title sound disgusting to you?  It sounded very unappetizing to me when I first saw it on a menu in Jamaica last year.  But our Jamaican companion insisted it was delicious, so Eddy and I gave it a try.  All I can say is, YUMMY!

Fish tea is a traditional Jamaican dish.  It's not really a tea, but rather an aromatic, deliciously spicy soup.  We enjoyed it so much, that the next day we went back to the very same place and ordered the very same thing! 

Last week, Eddy came up to me and announced, "I'm in the mood for fish tea."  Well, it was 10:00 at night and there wasn't much I could do about it then, but the next day I searched online for a recipe.  Most of the recipes I could find online were for a clear broth with fish.  What we had enjoyed in Jamaica was a hearty soup filled with root vegetables, called ground provisions in Jamaica. 

I decided to improvise a recipe of my own and it turned out great.  I bought most of the ingredients at Saigon grocery store on Calhoun St. where they sell whole red snapper (frozen and cleaned) at a very good price.  I spent $33 but ended up with a big pot of soup that fed us for several days.




Here's how I made my Jamaican Fish Tea.....

Ingredients:

4 lbs whole red snapper, cleaned (you can use any other fish you'd like)

10 whole black peppercorns

3 bay leaves

handful of fresh thyme sprigs
2 bottles of clam juice

6 cups root vegetables peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (I used sweet potatoes, malanga, and yuca)

2 chayote squash, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes

12 scallions, chopped

2 medium onions, diced
3 large cloves garlic, crushed

1 habanero pepper (more or less to taste)
juice of 1 large, juicy lime
salt to taste

Method:

1.  Make sure fish is free of scales.  Cut in half and place in large soup kettle.  Dump in the clam juice and then cover the rest of the way with water.  Add the bay leaves, peppercorns and the thyme.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce to a simmer, cover pot and simmer gently for about 30 minutes.

2.  Strain the broth and return to the kettle.

3.  Add the yuca, malanga, sweet potatoes (Caribbean sweet potatoes have white flesh), chayote, scallions, onions, garlic, and habanero and bring back to a boil.  Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

4.  While the soup is simmering and once the fish has cooled enough to handle, use your fingers to remove it from the bones.  Add the fish to the pot as soon as you are done picking it from the bones and allow it to continue cooking with the vegetables.

4.  When the vegetables are tender, add the lime juice and salt to taste.

*Note: traditional Jamaican fish tea has plantains in it.  As I don't like them, I left them out.  If you like them, add them, but reduce the root vegetables appropriately. *

Suon Nuong (Vietnamese BBQ'd pork chops)

Those of us who live in Fort Wayne are lucky to have Saigon Restaurant where they serve up delicious tasting, authentic Vietnamese food at a very reasonable price.  After eating the BBQ pork rib they served me a few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to try making this dish at home.

I recently became the happy owner of an awesome cookbook called Secrets of the Red Lantern. 

This is more than just a cookbook; this is a family's story.  The author, Pauline Nguyen, is the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants to Australia.  Her parents ran a Vietnamese restaurant there and her book is filled with stories from her family's history, including photos from long ago and documents and letters, such as photocopies of their visa applications.  She also shares wonderful recipes from her family's kitchen and I found a recipe that seemed quite similar to the dish I had at Saigon.

This recipe is very easy and delicious!  I'm sure your family would be impressed with the results.  However, if you hate to cook and live in the Fort Wayne area.....  you can enjoy the same results by heading downtown for a meal at Saigon!

Ingredients:

3 lbs thin pork loin chops
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 T honey
1 T sugar
1 stalk lemon grass, chopped (white part only)
1 bunch scallions, crushed (white part only)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup canola oil

Method:

1.  Mix all ingredients, except for pork chops, in a bowl.

2.  Lightly pound or flatten pork chops.

3.  Place pork chops in a glass dish or one gallon size plastic bag and cover with marinade.  Marinate overnight.

4.  Remove pork chops and grill or broil until done.

How easy was that??!!!  These pork chops are traditionally served with Vietnamese dipping sauce and garnished with thinly sliced bird chilies and cilantro.  I served mine with rice, grated carrot, and thinly sliced cucumbers. 

If you'd like to make the dipping sauce, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

3 T fish sauce
3 T rice vinegar
2 T sugar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bird's-eye chilies, sliced
2 T freshly squeezed lime juice

Mix all ingredients well, until sugar dissolves.

bits and pieces......

Two months!  Are you kidding me?  I can't believe I haven't posted anything for almost two months.  It certainly isn't because I haven't been cooking!  I was planning to use as my excuse, the fact that Eddy and I were busy traveling the west coast.  But we've been back for almost four weeks, so I guess I can't really use that excuse anymore....

We had such a great time eating our way down the coastline.  We started in Seattle, WA and ended up in Newport Beach just south of Los Angeles.  My hands-down-favorite meal was the dim sum we had in Seattle with our friends Mary and Jeremy (thanks guys!)

I also enjoyed my first Korean BBQ.  Eddy and I had some friends from Korea years ago and she used to make the most delicious bi bim bop and other wonderful Korean dishes.  But I'd never had Korean BBQ; so that was really fun!  The meat was cooked to order over a pit BBQ in the middle of the table.



Then, the meal was served with rice and little dishes of Korean vegetables, such as bean sprouts, spinach, kimchee, and my favorite, potatoes.

Eddy and Jeremy decided they wanted to try the traditional wine of Korea.  It was milky white and was, in my opinion, the only item that should have been sent back!

We had a very nice stay at a Bed and Breakfast in Napa Valley.  Our hosts made a spot-on eggs Benedict for breakfast and the fresh fruit they served was so sweet and juicy, I could hardly stop moaning in delight!

I also enjoyed my very first "fresh" fig, which I picked right off the tree near our balcony!  It was sticky and delicious!

Since coming home, I have continued to try new recipes.  Here are some pictures of recent adventures:

coconut mango sorbet

Thai red curry noddle soup

rustic spinach and cornmeal soup

butternut squash gnocchi

banana stuffed french toast with strudel topping

chili relleno tart (my personal favorite!)



Today, I'm in the mood for Jamaican fish tea.  Eddy and I had an amazing bowl of the stuff when we were in Jamaica.  It was so wonderful, we went back the next night and ordered the exact same thing!  I'm on a search for a good recipe and if I find one, I'll post all about it!

Eggplant and roasted garlic tart

I love eggplant!  It is so versatile and delicious; it can be baked into casseroles, mashed into purees and dips, grilled for salads, sliced and fried as an appetizer, pureed into soups, and even baked into pies like the one pictured above.

I have this fantastic cookbook called Fields of Greens by Annie Somerville.  It is a collection of vegetarian recipes from her restaurant, Greens Restaurant, in San Francisco.  I've tried several recipes from this book and have yet to run across something that doesn't turn out delicious!

With the abundance of locally grown eggplant (in all its many varieties) available around town from farmer's markets and roadside stands, I decided to give her recipe for eggplant and roasted garlic tart a try.  It turned out fantastic!

roasted garlic, eggplant, and sun-dried tomatoes in a tart shell



all ready for the oven with imported provolone, eggs and half-and-half poured over top

slice and serve with garden fresh tomatoes......YUM!

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe tart dough

1 head of garlic

2 T olive oil

1/2 Japanese eggplant, sliced 3/4 inch thick on the diagonal

3/4 T chopped fresh oregano

3 eggs

1 1/2 cup half-n-half

2 ounces imported provolone cheese, grated

2 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and thinly sliced

METHOD:

1.  line a tart pan with the dough

2.  preheat oven to 375.  Brush the garlic head with olive oil and roast on a pan until soft (about 30 minutes)  Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves out of their skins.  Reserve half and mash the remaining half into a paste.

3.  Brush eggplant slices with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a large baking sheet.  Roast in the same oven until soft, about 15 minutes.  Remove and when cool, slice each into 2 or 3 strips.

4.  Beat the eggs in a bowl and whisk in the mased garlic, the half-and--half, 1/2 t salt and pepper to taste.

5.  Spread the grated cheese on the bottom of the tart shell.  Lay the eggplant slices on the cheese, followed by the roasted garlic cloves and the sun-dried tomatoes.  Pour the custard over all and bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden and the custard is set.

A Delicious and Easy Sambhar

I am waiting for the day when the Internet has a smell option.   If it were possible for you to smell the vadaa sambhar pictured above, I could probably get rich offering to sell you the recipe.  The day I made this sambhar,  my whole house had a warm, spicy smell that made my nose tingle and my stomach rumble!

A local bookstore is, unfortunately, going out of business and all their books are currently 50% off.  I picked up a cookbook titled 660 Curries  by Raghavan Iyer.  The same day I purchased the book, I came home, randomly opened it up and made the first two recipes that caught my eye.  This sambhar was one of them.  (Yes, my sister will ridicule me, but I had all the needed ingredients in my superbly stocked kitchen and didn't have to run out for anything!)

I will admit that Indian cooking can be a bit intimidating for the uninitiated.  They do such creative things with their food!  Especially the vegetarian cuisines.   But if you take the time to read the recipe through and understand the steps, you will see that it really isn't as hard as it would seem at first glance.  Some procedures are time consuming; such as making your own cheese or yogurt or making dumplings out of lentils.  But again, these procedures are lengthy, but EASY since most of the time required is sitting time where the cook is not active; such as soaking or fermenting.

If you want to try a delicious recipe that is almost as simple as boiling water, follow this link to my Examiner article on the Taj Mahal Grocery and Gift store and try the recipe for stewed potatoes with yellow split peas.  It is amazingly simple and amazingly delicious!  If you are feeling just a bit more adventurous, try this recipe for vadaa sambhar (lentil dumplings in a vegetable stew.) 

For the Dumplings

ingredients:

1 cup skinned split black lentils (urad dal)

1 1/2 t sea salt

Canola oil for deep frying

method:

1.  Place the dal in a medium-sized bowl.  Rinse in several changes of water until water is no longer cloudy.  Cover the dal by several inches with clean, fresh water and let soak from 1 to 4 hours.

2.  Drain the dal.  Place 1/2 cup water in a blender.  Add dal and puree, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until a paste is formed.  Dump paste back into medium-sized bowl.  Add 1/4 c water to blender and swirl around.  Add this water to the paste and stir it in.

3.  Pour about three inches of oil into a wok or medium-sized pan.  Heat until a drop of water dances across the surface (350 degrees on a thermometer.)  Drop the batter into the oil by large tablespoons and fry, turning occasionally, until they are golden brown all over.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  Do this in several batches being careful not to crowd the pan. 

4.  When all the batter has been fried, set the dumplings aside and make the stew.

For the Stew

ingredients:

1/4 c. oily toor or toovar dal (skinned split yellow pigeon peas)

1 T tamarind paste or concentrate

1 T sambhar masala

1 1/2 t coarse kosher or sea salt

1/2 t asafetida

1 medium-size red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small red onion, cut into 1-inch chunks

20 fresh curry leaves

1 T canola oil

1 t black mustard seeds

2 T finely chopped cilantro

method:

1.  Place the dal in a small saucepan and rinse in several changes of water until the water is no longer cloudy.  Drain.  Add 3 cups fresh water to the pan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, whisk the tamarind paste with 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan.  Add the masala, salt, asafetida, bell pepper, onion and curry leaves.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer until vegetables are fork-tender (about 15 minutes.)

3.  When the dal is done cooking, pour it into a blender and blend well.  Pour this thin broth into the stew pan with the vegetables.

4.  Heat a small skillet over high heat.  Add the oil and sprinkle in the mustard seeds.  They will pop, much like popcorn (you might want to cover the pan during this process.)  When the popping stops, scrape the seeds into the stew along with the cilantro.

To Serve

Place a couple of dumplings in a bowl and ladle some of the hot stew over.  Eat and enjoy!

Portobello mushrooms stuffed with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes

I've been gone so long, it's doubtful I have any followers left at all, but just in case......   I've come to share the promised recipe for stuffed mushrooms.  But before I share the recipe, I must make my excuses!  Firstly, I just returned a few days ago from a trip to Haiti, where I went for days and days without an Internet connection making it impossible for me to blog!  You can read about my visit to a Haitian kitchen by clicking this link.  Secondly, shortly before leaving on my trip, I began writing articles for an online magazine called Examiner.com.  My articles are food focused (surprise! surprise!) with a local connection.  If you are interested, you can read my articles by clicking this link.

Now, back to the mushrooms.  I found this recipe in a book called Crescent City Collection.   It's a fabulous cookbook that I purchased in New Orleans when Eddy and I where there celebrating our 20th anniversary.  If you can get your hands on this cookbook, I recommend you purchase it!  So far, everything I have tried from its pages has turned out delicious!  These mushrooms are very easy to make and always bring me compliments when I serve them to guests.

Here is my edited version of the recipe for spinach-stuffed mushrooms:

Ingredients:

1 recipe Red Wine Vinaigrette (see below)

6 large portobello mushroom caps

Olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 large clove garlic, minced

a squeeze of lemon juice

3 tightly packed cups of spinach,

8 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and and chopped

hot sauce to taste (I prefer a habanero sauce over Tabasco)

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

1.  Marinate the mushroom caps in the vinaigrette for several hours

2.  Heat a swirl of olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and saute until tender.

3.  Add the lemon juice, spinach, and tomatoes and continue to saute until the spinach wilts.  Season with s&p and hot sauce.

4.  Remove the mushrooms from the marinade and broil (or grill) for about 6 minutes per side.  Let cool.

5.  Place the mushroom caps on a baking sheet and sprinkle half the Parmesan over the insides.  Mound the spinach mixture equally into each cap.  Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.  (the recipe can be made ahead to this point.)

6.  Just before serving, broil the stuffed mushrooms until cheese is golden (about 5 minutes).

For the Red Wine Vinaigrette

Combine and whisk until well mixed:

2 T red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

3 t Dijon mustard

1/2 t sugar

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1 t chopped chives