End-Of-The-Year Faux-Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

Four days to the end of the year and counting! Wahoo! In between me and those four days are two big finals, and then I leave to go on my DC/NC trip the day right after. So I needed an easy fast way to dispose of all my left over perishable foods in an easy-to-eat way this week that would be gone when I'm gone. This soup was the answer. This concoction is roughly based of the famous chicken noodle soup pioneered by G., the mother of my friend KT.

Ingredients:

Pot full of water
Salt
Four boneless chicken breasts, thawed
1/2 package whole wheat egg noodles
1 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts
2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup lime juice (or juice from one lime)
1 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. chicken bullion

Directions:

1) Put the chicken breasts in a deep pot and cover with water. Lightly salt. Bring to a boil and leave at boil until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove chicken from water and cut into bite sized pieces.

2) Increase volume of water to 2/3rds of total volume of pot. Add noodles.

3) While noodles are cooking, combine peanuts, coconut, lime juice, and whipping cream in a blender. Blend on high chop/puree until a rough solution is formed. Peanuts and coconut do not need to be thoroughly blended, but smaller bits of peanut and coconut should be emulsified in the lime juice and cream.

4) Chop the cilantro and parsley. When noodles are not quite all the way done cooking, turn the temperature down to simmer and add in the cilantro and parsley. Allow to simmer for five minutes.

5) Add in the bullion and the peanut/coconut mixture. Stir thoroughly. Put the cooled cut chicken back into the pot and stir. Adjust the water level accordingly. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for ten more minutes and serve hot.

Excellent! I am quite proud of my little left-over soup. It was genuinely tasty, filling, and the perfect balance of cream and peanut and cilantro and lime and flavor. A left over home run.

Also, can I say how proud I am that these are the ingredients I had left over? Fresh cilantro? Fresh whipping cream? A lime? Booyah. Big leaps from my college years, when being down to the wire meant a box of saltines.

Caribbean Dream Pie

From The New Moosewood. Seriously better than I thought it was going to be, and ridiculously easy to make. It would be hard to mess this pie up.

SWEET CRUMB CRUST:

2 cups crushed graham crackers or ginger snaps (easily done in a food processor)
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (optional, If you prefer you can substitute another 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers of ginger snaps)
1/4 cup finely minced pecans
6 Tbsp. butter, melted

1) Preheat over to 350F.
2) Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan, building a handsome 1/2-inch ridge around the edge. You will have more than enough to fill the pie pan-- sprinkle the rest in another pan. Place both in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

FILLING:

1 14-15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tbsp. grated lime rind
1/2 cups plus 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
1/2 a ripe mango, peeled and sliced (or chopped)

1) Pour the milk into a medium-sized bowl.

2) Add the grated rind and juice, and whisk for a few minutes until the milk thickens.

3) Layer the banana and mango slices in the baked, cooled crust. Pout the thickened milk mixture over the fruit, spreading it into place. Sprinkle the top with extra crumb mixture, and chill until cold. Serve cold.

Skeptical of the filling, I added one more bananas (three large bananas total) and tripled the mango (1 1/2 mangoes total). I also increased the lime zest, but not the lime juice or the milk. I found this to be just fine. I also topped the pie generously with lightly sweetened whipped cream and then sprinkled the extra crust crumbs on the top of the whipped cream, not the pie itself. The overall was wonderfully creamy and fruity and perfect for the lovely early summer evening. This pie should be served in California often.

Suzanne's Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe from a rockstar woman I love, and who makes the best enchiladas around. Terrified of the enchilada, but willing to mount an attack, I emailed her for the recipe. I give her directions and then a few modifications/comments of my own in italics following each step. I doubled the recipe and made two pans of enchiladas, hence the larger proportions, but they fed an army and turned out wonderfully. What a coup.

Suzanne's Directions:

1. Start by cooking some rice (you'll need about 1.5 cups, but anything between .75 to 2 cups is probably fine. You can also skip the rice.

I used 2 cups cooked brown rice. I think the brown rice gives a deeper/healthier impression.

2. Cut up chicken breast in to bite size pieces and cook in a pan on the stove (you can also get 1-2 precooked whole cooked chickens and tear the meat up into pieces).

I cooked five chicken breasts by boiling them in water and apple cider vinegar with a bit of salt in a large skillet on the stove. After cooking I chopped/shredded the chicken into large bite size pieces.

3. Add about 2 cans of tomato sauce (or one really big can) and nearly a whole can of red enchilada sauce, saving 1/3 cup or so to put on the top (I usually use Rosarita, but anything would work.)

I used 2 cans of Ortega medium red enchilada sauce, one larger can of tomato sauce, and maybe another can's worth of tomato puree that I had in the fridge. These enchiladas were a little drier than most, but I like them better that way. Leaving some for the top is definitely wise.

4. Add the rice to the mix (meaning chicken/sauce mix)

5. Add a lot of shredded cheese (uh...maybe 3/4 cup each of cheddar and mozzerella?)

I used sharp cheddar and white monterrey jack, grating an entire small block of each. The net amount of shredded cheese was probably around 3 cups. I saved a little cheese out to put on top of the enchiladas.

5. Now add more sauce until it's a bit runny (if it's thick, the enchiladas will be more like burritos!)

6. Stir up the mix of sauces with chicken, rice, and cheese.

7. Coat a pyrex dish (size 13 x 9 is good, but anything would probably work) with cooking spray.

8. Put a dollup (2/3 cup?) of mix on a flour (wheat!) tortilla, roll the tortilla up, put it in the dish. Repeat until the dish is full of enchiladas. (My dish fit eight enchiladas.) Leave space between each enchilada so some sauce can get in there and so they will separate more easily.

9. On the top of the enchiladas, add: left over mix, left over enchilada sauce, and extra cheese.

Janie and I also cut up a bunch of fresh cilantro and put it on top with the sauce and cheese and chicken and it was delicious! I would put some cilantro inside even, also we added chopped onion to the chicken/rice/sauce mix.

10. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly hot and browning on top. You can also refrigerate before cooking, and just cook a bit longer (40 minutes?) Serve hot with sour cream or guacamole on top.

So good. MMMMMMMMM.

Black Bean and Quinoa Salad

A Janie Salad. I was skeptical of the quinoa at first, but was pleasantly surprised at the results. I think it was the cilantro that won me over on this one. We served it cold, but I think it could be warmed up a little bit on a colder day and be as comforting warm and it was cold. We used it as a counterpoint to chicken enchiladas and the frog-eye salad, which served as a bridge to the Caribbean Dream Pie we served for dessert. I would also eat this for lunch just about any day, with sandwiches or tamales, or even inside of a pita, although that might feel a little bit redundant.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa, cooked
3 small tomatoes, chopped
1 small-medium onion, chopped
Kernels cut off from 3 tall ears of fresh corn
1 avocado, chopped
1 can black beans, drained (you can wash them, or leave unwashed for more bean flavor)
Chopped fresh cilantro to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook, chop, stir it all together. Serve at any temperature, although chilled is a nice way to go on a warm day as a contrast to hotter menu items. Make sure you rinse the quinoa thoroughly in cold water prior to cooking. Cook with 2 cups of water for 1 cup quinoa, adding the quinoa and water at the same time, bringing to a boil, and boiling until the water is completely drawn into the quinoa. Janie didn't add any lemon juice, but I would add a little lemon or lime zest if I had it for more flavor, although the cilantro and the fresh onion add enough flavor for any salad lover.

Frog-Eye Salad aka Ambrosia

This dessert-ish salad is a Utah/family classic. Served at picnics, Thanksgivings, with potatoes, on the side, this salad goes just about anywhere you want it to be. Best of all, it doesn't involve any jello. The salad is really a throw whatever you want in, with your own sense of proportion, but here is my most recent version:

1 package mini marshmallows
1 package sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 finely sliced mango
1 small can drained crushed pineapple (important that you drain thoroughly)
1 cup cooked small round pasta (I used acini de pede)
1 half pint whipped whipping cream
2 Tbsp. sour cream

Can also add: grapefruit, apple, pecans, or canned mandarin oranges. Say no to grapes, walnuts, strawberries, or untoasted almonds. Lime zest might be ok, if used sparingly. Think about toasting a little bit of the coconut for a more interesting flavor. Make sure you drain and cool the pasta thoroughly before adding to the mix. I whip the sour cream directly into the whipped cream before using the whipped cream to bind everything together. Be careful not to make this salad too soupy, it kills the leftovers and makes the salad feel limp. Don't use too much grapefruit, if you do, eat it quickly and sweeten the whipped cream a bit with powdered sugar.

Mix it all together and chill covered before serving.

Asparagus Risotto

From Sokolov-- whose food I enjoy but who I really can't stand in person (I suspect).

Ingredients:

1 pound asparagus, prepared in the manner of Madame Saint-Ange
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) butter
2 cups Arborio or other medium grain rice (I used brown)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Remove asparagus from the cooking water (but reserve the water) and cut into inch-long pieces. Discard the woody ends, but peel any sections whose interior flesh is edible. Remove the spears.

2. Measure the cooking water. Top up to 5 cups with additional water if necessary are return to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer slowly.

3. In a heavy 10-cup pot, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the asparagus pieces and any pith you have salvaged (but not the spears). Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Then pour in all the rice and stir vigorously to coat each grain. Continue stirring briefly. The grains will turn opaque. Then pour in a cup of the asparagus cooking water. Stir until the liquid almost disappears. Then add another cup of water. Continue in this manner until the rice softens to the al dente point. If you run out of water, bring another cup or two to the boil.

4. As the water absorption process comes to a close, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small skillet. Toss the asparagus spears in the butter to warm them up. Set them aside on a warm plate. Pour the butter into the rice. Add the cheese and salt and pepper to taste and stir vigorously while the cheese melts. Transfer to a serving bowl. Arrange the asparagus spears over the rice and serve immediately.

Serves 6.

This was more laborious than I thought it should be, but the parmesan cheese brings everything together in a surprisingly satisfying manner. Overall this dish is easy--but not particularly quick-- to make and makes a simple but elegant side.

KT's Banana Bars

Another dip into the KT-box for this recipe, which I baked up this morning in homage of Mother's Day and two quickly ripening bananas left on the kitchen counter. The ingredients given in italics or to the side are my modifications to the original recipe, in hope of making a jazzier treat. (The originals are delicious and addicting, but not particularly jazzy.)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (omit the vanilla, add 1/2 tsp. coconut extract)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (I used 1/2 tsp. salt)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cardamom
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 (16 ounce) container cream cheese frosting
Toasted coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan.

2. In one bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom.

3. In a second bowl, mash two bananas.

2. In a third, large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the sour cream and flavoring. Stir the flour mixture into the batter by hand, not with the beaters. Finally, mix in the mashed banana. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

4. While baking, spread a generous layer of flaked coconut on to a full size baking sheet and toast at 350F. Set aside.

5. Allow bars to cool completely before frosting with the cream cheese frosting. Sprinkle toasted coconut on top of the frosted bars.

KT says: p.s. I just mix 8 oz. of cream cheese with 2-2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar to get the cream cheese frosting - so easy!

Super easy to make and always a winning way to dispose of bananas or produce a quick treat for social occasions.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie version 3.0

THE CRUST:

2C flour
1 t salt

2/3 C cold butter + 1 Tbsp. sour cream
6-8 T cold water (I add an ice cube to water in a 1 cup measure.)

1) Combine the flour & salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening. Then add the water 1 T at a time, stirring clockwise with a fork until the dough turns into a nice ball (The butter dough will take 7-8 Tbsp and may want to be kneaded with your fingers in the bowl.) Wrap the dough tightly in saran wrap and put it in the freezer while you cut and mix up the berries.

THE FILLING:

1) Cut 2 green grocery containers strawberries as follows: wash with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Remove the leafy part and then cut the strawberry in thirds so that the pieces are as flat as possible. Cut 1 lbs. rhubarb stalks into 1-inch squares, avoiding leaving long strings in your cut fruit.

2) In separate bowl combine:

3/4 C white sugar
2-4 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
generous dash ginger
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. mace
1/4 tsp. cloves

1/8 tsp. white pepper

3) Add the combined above to the fruit, stir it all up so the fruit is all covered.

4) In separate bowl, whisk together 2 Tbs. sour cream and 2 Tbs. corn starch to form starchy paste. Add the paste to the top of the strawberries. Add 2 Tbs. lemon juice. Stir, until berries are coated in sour cream, sugar, and lemon juice mix. Allow the berries to sit in the juices while you roll out the crust.

ASSEMBLING THE PIE:

1) Roll out 1/2 of the dough for the bottom crust using plenty of flour. Store the other half back in the freezer while you roll out the bottom crust. Half way through rolling, flip the dough over and roll on the other side until the have a smooth, flat circle. Place in the pie tin. Cut the bottom crust off at one finger's width distance from the rim of the pie plate. Prick with a fork.

2) Roll out the remaining dough for the top as above, again using plenty of flour and flipping the crust half way through, making sure to brush excess flour of the top surface.

2) Spoon filling into the pie crust. The strawberries will have released quite a bit of juice, due to the sugar coating. Spoon the berries into the crust, but leave the extra juices in the bottom of the bowl behind (this may be about 1/4-1/3 cup of juices left behind. If you add them, the pie will be too soupy.)

3) Use your fingers to wet the edges of the bottom pie crust with the ice water. Place the top crust over the pie and cut the top crust off at two finger's width distance from the rim of the pie plate. Fold the top crust edge over the bottom crust edge just inside of the pie plate and flute the edge. Cut a pattern into the top crust to help some of the juices escape during baking.

4) Bake pie for 30 min at 425 F (depending on your oven) and then 30-35 min at 375 F. It's wise to put a cookie sheet on the rack beneath the pie while it's baking just in case some of the juices run over (they will.)

5) Let the pie cool on the counter, then chill the pie in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours before serving (preferably overnight, which allows the pie to settle thickly together).

La, le perfection in pie form. So tartly sweet, so melt-in-your-mouth, such spicy goodness. I see no reason to ever make a strawberry rhubarb pie any other way.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie version 2.0

An attempt to make a more generic strawberry rhubarb pie that wasn't quite so spicelly potent. Not because the spicy pie isn't the way to go, but because some people don't have the same palate for flavor that I do. This time I used a butter dough for the crust that turned out to be much easier for me to manage than the usual shortening dough. The net result was a thicker crust that wasn't quite as flaky as I wanted but was tasty all the same.


THE CRUST:

2C flour
1 t salt

2/3 C cold butter
5-7 T cold water (I add an ice cube to water in a 1 cup measure.)

1) Combine the flour & salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening. Then add the water 1 T at a time, stirring clockwise with a fork until the dough turns into a nice ball (The butter dough will take 7-8 Tbsp and may want to be kneaded with your fingers in the bowl.) Wrap the dough tightly in saran wrap and put it in the freezer while you cut and mix up the berries.

THE FILLING:

1) Cut 2 green grocery containers strawberries. Remove the leafy part and then cut the strawberry in thirds so that the pieces are as flat as possible. Cut 1 lbs. rhubarb stalks into 1-inch squares.

2) In separate bowl combine:

1C sugar
1/2 cup flour
3/8 tsp. Valencia orange peel
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

3) Add the combined above to the fruit, stir it all up so the fruit is all covered.

4) Allow the berries to sit in the juices while you roll out the crust.

ASSEMBLING THE PIE:

1) Roll out 1/2 of the dough for the bottom crust using plenty of flour. Store the other half back in the freezer while you roll out the bottom crust. Half way through rolling, flip the dough over and roll on the other side until the have a smooth, flat circle. Place in the pie tin. Cut the bottom crust off at one finger's width distance from the rim of the pie plate. Prick with a fork.

2) Roll out the remaining dough for the top as above, again using plenty of flour and flipping the crust half way through, making sure to brush excess flour of the top surface.

2) Spoon filling into the pie crust. The strawberries will have released quite a bit of juice, due to the sugar coating. Spoon the berries into the crust, but leave the extra juices in the bottom of the bowl behind (this may be about 1/4-1/3 cup of juices left behind. If you add them, the pie will be too soupy.)

3) Use your fingers to wet the edges of the bottom pie crust with the ice water. Place the top crust over the pie and cut the top crust off at two finger's width distance from the rim of the pie plate. Fold the top crust edge over the bottom crust edge just inside of the pie plate and flute the edge. Cut a pattern into the top crust to help some of the juices escape during baking.

4) Bake pie for 30 min at 425 F (depending on your oven) and then 30-35 min at 375 F. It's wise to put a cookie sheet on the rack beneath the pie while it's baking just in case some of the juices run over (they will.)

5) Let the pie cool on the counter, then chill the pie in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours before serving (preferably overnight, which allows the pie to settle thickly together).

I call this the boring pie. It was good, yes, very good. But just not as interesting as my previous version. Also I've decided that a non-spicy pie should be made with bigger pieces of berry, maybe berries cut just in half, or even whole. Next up I think I want to try a whole berry strawberry pie, without additional fruit. I find these pies a little difficult to eat when the berries are big, so I might cut them just in half and do a creamier matrix to bind the berries together. Maybe cook the berries and then make a custard or cream and make it a refrigerated, instead of baked, pie. Maybe with a graham-cracker pecan crust.

Eggplant Moussaka

This recipe from Sokolov drew me in and I knew I had to try it, even if it meant buying (and consuming) eggplant. The end result was not quite the wonder I had envisioned in my head, but it is surprisingly tasty, with a distinct flavor.

The dish is not pretty, but it is filling and reheats reasonably well.

Ingredients:

2 pounds eggplant, unpeeled but trimmed and cut in rounds about 1/2 inch thick
Salt
3 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1/2 cup tomato puree
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. sugar
Pepper
3 Tbsp. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 cups plain whole milk yogurt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup grated cheese (Gruyere, Cheddar, or kefalotyri)
Grated nutmeg

Directions:

1) Put the eggplant slices in a large colander. Toss them in salt and let stand for at least a half hour.

2) Heat the oil in a large skillet. Brown the onion with the lamb. Stir in the tomato puree, cinnamon, sugar, and pepper to taste. Lower the heat and continue cooking until all the liquid evaporates. Stir in the parsley and let cool.

3) Rinse the eggplant slices until they are lightly browned.

4) Grill or boil the eggplant slices until they are lightly browned.

5) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

6) In a bowl, whisk together all the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper.

7) Lightly oil the inside of a 10 by 14-inch ovenproof dish. Cover the bottom with a layer of half the egglant slices. Then spread on it a layer of all the lamb mixture. Finally add the rest of the eggplant in an even layer. Pour the yogurt mixture over the top and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, until golden brown on top.


I used ground pork sausage instead of lamb (none at the supermarket :( ) and cheddar cheese. I also used regular parsley, a too soupy yogurt, and brushed the eggplant slices with olive oil before broiling. This moussaka is rich, what with the pork, egg, cheese, and yogurt, so it could be easily served as a main course with salad on the side and be satisfying.

Verdict: Next Easter when lamb is more available this may be worth trying again.