Refrigerator Pickled Carrots and Onions

Delicious, inexpensive, quick to make, great as both an accompaniment and a solo snack - what's not to love about pickled veggies? Adapted a Serious Eats recipe, waited 48 hours (well, more like 72, since we forgot about them for a day), then enjoyed!

1 lb. carrots, sliced to fit jar
1 large onion, about 6-8 oz, sliced into half-rings
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1 T pickling salt (subsituted kosher)
1 t dill seed
1/2 t black peppercorns
2 cloves garlic

Clean and prep a jar (this one is 1.5 pints) and its lid. Since I wasn't canning, a simple soaping and thorough rinse with hot water sufficed.

Bring some water to a boil in a small saucepan, then blanch the carrots in the water for three minutes. Remove the carrots, drain, then plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking.

Peel and slice the onion into half rings, or your preferred cut.

Combine the vinegar and water in a small saucepan, then bring to a boil.

Place the pickling salt, dill seed, black peppercorns and garlic in the bottom of the jar. Add the onions, then the carrots.

Pour the vinegar-and-water brine into the jar, leaving 1/2 inch of space from the top. Make sure all the vegetables are covered.

Gently tap the jar to release the air bubbles. Close the jar tightly. Let it cool then place in the refrigerator.

Wait 48 hours, then enjoy!

Quick Chicken Soup, v2

John was feeling poorly and the leeks were on their last legs - time for chicken soup! Sauteeing the aromatics in a couple of tablespoons of butter gave the broth some richness, but not enough to roil an upset tummy. A squeeze of lemon juice at the end made for a nice contrasting sharpness. While this was pretty tasty for something made without broth and cooked so quickly, I'll be looking for ways to make it more flavorful without adding cooking time.

• 2 T butter
• 4 c leeks, chopped
• 1-1/2 c carrots, chopped
• 1-1/2 c celery, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2.5 lbs. chicken thighs
• bouquet garni (several sprigs of parsley, several sprigs of thyme, 2 t black peppercorns tied in cheesecloth)
• 6 c water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 oz. baby spinach
• scallions, chopped, for garnished
• lemon wedges

Saute the leeks, garlic, carrots and celery in the butter over medium heat till vegetables are softening, about 3-5 minutes. Add the chicken and brown it briefly on both sides, 5-6 minutes. Add some salt and pepper.

Add the water and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, till chicken is done, 20-30 minutes.

Add baby spinach to pot. Remove from heat, re-cover and let sit for five minutes.

Adjust seasoning if necessary. Garnish with scallions and serve with lemon wedges.

Chicken Adobo 5: The Saga Continues

It's been quite a while since I've made adobo for myself. But now that my tweaking of the spicy souse soup recipe is almost complete (need to post the modded version soon), I'm taking a break from pig's ears (much to John's relief) and moving on to a childhood favorite: chicken gizzards. Though I found some promising recipes that involve two hours of simmering and optional deep-frying, I decided to start with the classic: adobo. Since I actually have Filipino cane vinegar and soy sauce at my disposal, I decided to tweak this recipe, skipping the sugar and salt and more than doubling the garlic. It's one of the more delicate takes on the dish, but still satisfying. Next time I'll add some pork and make a few other tweaks for extra oomph.

• 2.5 lb. chicken thighs, skin-on (about 6 thighs)
• 1/2 lb. chicken livers
• 1/2 lb. chicken gizzards
• 2/3 c water
• 2/3 c cane vinegar
• 4 T soy sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 6-7 cloves garlic, minced (about 3 T)
• 2 t black peppercorns

Combine all the ingredients in a pot and let sit for at least half an hour.

Bring the pot to a boil; simmer till the chicken's done (about 20-30 minutes).

Optional steps: Remove the chicken and reserve it. Bring the sauce back to a boil and reduce till it's thick enough to coat with a spoon. Brown the chicken in a tbsp. of oil (or stick it under the broiler for a bit), then return to pot.

Serve over white rice.

Lengua Estofada

Lengua was always one of my favorite childhood dishes - my lola used to put extra button mushrooms in it for me. Finally I decided to try my own version of it - not a recreation of the beefy richness I remember, but something to tweak and turn into an occasional indulgence. I started from a recipe in Let's Cook with Nora, and made several changes - most notably trebling the amount of mushrooms (what? I love them). It turned out wonderfully - the meat was tender, the sauce (more of a broth by thickness) rich and tangy but sweet from the carrots and leeks. I may try a more umami-laden version in the future, but this recipe is a keeper.

Since this is the first time I've ever tried this (and since I had an epic, 20-minute battle with the leathery outer coating of the tongue), I've felt obliged to document (and share said documentation of) the process.

• 1 beef tongue (2.6 lbs. or so)
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1-2 T salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 medium onions, quartered
• 1 head garlic, cloves peeled and crushed
• 1 t peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove
• 2 carrots, cut into rough chunks
• 3 leeks, cleaned and sliced
• 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, including juice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 to 1-1/2 cup water
• 3-4 cups mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed (used a mix of white and cremini)

Here are most of the assembled ingredients.

Rub tongue with salt and vinegar (pre-boiled tongue below - doesn't look very different after this step). Rinse, then boil for 10 minutes.

Scrape off leathery coating on surface. (Mind, this took me 20 minutes with three different knives. It got pretty gnarly in the end, but I triumphed. It probably would have been much easier if I'd boiled the tongue for the whole time first, but I wanted it to braise with the sauce.)

Brown tongue in oil (5-10 minutes.)

Transfer to plate, then brown the onions and the garlic.

Return tongue to pot, then add everything but the mushrooms. (I may try adding less water next time.) Bring to a boil then simmer gently till the tongue is tender (recipes say three hours, it took me more like four).

Slice tongue into pieces and set aside (when I gave John a taste at this point, he said it was just like brisket or pot roast).

Strain sauce (skipped this step). Add mushrooms; turn heat to medium or high and cook for a few minutes, till sauce is reduced and mushrooms are done. Return tongue to pot and warm through. 

Serve with rice and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!

Quick Chicken Soup

Chicken Soup, originally uploaded by essgee51.

Was feeling poorly, so came home early on Wednesday afternoon. Thankfully, I had just enough energy to make a pot of this quick (about 40 minutes from start to finish, and I'm a very slow prepper) and surprisingly tasty soup. I think the bouquet garni (pictured here) made a big difference, and the parsnips helped as well. At any rate, I lived on this soup (augmented by buttered noodles and a can of potato sticks) through Thursday night, and am convinced it's part of the reason I was well enough to return to work on Friday.

• 5-6 large parsley stems
• 5-6 thyme stems
• 2 t. black peppercorns
• 1-2 T neutral oil (used grapeseed)
• 6-8 small garlic cloves, smashed
• 1-1/2 cup onion, chopped (one large one)
• 1 heaping cup celery, chopped (about 1/2 in.)
• 1 heaping cup carrots, chopped (about 1/2-1 in.)
• 3/4 cup parsnips, chopped (about 1/2-1 in.)
• 1.5 lb. chicken thighs (three huge ones)
• 1 quart chicken stock (store-bought, in this case)
• salt and pepper to taste

Put the parsley, thyme and peppercorn into a cheesecloth pouch and tie the ends together.

In a large pot over medium heat, saute the garlic, onions, celery and carrots till they begin to soften, 3-5 minutes. Add chicken, skin-side down, and cook till it begins to color (3-5 minutes), turning once.

Add the stock and the parsnips. Bring to a boil, then cover, lower the temperature and simmer till the chicken's done, about 30 minutes.

Adjust seasoning and serve.

Chicken Adobo (4) with Livers

This latest in the adobo chronicles is a fairly mellow, but flavorful and rich (perhaps partially because of the chicken livers) version. The base recipe comes via Burnt Lumpia (who adapted it from Steamy Kitchen); I merely fiddled with some proportions and added the livers. Next time I may try crushing the garlic instead (which gives me discrete cloves to nibble on or smash into the rice) and adding gizzards (balunbalunan in Tagalog; grandma used to put an extra helping in her adobo for me).

• about 3 lbs. chicken (4 leg quarters in this case)
• 1/2 lb. chicken livers
• 2/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• 6-8 cloves garlic (minced or smashed, as you prefer)
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 4 bay leaves

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot. Marinate for at least two hours.

Over high heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer till chicken is done (about 20-30 minutes).

Remove chicken from pot and reserve. Bring heat to high and reduce the sauce, stirring often, till it thickens to desired consistency (I was getting hungry, and so stopped after about five minutes - perhaps halfway to almost-thick-enough-to-coat-the-back-of-a-spoon. Tasted fine, though.)

Pat the chicken pieces dry, then place them skin-side-up on a baking sheet or in a cast-iron skillet. Place under a broiler and broil till the skin is crisp, about 2-4 minutes.

Serve with white rice, pouring sauce over everything.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

During a business trip to San Antonio in 2008, I was struck by a mighty cough and cold. Though enervated and mostly voiceless throughout, I managed to stick it through, sustained in no small part by multiple daily helpings of flavorful, nutritious chicken tortilla soup from Sazo's. The recipe below is adapted from their own - it turned out to be a rich, comforting soup with just the right amount of heat, though I skipped the cheese and fried tortilla strips, and despite a rather makeshift broth. (The chicken parts I was planning to use for stock had spoiled, and I didn't have any good canned broth available, so I made do with 4 cups water, two cubes of Telma veggie boullion and a cheesecloth-wrapped bundle of chopped onion, 6 cloves of crushed garlic, 1/2 tsp. of black peppercorns and a smattering of dried thyme. Simmered all that for 20 minutes, squeezed all the juices out of the bundle - the resultant broth turned out quite tasty - then proceeded with the recipe.)

• 4 cups chicken stock 
• 2 chicken breasts (originally 3, but I made do with what the little bodega had)
• 2 cups tomatoes, seeded and diced (used canned Muir Glen; original called for 3 large tomatoes)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced (originally a white one)
• 1 cup salsa - Jardine's 7J Ranch Texasalsa, Hot (originally 2 cups of picante sauce)
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• guacamole to taste (used this recipe)
• fried tortilla strips (skipped this time)
• cheese to taste (skipped this time - may use a mixture of cheddar and Monterey Jack next time)

Place chicken and stock in a pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer till chicken is done, about 15 minutes (when it reaches 160 degrees). Remove chicken from liquid and reserve.

Add tomatoes, onion, salsa/picante sauce, salt, pepper and cumin to liquid. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Dice cooked chicken and add to liquid. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Adjust seasoning if necessary, then add cilantro.

Cut tortillas into strips and fry till crispy. To serve, place tortilla strips, a generous scoop of guacamole, and grated cheese in a bowl, then ladle soup over everything.

Nilagang Baka (Beef Stew/Soup)

My near-constant craving for soup probably has something to do with the encroaching cold and the cold/cough I've been fighting off. I wanted something nourishing but not bland, and so riffed on this recipe for an old comfort food staple. Prep took a little longer than usual - partially because I opted to brown the beef, and I've never been the world's fastest mincer - but was easily accomplished during innings 2-6 of this sad-making game.

• 3 tbsp. vegetable or peanut oil
• 2 lbs. beef, cut into 1-1/2 to 2 in. cubes
• 1 head garlic, minced
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 cups water (not enough for the soupiness I wanted - will add 2 or so cups more next time)
• 4 tbsp. patis (will try more next time)
  
• 1 heaping tsp. black peppercorns
• 3 medium potatoes, cut into 1-1/2 to 2 in. cubes
• 1 small cabbage, roughly chopped
• 1 bok choy, chopped (alas, didn't have this)

Place oil in a large pot or Dutch oven on medium heat. Brown beef on all sides (about 5 min.). Remove from pot and reserve.

Add onions and garlic. Saute till soft (3-5 min.), making sure to scrape the pan and free the fond-y goodness from the browned meat.

Return beef to pot. Add water, patis and black peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low, cover, and simmer till beef is tender (1 hour, maybe more).

Add potatoes; return to a boil, then to a simmer till potatoes are nearly done (10-15 min.).

Add cabbage; return to a boil, then simmer till everything's done (10 or so min.).

Correct seasoning if necessary, then serve hot over lots of white rice.

Pesang Manok (Boiled Chicken Soup)

Had a couple of inches of ginger and some softening celery to use up, so I figured I'd order a cabbage and some chicken thighs and make some boiled chicken soup, Filipino-style. Now, I've almost eaten all the soup, but I still have more cabbage than I know what to do with - this monster weighed over seven pounds! (See what can happen when you order produce, sight unseen, from Peapod?) This can result in a dish that's fairly bland on its own, but comforting and delicious when served with a dish of fish sauce on the side. Took Market Manila's suggestion and browned the chicken first, which helped deepen the broth a wee bit.

• 1 tbsp. or so peanut or vegetable oil
• 2"-3" in. ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 2-3 lbs. chicken (I used thighs)
• 5 cups water
• 1 tsp. peppercorns (next time, I'll use more)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 stalk celery, cut into 3-4" lengths (used more as I had a bag to get rid of)
• 1 small cabbage, roughly chopped (about 1/4 of that monstrous head)

In a pot large enough to hold all the soup ingredients, saute the ginger and onion till they release their aromas, about 1-3 mins.

Add the chicken. Brown slightly on both sides, about 3-5 minutes/side.

Add the water, peppercorns and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and cook till chicken's almost tender, 20 or so mins.

Add the celery, wait a few minutes, then add the cabbage. Cook till the veggies are tender - another 5-10 minutes.

Serve over white rice with patis and sriracha on the side.

Chicken Adobo, Part I

Recently, I realized that I haven't made adobo in months. In an attempt to earn back my Pinoy card (and use up the chicken thighs in the freezer), I decided to remedy that. Alas, it's been long enough that I've forgotten the proportions of my "baseline" recipe; on the brighter side, this gives me an excuse to experiment with different ones. So, herewith - and just barely beating out Bittman's version, because the idea of a new vinegar picqued my curiosity, is my take on the venerable Burnt Lumpia's chicken adobo.

In retrospect? I would have marinaded, added a bit more garlic and browned the chicken after, not before, for maximum skin crispage. But hey - it was a weekday, and I wanted something fairly low-maintenance.

• 2 lbs. chicken thighs, skin on
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 7 cloves garlic (about 1-1/2 heaping tbsp.), minced
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 heaping tsp. black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves

Put oil in a skillet large enough to hold the chicken pieces in one layer; turn heat to medium and wait till oil shimmers. Add the chicken pieces, skin side down, and brown (about 5-7 minutes); turn, then brown the other side (another 5-7 minutes).

Remove chicken and place in a bowl. Pour off all but a tablespoon or two of the drippings. Turn the heat to low and saute the garlic till it's light brown and fragrant (about 1-3 minutes). Deglaze the pan with the liquids, making sure to scrape with a wooden spoon.

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up; add any accumulated juices, too. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover the pan, and play Xbo mess around onl- be productive for 25-45 minutes, or till chicken is tender.

Remove chicken and reserve. Turn heat to medium-high and reduce sauce to desired consistency, stirring often and correcting seasoning if necessary.

Return chicken to pan, remove from heat, and serve with white rice, drizzling sauce over both.

Quick Chicken Stock

This recipe's based on Bittman and, in this particular case, modified to include some ginger that was getting soggy and to disinclude some parsley that I didn't have. We'll see how it turns out.

• 2 lbs. chicken thighs
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 small onions, peeled and quartered
• 2 small stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 3-4 in. knob of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 7 cups water

Throw everything in a large pot and bring just about to a boil.

Partially cover the pot, and reduce heat so the liquid's very gently bubbling. Cook for 30-40 minutes, till chicken is done.

Remove thighs; debone and reserve meat. (Actually, at 40 mins., the stock was still kind of meh, so I took the meat off the bones and reserved it, then threw the bones back in the pot for another 20 mins. Let's see how it goes.)

Strain the stock, pressing down hard with a wooden spoon or something similar to extract the maximum amount of juice from the veggie solids.

Freeze or use stock and chicken (will be doing the latter with both, presently).