Blizzard Fare: Baked Lamb Shanks

The Tuesday after Snowzilla 2016, the meat shelves had been picked nearly bare. Happily, I found a couple of lamb shanks - not quite large enough for a Roald Dahl story, but sizeable nonetheless. A few variations on this New York Times recipe resulted in a hearty, delicious meal that was perfect for a snowbound day.

2 T olive oil
2 large lamb shanks (about 3 lbs. total)
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 t ground allspice
1/4 t ground cloves
1 t salt, plus more to taste
1/2 t ground pepper
28 oz can whole tomatoes, chopped
1 t oregano
2 c hot water
14.5 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Put oil in a large baking dish. Add the lamb shanks, turning them to coat them evenly with oil. Bake 30 minutes, turning once.

Combine the onions, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper. Mix well, then spoon the mixture on top of the lamb shanks.

Combine the tomatoes with the oregano. Mix well, then spoon on top of the onion mixture.

Pour the water around the lamb shanks.

Turn the oven to 400 degrees and bake for 1-1/2 hours, or till tender (1-1/2 hours was fine, though it could have gone longer for that falling-off-the-bone texture). If the dish begins to dry out, add more hot water.

Add beans to the juices 10 minutes before the end of cooking time. Mix everything and spoon some sauce over each shank before serving.

Snow Day Treat: Chicken Daikon Soup

First snow day of the winter, and I was craving soup. Fortunately I had most of the makings of this  recipe on hand. My variation, below, turned out really well -- rich and chickeny, with just a barely sour tang.

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 heaping tablespoons ginger, julienned
• 1.5 lb. chicken (four bone-in thighs)
• 2 lb. daikon (two big roots), chopped into 1-2 in. chunks
• 2.5 tablespoons soy sauce (plain Kikkoman)
• 2.5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 heaping teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons Better than Boullion chicken (no shame in my game)
• 5 cups water
• 2-4 scallions, for garnish (one entire one pictured above - I love scallions)

In a pot, heat the vegetable oil, then saute the onion and ginger till soft, 2-5 minutes. 

Remove the aromatics if you like (I left them in, since I was feeling lazy) and lightly brown the chicken on both sides till slightly colored. Return the aromatics (if you took them out) then add the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sugar to the pot. Stir.

Mix the Better than Boullion into the water and add to the pot along with the daikon. Bring to a boil then simmer till chicken is done and daikon is to your taste (I like it on the crunchy side, which took about 25 minutes). Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serve garnished with scallions.

The Wonderful Winter Leek

One of the things I love about winter is that it's prime leek season. The gorgeous specimen pictured above was nearly two feet long, and so wonderfully sweet. This basic recipe went perfectly with a cup of rice and some sardines in tomato sauce.

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 large, lovely leek, trimmed, washed and cut into 3-4 in. sections
• salt and pepper
• 1 T vermouth, more if needed
• 1 T water, more if needed
• lemon juice to taste

In a pan, heat oil over medium. Add the leeks. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Brown, turning occasionally (5 or so minutes).

Add liquid. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low. Cover and cook till easily pierced by a fork, about 20-25 minutes.

Drizzle with lemon juice and 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.

In Progress: Navy Bean and Chicken Chili

I'm way behind on posts, so this one isn't going to be very chatty. We had to adopt this recipe for dried beans. It came out a tad soupy, but very delicious, especially since we amped up the amount of jarred jalapenos and the garlic. In future iterations - and there will be future iterations, since this is flavorful and filling -  we'll start decreasing the liquid a cup at a time and fiddle a bit with the cooking/what to add when times (beans were perfect but chicken got a tad stringy) and see where the sweet spot is. Below, our riff on the Slow Cooker Revolution original.

• 4 c chicken stock
• 2 c beef stock
• 1 15-o. can hominy, drained and rinsed
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 2 onions, minced
• 4 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded and minced
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 t ground cumin
• 2 t ground coriander
• 1 lb. dried navy beans
• 3 lbs. chicken thighs, skin removed if you want
• salt and pepper
• 4 T minced, pickled jarred jalapeno chiles, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 c fresh cilantro, minced
• 2 avocados, pitted and cut into 1 in. pieces

In a blender, puree the hominy and 2 cups of stock till smooth, about 1 min. Pour into slow cooker.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, garlic, fresh jalapenos, cumin and coriander. Cook till the vegetables are softened and somewhat browned, 8-12 min. Stir in 1 cup stock, scraping any browned bits. Pour mixture into slow cooker.

Add beans to slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to slow cooker. Cover and cook till beans are tender, about 5 hours on high.

Remove chicken from slow cooker. Let cool a bit, then shred into bite-size pieces. Discard the bones and return the meat to the slow cooker.

Stir in pickled jalapenos, then let sit till heated through, about 5 min. Stir in cilantro, season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve, garnishing with avocado bits.

In Progress: Souse Soup

After discovering what a rich broth pig's ears make (a byproduct of this recipe), I wanted to try to make a soup. I started with this recipe, increased the amount of liquid (enough to cover the meat), seeded and removed the ribs from the Scotch bonnet and added whatever spare vegetables I had lying around. Though I had my reservations about midway through the process, it turned out quite good - the broth was rich, and the Scotch bonnet imparted flavor and a gentle, lingering heat. The real surprise was the meat I scraped off the tail bones: succulent, tender and tasty. Will definitely be making this one again.

For future iterations: While the broth is rich and turned pretty flavorful in the end, I'd like to bring some more depth to it - whether by sauteeing the aromatics first, or adding more/different seasoning. I'd also like to add more vegetables to it, besides wilting a handful or two of baby spinach as I reheat bowls of the soup.

• 3 lbs. pig's ears and tails, ears cut into smaller pieces (this iteration used 1 lb. ears, 2 lb. tails)
• 1 pork shoulder bone (byproduct of the bone-in butt we got for the black beans and pork)
• 8 c water, enough to cover
• 1/4 c cider vinegar
• 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and ribs removed
• 10 cloves garlic, minced (about 3 heaping T)
• 1 onion, minced (about 1 heaping c)
• 2/3 c celery, diced (about 4 small stalks)
• 2/3 c carrot, diced (about 4 small ones)
• 2/3 c green pepper, diced (1 large)
• 10 oz. mushrooms
• 2 T Goya adobo seasoning
• 1/4 c lime juice (about 2 fat limes)

Put the meat, water, vinegar, hot pepper, garlic and onions in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, till meat is soft and gelatinous, about 2-3 hours.

Chop vegetables and add them to the pot. Cook till they're tender, about 15-25 minutes.

Add adobo seasoning. Stir and wait about five minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in lime juice, and serve over white rice.

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.

Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks and Navy Beans

Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks and Navy Beans, originally uploaded by essgee51.

The slow cooker is my new favorite thing. We prepped and started this last night, went out, came back, slept and woke to this savory, meaty richness. We used this recipe as a jumping-off point. Our version (below) completely filled the cooker (thankfully, I decided to buy only two shanks at the last minute!) and produced at least four cups of spare liquid/fat. Now that we have a solid base recipe, next time, we may try a bit less liquid, more seasoning (it's too rich and savory to be bland, but could perhaps use a bit of zing), some herbs and perhaps more vegetables.

• 1 lb. navy beans, rinsed and picked over
• 2 lamb shanks (about 4 lbs.), cut in thirds
• 1-2 tbsp. olive oil (will probably omit this next time - there's more than enough fat in the finished product)
• 1 huge carrot (about 1 lb.), roughly chopped (will add more next time)
• 4 large portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion (about 1 cup), chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 cups liquid (hot water or stock)
• salt and pepper to taste

Soak the beans. We forgot to soak them overnight, so we followed the quick soak method on the bag:

• boil for two minutes
• remove from heat
• cover and let stand for an hour
• rinse.

Boil the beans (in new water) for a half-hour. We may skip this step next time and just adjust slow cooking time accordingly.

Drain the beans and place them in the slow cooker. Add all the other ingredients, then season (we started with about a tsp. of freshly ground black pepper and a tbsp. of salt). Cook on high for an hour (we had to leave, so it was more like half an hour), turn the slow cooker to low, and let cook for 8-10 hours (more like 12 in our case, because we slept in).

Adjust seasoning and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Slow Cooker Beef Stew, originally uploaded by essgee51.

With a Christmas Amazon gift card from John's aunt and uncle, we finally bought a slow cooker!

Our first project, based on this recipe, was a success - the meat was tender, and the sauce was rich, silky and savory in a way that only slow-cooked food can be. Next time, we may experiment with more/different herbs -- and definitely add more mushrooms. Tweaks below.

• 2 tbsp. oil (used peanut this time)
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves,chopped
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme (orig. 1/2 tsp. dried, but in an unusual reversal, I didn't have any)
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper, plus more as needed
• 1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast
• 1/2 pound button mushrooms, quartered
• 2 c. low-sodium beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lb. frozen peas
• fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Put the oil in a large pan over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the celery, carrots, onion and thyme. Cook till the carrots begin to soften, about 7-10 minutes.

Add tomato paste and stir to coat. Cook another 3-5 minutes or so, till the tomato paste starts tasting a bit roasted. Add wine and mustard, then stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook till wine's reduced by about half, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Cut the roast into 1-1/2 in. cubes. Put the meat and mushrooms in the flour mixture and toss to coat.

Put the meat, mushrooms and any excess flour into the slow cooker. Add the wine and vegetable mixture, and a bay leaf. Turn the slow cooker to high and cook till meat is pierced easily by a fork, 5-6 hours.

Add peas and cook till heated through. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Roasted, Mashed Vegetables: Potatoes, Carrots and Garlic

Yes, I know it's not a very appetizing picture, but I was grumpy and hungry. And seriously, it tasted great.

I had a couple of teeth extracted last week, and am thankfully past the protein-shakes-and-pudding phase of things. Over the past few days, I've been eating a lot of chicken tinola (may (re)post my current favorite recipe later), mashed potatoes (courtesy of John) and sundry soft food. Yesterday, I found the idea for mashing roasted vegetables somewhere in a wisdom tooth extraction thread on the internet, and decided to try it. Simple, delicious, and definitely something to return to even after my mouth fully heals.

• 2-4 tbsp. olive oil (not sure how much exactly - enough to coat the vegetables when tossed)
• 1 lb. carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1-1/2 - 2 lb. potatoes, peeled if you want to peel them (I didn't) and chopped
• 1-1/2 head garlic (about 10-12 cloves), peeled
• 6 long sprigs thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup whole milk

Combine vegetables, olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper in a roasting pan, tossing till the vegetables are evenly coated.

Roast in an oven at 350 till vegetables are tender and easily pierced by a fork (1 - 1-1/2 hours).

Mash with a fork, ricer or whatever, adding butter and milk till desired consistency and richness is reached. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Garlic Scape Soup

Though I was fighting off yet another illness, in between naps I managed to make some of this creamy (even without the optional dairy), flavorful and comforting soup. Remind me to consider unpeeled russets in future soups and stews -- the skins add welcome texture to the dish, and contrast nicely with the scapes. And the smell  of scapes sauteing in olive oil is a wonder - garlicy and yet with a snappy freshness reminiscent of green beans or grass. Original recipe here - halved and tweaked version below.

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 14 garlic scapes, chopped and with bulbs removed
• 2 medium russet potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/2 in. dice
• 2 cups vegetable broth (used Swanson this time) + about 1/3 cup water
• 1 handful baby spinach leaves (about 2 cups)
• juice of 1/4 lemon
• salt to taste (since the broth was heavily salted)
• pepper to taste
• 1/8 cup heavy cream (optional - skipped in this case)

Place the oil in a pot; turn the heat to medium. Add the scapes and saute till they start to ever so slightly brown, 2-4 minutes.

Add the potatoes and liquid. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer till the potatoes are cooked through but not mushy (20-30 minutes).

Remove from  heat, then add the spinach. Blend if you want to (I prefer chunky soups, so I didn't), then season with the lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Simple Chicken Soup (Nilagang Manok)

This simple but nourishing soup (pictured at the noon and 3 o'clock marks) served as a light dinner for two people fighting off a bug, a breakfast and three days of lunch. A few splashes of salty, savory fish sauce make it sing, so make sure you have your favorite (nuoc mam, patis, whatever) on hand.

My [vegetable] mise en place, let me show you it

The recipe can vary widely depending on  your mood and what you have on hand (for example, I replaced the traditional cabbage with baby bok choy); the following  is just what went into this particular iteration. I forgot to separate and weigh the potatoes and green beans (which came with a tomato in a farmer's market grab bag), so all measurements are approximate.

• 2-2.5 lbs. chicken thighs (five plump ones in this case)
• 5 cups water
• 1/2 head garlic, cloves peeled and smashed (about 7 fat cloves)
• 3 young onions, sliced, with greens washed and tied together
• 1-1.5 tsp. salt
• 5-6 young potatoes,  quartered
• 2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and chunked
• 10-12 oz. green beans, sliced
• 6 baby bok choy, stems and leaves separated and roughly chopped
• salt to taste
• patis to taste (I like about a tbsp. per small bowl)

Put the chicken, water, garlic, onions and onion greens in a large pot. Bring to a boil then simmer till chicken's fairly well cooked but not yet done, about 20 mins. Remove greens and discard.

Add salt, potatoes and carrots. Cook till the vegetables start to soften, about 7-10 minutes. Add green beans and bok choy stems; cook till beans are becoming tender, but still have a bite to them (about 5-7 minutes).

Taste and adjust seasoning. Add baby bok choy leaves, cover and remove from heat. Serve with rice and patis on the side.

Caldereta

The dish so nice I packed it twice - pictured here with the rest of today's bento: rice and a spinach-red onion salad with homemade red wine-Dijon mustard vinaigrette.

I was hankering for some home cooking, and so created a riff on this recipe. Alas, the butcher stand was out of goat, but I made do with what was left of the stew lamb and some beef to make up the difference. Turned out wonderfully - rich and umami-filled from the long-simmered meat and soy sauce, tangy from the vinegar and tomato sauce, and just a tad sweet from the vegetables. Next time, I'll probably add another bell pepper, more peas and carrot; I'll also add some garlic during the vegetable sauteing process and remember to use either liver pate or the liverwurst we had in the fridge.

• 2 lbs. stew meat, cubed  (I used 1-1/2 lb. lamb and 1/2 lb. lean beef and cut it into 1 to 1-1/2 in. pieces)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 heaping cup garlic, minced (most of a plump head)
• 2-3 tbsp. oil (I used peanut)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 heaping cup)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups water or broth
• 1-1/2 medium carrots, chunked (about 1-1/2 to 2 cups)
• 1-1-1/2 lbs. potatoes, chunked (about 3 heaping cups)
• 1 cup peas (frozen were fine)
• 1 small can liver pate (couldn't find any, alas, so skipped this)

Marinate the meat in the soy, vinegar and garlic for at least an hour. Pat the meat dry (forgot to do this) and put in a bowl; reserve the marinade.

Put the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meat briefly, in batches (got about halfway through this and raised a decent amount of fond despite the added moisture from the marinade). Remove from pot and set aside.

Add more oil if necessary. Saute the onion and bell pepper till onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce and simmer till slightly reduced, about 3-5 minutes.

Return meat to pot. Add reserved marinade and water or broth. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium-low. Cook, covered, till meat is tender, about 30-40 minutes.

Add carrots, potatoes and peas. Simmer till vegetables are tender, about 30-45 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir pate (next time!) into dish. Adjust seasoning and serve over white rice.

Split Pea Soup

Time has leaped forward and spring is sproinging, but I was in the mood for split pea soup nonetheless. On the advice of one of the Canales butchers, I made sure to procure smoked ham hocks for it - and I think that's made a delicious difference, at least compared to the soup mixes I used to settle for. My recipe's mostly based on this one, albeit with less oil, less water and more aromatics; it also took far longer to cook on my finicky stove (I regret losing the bones for the last half hour, for example). It's a good, solidly-flavored soup, with a lovely smoky depth from the hock (though I only used water, not stock); next time I'll probably add some garlic, keep the bones in the entire time, and start experimenting with spices.

• 4 tbsp. olive oil (could probably make do with less)
• 1-1/2 c. onion, diced (one huge one)
• 3/4 c. celery, diced (about 3 thinnish stalks)
• 3/4 c. carrot, diced (about 1-1/2 medium ones)
• 1-1/2 lb. smoked ham hock
• 1 lb. split peas, rinsed and picked over
• 6-8 cups water or broth (used 6)
• salt and pepper to taste

Put the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onion till beginning to soften, about 2-5 minutes. Add the celery and carrot; saute till they grow aromatic - another 2-5 minutes.

Add the ham hock (recipe says to score it but I'm not sure why, except perhaps for ease of meat removal later - and it didn't seem to make that much of a difference, convenience-wise), peas and water. Bring to a boil then simmer, uncovered, till peas are almost but not quite disintegrated - recipe says about an hour, took nearly two on my stove.

(Note: Some like to puree some or all of the soup; I prefer as-is slight chunkiness.) Remove the ham hock and let it cool. Season the soup to your liking. Remove the meat from the ham hock, shred it, and use it as garnish for the soup.

NOTE (20 March): The above picture was taken maybe 30 minutes-1 hour before the soup was actually done the way I like it - almost thick enough to be a stew.

Leek, Potato and Mushroom Soup

The soup that keeps on giving - just finished the last bit today, but it's featured in two other packed lunches this week and a few meals at home besides. The recipe is courtesy of the talented Flit, who I encountered via the Mr. Bento Flickr pool; my halved and tweaked version is below. My first attempt turned out extremely tasty, though a bit watery, partially because I had more stock than expected. Next time, I'll lessen the amount of liquid (and probably reduce what I do use a bit more beforehand); I'll probably also keep the increased leek and carrot proportions and cut down the dairy a bit.

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 3 large leeks, white and pale green parts, sliced (about 4 cups)
• 2 medium-sized carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
• 8 oz. mushrooms
• 2 russet potatoes, diced (about 2. cups)
• 5-6 cups chicken stock (homemade this time - next time I'll use less and reduce what I do use)
• 1 tsp. dry dill
• 1 tsp. dry thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup half-and-half (will try less, maybe 1/2 cup next time)

Over medium or medium-low heat, sprinkle the leeks and carrots with salt and sweat in the butter till soft, but not colored (around 5-10 min.).

Add mushrooms, potatoes, black pepper, dill, thyme and bay leaf; then add enough broth to cover by 1-2 inches. Simmer till potatoes are tender (around 20-30 min.).

Remove from heat. Stir in half-and-half.

If possible, let sit a few hours/overnight, then reheat before eating.

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.

Spicy Lentil Soup

With the tinola gone and Snowpocalypse 2: Electric Boogalo imminent, my thoughts turned once again to soup. This is a hopped-up version of a Bittman recipe, with more than double the amount of ginger and garlic. It's also, thus far, a flavorful soup - earthy from the lentils and cumin, sharp from the ginger and cilantro, a bit hot from the cayenne - and, above all, comforting on this cold evenkng. When I started chopping the cilantro, the grassy tang that filled my nostrils was a welcome moment of spring in the winter evening.

• 1 cup lentils
• 1 medium carrot, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 stalk celery, chopped (didn't have this, so skipped it this time)
• 6 cups broth or water
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 heaping cup)
• 1-2 tbsp. garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 tbsp. ginger, minced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup chopped tomato (I used canned and added the juices to the lentil cooking liquid)
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. cumin

Put lentils, carrots and celery (if you have it) in a pot with the liquid. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer till the lentils are soft (about 30-40 minutes).

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low (or medium if you have my cantankerous stovetop) heat. Add the onion and ginger and saute till the onion's soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook till that softens too, about 2-3 minutes more.

Add the cilantro, tomatoes, cayenne pepper and cumin. Stir, then keep on low heat. When lentils are ready, add the tomato mixture to the lentils.

Comfort on A Cold Day

The snufflings, sneezings, shivers and general malaise of the past few days have been ameliorated by generous servings of both comfort food and drink. Chicken soup, of course - a hearty tinola this time, with even more ginger and garlic than usually called for (3x2 in. chunk and 5-6 cloves, respectively, along with 3.5 lbs. of chicken, a medium onion, 6 cups of water and about 3-4 tbsp. patis).

 

And a nice hot toddy, whether with or without tea.

 

Catchup posts - including braised bok choy and bento collections - in a bit.