Semi-Sad Soup

Today I call attention to the fact that I don't do everything incredibly well. Like, I don't make Get-Well Soup as well as Sarah does. I'd like to say that every cooking story of mine is a success, but sometimes innovation does not equal incredible. Tonight was one of those nights. Sarah: Please give me the recipe for your amazing Get-Well Soup!

2/25/10

The creation:

Winter greens soup with ginger

What's in the fridge?
Leftover chicken
1 slice guanciale Nevermind; ate that last night while preparing chicken)
small hunk of Stilton Nevermind; ate that earlier tonight)
ginger (this appeared while I was on vacation??)
1/3 red onion
1/2 lime
wild rice (Frozen. I had forgotten about this!)
chicken stock
rabbit stock

frozen peas

Key ingredients consumed:

chicken

ginger

wild rice

chicken stock

Ingredients purchased:

1 sweet potato

2 bunches fresh spinach

1 bunch fresh broccoli rabe

The creative process:

Sarah made Get-Well Soup for me a few weeks back. I have been craving it ever since. Stock plus ginger gave me the idea, but I figured "Why not throw in some extra goodies I have on hand!" I added some wild rice, convinced that the texture would be a complement to the soup. I added a bit of chicken, sure that some protein couldn't hurt. Basically, I chopped up some sweet potato and ginger and covered it with water and stock and brought it to a boil before tossing in loads (I mean loads) of chopped spinach and rabe. 

We should also discuss at some point my apparent inability to properly clean that much fresh spinach. Gritty soup is not remotely appealing. Sigh. If only I had a Salad Spinner! Or the patience to properly clean 2 pounds of spinach. Anyway.

After the greens were in, I dumped in more stock, the rice, and some chicken. Heated it through, S&P to taste, et voila! Oui??

The Verdict:

... Non. This soup was not very appealing. Underwhelming in terms of flavor; aforementioned grit factor; texture not all that thrilling; too little ginger and salt. And now I have a fat pot of it to get through during my next few days' lunches.

Knife Skills Put to Use: Hacking up a Chicken

A couple of weeks ago, I took a Knife Skills class at The Brooklyn Kitchen. It was fantastic. I learned how to make plateaux, juliennes, and something else I can't remember the French word for where you make teeny tiny little cubes. I also learned how to hack up a whole chicken into individual pieces so I don't have to waste so much money buying those damn chicken breasts! I also hate chicken breasts: so lifeless and tasteless and dull dull dull.

So last night, I thought it would be brilliant to use my new skills and make chicken--not a whole roast chicken, which takes much too long, but some sort of pan-fried chicken. I had to use those mushrooms up, and I had a tiny bit of citrus on hand. Having been gone for a while, refrigerator replenishment was necessary, but I got some good stuff and used it all up...

2/24/10

The Creation:

Citrus-glazed chicken with hazelnuts, mushrooms and roasted fennel

What's in the fridge?
mushrooms
1 slice guanciale
small hunk of Stilton
1/2 white onion
1/3 red onion
1/2 lemon
1/2 lime
chicken stock
rabbit stock

frozen peas

Key ingredients consumed:

mushrooms

guanciale

onion

lemon

Ingredients purchased:

1 whole chicken from The Meat Hook  

hazlenuts

fennel

blood orange

red-skin potatoes

The creative process:

To be perfectly honest, this was about drinking a bottle of 2003 Jadot Meursault Genevrieres that was past its prime. I wanted something to go with this, and the combination of fruit and nuttiness in the wine seemed to beg for a creation like the following...

I hadn't the time or patience for a recipe, so after hacking up the chicken (it turned out beautifully! Thanks, Knife Skills class!) I chucked some olive oil into a frying pan, salt-and-peppered the chicken pieces, and dumped them into the pan over high heat so the skin got all yummy brown. Then I threw in the mushrooms and hazlenuts and squeezed a whole bunch of blood orange over it. Cook cook cook for maybe 20-25 minutes, until I thought it was done, then took out the chicken and let it rest while I deglazed the pan with a splash of wine and some more citrus juice (lemon this time). Reduced a bit, then served over the chicken with a side of mashed potes and roasted fennel. Josiah takes all the credit for the fennel, which I could have eaten on its own for days on end, it was so amazing.

The verdict:

Quite remarkable! The pairing was spot-on, even if the wine was a little dead (lacking acid and fruit expression, mostly just flattish slightly oxidized nut notes). The complexity of the dish was delightful, and there's enough leftover for TWO more meals. I even ate the damn chicken breasts, and they were succulent and flavorful and fantastic--totally unlike the crappy skinless/boneless/tasteless variety you find Saran-wrapped in the grocery store. Plus I made stock out of the carcass and discarded fennel stalks! Like.