The Third Meal: Thank You, Monsieur Poulet

Tonight was a big clean-out-the-fridge success with my chicken wonton soup... the only ingredients I had to buy were basil and wonton wrappers. Then, I recombined my lemongrass, roast chicken, scallions, ginger, roasted vegetables, homemade chicken stock and egg into a double... no, triple-whammy! Dinner + lunch tomorrow + dumplings for an appetizer or snacky down the line.

First I simmered bits of lemongrass and ginger in the stock I had made from the roast chicken carcass. This infused a really lovely fresh flavor into the broth. Meanwhile, I made my wontons by finely chopping chicken with scallions and ginger and a little soy sauce and Chinese five spice. (I am verily obsessed with five spice.) The wontons get sealed with a bit of egg, and since I had extra, I dumped some into the filling mixture to hold it all together inside a bit.

After straining the broth of stringy lemongrass slivers, I plopped in the cute little dumplings and my leftover vegetables and waited until they looked good and cooked... the wonton skins turned more translucent than their original white (I think about 7 minutes if I had been counting). Then, as an afterthought, I whipped the last bit of egg into the soup, which gave it a most delightful egg-drop soup element, especially when it was garnished with fresh scallions to finish.

To drink, I slurped up some 2008 Selbach-Oster Kabinett Riesling from Whelener Sonnenuhr, which contrasted really well with the salty and green notes of the soup. Very pretty, easy, dry and light Riesling from the Mosel. Dancing.

 

Here's what comes later in the week...

The Soup that Went Away Quickly

Oh, man, was this soup terribly delightful. So good that, while I planned to only eat half and save the other half for tomorrow's lunchy, I went and gobbled the whole pot while also-greedily gulping up tonight's Gossip Girl. Whooweee, Little J!!

Anyway. Tonight's soup was a happy little mash-up of back-of-the-fridge goodies: roast chicken from the weekend (see photo, above, with bok choy and scallions and parsnips!), corn from Easter dinner, peas from the freezer (they feign spring like nobody's business), half and half lingering about, and some luscious assorted stock.

Onions went into a pot with a slap of butter, and they simmered around until soft. Then the chicken, corn and peas along with some half and half. Always salting to taste along the way. Stock brought the whole tasty mess together, and a little slurry of stock and flour thickened the meal up once things were good and simmering. I liked that the slurry thickened and also deposited small dumpling bits in between the pretty yellow and green veggies! I liked it so much that I have none leftover for lunch.