Soup's On! Italian Chicken Sausage and Artichoke Soup

Sometimes a little down time in your doctor's office waiting room is a really good thing. At my last doctor visit, I had a solid block of time as I sat waiting (and waiting... and waiting), so I had the chance to read an entire rumpled year-old copy of Sunset magazine, cover to cover. It was actually quite a luxury in the middle of a work day!

What I found that day in the pages of the tattered magazine has turned into this chilly season's go-to soup. I saw the picture (the same one that appears here), and I knew I would make it based on looks alone (it was a good first impression, what can I say? I'm a sucker for a sexy soup). When I read the super-simple ingredients and close-to-zero prep time, the deal was sealed.

As advertised, it was quick, delicious, gorgeous and YUMMY! The only change I made to the recipe was to use spinach instead of Swiss chard, since that's what I had in the house.

So, this recipe comes HIGHLY recommended from little old me. Take it or leave it - but trust me - you want to take it.

Italian Chicken Sausage and Artichoke Soup
Sunset Magazine, January 2011

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound Italian chicken sausage, casings removed and meat broken into chunks or rolled into meatballs (the fennel flavor of Italian sausage tastes fantastic in this recipe, but any type of chicken sausage will work)
• 3 cans (15 oz. each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 pound frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and halved
• 1 bunch Swiss chard (1 lb.), stemmed and chopped (I used spinach)

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook sausage until browned, stirring often, 10 minutes. Add broth, artichokes, and 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add chard and cook, covered, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Rockin Ramen

Ok, raise your hand if you love ramen noodle soup. (You'll notice that my hand is held high, even waving frantically with enthusiasm.) That's right - the pre-packaged ramen soup - made up of a brick of dry noodles and a mystery spice packet (just add water), loaded with sodium and calories, and a staple of college students' diets everywhere - I am a fan.

It's such a guilty pleasure. In the last couple of weeks when I've been down with a nasty cold, it's pretty much all I've wanted to eat. Or slurp, as the case may be. It's an odd thing that I find myself loving ramen, but I know exactly from where this love stems. When I was a kid, before I was old enough to get a "real" job, I had the opportunity to seasonally work on my grandparents' ranch to make a little pocket money. The tasks were varied and mundane, but I distinctly remember the highlight of my day would be lunch. I would take a break with my cousin (who was my same age and also roped into ranch duty), and he and I would sit at grandma's kitchen table gleefully slurping up Top Ramen, making sure we each got our own full package. It was a real treat, since such packaged fare wasn't served at my house, presumably due to my siblings' allergies and hopefully thanks to my mom's healthier food sensibilities (it couldn't have been because it was too expensive - my single mom of three would have surely jumped all over it otherwise). But at grandma's house, boy oh boy, ramen was the shizz. (Let's just note that my grandma - who loved to eat and reveled in dining out - wasn't much of a day-to-day cook. Maybe that is obvious.) At any rate, it's a comfort food to me, and I crave it quite a bit.

And there's the dilemma. It's quick and comforting - but not exactly the type of whole and wholesome food I generally prefer to feed myself. So in these past weeks of nursing a cold, I did indulge once, but quickly wanted to come up with a better solution to satisfy my craving. So, I made my own.

I devised a simple but rich Asian-inspired broth and cooked a big batch that would last for days. At the same time, I steamed vegetables so that I could add them to the broth (again, enough to last several days - goodies like broccoli, shiitake mushrooms and carrots), and instead of using traditional ramen noodles (or any of my other favorite substitutes like soba or rice noodles), I used tofu noodles. Do you even know about tofu noodles? If not, learn now! You can get tofu noodles in the refrigerated tofu section of a good grocery store (like Whole Foods). They are extremely low in calories, contain zero carbs, and have ample protein. The caveat is that unless you can find fresh tofu noodles (my local Whole Foods has them - lucky me!), the packaged noodles come stored in a liquid that has a bit of an off-putting odor when you first open them. But no worries - simply rinse the noodles under some hot water, and voila - a perfect pasta substitute.

So, I've included my recipe for the broth below, and believe me, it's delicious. Way better than what comes of the mystery spice packet in the Top Ramen package. It's quick too - it honestly doesn't take much more effort to make homemade than to boil up the packaged brick of ramen. I know I've been a happy camper all week long, with just a little minimal effort at the start. Get slurping!

Ramen broth

• 1 tablespoon oil (I use sesame, but any cooking oil will do)
  
• 6 scallions, chopped (include the green tops)
  
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
• Salt, to taste
• Zest of 1 lemon, grated
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

In a large stock pot, heat the cooking oil over moderately low heat. Add the scallions, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook until well-browned, about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce, red-pepper flakes, water and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add in the lemon zest, lemon juice, sesame oil and fish sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Ladle over noodles and veggies.

Surprise! More Thai: Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup

I thought I was over the Thai food kick. I really did. And then what happens? Mom comes to town. One of the favorite things my mom and I like to do when she visits is to take in a cooking demonstration at The Culinary Institute of America's Greystone campus in St. Helena. This past weekend, lo and behold, their demonstration happened to feature Thai Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup. Ironically, a noodle soup is the one thing I have failed to feature on this blog of all the recipes I fell in love with when in Thailand - I have a fantastic recipe that I had actually wanted to share, but just never got around to it.

CIA to the rescue, problem solved.

The demonstration was conducted by CIA Chef Harold Imbrunetti, who was a lot of fun and took vast liberties to the written recipe that was handed out (man after my own heart). But not to worry - I took good notes, and the recipe below is true to what Chef Imbrunetti actually made. It's dee-lish, and very true to the noodle soups I ate while in Thailand.

You can adjust the heat to suit your tastes; keep in mind that the Thai bird chilies are extremely hot. He used two in the dish for the demo, and it was delightfully spicy (too spicy for some of the attendees - wimps!). So start with one chili and add more if you're a fan of the heat. You can also substitute any other kind of chili (jalepenos, serranos, etc.) if you can't find the Thai variety. Happy slurping!

Thai Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup
The Culinary Institute of America

Yield: 8 servings

• 1 pound shrimp (30-35 count), peeled, deveined, butterflied (retain shells)
• 4 ounces vermicelli (rice noodles)
• 4 quarts unsalted chicken stock
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin (use a microplane for thin, even slices)
• 1x1-inch piece of galangal root, cut into coins and smashed
• 1 stalk fresh lemongrass, split in half and cut into 2-inch lengths and bruised
• 1/3 cup nam pla (fish sauce)
• 1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek (chili paste)
• 2 limes, juice and zest
• 1-2 Thai bird chilies, sliced thin
• 1 15-ounce can straw mushrooms, drained, rinsed and halved
• 1/4 cup cilantro, minced (plus extra sprigs for garnish)

For this recipe, you'll need two different pots: an 8-quart stock pot and a smaller soup pot. Place 3 quarts of the chicken stock into the large pot; bring to a simmer. At the same time, place the remaining 1 quart of chicken stock in the smaller pot and also bring to a simmer. To the smaller pot, add the shrimp shells, lemongrass and galangal; simmer for 15 minutes. To the large pot, add the sliced garlic, chili paste and mushrooms.

After both pots have simmered for 15 minutes, transfer the contents of the small pot to the large pot through a mesh strainer, removing the shrimp shells, lemongrass and galangal. Add the vermicelli; let the noodles cook for five minutes or until cooked. Remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients (shrimp, fish sauce, lime zest/juice, cilantro); it will only take about a minute for the shrimp to cook.

Portion into bowls and garnish with fresh sprigs of cilantro.

Eat Orange Food, Part 1: Curry Pumpkin Soup

I love me some orange food - and if my blog posts for the week are any indication, I eat naturally orange food a lot this time of year when the gorgeous winter squash are abundant and turning on the oven is a reasonable thing to do. Here's the first of a five-part series on some of my favorite Fall recipes, brought to you by the color orange.

Halloween is this week, so you know what that means: ghosts, goblins and ghouls (boo!), the end of the season for the Napa Farmers Market (boo hoo!), and pumpkins (booyah!).

Pumpkins are just a matter of fact - everyone will have them at home this week. I love everything about them: toasting the seeds (I add chili powder and garlic salt - mmm), carving the Jack-o-Lanterns, roasting them for a side dish, making soups.

In order to load up on our Halloween haul, I dutifully made the pilgrimage to our neighborhood pumpkin patch at the Stanley Lane Market in Napa. Even without a kid in tow this year (just the big kid, Randall - he's good at pulling the wagon), we had fun wandering the corn rows, climbing the hay bale towers and inspecting the goods. With the dizzying sea of choices available, picking out our one pumpkin each was daunting. But we passed by the Turban, Buttercup and Carnival Squash; said so-long to the Fairytale, Gold Nugget and Sugar Pie Pumpkins, and just opted for the plain old big, round, orange variety. And that will suit us just fine.



This Curry Pumpkin Soup is one of my favorite Fall recipes; a perfect use for retired Jack-o-Lanterns that get roasted and turned into puree. (That is, considering they make it unscathed on the porch from the merry tricksters, aren't loaded with candle wax drippings, and are brought inside and used well before fuzzy mildew takes over. I've been guilty of all three at one time or another. Duh.) But it's a super quick recipe, and a crowd pleaser for sure. Serve it in small pumpkins that have been hallowed out to serve as a bowl, a beautiful presentation every time.

Curry Pumpkin Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium to large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups unsweetened pumpkin puree (cheat and use canned - I won't tell)
• 1 13.5 oz. can of coconut milk (not light)
• 1/4 cup +/- red curry paste (to your taste)
• The juice of 4 limes; lime zest for garnish
• Salt, to taste

In a large pot saute the onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat, until the onions are soft. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well (use an immersion blender to for a smooth consistency - but sort of chunky is good too!). Simmer and stir, about 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt; garnish with lime zest when served.

Gadzooks-Too Many Cukes! Part 3: Gazpacho

As the last of this three-part installment on fab ways to make cucumbers disappear, allow me to introduce you to perhaps the most versatile concoction yet: Gazpacho! This recipe not only takes care of your copious cucumbers, but tames your torrent of tomatoes as well. The Spanish got it right: this cool soup is absolutely refreshing on a hot summer day, and is the ideal method to use up your garden's bounty, just as things are starting to get out of control (where did that cucumber come from? It wasn't there yesterday!). And it doesn't hurt that it's as healthy as all get-out (in my re-occuring theme of hiding veggies in your food, gazpacho tops the charts).

Although the recipe I include here is a fairly straight-forward and traditional rendition of the Spanish classic, it is wide open for interpretation and improv. Lord knows I've made it dozens of different ways, depending on what's the most abundant at the moment. Got extra zucchini? Throw em in! Tomatillas? Why not! Celery, fennel, carrots? In, in, in. I even like to roast my veggies first to achieve a different depth of flavors.

The versions are endless, so my rule of thumb: if it would be good in a tossed green salad, it would be good in gazpacho. And mix it up with the herbs and spices as well: basil and garlic for a more Mediterranean version; cilantro and chili for South-of-the-border flair. No matter how you blend it, the results will be delish.

Gazpacho

• 6 medium tomatoes, cored and seeded
• 1 cup tomato juice
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded, chopped
• 2 cucumbers, seeded, chopped
• 1/2 of a small red onion, chopped
• 2-3 thick slices of day-old or toasted country-style bread, rough chopped/torn (optional, but it gives the soup a bit of toothiness)
• 1/4 cup Sherry wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped

Add all of the ingredients to a blender, and puree until liquified and smooth. Chill well before serving.

Thai One On: Reconnecting Over Thai Food

You know those people in your life that are friends always? Regardless of time or distance or intent to communicate? Last night, Randall and I shared our evening with some dear friends of just that sort, and enjoyed not only a rekindled friendship, but some damn good fare to remember as well! I'm thrilled that circumstance has finally closed the geographic divide and that more good times are forthcoming with Jeff and Shannon, especially considering that Jeff is an immensely good chef.... how self-serving is that?! And to top it off, he's the winemaker of an up-and-coming brand (see my earlier shameless wine plug for his ridiculously yummy Chariot)... again, self-serving! The following are two of Jeff's Thai-inspired recipes that he prepared last night. The company was delightful, the sake was free-flowing (Yae Gaki Nigori, if you must know - delicious), and the meal scrumptious. Enjoy his recipes - maybe even as you reconnect with old friends yourself!


Thai-Style Ceviche
Contributed by Jeff Hunsaker

• 3/4 pound scallops
• 3/4 pound shrimp, deveined
• 1/2 pound halibut (or any other white fish would work as well: talapia, snapper, etc.)
• The juice of 2 lemons
• The juice of two limes
• 1 blood orange, segmented and chopped into cubes
• 1 tangerine, segmented and chopped into cubes
• 1/3 of a red onion, diced fine
• 1-2 jalepeno peppers (to desired heat), diced fine
• 1 celery stalk, diced fine
• 1 bunch mint, chopped fine
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, grated
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemongrass, minced fine
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced fine

Cut the fish in to 1/2-inch chunks and toss with the lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for 1-1/2 hours. The lemon juice's acidity will go to work and "cook" the fish. Once removed from the refrigerator, drain excess liquid. Add all other ingredients and combine well; refrigerate for another hour to let flavors fully develop. Serve with fried wonton crisps (fry wonton skins in a wok or pan with oil over medium heat).


Thai-Style Chicken Coconut Soup
Contributed by Jeff Hunsaker

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon red curry paste
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/3 cup lemongrass, diced fine
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• cayenne pepper, to desired heat
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
• 8-10 mushrooms of your choice (crimini, oyster, button)
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 6 1/4" slices (coins) of ginger
• Cilantro, to taste as garnish

Start by cooking the chicken breasts with a bit of oil that have been cut into bite-sized chunks in a heavy pot or Dutch Oven. Once cooked, remove the chicken, but leave any drippings. To the drippings, add the curry paste, lemongrass, cayenne, grated ginger and coconut milk. Simmer for 2-5 minutes. Next, add the chicken breast back to the pot along with the remaining ingredients (except the cilantro). Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the cilantro right before service.

Varitions: Jeff urges creativity with this dish! The soup would also be excellent using shrimp, or adding other vegetables of your choosing. Suggestions include baby corn, bamboo shoots, tomatoes, etc.

Soup's On!

You know those ginormous, firelog-sized burritos that are delicious staples of any taqueria in San Francisco's Mission District? Well - those oversized burritos are the inspiration for this soup. I love - underscore love - the burritos, and figured that the flavors would undoubtedly make for a great soup on a cold winter day. Sure enough - this is one soup that will get put in rotation at my house! This recipe is a vegetarian version; you certainly could add chicken, steak or pork to bump up the protein quotient, but it's more than satisfying without.

Black Bean Burrito Soup

• 6 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
• 1 cup orange juice, no pulp
• 2 15-ouce cans of black beans, drained
• 1 cup long-grained rice (not instant)
• 1 7-ounce can of diced greed chilies (or equivalent of fresh, fire-roasted green chilies)
• 2-3 chipotle peppers; more if you like it spicy! (Buy chipotle peppers in the can from the Mexican section of the supermarket; the peppers come in a chipotle sauce, which is crucial to the flavor of this soup.)
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced (or 1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes)
• Kosher salt, to taste

Toppings:

• Tortilla chips, crumbled
• Cilantro, chopped
• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream (or I like plain Greek yogurt instead)

Combine 4 cups of stock, orange juice, black beans, rice, green chilies and chipotle peppers in a stock pot; bring to a simmer. Cook until rice becomes tender and absorbes the liquid by half, about 25-30 minutes. Add remaining two cups of stock along with the diced tomatoes; return to a fast simmer and reduce until desired soup consistency (rice will continue to absorb liquid and thicken the soup). Serve with your choice of toppings.