Hot and Sour Asian Soup (Soup #2)

Hi,

This is another recipe where you can use your delicious chicken stock. I like to think of soup as totally flexible so that you can add ingredients that you have at hand. I'll list some possible additions.

Leftover cooked chicken, pork or beef cut into matchstick pieces
1/2 block firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Spinach (frozen is fine)
French cut green beans (frozen is okay)
Carrots, cut into slanted crosswise pieces
Celery, thinly sliced
Kabocha squash, a few thin slices cut into bite sized pieces
Bok Choy, sliced
Mushrooms, sliced
Bean thread or rice noodles

4 cups chicken broth
(If you have on hand you can also add: 1 Tablespoon dry sherry, white wine, or mirin)


Heat the chicken broth until boiling. Add the ingredients that you have selected, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (this will give the soup the sour)
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Add the vinegar and soy sauce, stir.

1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 bunch cilantro

Add the ingredients listed above, heat through. The soup is now ready. I hope you'll see how easy it is to make delicious soup. It's a great way to use up the bits of veggies that you might have in the fridge.

Hugs,
Mameekosan 

Corn Chowder - (Use the stock you made)

Hi,

If you made the roast chicken, then made the stock, congratulations. But, now maybe you are thinking, "Okay now what do with the stock?" Well here's one option. This recipe came about because I had to use up the remaining veggies from the previous week. I happened to have fresh corn, if you don't have fresh, you can also use frozen. And if you don't have stock, it's totally fine to make it without.

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1/2 Chicken breast cut into 1/2 inch cubes (you can also use 6 slices of bacon chopped, or a couple of italian sausages or kielbasa cut into small cubes)

In a large heavy soup pot, heat the oil, when hot add the onion and cook until just starting to brown. Add the protein, sprinkle generously with salt and cook stirring until the chicken (or other protein is cooked.)

1 red pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 or 4 carrots, cut in half and then sliced

Add the pepper and carrots and saute for a few minutes.

3 cups of stock or water

Add the stock or water. Bring the veggies and liquid to boiling.

2 fresh corn, remove the corn kernels holding the cob vertically and carefully cutting off the kernels.
(or 2 cups frozen corn)
2 cloves garlic, minced

Add the corn and the garlic. Bring back to boiling and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for a few minutes.

1 cup half and half
3 sliced green onions
small bunch of parsley
salt and fresh ground pepper

Add the half and half and the onions and parsley. Bring back to almost boiling. Taste, you'll probably need to add a bit more salt and a generous bit of ground pepper.

Hope you enjoy the soup! It makes a light dinner and reheats well for lunch the next day.

Hugs,
Mameekosan

Easy Chicken Stock - Roasted Chicken Part 2

Hi,

I have been reminded that I never did circle around to write about taking the roast chicken carcass and turning it into delicious and cheap stock. So here it is.  Also, if when you are cooking and you end up with chicken bones or small bits of chicken, I just throw them in a bag and freeze them for when I make stock.

1 roasted chicken carcass (Also any leftover chicken bones that you may have frozen)

Break up the carcass. Add any leftover bones or drippings scraped from the roasting pan, into a large stock pot, large enough to hold chicken and water to cover.

1 large onion, peeled and cut in half
2 carrots
2 bay leaves
if you have any fresh herbs such as parsley or thyme, they can be added as well
1 bouillon cube (I know that some people may not like this, but I usually add just one cube)

Add the above ingredients to the pot and add water to cover. Bring just to boiling and lower temperature to low, so that the water is hot, but not enough to boil. Skim the gunky stuff that forms on the surface. Cook for at least 2 hours and as long as 4. Add water if necessary. Adjust to taste with salt and pepper.

Strain the stock through a strainer. I usually divide the stock into small containers and freeze. It's great to have stock on hand for soup.

Hope you can stock up on stock! (sorry for the pun)

Hugs,
Mameekosan