Chicken and Rice Soup

As my posts come to an end, I decided to make the classic home style chicken soup everyone loves and adores. I grew up eating a similar recipe throughout my childhood. My family loves this particular dish and we enjoy it constantly. As Carla Snyder mentions in the book, an amazing tip for seasoning your soup is with a little acid, for example, with a lemon. This really heightens the flavors in the soup instead of using the common salt or pepper. Throughout these few months I believe I've really improved my culinary skills, with even more practice I hope to improve even significantly more. If you're looking for an amazing chicken soup recipe, feel free to use Snyder's delicious recipe below.


Recipe (Serves 10)

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
16 cups chicken stock
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalk, roughly chopped
4 chopped potatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 sprigs fresh thyme
5 cups cooked white rice
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation:
1. In a large pot, bring chicken and stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Partially cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 170 degrees F, about 45 minutes. Skim the soup if any scum develops on the surface.
2. Using tongs, transfer chicken to a large plate and let cool slightly. Remove skin and bones and discard. Shred the meat into bite size pieces. Set aside.
3. Skim the fat from the surface of the stock with a large spoon and return to a simmer over medium heat. Add carrots, potatoes, celery, onion and thyme; simmer until vegetables are softened, about 15 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs. Return chicken to the pot and stir in noodles, parsley and lemon juice; increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Put 1/2 cup of rice into bowl and ladle soup on top.

Snapshot of my bowl

Snyder, Carla, and Meredith Deeds. 300 Sensational Soups. Toronto: R. Rose, 2008. Print.

Pho Bo

For this post I made my all time favorite, Vietnamese Pho Bo (Beef). This my family's all time favorite to the extent that we enjoy this dish almost bi-weekly. Thus I saw it fitting to attempt to recreate this dish at home. Although the result was very good, I would still prefer to dine out for this particular dish. But, Carla's tip of finding most of the ingredients at an Asian market was extremely helpful and certainly did make the process of making the dish more obtainable, the end result can't beat my favorite Pho spot. I still encourage you all to recreate and enjoy this dish, there is always room for modification as ell so that it can suit both you or your family's needs. 

Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

8 oz boneless beef sirloin, trimmed 

3 quarter inch thick slices ginger root

1 onion (unpeeled), halved

8 cups beef stock

2 whole star anise

1 stick cinnamon

4 oz flat rice noodles

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Pinch of black pepper

1 serrano or other hot green chile pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

4 lime wedges

Preparation:

1. Place beef in the freezer for 20 minutes.

2. Heat a dry heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and onion; saute until blackened in spots on all sides, about 5 minutes. 

3. In a large pot, bring stock, blackened ginger and onion, star anise and cinnamon stick to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Strain the stock and discard all solids. Return to pot. 

4. With a very sharp knife, cut partially frozen beef across the grain into paper-thin slices. Set aside. 

5. In a large bowl, cover noodles with boiling water; soak until completely softened, about 15 minutes. 

6. Return stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in fish sauce, brown sugar, salt and pepper, if necessary. 

7. Drain noodles and divide among large bowls. Top with slices of raw beef. Pour about 2 cups of stock into each bowl. Garnish with chili pepper, bean sprouts, basil, green onion and lime wedges. 

Snapshot of my bowl

Snyder, Carla, and Meredith Deeds. 300 Sensational Soups. Toronto: R. Rose, 2008. Print.

Bean and Rice Chili

For this month, I made Chili. My family rarely eats this dish but we all agreed upon venturing out of our comfort zone and experience something new. With this delicious mixed bean soup we are glad we took the jump. With a thick consistency; thanks to Carla's tip of mashing some of the beans into the broth in order to thicken it; it was amazing. Even if you're not a big Chili fan like myself you should try this dish. It was delicious and very easy to make.

Recipe (Serves 8)


Ingredients:
3 tbsp Olive Oil
2 cups Chopped Onion
2 Carrots, chopped
4 Cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Dry red wine
1 can Diced tomatoes, with juice
4 slices Chopped Bacon
1 can Whole black beans
1 can Whole pinto beans
5 cups Chicken stock
2 cups Water
1 tsp Dried oregano
1/2 tsp Hot pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Ground cumin
1/2 tsp Chili powder
2 tsp Salt and ground black pepper
4 cups Cooked white rice
1/4 cup Fresh cilantro, minced
1 Lime cut into 8 wedges

Preparation:
1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until softened. Add carrots and celery, saute until starting to soften. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Add wine, tomatoes with juice; cook until liquid is reduced by half.
2. Add bacon, beans, stock, water, spices; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until beans are tender and bacon has flavored the soup; about 1 hour and 30 mins. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
3. Divide rice among bowls and top with soup. Garnish with cilantro and lime.

Snapshot of my bowl.

Snyder, Carla, and Meredith Deeds. 300 Sensational Soups. Toronto: R. Rose, 2008. Print.

Hot-and-Sour Soup

This time I decided to make my Mom's favorite soup, hot-and-sour. The dish is "a wonderful thing, with the perfect balance of spicy and tart." The dish is a mushroom and chicken based stock that is extremely delicious. I advise you all to make an attempt at preparing this soup and enjoy it with your family,.

Recipe (Serves 6)

1/4 oz Dried Shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup boiling water
8 cups Chicken Stock
1 can bamboo shoots, drained and chopped
8 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 1/2 cups diced firm tofu
1/3 cup rice vinegar
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp Asian sesame oil
1 tsp Chinese garlic chili sauce
freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 tbsp water
2 eggs, beaten
2 green onions, minced

1. In a small bowl, soak mushrooms in boiling water until softened, about 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, gently lift mushrooms from liquid and swish in a bowl of cold water to remove any clinging sand or dirt. Remove and discard tough stems, squeeze mushrooms dry and thinly slice. Pour mushroom liquid through a sieve lined with a coffee filter into a small bowl.
2. In a large pot, bring stock, mushroom liquid, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and chicken to simmer over medium heat. Add tofu, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili sauce. Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with soy sauce and pepper, if necessary. Stir cornstarch mixture and gradually add to the soup. Cook, stirring, until soup thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and gradually drizzle in eggs, stirring gently. Do not let boil, or the egg strands will break up into egg curds.
3. Ladle into heated bowls and garnish with green onions.

Snyder, Carla, and Meredith Deeds. 300 Sensational Soups. Toronto: R. Rose, 2008. Print.