Archive for February 2013
Mulligatawny Soup
Mulligatawny is a traditional curry soup of Indian origin. There are
many, many variations on the theme and the ingredients can range from
the ones you’ll find in this recipe to coconut milk, legumes, rice,
carrots, potatoes, lamb…the list goes on.
Ingredients
- 1 whole Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Cut Into Bite-Sized Pieces
- Salt And Black Pepper To Taste
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 whole Medium Onion
- 3 cloves Garlic, Minced Finely
- 1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
- 32 ounces, fluid Chicken Broth
- 2 cups Half-and-half
- 1 whole Granny Smith Apple, Peeled And Diced
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar (white Or Brown) More Or Less To Taste
- 2 teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Cayenne Pepper (optional, For Spice)
Preparation Instructions
Season diced chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons
butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring
occasionally, until golden. Remove chicken to a plate. Set aside.
In the same pot, add butter and reduce heat to medium. Add diced onion and garlic and stir to cook. Onions should be starting to brown.
Sprinkle flour over onions. Stir to combine, then stir in curry powder. Cook mixture over medium heat for one minute, stirring constantly.
Pour in chicken broth. Stir to combine, then cook for five minutes. Add half and half, salt, pepper, and sugar, then cook for another five minutes.
Add chicken and diced apple and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Turn off and allow to stand 5 or 10 minutes before serving. Taste for seasonings before serving.
In the same pot, add butter and reduce heat to medium. Add diced onion and garlic and stir to cook. Onions should be starting to brown.
Sprinkle flour over onions. Stir to combine, then stir in curry powder. Cook mixture over medium heat for one minute, stirring constantly.
Pour in chicken broth. Stir to combine, then cook for five minutes. Add half and half, salt, pepper, and sugar, then cook for another five minutes.
Add chicken and diced apple and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Turn off and allow to stand 5 or 10 minutes before serving. Taste for seasonings before serving.
Sprinkle
the diced chicken with salt and pepper, then cook the chicken in two
tablespoons of butter until it’s golden brown and sizzling.
When the chicken’s done, remove it to a separate plate.
Add two more tablespoons of butter to the pot…
Then throw in garlic and diced onions.
Stir it around and cook until the onions are soft…
Then sprinkle in some flour.
Stir in the flour…
Then add a good tablespoon of curry powder.
Have I mentioned I’m mildly obsessed with curry?
I am.
It’s becoming a problem.
A delicious, dark golden yellow problem.
Stir the mixture in the pot and allow it to cook over medium-low heat for a good minute or so…
Then pour in a bunch of low-sodium (unsalted is even better) chicken broth.
Stir it around to combine, then cook it for about five minutes over medium heat.
After that, add half-and-half…
Stir it to combine, then cook for another five minutes
It’ll get thicker as it cooks. Yummy.
Next up, dump in the chicken.
And by the way: you can add whatever cooked chicken you might have on
hand—shredded, diced, etc. You don’t have to cook it at the beginning
if it’s already cooked.
Next up, peel a Granny Smith apple…
Then dice it up finely.
Do
as many or as few as you’d like!
Then use your freaky, large alien hand to dump them into the soup.
I
know this is a totally bizarre ingredient. But it’s such a nice little touch.
Add salt, pepper, and—another weird ingredient—a little white or brown sugar.
I love a little sugar in my curry.
I’m bizarre.
Next, just cook the soup for another 5 to 10 minutes. Zat…eez EET.
Turn off the heat and just let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes or so before serving.
This is good, my friends. So quick! So flavorful!
So scrumptious.
Mmmm. This is definitely one of those dip-crusty-bread-in-the-bowl soups.
The flavor’s divine. Curry, of course. Creaminess. A tiny bit of sweet. A mild crunch of apples.
Bada bing.
You can spice things up with a little cayenne, freshen things up with
some chopped cilantro on top of each serving…and there are any number
of authentic ingredients that would make this soup more authentically
Indian. But this version’s nice and simple.
And scrumptious.
Peppered beef stir-fry
Ingredients
1/3 cup char siu sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon shao hsing (Chinese cooking wine)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
500g beef rump steak, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
1 bunch choy sum, trimmed, stems chopped, leaves separated
2 zucchini, halved lengthways, sliced diagonally
steamed jasmine rice, to serve
Method
-
Step 1
Combine char siu sauce, soy sauce, shao hsing wine, garlic and pepper in a bowl. Place beef in a glass or ceramic bowl. Add half the sauce mixture. Stir to coat. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour, if time permits.
-
Step 2
Heat a wok over high heat. Add half the oil. Swirl to coat. Stir-fry beef, in batches, for 2 to 3 minutes or until just cooked. Transfer to a bowl. Wipe wok clean with paper towel.
-
Step 3
Add remaining oil to wok over high heat. Swirl to coat. Add onion. Stir-fry for 1 minute or until onion has softened. Add choy sum stems and zucchini. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Return beef to wok. Add choy sum leaves and remaining sauce mixture. Stir-fry for 1 minute or until heated through. Serve with rice.
Asparagus-and-Lemon Risotto
Total Time 40 minutes
Yield Serves 4
Ingredients
6 cups vegetable stock, preferably homemade
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, stalks cut into 2-inch lengths
1 cup thawed frozen peas
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
Bring stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in another saucepan. Cook onion, stirring frequently, until soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add rice, cook, stirring, until edges are translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring, just until evaporated.
Add 1/2 cup hot stock; cook, stirring, until almost absorbed. Continue adding 1/2 cup stock in this manner until liquid is creamy and rice is al dente, about 20 minutes total (you may not need to add all the stock). Add asparagus with the last addition of stock, and the peas about 1 minute before risotto is done.
Remove from heat; stir in lemon zest and juice, parsley, cheese, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with additional cheese and lemon zest.
Cook's Note
To make this dish even healthier, replace the Arborio rice with fiber-rich pearl barley or a whole grain such as farro.
