Simple Chicken And Vegetable Soup
Living in Thailand now, not having my own kitchen setup yet, I only get to cook once in a while at my friends place. This soup isn't just very easy to prepare, it's also the type of food I like to eat when I have a bit of an upset stomach. This certainly tends to happen here in Thailand if I had a few chilies too many the day before. You can also prepare quite a big pot of this tasty soup, then keep it for the next few days or even freeze it.For a big pot:1,5 l (50 oz) chicken stock1/4 l (1 cup) white wine for cooking2 bay leaves1 clove5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (for the veggies)2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (for the chicken)1 large onion, chopped3 cloves of garlic, chopped2 large carrots, cut into large pieces2 spring onions, chopped1 celery root, cut into large pieces1 broccoliany other veggies you'd likechicken thighs, breast or legs, cut into large piecessalt and pepper to tasteInstructions:
Add bay leaves and clove to the stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the temperature so the stock simmers gently.In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for at least 5 minutes. Add garlic, spring onions and all the other veggies that take longer to cook. Don't put broccoli and similar types of veggies in yet as they only take a very short time to cook. Pour in the wine.
Stir well and sauté for another 5 minutes over medium heat to let the wine absorb a bit.Add the chicken stock including the bay leaves and clove and adjust the temperature to let the soup simmer.In the meantime, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces and season well with salt and pepper. Sauté all the pieces well all around, then put them into the soup.
Keep everything simmering and taste the soup after another 15-20 minutes. Adjust the taste if necessary by adding more wine, salt and pepper. About 5 minutes before serving, add broccoli and other fast cooking veggies.If you're interested in other easy to prepare dishes, check out:Spaghetti with Oven Roasted Tomatoes
Roeschti
Filled Zucchetti
Pasta with Sage
Venison on pepper sauce with mashed potatoes
Hunting season brings a variety of game meat to the markets. While this particular sauce could be used for beef or pork tenderloin as well, it pairs really well with venison. It might look like it's a bit time consuming, but if you're preparing all your ingredients ahead of time, it's done fairly quickly and tastes wonderful. You could also serve noodles instead of mashed potatoes.for 2 people:for the pepper sauce:5g (0.2 oz) white pepper corns, crushed2 tablespoons olive oil1/2 shotglass whiskey (could be replaced by rum)1 slice of bacon, cut into small pieces1 shallot, chopped1,5 dl (5 oz) white wine1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar (red is ok too)1 twig of thyme30g (1 oz) whipping cream100 ml (3,5 oz) chicken stock30g (1 oz) flakes of butter, put into freezerfreshly ground salt and pepperfor the mashed potatoes:4-6 medium sized potatoes, peeled2 tablespoons buttermilk, until desired consistency is reachedthe meat:2 venison fillets (or beef fillets or pork tenderloin)freshly ground pepper and salt2-4 tablespoons olive oilInstructions:Preheat the oven to 80 C. (180 F.)
Grind pepper (not the white one!) preferrably in a mortar and season fillets well all around with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over high heat, sauté strongly on both sides then place into pre-heated oven. Depending on the thicknes of your fillets, expect the meat to be in the low-temperature oven for at least 45 minutes.As I've mentioned in earlier posts, time is not very crucial for low-temperature cooking. You should be fine between 45 and 90 minutes. Just make sure you've sautéd the meat well enough before placing into the oven (about 5 minutes total).
For the sauce, sauté the white pepper corns over medium heat in the olive oil. Add whiskey (or rum) and flambé immediately. Never do this under the hood as the flames might get in there! And watch your hair too!Add bacon and shallots and sauté for a few minutes. Then put white wine, balsamic vinegar and the thyme twig into the sauce. Let the liquid absorb completely before adding the chicken stock and the whipping cream. Let the sauce simmer over low heat.For the mashed potates, wrap the peeled potatoes in plastic foil and microwave for about 3 minutes until soft. This is the easier way instead of boiling the potatoes.In a large pot, add potatoes, butter and some milk and mash them over medium temperature until you have a fairly smooth paste.
Keep on adding milk if the mix is too thick. Keep the mashed potatoes warm with closed lid over low temperature.Once your meat is almost ready, add the butter from the freezer into the sauce and move the sauce pan in circles for the butter to mix into the sauce. Don't stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove the thyme twig.
Serve your fillets sliced with mashed potatoes on the side and pour over the sauce. I would also recommend heating the plates first. At this low temperature in the oven, any plates should be fine to be put in there together with the meat for preheating. Enjoy!
Italy Part 4 - Three treasure restaurants
As usual, I've been doing quite a bit of research about which restaurants to visit during the tuscany trip. But the best ones were either found accidentally or by recommendation of our local hosts, Josiane and Narciso. Generally, the restaurants were all very good or even excellent. The pasta where it's made fresh by hand is always a real treat. A normal italian dinner consists of four parts, first antipasti, then primi, then secondi and then dolci and of course an espresso at the end with possibly a grappa. the antipasti could be some slices of prosciutto and a local salami, primi are most of the time a plate of handmade pasta, the secondi (main dishes) meat or fish, then any kind of dessert like handmade vanilla ice cream with a few drops of aged balsamic vinegar on top. To summarize it, it's usually quite a feast and you won't leave the table too soon.
Ristorante I' Polpa (Fiesole)
This place was found completely accidentally as all the other restaurants around were filled with tourists in their garden patio. I' Polpa didn't have outdoor seating which obviously kept most tourists away from it. But the menu attached outside looked very promising and the food ended up being fantastic!
The kitchen, quite simple.
A fresh porcini mushroom, grilled with olive oil, pepper and salt. Amazing!
The chef is putting the salsa verde on plates.
The lovely chef serving our dishes.
Stuffed goose throat with salsa verde and the best potato I've eaten in a long time. One of her grandmother's recipes.
A wonderful pie with grapes and rosemary.
Ristorante I' Polpa
Piazza Mino, 21/22 - 50014 Fiesole
Tel. 055.59485
Ristorante Il Pozzo (Monteriggioni)
At this place, the pasta was really standing out. Even though we didn't order it, the bistecca fiorentina they served at the next table, looked amazing as well. Specialty here the pasta al cinghuale (wild boar).
Besides a nice interior, Il Pozzo also offers a nice garden patio which was filled with tourists though.
Papardelle al Cinghuale. A must try here!
In paper wrapped ravioli with truffle sauce.
Ristorante Il Pozzo
Piazza Roma, 2 - 53035 Monteriggioni (SI)
Tel. (0577) 30.41.27
www.ilpozzo.net
Osteria Locanda (Terranuova)
One of Josiane's and Narciso's special recommendations, this restaurant is beautifully located. During warm summer nights, the garden area is available for seating in the middle of a herbal garden. It's a bit hard to access on top of a hill located down a small alley, but certainly worth a trip. Amazing food, very friendly service, great atmosphere and cheap, good wines.
Raw sole fillets marinated in olive oil and lemon juice with a lentil salad.
Pasta with porcini.
A simple beef stew. Heavenly done.
Narciso having a little chat with the chef after our fantastic meal.
Osteria Locanda Il Canto del MaggioFrazione Penna 30/d - 52025 Terranuova B. ni ARTel. 055.0705147www.cantodelmaggio.com
Chanterelle Salad
Either a nice summer salad for lunch or an appetizer for a nice dinner, chanterelle mushrooms on a bed of green salad is a treat!I used a green leaf salad which is somewhat specific to europe and quite popular in switzerland, a so called 'Nuesslisalat'. If you can't get this leaf, I would suggest using another dark green salad, for example dandelion.for 2 people:Ingredients:2 big handful of fresh chanterelle mushrooms2 tablespoons butterfreshly ground salt and pepperdark green leaf salad (e.g. dandelion)red balsamic vinegarextra virgin olive oilInstructions:
Start heating up the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and season well with salt and pepper. Sauté the mushrooms until they've lost most of their liquid. Let them cool out until they're just slightly warm.Mix the green leaf salad in a bowl with balsamic vinegar and olive oil to taste. Place the salad on plates and arrange the warm chanterelle mushrooms on top. Sprinkle with another few drops of olive oil and enjoy!
A few days in Paris
More than ever before I noticed what a beautiful city Paris is, including, of course, wonderful opportunities to dine excellently if you're careful to avoid the tourist traps. I wouldn't necessarily try to eat in a brasserie next to the Notre Dame or the Louvre, rather walk the many charming streets of Le Marais or Avenue de Buci for a fantastic selection of bakeries and patisseries as well.There's one particular place I'd especially like to recommend. At Caveau François Villon, 64 Rue de l'Arbre Sec, I ate quite heavenly! The concept of this restaurant is, that you're choosing from an appetizer, a main dish and a dessert for a fixed price which was 26 Euros. In addition, I chose a glass of red wine, a Corbières, which was quite above the average quality of what you'd get served for 6$.
The entrance to the 15th century building, the wonderful Caveau François Villon restaurant.
You choose from six different appetizers, six main dishes and six desserts.
A pork feet terrine with a vinegary sauce and a small salad.
Beef tenderloin on a strong green pepper sauce with a Roesti-like potato pie.
The famous crème brulée.
A wonderful ratatouille with anis seeds, served chilled.
Lamb kidneys on a parsley sauce. Amazing!
One of the best desserts I've had in a while, prunes soaked in red wine and prune liquor.
A mushroom salad in a different restaurant inside Le Marais. The baguette is always served with any dish.
Duck breast on a honey sauce with mashed sweet potatoes. Coarse seasalt and peppercorns are served on the side of the plate to be mixed into the sauce. Good idea!Caveau François Villon64, Rue de L'Arbre Sec75001 ParisTel.: 42.36.10.92Au Gamin de Paris51, Rue Vieille du Temple75004 ParisTel.: 42.78.97.24
Roquefort with Williams Pears
I've got a plane to catch in 2 hours to Paris! To introduce the next three days in the french capital, I found an excellent roquefort cheese at the local deli. If possible, get yourself a few nice williams pears. If you can't find that type of pear, any other small, ripe and sweet pear should do. Cut your pear in half, put a slice of cheese on top and bite!The roquefort cheese (or another blue-type cheese if you can't find the good stuff), is like a dream paired with pears and a nice bottle of red wine. Bon appetit!
Rack of Lamb with Cheese Risotto
I'd like to share a very nice little trick I've learnt from my friend George. Instead of sprinkling parmesan cheese on top of the risotto before serving, try to grind up some dried porcini mushrooms and then powder them on top of your rice. The extra flavor is quite fantastic and really very simple to achieve.for 2 people:Ingredients:1 rack of lamb (could be replaced with a beef or pork filet)1 teaspoon black peppercorns4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oilhandful of dried porcini mushrooms1/2 teaspoon coarse seasalt1 cup risotto rice (carnaroli or arborio)1 large shallot, chopped1 cup cheap white wine2 tablespoons ricotta cheese2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese4 tablespoons ground parmesan cheese1 teaspoon chicken stock2 sage leaves1 thyme or rosemary twigInstructions:
Preheat the oven to 80 C. (175 F.)Crush the peppercorns and salt with a mortar. This is my preferred method of grinding up salt and pepper because I like them to stay a bit coarse, but you can also use your regular peppermill and salt shaker.Rub the salt and pepper mix all around your rack of lamb.Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil at highest temperature in a skillet.
To sauté meat of any kind, I like to use a stainless steel skillet to get the highest temperature possible.Sauté the rack of lamb about 3 minutes on each side until you get a nice and dark crust all around. Then immediately place it in the oven in an oven-proof dish.The beauty of this low-temperature method is, that your meat can stay in the oven for 30 minutes or even 1 hour and it will still be very tender and juicy.
Depending on the size of your rack, I would count on leaving the meat in the oven for at least 30 minutes (for a small rack) or up to 1 hour (for a big one). But don't crank up the temperature. To guarantee the tenderness and juicyness, you'll have to keep the temperature at the low 80 C.Since the temperature in the oven is quite low, you can also add your dinner plates to preheat them without worrying that they'll brake.
Start preparing the stock. Put 2 cups of water into a small pot, add chicken stock, sage leaves and the thyme or rosemary twig. Heat up the stock over medium heat.Grind up your dried porcini mushrooms. A mortar works best, but use your fingers as well, to get the powder as fine as you can. Put aside.
In another pot (or my preferred way, a non-stick skillet), heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat, add the shallots and sauté them until they start to golden a bit. Add the rice and mix until all the grains are covered with some of the olive oil. Pour in the white wine and stir until all of it is absorbed.As soon as your rice is running a bit dry in the skillet, add some of the stock but never too much at the time. Keep on stirring. This process takes about 15-20 minutes.
Keep on tasting the rice to see if you like the consistency. Shortly before the rice is done, add all the three cheeses and mix well.Remove the meat from the oven, cut it up and arrange nicely on preheated dinner plates around your risotto.The big thing last, sprinkle your ground up porcini mushrooms on top of the rice and decorate with a twig of thyme or rosemary or anything else you find beautiful.
I served one of my favorite wines with this dish, a full bodied Amarone from italy. Enjoy!
This recipe was also submitted to "Design Within Reach" for their summer call for entries.
Living in Thailand now, not having my own kitchen setup yet, I only get to cook once in a while at my friends place. This soup isn't just very easy to prepare, it's also the type of food I like to eat when I have a bit of an upset stomach. This certainly tends to happen here in Thailand if I had a few chilies too many the day before. You can also prepare quite a big pot of this tasty soup, then keep it for the next few days or even freeze it.
Add bay leaves and clove to the stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the temperature so the stock simmers gently.
Stir well and sauté for another 5 minutes over medium heat to let the wine absorb a bit.
Keep everything simmering and taste the soup after another 15-20 minutes. Adjust the taste if necessary by adding more wine, salt and pepper. About 5 minutes before serving, add broccoli and other fast cooking veggies.
