White Bean Soup

Back

Ingredients:
8 oz. small white beans
28 oz. canned tomatoes, chopped
46 oz. chicken broth
1 white onion, chopped
3/4 cup chopped carrots
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 Italian sausage
5 oz. chopped ham
1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
Salt to taste 

Preparation:
Place beans in hot water and soak 4 hours.  Drain. Cook sausage in skillet until done.  Thin slice and set aside. Sauté onions, carrots and celery in a large Dutch Oven (like Le Creuset), until soft.  Add broth, canned tomatoes, ham, sausage, Herbs de Provence and pepper flakes.  Bring to a boil then turn heat down.  Simmer 4 to 6 hours or until beans are soft.

Serve with French bread.

Shrimp Stir-Fry

Back

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. raw shrimp, peeled, deveined
Kosher salt
4 oz. sugar snap peas, stringed
4 oz. broccoli spears
1 red bell pepper, peeled and cut into strips
1 green onion, chopped, white and green parts separated

  or 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2/3 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons white wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons sugar
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil 

Preparation:
Put shrimp in medium bowl with 2 cups cold water and 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Stir to combine and let sit for 5 minutes.  Drain and rinse the shrimp and place on paper towel-lined plate.  Pat dry.

Combine chicken stock, wine, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and crushed red pepper in medium bowl.  Stir until the cornstarch is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth.

Heat wok over high heat for 2 minutes.  Add oil to wok and swirl to coat.  Carefully add the shrimp in a single layer.  Allow to cook for 2 minutes, using a spatula to stir-fry them.  Add garlic, ginger and whites of onion and stir-fry for 1 minute.  Add sugar snap peas, broccoli and red bell pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute.  Add the cornstarch mixture and greens of onion and cook until the sauce has thickened.  Transfer stir-fry to a dish and serve with white rice.

Variation:

Eliminate the shrimp and just make stir fried vegetables.

Stir Fried Chicken and Vegetables

Back

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small red bell pepper, cut into strips
3/4 cup broccoli spears
3/4 cup snow peas
1 small carrot, pealed and grated
8 mushrooms, sliced
6 Tablespoons chicken broth
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon Mongolian Chili Oil

Preparation:
Whisk together 2 Tablespoons broth, 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, 1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch and sesame oil in medium bowl.  Set sauce aside.  Toss chicken pieces in remaining soy sauce, cornstarch and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to coat in a large bowl.

Heat 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil in wok over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Brown chicken about 5 minutes.  Transfer to plate and tent with foil.

Add broccoli, snow peas and carrots and remaining chicken broth to wok and cook, covered, until broccoli begins to soften, about 2 minutes.  Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates.  Stir in remaining vegetable oil, bell pepper, and mushrooms and cook until spotty brown, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add ginger, garlic and chili oil and cook until fragrant, about 30 minutes.  Whisk sauce to recombine and add sauce, chicken marinade and chicken to wok.  Cook until thickened.

Serve with cooked white rice.

Butterflied Chicken

Back

Ingredients:

3 lb. whole chicken, butterflied
1 cup Kosher salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 black pepper
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
Dissolve salt in 2 quarts old water in a large container.  Immerse chicken and refrigerate until fully seasoned, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees.  Line top rack of broiler pan with foil and cut slits in foil to match those of pan, brush well with oil and set aside.

Remove chicken from brine and rinse well under cold running water.  Pat completely dry with paper towels.  Rub chicken with olive oil until well coated.  Place chicken on broiler rack and sprinkle with pepper.  Roast chicken until spotty brown, about 20 minutes.  Rotate pan and continue to roast until skin has crisped and turned a deep brown and an instant read thermometer registers 160 degrees in thickest part of breast, 20 to 25 minutes more.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board.  Remove broiler pan rack and place pan on stove top and add 1/2 cup white wine to pan to deglaze.   Add chicken broth and heat to a boil.  Add beurre manie to thicken gravy.  Season with salt and pepper.

Classic Vichyssoise

Back

Ingredients:

4 large leeks, white and light green parts only
8 oz. Unsalted butter
2 quarts chicken broth
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, stems reserved
1 Bay leaf
4 or 5 russet potatoes, peeled,
(immersed in water to prevent browning)
1 cup heavy cream
1 – 2 cups vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Quarter and finely chop 3 of the leeks then wash and set aside.  Slice the last leek into 2 inch julienne then wash and dry.

In a Dutch oven or large soup pot melt butter over medium heat and add chopped leeks, stirring occasionally until bright green.  Remove pot from heat and pour in cold chicken stock, thyme stems and bay leaf.  Then slice potatoes as thinly as possible and add to chicken stock. Return pot to stovetop and bring to a boil over high heat.  As soon as stock boils, potato slices should be tender enough to puree.

Drain leeks and remove bay leaf and thyme stems.  Add 1 cup broth to the blender jar and fill half full with the potato/leek mixture.  Puree all the soup in batches then place puree back in soup pot.  Add cream, salt and pepper.

In a heavy bottomed sauce pot, stir together vegetable oil and julienned leeks.  Place over medium heat, and stir, watching closely until leeks are crispy (about 10 minutes).  Drain.

Serve soup hot with crispy leeks sprinkled on top.

History:

Recipe comes from Chef Tech Cooking School in Long Beach, Calif..

Risotto with Parmesan and Herbs

Back

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup water

2 Tbs. butter

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine

1 ounce (1 cup) grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbs. chopped fresh chives

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Bring broth and water to a boil in a large saucepan.  Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in Le Creuset pan over medium heat.  When butter has melted, add onion and 1/2 tsp. salt; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is softened but not browned, (4 to 7 minutes.) Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes.

Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until fully absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add 2 1/2 cups broth mixture mixture into rice; reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until almost all liquid has been absorbed and rice is just al dente, 16 to 19 minutes, stirring twice during cooking.

Add 1/2 cup broth mixture and stir gently until risotto becomes creamy, about 3 minutes.  Stir in Parmesan.  Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 5 minutes.  Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter, lemon juice, parsley and chives.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.

Variation:

Sauteed and/or browned mushrooms may be added along with the herbs at the end of cooking. 

History:

This recipe comes from America's Test Kitchen and is referred to as
"Almost Hands-Free Risotto."

Saffron Rice

Back

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Japanese rice

15 oz. chicken broth

Saffron, a few strands

1 onion, chopped

6 small sweet peppers (orange, red and yellow) stemmed, seeded and sliced

4 Tbs. butter

Preparation:

Rinse rice until water runs clear.  Place rice, chicken broth and saffron in rice cooker and cook until tender.

Place butter, onion and peppers in skillet and sauté until tender.  Add onion and peppers to rice and stir well to mix.

Serving Suggestion:

Saffron rice is good with fish, duck, chicken or lamb.