Chicken Tortilla Soup

I have never been a soup person, that being said, yummm tortilla soup. We are having a little false summer here (I know, we jumped from polar vortex to mini-heat wave) and I am starting to break out, tentatively, the rose, strawberries, and avocados (it's still a little early for fresh tomatoes). I will try to post something springy next, but in the meantime, enjoy some tortilla soup.

 I easily ignored the urge to make my own tortilla strips and happily reached for my always-on-hand bag of Have'a Corn Chips.To begin saute 1 chopped onion until it starts to get a little yummy and brown. Add in 4-6 cloves of smashed garlic along with 1 tablespoon each, paprika and cumin, 1 heaping teaspoon coriander and chili powder and a healthy dash of cayenne. Let the flavors marry for a few minutes before adding in a quart of chicken stock and one 28-oz can of tomatoes. Add a cup and a half of extra liquid whether you choose water (I often do), extra stock or a can of beer - it's up to you. Toss in a couple of bay leaves, a couple teaspoons of salt, a half bunch of roughly chopped cilantro, and a couple handfuls of slightly crumbled tortilla chips. Let the mixture simmer for about 45 minutes.

 Meanwhile, you can be working on your chicken. I used a half chicken but go with what suits you. I just did a super simple preparation for the chick-a-dee - season the meat with salt and pepper, sear in a cast iron skillet until skin is golden and then pop into a 450 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until cooked through. Once the soup mixture is done cooking, puree and serve. I like to put the shredded chicken on the bottom of the bowl and pour the soup over it - topping it off with some shredded cheddar, fresh cilantro, chopped avocado. I also like to eat the crispy chicken skin while i shred the meat. 

This recipe was inspired by the tortilla soup recipe from Food & Wine Magazine. 

Throwback Thursday - Autumn in Canada and a Cold-Weather Stew

The view from the top of Montmorency Falls, just outside of Quebec City

As the rest of the US continues to suffer through it's long winter I thought I would commiserate with a nice cozy-weather dish, inspired by Bon Appetit. I saw their recipe for Indian-Spiced Chicken and made a few tweaks here and there to make it my own.

The daunting staircase to walk up to the top of the falls

I began with a whole chicken and broke it down into parts and then proceeded to brown the chicken in a little vegetable oil. Once browned, set aside. Then in the same lovely pot add 1 diced onion, 4 cloves minced garlic and a thumb-sized piece of ginger, minced, and saute until your onion is soft and golden. Next add in 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste and 2 teaspoons each of garam masala, cumin, turmeric, 1 teaspoon coriander and a hefty dash of cayenne, depending on how spicy you like it, and let all that marry for about 5 minutes.  

 Add in 8 cups chicken broth, 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, 1/2 cup cream, chicken and a bunch of carrots (roughly chopped if you please). Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover partially and reduce to a simmer, cooking for about 2 hours. Add 1 pound of sliced yukon gold potatoes and continue cooking for another 45 minutes until the taters are cooked through. I served over a bed of rice with a hefty dollop of yogurt and some fresh cilantro.

Sticky Toffee Pudding - a Rainy Celebration

While half of the country has been swept up by the vortex, we have been sweltering (not quite) here in drought-ridden California. This past weekend we finally got a reprieve and had four glorious days of rain, which to me means that I can hunker down and get cozy and just eat, read and nap all weekend long - which I did.

When I lived in London, I had a deep and abiding romance with sticky toffee pudding and since leaving I must admit, I have felt a void. This weekend I decided to take matters into my own hands and make it myself. I immediately googled British recipes looking for the "best" sticky toffee pudding. After perusing for a while I realized I did not have the will to get the traditional ingredients (i.e. golden syrup, turbinado sugar, etc). So instead, I opted for an Americanized recipe that I found from Bon Appetit.

The pudding was DELICIOUS and tasted just like the versions I had abroad - I know that traditionalists will balk, but this was gooood. To make: Combine 1 1/2 cups dates and 1 1/4 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon baking soda. Set aside to cool. Sift together 1 1/2 cups AP flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Then in a large bowl beat 1/2 stick butter, 1 cup white sugar and 1 teasoon vanilla extract until just combined . Beat in 1 egg. Then add in 1/3 of your flour mixture and then stir in 1/2 of the date mixture, alternating until both are incorporated. Beat in the final egg. Pour the mixture into a buttered and floured pan - the official recipe calls for a bundt pan, I did mine in a pie pan or you could do smaller individual puddings in ramekins - up to you.

Now, this part is key, the hard sauce. In a saucepan combine 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar, 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 stick butter and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring for 3 minutes then remove from heat and stir in a smidge of vanilla extract and brandy (I used calvados). The pudding is best served warm, drizzled (or drenched) with hard sauce and a dollop of clotted cream (go big).

Polpette! and the Ile d'Orleans

I didn't know what I wanted to make for dinner until I stumbled upon Staffan Terje's (Barbacco) polpette recipe in 7x7 magazine. Having never made meatballs in my life, I decided now would be a good time to start. Now, I may have never made meatballs myself but I have definitely consumed my fair share and I will say, these were yummy. Terje's recipe is for a Sicilian-style meatball made of pork and complemented by some sweet raisins, bringing a nice lightness to a food that can often be heavy. 

A charming window at the museum, Le Manoir Mauvide-Genest

Some of the charming architecture on L'Ile d'Orleans

I made a half recipe which I think easily would have served 4, there were two of us and we had ample leftovers. To begin, whisk together an egg and a half cup milk in a large bowl, throw in a half cup panko and set the mixture aside for 10 minutes. I then added 1 pound pork along with 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon red chile flakes, 2 cloves minced garlic, a half a bunch of parsley finely chopped, a half cup grated parmesan, a generous half cup of golden raisins, 1/2 tablespoon salt and a generous sprinkling of pepper. 

The sheep and garden at the B&B Dans Les Bras de Morphee

The view of Quebec City from the Ile

 Form the meat mixture into large round patties and then fry until browned on the outside in some olive oil. Once browned, set aside and make the tomato sauce, I made a version of Terje's, found here. Put the meatballs in a baking dish and cover partially with the tomato sauce. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. I served mine over linguine and sauteed chard finished with some fresh lemon zest for a little brightness. (Note: The original calls for pine nuts but I chose to omit those, up to you)

The final course of the deliciously decadent breakfast at Dans Les Bras de Morphee

View from Dans Les Bras de Morphee

Oh Canada - Une Tarte Tatin

Mont Royal Park in Montreal

The boat house in North Hatley

It's been much too long since I've posted anything but better late than never, I guess. I just wanted to share a few photos from the first leg of our Canada journey and to accompany the photos I made a yummy autumnal tarte tatin. I hope you enjoy the photos and the recipe (adapted from Smitten Kitchen). 

Casa Bianca - our lovely b&b in Montreal

North Hatlley in the Eastern Townships

Montreal

I think the key to this tarte tatin is making your own dough - it is so buttery and flaky and caramelize-y and just YUM. The original recipe uses a food processor but as I don't have one of those I turned it out by hand and it came out just dandy. To begin mix 1.5 cups flour and 1 tablespoon sugar together. Cut in 10 tablespoons of chilled butter until the mixture resembles very coarse meal (with some butter pebbles). Then drop in 3 to 6 tablespoons ice water (I generally end up using 5ish) just until your dough comes together (don't overwork it). Roll out the dough so that it will cover whatever pan you are going to cook your apples in (I go with my grandma's cast iron skillet). Then cover with plastic wrap and set it to chill while you make the filling. 

The beautiful fall colors in North Hatley

For the filling:  Cut up a pan-full of apples (peeled, cored and quartered) I used 4 enormous honeycrisp apples and then 1 extra for later, so 5 total. Melt a stick of salted butter (I like the salt factor in this sweet dessert) in your skillet of choice. Remove pan from heat and stir in 1 cup granulated sugar. Spread the sugar mix evenly in the pan and then arrange your apples in the pan so they are snug up against one another (they shrink in their initial cooking so you can later fit in your extra apple, or two). Once positioned, return the pan to high heat and let bubble away for 10 to 15 minutes, until you get a nice dark caramel color. Then flip all your apple slices (so each side gets nice and caramel-y) and add in your extra apples to fill out your tarte. Cook over high heat for another 5. 

Notre Dame du Montreal

To finish: Place the chilled pie crust on top of your apples and tuck in the edges. Pop into a 375 degree oven for about a half an hour or until your crust takes on a nice golden hue, et voila! Let your pie rest for a half hour or so and then turn out onto a plate and admire.

Lake Massawippi