Chili-Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup

It's called convergence: when separate things come together at once. For me, a longing for some hot, light but still filling food came right after preparing some hearty, belly-warming meals. At the same time, I got my February 2013 issue of Bon Appetit magazine, with an article on how ramen will take over as the world's next comfort food. Then I went to Penny's Noodle Shop in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago for a cheap and filling BBQ pork ramen lunch. Mmmm. Time to make some at home.

I'm not talking about those little 25-cent packages that we all ate during lean times. There's a whole world of ramen out there, in four basic broth styles: Shoyu, a soy sauce base; Shio, a light seafood broth; Miso, using either a light or medium miso paste; and Tonkotsu, a buttery-thick soup made of simmered pork bones. Authentic ramen soup relies on a composition of the ingredients, added at a certain time to maximize the flavor and crispness of the ingredients, rather than a long simmer together as is done with lots of soups and stews.

Yum.

This light and spicy version uses ingredients that you can probably find pretty easily. Once the chicken is ready, have all the other ingredients ready to go because you'll want to cook, assemble, and bring the decorated bowls to the table at once. Presentation is very important in Asian cooking.

We're going to tackle Tonkotsu one of these days...I think I'll be handling my first pork trotters (pig feet) to make it! Er, Joe will be handling the trotters, actually. It's in our marriage vows that he handles the raw meat.

Here is the cast of characters for this dish, minus the noodles that I somehow forgot to put into the picture. You can also see my badly defrosted chicken breast. I don't know, I think I've still got flu fever. Chili-garlic paste is supposed to be very good for sickness.

Ingredients

1 large chicken breast

2 tbsp Asian chili-garlic paste

Juice of 1/2 lime

4 cups chicken broth

1 tsp sesame oil

1/3 cup Tamari (sweetened soy sauce) or regular soy sauce

15 oz dry thin wheat noodles, Ramen-style*

4 cups bok choy, coarsely chopped

2 cups mung bean sprouts

2 stalks of green onion, sliced

Directions

Cut the chicken breast in half. Rub the chili garlic paste on all sides of the meat, then sprinkle the meat with the lime juice. Marinate for 15-20 minutes.

Roast in the oven or on a grill until just done, about 30 minutes. Keep the chicken warm while bringing the broth to a boil in a large pot. Stir in the sesame oil and soy sauce. Reduce to a simmer, and add the noodles. Cook according to package directions.

When the noodles are cooked, stir in the bok choy and bean sprouts and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the bok choy is slightly wilted. Ladle the soup and noodles into bowls. Slice the chicken across the grain into bite-sized pieces, and place on top of the soup. Sprinkle with the green onions before serving.

*Note: Those little packages of Ramen noodles are fried in palm oil, which is why they are high in fat and calories. If you object to that much oil, try to find unfried noodles, or substitute other thin Asian wheat noodles.

Serves 2.

Read more...

Perfect Prime Rib

Hey folks, Valentine's Day is coming up! What better way to show someone that you love them than by making this luscious prime rib recipe? Bring out the candles and the special wine, and get a babysitter if you need one.

When Joe lived in Mankato, Minnesota he had a restaurateur friend who used to make a prime rib dinner every Sunday at his restaurant. He'd roast the meat all day until people were nearly mad with the aroma, then serve up generous, dripping slices to the customers until it was all gone. This recipe is a tribute to that wonderful cook.

Rib roasts are often on sale around Christmas or Easter and other special occasions. A wonderful friend gave us an eight-pound roast as a New Years Eve gift, and we cut it into three manageable portions for two people, freezing the portions we didn't eat right away. Scale this up or down for a holiday feast or a cozy dinner for two.

Ingredients

1 8-lb prime rib roast

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp celery seed
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried mint
1/4 tsp bouquet garni

Directions

Allow meat to rise to room temperature (about 2 hours). Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Line a roasting pan with foil, then place the meat in the pan and pat dry each side with paper towels.

Stir together the rest of the ingredients, and then coat all the sides of the roast with the flour mixture. Place in the oven and cook at 500 degrees for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 200 degrees and roast, uncovered, until it is the desired degree of done-ness (about 30 minutes per pound for medium-rare). For medium-rare, the meat thermometer should read 120 degrees; for medium, 130 degrees; for well-done, 140 degrees.

Take the roast out of the oven and place it on a carving board. Cover it with foil and let it sit for 10 minutes before slicing, to allow the juices to settle.

Serves 10.

Read more...

Mardi Gras Jambalaya

Joe's jambalaya recipe is going to make you feel like you're in N'awlins, I guarantee it! There's so much going on in this recipe it's no wonder this is a celebration meal before the fasting that comes with Lent.

One of Joe's early cooking influences was Emeril Lagasse - someone he'd like to meet in person someday. Joe's also spent some time tasting his way around Louisiana, and like many classic recipes, everyone has their own version. This version suits us.

Jambalaya stew generally has the distinctively-flavored andouille (say on-DWEE) sausage, tomatoes, chicken, shrimp, rice, and okra. Lots of fresh herbs make it complex. This list of ingredients might seem long, but this makes a huge potful of hearty food for a big Tuesday dinner February 12.

While it's simmering, why not transport yourself down to the festivities by visiting the official Louisiana Mardi Gras site at http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com? Interesting fact: despite the image of Mardi Gras as a drunken street party, it's also a big family festival and a Catholic holiday - and a legal holiday!

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 1/2 cups onion, chopped

4 carrots, chopped

1 lb andouille sausage, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 28-ounce can tomatoes, chopped

2 cups vegetable broth

3 cloves garlic, crushed 

1 teaspoon whole thyme 

2 bay leaves
1 tbsp Creole seasoning

1 cup okra, sliced

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1/2 cup hot banana or jalapeno pepper, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 cups white rice

Directions

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. In a large stockpot, saute the chicken in oil until white on all sides. Add celery, onion, and carrots, and saute until slightly tender. Add the sausage, tomatoes, broth, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and okra. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour.

Add the shrimp, peppers, salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and rice. Simmer for 20 minutes more, or until rice is tender. Serve immediately.

Note: you can also cook this in a large slow cooker, and let it simmer all day. Add the rice and shrimp about 30 minutes before serving, and turn the crock pot heat to high during the last cooking stage.

Serves 10-12.

Read more...

Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken

My sister Sheryl is a gorgeous woman who is careful about what she eats and runs frequently. In fact, she's in better shape now than she was in high school, and she was pretty awesome then, too. She told me once that she wished she'd never eat another chicken breast again. "They're so bland, so boring...I'd rather eat a big, juicy pub burger." Her voice kind of caressed the last words.

We're hoping these honey mustard-glazed chicken breasts change her mind, just a little. Adjust the horseradish according to the amount of kick you like. And by the way, all Dijon mustard is not created equal. We bought cheap stuff last time, and it just wasn't as tasty. Grey Poupon is much better.

Ingredients

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp prepared horseradish (optional, depending on how much "bite" you like)
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ tsp corn starch
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

Whisk together all sauce ingredients and pour over chicken breasts. Allow to marinate for 15 to 20 minutes (or all day, if you prefer) before setting them in a baking pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes, until chicken is done and sauce is thickened.

Serves 4.

Read more...

Norwegian Meatballs (Kjottkaker)

Joe's Norwegian roots are pretty interesting. The first couple of the family, Jonas and Martha Duea, came to the U.S. in the 1800s, and Jonas was a sergeant in the U.S. Civil War. Along with several other Norwegian families, they moved to Iowa and founded the town of Roland. They were some of the most prominent citizens of the town. When Martha passed away, Jonas brought over an 18-year-old Norwegian girl, Henriette, and raised another generation of children with her.

The Norwegian culture ran deep through these families, right up to Joe's father's generation. Once Joe's father started school, his father told him, "No more Norwegian, only English. We're Americans."

We have only a few Norwegian family recipes, like many children of immigrants who assimilate. This Christmas, our bible study group had its usual Christmas party and white elephant gift exchange. We got the best gift of all - a copy of the book Gudrun's Kitchen, the cookbook and reminiscences of a Norwegian woman who immigrated to Chicago in the 1920s and became a prominent cook. It's fascinating.

We found by comparing a number of recipes for kjottkaker (say KYET-kahker) that the distinctive things about Norwegian meatballs are that they are served in a brown gravy, and they use sweet spice ingredients of nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. Use as much or as little as you like.

Traditionally, these are served over noodles or mashed potatoes with cranberry or lingonberry sauce on the side.

Ingredients

For the meatballs

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork (if you like, you can lighten it up by using ground turkey instead)
2 cups crushed crackers or fresh bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp marjoram

For the gravy

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tbsp beef bouillon base (Norwegians tend to use Oxo brand, but we like "Better Than Bouillon")
2 1/2 cups boiling water

Directions

In a large bowl, stir together all the meatball ingredients. Dig in with your hands and mix until well combined. Form the mixture into 2 inch balls, then flatten them slightly into patties.

In a large frying pan, brown the meatballs on all sides. You may have to cook these in several batches so they're not crowded in the pan. Allow to drain on paper towels.

Melt the butter and oil in the frying pan, then add the flour and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until the flour browns. Dissolve the bouillon in the boiling water and then slowly pour the water into the flour, stirring constantly until smooth. Heat to a low boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened and reduced, about 20 minutes.

Add the meatballs to the pan and simmer for 20 more minutes.

Serves 6.

Read more...