The Gouda Life

You’ve got to hand it to the Mexicans; they can do food like nobody else. Better than the French (Désolé mes amis), better than the Spanish (Lo siento mis amigos) and better than the Italians (Spiacente miei amici)… at least as far as my gut is concerned. Their colourful plates are amass with vibrant produce, umpteen varieties of tongue tingling chilies, slow braised, barely holding themselves together cuts of meat, cobs of corn slathered in butter and rich mayonnaise infused with a Cajun mix of spices, lusciously creamy posoles and mole, cemitas filled with potatoes, tender cactus & stuffed with Oaxacan cheese, crispy chiles rellenos loaded with smooth Mexican-style ricotta……have I lost you yet? Because I’m suddenly filled with the urge to hop a plane to Oaxaca. Truly, my love of Mexican cuisine knows no bounds. Even something as simple as a plate of rice and beans serves as one of my most sensuous meals in recent memory.   



There is something truly magical about the textural varieties of Mexican food that makes me coo with delight upon seeing a giant plate of toothsome corn tortillas charred lightly and stuffed with tender carnita meat, creamy avocado, tart Tomatillo Salsa and pickled jalapenos.… there lies the perfect bite of crunchy, smooth, creamy, hot, spicy, cool… nothing is missed, nothing is without balance. This seems to be a constant in most of Mexico’s historic cuisine. Though sussing out a spot that respects the traditions and authentic flavours of Mexico isn’t always a task easily completed. We’ve only recently started to see a movement in truly authentic Mexican cuisine in Ottawa, but it’s still a far cry from the hole-in-the-wall joints you might find in bigger cities.  Making dishes at home seems to be the only way to experience all the flavours and colours of Mexico without being bombarded with the sometimes tacky, overly Americanized Tex-Mex cuisine.

 
To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, I decided to make something that hadn’t made it’s way into my kitchen before.  Sopa Aztec; a chili-spiked tomato broth, acidic and ever-so-lightly spiced, topped with cubed avocado, melty cheese (usually queso fresco, Chihuahua, or Asadero), fried tortilla strips and more crumbled chilies if desired. It’s one of the most comforting soups I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. And of course, since it was a recipe I adapted from the KING of Mexican cuisine, Rick Bayless, it’s no surprise that it came out as tummy-pleasingly as it did. He truly is a master of his craft.

Whip up a batch of this sopa, don your most colourful sombrero, shake your mariachis and sip on a citrusy Margarita (on the rocks or bust!) this May 5^th, Cinco de Mayo! It’s time to throw down! 



Sopa Azteca with Cilantro Pesto
adapted from Rick Bayless 

I wasn’t able to find epazote or Pasilla chilies on such short notice, so I left out the former and opted for a dried ancho chili instead. I also couldn’t find any authentic cheese, but I usually use a simple goat mozzarella in my Mexican dishes. I love the flavour. 

1 large dried pasilla or ancho chile, stemmed and seeded
One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice ( fire-roasted if you can find them)
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 medium white onion, rough chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 quart chicken broth
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large ripe avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups queso fresco, oaxaca or goat mozzarella cheese
1 corn tortilla per person, sliced into thin strips
1/2 cup Mexican crema, sour cream or creme fraîche for garnish
*cilantro pesto (recipe to come)
1 large lime, cut into 6 wedges, for serving

Start by placing the dried chile in a dry pan over med-high heat and press down with a heavy pan or a fork until lightly toasted. Flip and repeat.

Place the chile and tomatoes in the blender and puree until smooth.

In a large pot over medium heat, add the oil, onions and garlic and saute until golden, about 6-7 minutes.  Scoop up the onion and garlic in a slotted spoon, leaving as much of the oil in the pan as possible. Toss the onions and garlic into the blender with the tomatoes and puree for another 10 seconds or until smooth. 

Bring the pan back to medium-high heat and add the tomato mixture. Let the liquid evaporate while stirring almost  constantly, until the mixture is almost as thick as tomato paste, about 10-12 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and let it cook, about 10 minutes. 

Taste for salt and add if needed.

While the soup is simmering, toss the tortilla strips with a small amount of oil, just enough to coat them. Place on a foil/parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 325, checking halfway through. 

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with avocado cubes, cheese, cilantro pesto and tortilla strips. 


*Cilantro Pesto:
2 healthy handfuls of fresh cilantro
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
 
Place in food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  

Is there anything better than a simple bowl of ramen noodles? I’ve asked that
question before and I’m pretty sure you all agreed that no, no there isn’t. Unless we’re talking about millions of dollars. That might be better… because you could buy LOTS of bowls of noodles with that. 

After a wildly indulgent weekend in Prince Edward County [post to come!] stuffing our faces with just about anything in sight (no, really), I needed something a little more gentle. Something warm and easy on the stomach. Something slurpy and noodley and spicy. And preferably something I didn’t have to simmer, rinse, simmer, rinse, simmer for 8 hours, skim etc etc. 

Cheating on stock is not something I’m proud of. I cringe at the idea of telling you to use box stock and bouillon for a simple soup where flavour really counts, but it’s just necessary sometimes. Unless you’re one of those people who thinks ahead and has homemade stock in the freezer… if you are, I’m not worthy. Please, look away. Avert your eyes!! Granted, the stock was pumped up with lots of extra flavour. So… you know.. it’s not SO bad. Right? 

BUT ITS DELICIOUS! I promise you that. And I wouldn’t lie to you about taste - never, ever about taste, my dear friends. So make yourself up a pot of this 30-minute miso ramen soup and see for yourself. I promise you won’t be disappointed. 

Red Miso Ramen with Soft Boiled Egg and Shiitake Mushrooms
Inspired by Steamy Kitchens

Broth
half an onion
2 inches of ginger, sliced into thick rounds
8 cups beef or veggie stock [homemade or good quality boxed]
2 tsp instant dashi**
3 tbsp red miso paste
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
12 oz dried ramen noodles 
 
Extras; use them all, use a few, or add your own
1 egg per person, soft boiled* 
fresh bean sprouts
baby bok choy
Shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned and sliced
thai basil
scallions
fresh cilantro
Sriracha
Hoisin



Preheat oven to 425. 
Place the half-onion (still in one piece) and ginger rounds onto a cast iron or cookie sheet and bake until charred, 10 minutes. 

Cook ramen noodles accordingly to package directions. Place noodles into serving bowls. 

In a large pot, add the stock, onion/ginger, dashi and soy and bring it all to a boil. Let it simmer for 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the miso. Taste and add more miso if needed. 

Place the baby bok choy and shiitake mushrooms, if using, into the serving bowls with the ramen. Ladle stock over top. 

Finish the soup with a sprinkle of bean sprouts, fresh herbs, sriracha/hoison, scallions and finally, place your soft boiled egg on top. Enjoy! 



*To soft boil an egg:
Bring a small pot filled with water to a boil and turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Carefully lower the egg into the simmering water using a slotted spoon. Set the timer for 9 minutes. Remove the egg and place right into an ice bath to cool it. Peel the egg and slice in half (carefully) and place in soup.  

**Dashi;
 Dashi is Japanese bonito fish stock. You can find it in specialty stores and sometimes in the Asian Food section of your grocery store, depending on how well stocked it is.  La Fuji Mama can show you how to make your own, too! 

Every so often I need to be reminded. 

That food is to be enjoyed, each bite relished in - not rushed through so I can edit photos and start writing. Meals are to be made because you want them - not because it’s been thismany days since you posted a recipe with thiskind of ingredient. Food is a gift - not a given. This article was my reminder. And a thought-provoking, somewhat shameful one, at that.

Blogging, as many of my peers know, can be a daunting task at times. It’s hard not to get wrapped up in the process of the planning, the cooking, the editing, the writing, the sharing… and somewhere in there the act of the eating gets lost. The simple pleasure of enjoying the meal just for the sake of enjoyment is a task I find myself pushing aside more and more often. To put the fork down and taste, really taste each bite fully - something I never thought I’d have to remind myself to do - is a practice in self-control. 



I’m trying to be better. To be more quiet and thoughtful in the presence of a meal. To appreciate the act of simply eating. And with that said, I’ll let todays simple, earthy mushroom soup speak for itself. 

Cream of Mushroom Soup
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1oz dried wild mushrooms 
3 cups hot water
¼ cup olive oil
3 sprigs of both thyme and sage, tied together
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp red pepper flakes, optional
1 pound button mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed and sliced 
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed and sliced 
1 cup dry white wine
Salt & fresh ground pepper
3 cups organic or homemade beef stock
¼ cup table cream
2 tbsp. butter



Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover them with hot water for 30 minutes until plump. Remove the mushrooms and strain the mushroom water through a coffee filter set in a bowl to remove excess grit. Set mushrooms and soaking liquid aside. 

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add the oil and bundle of herbs. As the oil heats up the herbs will start to infuse it with flavour. After 2 minutes, add the onions. Cook until just starting to brown, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, if using, and cook for another minute. 

Turn the heat up to high and add the sliced mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes or until they have released all their moisture. They will shrink considerably.  Once browned, add the white wine and cook, scraping up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pot, until reduced completely. Add the rehydrated mushrooms and their liquid, beef stock, a few pinches of salt and pepper and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes.  Remove the herbs and stir in the cream and butter. Using a blender (or immersion blender), puree until smooth and serve with a drizzle of good olive oil, fresh thyme leaves and crusty bread. 

  

I love bread. 

I love the way a fresh loaf’s crust shatters like glass when you pull a warm, doughy piece from it. I love it’s comforting, alluring smell as it emerges from the oven, golden brown and imperfect. I love how unpretentious a rustic peasant loaf can truly be. I love that it rises from merely three modest ingredients. Simple or complex, dense or light, flattened or round, I love everything about it. Everything. 

The dilemma lays in this; I am a dreadful baker. Heavy handed, overly fussy, impatient and imprecise. None of those equate to scrumptious bread. Or at least they didn’t use to. 



Enter No-Knead Bread. The savior to all incompetent bakers. I’m certain there are some real bakers out there who might see the no-knead method as cheating, but for all of you out there like me, who dream of being able to slice into a fresh, warm, yeasty loaf - this is, without a single doubt, the greatest thing to happen since…well…sliced bread. You CAN make this bread. And you will. [this is me sending you subliminal message to pull out your flour, yeast and water…. you’re getting sleeee.. no wait… baaaaakey]



You know as well as I that fresh bread is not complete without something to slather on it or dip it in. I decided to go with the latter and whip up a batch of soup with a few things I had kicking around. Surprisingly, it was one of the better soups I’ve made. 

The perfect marriage of sweet and savoury exists between the roasted squash and Asian pears. I really appreciated the depth that roasting them created and the subtle sweetness that bathing them in a mixture of vanilla, cider and just a hint of cayenne for background heat, provided. Simple and unpretentious but entirely delicious. 

Of course, you don’t have to make both soup AND bread… but I found they really went wonderfully together. Mr. GL claimed that the bread made it a meal and even he, the handsomest of picky eaters, devoured his bowl with a big grin on his face. So do try them both at some point, if not together. 



Roasted Butternut Squash and Asian Pear Soup with Vanilla

I love the way the soup turned out initially, but it was a little on the sweet side. I found the addition of ricotta to really help balance it out.

I garnished the soup with some lightly roasted squash seeds that were dusted with chili powder. You are welcome to do that or you can top with a little yogurt, some olive oil, fresh herbs, toasted croutons or nothing at all. 

1 large (2+ lbs) butternut squash, sliced in half and seeded
2 large Asian pears, peeled, sliced in half and cored
coarse sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup pure, high quality apple cider
3 cups water
1/4-1/2 vanilla bean 
pinch or two cayenne pepper
1/2 cup ricotta or Mascarpone (optional)

Preheat oven to 400.

Place the squash and pears cut side up, in a roasting pan or cookie sheet. Cut a few slices in the squash and rub it and the pears with some olive oil. Give the slices a good sprinkling of salt and pepper. Roast for 40-60 minutes until a fork is able to go through both squash and pears without any resistance. The pears might be done sooner than the squash so check them after about 40 minutes. 



Remove squash and pears from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. While cooling, throw the diced onion in a large soup pot with a few glugs of olive oil. Turn the heat to medium and let the onions sweat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. 





Throw in the pears and carefully scoop out the squash flesh and toss it into the pot. Add the cider, vanilla bean and water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer for another 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the ricotta and cayenne pepper and puree with an immersion blender or in a stand blender until creamy and smooth. 

Ladle into bowls and top with whatever you please. 

 

No Knead Crusty Bread
adapted from Honey & Jam 
Makes 3 small or two good sized loaves

This bread is simple in preparation but impressive in flavour and texture. It’s yeasty and dense, crunchy and satisfying. The perfect pairing with soup. 

Please read instructions before you start so you can ask any questions you might have before go-time. 

3 cups of lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
1 1/2  tbsp coarse salt
6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a very large mixing bowl, add the water, yeast and salt. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, it’ll just be starting to get frothy. 

Dump in all the flour, don’t be shy, and use a sturdy wood (or otherwise) spoon to mix it until no flour streaks remain. I didn’t mix mine enough and had a rough clump in one of the loaves, so don’t be shy. 



Cover the bowl with saran wrap and let it rest in a warm spot for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or until it has risen and started to deflate. 

If you’re ready to bake the bread right away - flour your hands and tear off a chunk about the size of a grapefruit. Round the loaf out by pulling some pieces from the sides of the dough, rotating as you go, and tucking them underneath the loaf. It doesn’t have to be perfect, this is a rustic loaf. It shouldn’t take you more than 1 minute to tuck the sides under. 

Place the small loaves on a counter top or board dusted with cornmeal and let them rise for another 40 minutes, no need to cover. 

20 minutes before cooking time, preheat oven to 450. While preheating, place a skillet or pizza stone in the middle rack and a cookie sheet in the lower rack.  

When the dough is done it’s final rise, give it a quick drizzle of olive oil (optional) and place it on the preheated pizza stone. Immediately pour 1 cup of water in the cookie sheet that’s in the lower rack of the oven. Close the door quickly to trap that steam in. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. 

If you have more will power than I, you’ll let it cool for 15 minutes. But not much longer than that as you have to have a slice of it warm with butter. I insist! (…and when I insist, you must listen)
 
 

It’s been an exciting day and a half in the GL residence! My very first published piece appeared in Centretown Buzz, a publication kind enough to help a rookie writer out with a monthly food column. The soup featured in this month’s issue is one of our favourites around here. Without fail, we make it once every two weeks and haven’t grown tired of it yet. It’s warm and soothing, satisfying and nutritious (mostly..). If you want to check out the recipe, you can find it here. 

 I’m looking forward to finding my voice and sharing more food love with readers. 

Aaaaaaand we’re back. Hello there! 

First off, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU! I can’t believe 2011 is but a distant memory. The years sure do pass by quickly when you’re a ‘grown-up’ (I use grown up for lack of a better word to describe the sort-of-adult-sort-of-teenager-sort-of-old-lady stage I’m in).

As you might know, I’m not much for resolutions. I feel they just set me up for disappointment when I quit them in a few weeks. Instead, I find it more appropriate and practical to reflect on the previous year and the points where I may not have been at my best and work to be better at those specific things (Fret not, I won’t bore you with all my 2011 shortcomings). I will, however, say that I plan to become a better writer, photographer, and all-round blogger. Expect more from this gal in 2012. 



If you’re anything like me, you’ve had more (way more) than your fill of turkey for the season…maybe for the year. We finished up our final New Years Day turkey dinner last night with Mr. GL’s family and while it was absolutely scrumptious, I think I’ve had my fill of the holiday-bird. Turkey, it’s not me. It’s you. I’m sorry. I really, really am. 



I saw Heidi, of 101cookbooks, post this over the holidays and knew I had to make it. It’s delicious for multiple reasons, but the one that stuck out most to me wasn’t the golden streak of curried brown butter swirled atop the green soup, it wasn’t the addition of toasted croutons or the creamy coconut milk. It was the fact that it wasn’t turkey. It could have been anything but turkey and mashed potatoes and I would have plowed through it happily. That said, I’m glad it was this soup that reintroduced me to non-holiday eating. It’s healthy, which we could all benefit from this time of year, warm and comforting and most of all, it’s one of the most wonderfully satisfying soups I’ve had in quite some time. Thick and creamy without being heavy, not to mention the curried brown butter. OHHHHH the curried brown butter. What a stunning condiment. A little goes a long way and it’s so beautiful atop a bowl of soup. And on a spoon. And in my mouth. 



Green Lentil Soup with Curried Brown Butter
adapted from 101cookbooks 

The recipe calls for either green lentils or green split peas. Both are delicious, but as Heidi explains, the split peas give the soup a beautiful, brighter green colour. I like green. Don’t you? 

2 tbsp olive oil or butter (or ghee)
1 large yellow onion, rough chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
5 1/2 cups water (or good veg/chicken broth)
1 1/2 cups green split peas or green lentils 

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp Indian curry powder
1 can coconut milk (400ml) 
 
sea salt

2-3 slices of your favourite bread,  cubed

In  a large dutch oven or your favourite soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the lentils and water/stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until lentils are soft. It will take anywhere from 20-40 minutes for your lentils to cook so test one out after about 25 minutes and go from there. 



While lentils are softening, toss your 3 tbsp of butter in a sauce pan and let cook, over medium heat, until golden brown, about 6-7 minutes. Add the curry powder and stir, cooking, for another minute. Remove from heat and pour into a small bowl.

In the same pan, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and your cubed bread. Pan fry over medium heat until crispy around the edges.



Once the lentils are soft, remove the pot from heat. Stir in the coconut milk and half of the curried brown butter. Using an hand-blender (or a counter-top blender), puree the soup until smooth or, if you prefer more texture, puree in short spurts until desired texture is achieved.  Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. 

Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with remaining curried butter and top with a few croutons. 

Dive in and reflect on the past year over a soothing bowl of soup. Wishing you all the very best in 2012. Let’s make it the best year yet, ok? 

There is something so comforting about a steaming hot bowl of broth and noodles, isn’t there?

I don’t indulge in Vietnamese, Thai or Chinese as often as I’d like and I can chalk it up to pure laziness. Once I’m through that front door after work, I’m home for the night. It takes me a matter of seconds to kick off my stockings and throw on big baggy sweats. Walking into Chinatown to grab a bowl of ramen and rich pork broth doesn’t happen after that. It just doesn’t. I’m a lazy old fart, I know.

To try and compensate for the lack of noodles in my life, I decided to take a stab at a ramen noodle bowl. My hopes for this dish were not that it would replace my local Vietnamese/Chinese joint, but that it would at least stave of the urges to buy the god awful Mr Noodle packets. Remember those? The ones that, according to some kids in elementary school, gave you salmonella (how elementary school kids know what salmonella is, I have no idea)? And then ones I pined after while I sulked into my ham sandwich? Yes, those ones. I used to watch enviously as kids poured those sodium staked packets into the noodles, smashed them up with the palms of their hands and poured the crunchy noodles into their mouths. Oh, the humanity! Where are my noodles?! Kids are so weird.

I didn’t have the time to make a homemade stock on a weeknight so relied on the help of a box of vegetable stock. GASP! Boxed stock?! Oh, relax. It’s perfectly fine to use. Before I upset any purists, let me tell you what they’ll tell you. Homemade stock is easy to make, easy to freeze and store and is better than any box stock you can buy. However, when it’s 2pm and you want noodles for dinner and don’t have any stock in the freezer, sacrifices can be made. Desperate times…



This ramen bowl took about 20 minutes to throw together and was much better than I had hoped. I punched up the flavour of the broth with some soy, Sriracha and rice vinegar but there is absolutely no end to the ingredients you can add to your broth to make it your own. So feel free to play. In fact, I think you should.

Mushroom Ramen Bowl

Use a mild tasting oil like peanut or canola oil to saute the onions/ginger/garlic in.

The amounts of ingredients I used in this are based on my personal tastes. Test the broth as you go and change things up as you see fit.

2 squares ramen (egg) noodles
1 small onion, diced
2 inch piece ginger, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb mushrooms (I used re hydrated lobster and shiitake)
1 box organic vegetable/beef/chicken stock
1/2 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp Sriracha (more if you like things spicy)
1-2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp lime juice
handful of spinach leaves
handful of sprouts
1/2 cup cilantro leaves

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the noodles to al dente according to package directions. Set aside.



In a large pot over medium-high heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Once the oil is shiny and hot, add the onions and ginger and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant but not browning. Add the mushrooms and cook until they’ve released their liquid and are browning. Remove and reserve some of the mushrooms to garnish.



Add the stock, sesame oil, soy, hot sauce, vinegar and cumin. Turn heat up and bring the broth to a boil. Lower and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and top with reserved mushrooms, spinach leaves (they will cook in the soup), cilantro and sprouts. Serve with extra Sriracha and soy sauce.

Let me first start by telling you my laptop mysteriously shut down just as I was about to click “post” on a completely finished entry. For a second I thought my heart might pound right through the vein in my neck. Luckily Allan made me some tea and I calmed down. Otherwise the Bronson nightcrew might have found themselves a new laptop tonight.

Let’s try this again. You’re lucky I love you… I wouldn’t do this for just anyone.

I hurried to get through my dinner tonight so I could rush here (‘here’ being the couch…it was an awful long journey) and talk to you about soup. Tangy, sweet, spicy thai soup, to be more specific.

When I promised I would start being more adventurous in the kitchen in 2011, I had high hopes of testing my skills with varying cuisines, as well. One in particular being Thai food. I tend not to dabble in Thai because there are so many great restaurants in Ottawa that I’ve never had to. But, you know, sometimes I don’t want to leave my house (or my beloved sweatpants) to get a bowl of soup. What is a girl to do?

I was catching up on some Internetting Sunday morning and thought to myself, while vigorously rubbing my arms to rid them of the permanent goosebumps this weather has given me, that I could really use a bowl of Tom Kah Gai (Coconut Chicken Soup). Without appropriate company for a restaurant visit, it seemed I would have to roll up my sleeves and finally give Thai-at-home a try. Reluctantly.

I did a little reading about the soup and it’s authentic ingredient list before heading out with Mr. GL to run some errands. In a perfect world, I would have ended up at T&T or Kowloon Market to ensure my ingredient list could be procured. But as luck would (and usually does) have it, my dreams of galangal and keffir limes were dashed when we ran out of time and needed to get home. I was left at my little Glebe Metro, which I adore on most days, but comes up short in the ethnic/obscure food department. This was a long story to basically explain that this soup is not a typical Tom Kah Gai. But you like stories, right? I thought so. (This is why writing a blog is the best. I just tell myself you’re all sitting there, wide eyed and fully engaged in my story telling. You’re my favourite audience!)

Never the less, the soup was made and enjoyed supremely. While not an authentic Tom Kah Gai, it was decievingly close in flavour and appearance. If you’re stuck for time and looking for a close resemblance, all these ingredients can be easily found at your local grocery store.

Tom Kah Gai (the Gouda Life way)

4 cups chicken/shrimp stock
1 can coconut milk (preferably not low-fat)
1 tsp granulated sugar
1-2 thai chilies, diced or 1 tbsp (or more) Sriracha sauce
1 tbsp lime zest
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
2 portabella mushrooms, sliced thin
1 ripe tomato, diced
10 (approx) medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, rough chopped

In a large pot over medium heat, add the chicken stock, coconut milk, sugar and chilies. Whisk to dissolve the sugar. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the lime zest, chicken, mushrooms, shrimp and tomato. Stir occasionally until the chicken is cooked through, 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat, add the lime juice and fish sauce and stir well.

Ladle into bowls and serve with cilantro.

Dear Cabbage,

I know we’ve had our share of problems in the past. You want to be a bigger part of my life, but you’re hard to stomach sometimes. I struggle with your waxy personality and bitter dispostion. If you want another shot with me, I suggest you mellow out and learn how to be softer and more palatable.

Thank you in advance.

Love,
Kelly

And just like a prayer answered from above, came Marcella Hazan’s Smothered Cabbage and Rice Soup.

The cabbage in this soup is shredded down to coleslaw-like ribbons, braised until it can hardly even be labeled as cabbage, and then simmered with arborio rice and beef broth. Holy cow. It is good. It runs a line somewhere between soup and stew (and no, I won’t call it stoup. I am not Rachel Ray.) and is brutally unappealing to look at. Porridgey beige would be a good description of what is eventually ladled into your soup bowl. But if beige were a flavour, this certainly would not be it. Maybe brown, because brown tastes good. But nothing as bland as beige (which is to be said in a monotone with your bottom lip left loose and your eyes rolling).

I should also say that this soup is made blissfully rich with a last minute addition of a few pats of butter and Parmesan cheese. Oooohhh baby. Magic words, right there, eh? Eh?

I know cabbage is not everybody’s favourite. My own best friend likely wouldn’t eat this even if I swore on my life that she would love it. (note: she said she would try it, but preferably while she was sick and everything tasted like cardboard anyways.) I also know cooking a whole head of it is probably not your idea of a first step in giving cabbage a chance. But hear this. Are you listening? It doesn’t taste like raw cabbage. It takes on a whole different persona when you slooooow things doooooown and give it some time to luxuriate and get gussied up. Have patience, will you?

Rice and Smothered Cabbage Soup
via The Wednesday Chefvia Marcella Hazan

Smothered Cabbage:
2 pounds Savoy cabbage (red or green will do in a pinch)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon wine vinegar

Detach and discard the first few outer leaves of the cabbage. Shred the remaining head of cabbage very fine, either with your food processor’s shredding attachment or by hand. Be sure to remove the cabbage’s inner core. 




(I hate shredding cabbage so I just sliced it into thin ribbons.)

Put the onion and olive oil and a large saute pan and turn the heat to medium. Cook the onion, stirring, until it’s softened and taken on some color. Then add the garlic. When the garlic has turned a pale gold, add the shredded cabbage. Turn the cabbage over 2 or 3 times to coat it well, and cook it until it has wilted.

Add salt, pepper, and the vinegar to the pan. Turn the cabbage over once, completely, then lower the heat to minimum and cover the pan tightly. Cook for at least 1 1/2 hours, or until it is very tender, stirring from time to time. Add 2 tablespoons of water, if needed, during the cooking if the cabbage becomes too dry. When done, taste and add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Allow it to settle a few minutes off heat before serving.

Soup:
Smothered cabbage
3 cups good quality stock (chicken, beef or veggie) or water
2/3 cup Arborio rice
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Put the cabbage and broth into a soup pot, and turn on the heat to medium.

When the broth comes to a boil, add the rice. Cook, uncovered, adjusting the heat so that the soup bubbles at a slow but steady boil, stirring from time to time until the rice is done. It must be tender, but firm to the bite, and should take around 20 minutes. If while the rice is cooking, you find the soup becoming too thick dilute it with a ladleful of homemade broth or water. The soup should be on the dense-ish side when finished.

When the rice is done, before turning off the heat, stir in the butter and the grated cheese. Taste and correct for salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into individual plates and allow it to settle a few minutes before serving.

Note: I made this yesterday and was anxious to see how the leftovers would be. There is little to no liquid left today, so the ‘soup’ is more like a risotto. Drizzled with some good olive oil, some shaved parm and pepper, it’s almost better than day 1. Yum!

It’s been a week since Al got back from his 11-day east coast tour, and he still hasn’t quite returned to a healthy state. I guess partying every night and then driving 4-5 hours everyday in a cramped van with other guys can wear you pretty thin after 11 days. It certainly isn’t my idea of fun… but I guess that’s why I’m writing to you from the warmth of my apartment and Allan is the musician in the family.

As a result of needing fairly flexible work hours for band related things, he works pretty god awful hours some days. Do you know what 4:30am looks like? I sure don’t. As far as I’m concerned, 4:30am is really a pm. If I’m up at that time, it is likely I haven’t slept yet and still consider it night time. 4:30am looks bad. Really bad, guys. It’s cold and dark and scary. But he does is everyday without a complaint. And he does it 4-5 days in a row.

When Saturday rolled around and he woke up for his last 5am shift in a row, sniffling and feeling like a sack of poo, I decided it might be a good time to make him a nice dinner. I emailed him at work and told him I was going to make him whatever he wanted. It took about 2.5546770 seconds for his response. ”Chicken noodle soup with loads of chicken and noodles. Hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows.” I definitely thought he would ask for something a little fancier but who am I to deny a man a basic human right? A steaming hot bowl of chicken noodle soup.

Chicken noodle soup is one of two things. Made with boxed stock or made with homemade stock. If you haven’t tried the latter, you haven’t tried chicken noodle soup. Not to say there isn’t a time and place for a box stock. Lord knows I don’t have the time, or freezer space, to make a pot of stock every time I need a cup of the stuff for a recipe. But for something like chicken noodle soup, where the stock is the first thing you taste, the base of the whole meal… investing the time and little effort into a really good, slow-simmered stock is important. The most important. We’re talking life and death… of your taste buds.

Chicken Noodle Soup
based on Delicious.Days recipe

1 onion, cut in half with skin on
6 slices of bacon, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and rough chopped
1 celery stalk, cleaned and rough chopped
1/2 leek (white and light green parts only)
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/3C fresh parsley, rough chopped
2 bay leaves
1 small-medium whole chicken, quartered (instructions here)
freshly ground pepper, whole peppercorns, salt, and nutmeg to taste

cubed carrots and celery (to remain in final soup), as much as you’d like
scallions
1 450g bag of fusilli (or pasta of your choice)

In a large skillet, cook the chopped bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and leave bacon fat in the skillet. Over medium-high heat, add the onion halves to the pan, cut side down, and brown them really well. Set aside.





Once you’ve quartered your chicken, add the pieces to a big pot of boiling water and blanch for 2-3 minutes. Remove, discard water. Rinse the chicken well under cold water and pat dry.



Add the bacon, chicken pieces, vegetables, herbs, and about a tbsp of whole peppercorns to a large stock pot. Cover everything with cold water. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 2.5-3 hours. It will reduce quite a bit. After the first hour, taste the stock and salt to taste.





After the 3 hours has passed, strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve and return to pot. I picked through the chicken for all the big hunks and added them to the soup, but if you prefer a broth with just vegetables, leave the chicken out. Add the carrots and celery to the strained stock. Bring to a boil, lower and simmer the vegetables until almost tender. I like a little bite to mine. Add a pinch or two of nutmeg and some freshly ground pepper.



While the vegetables are simmering, cook your pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, add the pasta to the stock.

Ladle into bowls and top with raw scallions. Slurp away!