Curried Zucchini (and carrot) Soup (easy) (Williams-Sonoma)

Prep time: 15-20 min.

Cooking time: 30 min.

Serves 6

1 large onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into thin half moon

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. curry powder, or to taste

Fine sea salt, to taste

4 small zucchini (12 oz. total), ends trimmed, cut lengthwise then crosswise into 1” pieces

1 qt. chicken stock

(I made this using 3 zucchini and 6 of the baby snacking carrots cut into pieces, and it was wonderful)

1. In unheated heavy, 6 qt. pot, combine onion, oil, curry powder and salt. Stir to coat onions.

2. Sweat over low heat, stirring until onions are soft, 3-4 min.

3. Add zucchini (and carrots if using them) and cook until soft, 3-4 min.

4. Add stock, blend, bring to simmer over medium heat. Cover and simmer for 20 min.

5. Remove pot from heat. Blend in blender. Taste for seasoning.

6. Can serve hot or cold.

Libby’s Chicken Soup

Makes 2 ½ qts.

1 5 to 6 lb chicken or hen (I’ve also used one 4 pound cut up chicken and 2-3 lb. wings. You can also use necks)
2 ½ to 3 qts. water
1 small or ½ medium parsnip
1 small petrouchka (root of Italian parsley)
(I’ve never been able to find this so it must not be important)
1 small or ½ large knob celery
1 medium onion
1 medium leek
2 medium carrots
2 ribs celery w/ leaves
3 or 4 sprigs parsley, preferably Italian
A bit of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
White pepper to taste
Pinch of sugar, if needed
Garnishes: parsley, dill, noodles, rice, matzoh balls

1. Quarter chicken so it can be covered w/ as little water as possible. Trim all excess fat from
the neck opening and undersides of quarters. Remove skin from neck and wash neck. Scrape
gizzard clean and rinse, along with heart. Discard liver.

2. Place chicken, giblets, and 2 t. salt in tall straight-sided soup pot, preferably not aluminum;
and add just enough water to barely cover—ideally not more than 2 ½ qts. If you need more
water to cover, then the pot is too wide.

3. Bring water to boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered, skimming scum off surface as it
rises. When soup clears, cover and simmer slowly but steadily for about 45 min.

4. While soup simmers, prepare vegetables. Scrape parsnip, carrots, peel knob of celery and
and onions, trim and wash leeks well to remove sand. Add along w/ washed celery ribs
w/ leaves and parsley sprigs.

5. Bring back to simmer and cook for 1 ½ hrs. longer or until meat begins to fall from bone.

6. As soup cooks, add a little salt gradually, if needed. Do not add too much or soup will
become salty as it cooks down.

7. Remove chicken and vegetables with a slotted spoon and set aside. Let soup cool; strain it
through a very fine sieve. Rinse original soup pot.

8. Season soup w/ tiny bit of white pepper, if desired. If soup has acid edge, add the tiniest
pinch of sugar. Most times, the root vegetables provide enough sweetening.

9. Serve soup scalding hot. Never boil it in the reheating or it will turn cloudy. Serve in wide,
flat bowls, ladeled over noodles, rice, or other garnishes and liberally sprinkle w/ parsley.

adrienne's marinade

1/4 cup worsterchire sauce
1/4 cup wine (any will do)
2T-4T honey
2T vinegar (rice vinegar works quite well)
1 garlic clove minced
rosemary & thyme

mix it all up and marinade what you will in it. . .it kind of looks gross when you take it out of the fridge before you cook whatever you marinated but it is muy delicioso when you are eating it.

s-panko that chicken!

here's how to panko crust some chicken real good:

*put some panko crumbs in a wide dish.
*add some or all of the following:
paprika
chili powder
garlic powder
*add some freshly grated parmesan
*squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top of that
*mix that all up

*using an egg wash (or just whites) or even water, dip the chicken in the liquid and then run it through the panko mixture, pressing the crumbs into the chicken.

*oh, this whole time the oven will be on 375 but you will have taken out the middle rack while it's pre-heating and wrap it in foil. lightly spray some cooking oil on the foil (that rhymes!) and lay the chicken pieces on it.

*when the chicken is laid out lightly spray the tops with cooking oil. put the rack in the middle position of the oven and cook for 10 minutes. flip the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes. remove chicken and let rest for a few minutes so the crumbs are nice and crunchy.

eat and enjoy! (really yummy with a simple green salad, btw.)

Tuna Nicoise: Shaygo's way

oh tuna nicoise, how i love thee.

*mixed greens or spinach
*hard boiled eggs
*green beans
*olives (oil cured are delicious)
*red onion
*avocado
*tuna steak (for real -- leave your canned in the pantry)

no tomatoes because i think they taste weird with the tuna steak.

i like to blanch the green beans and then shock them in cold water.

to make the tuna i coat that sucker in some evoo and coarsely ground pepper and then sear it so it's nice & raw on the inside.

for the dressing i use white vinegar, evoo, about a tsp of dijon, 1 minced shallot and salt & pepper.

put it all together and eat it. . .

Someone's in the kitchen

This is a space for us to begin to build an archive of favorite family recipes, new recipes and other food related things -- including wine!

It will be a way for us to share and also a way for us to keep in touch.

Bon Appetite!!