My whole week has felt topsy turvy since all three of us have been sick. Zach got the worst of it, some godawful flu that's kept him from work three days in the row. His fever finally broke last night and he's no longer hacking up bits of lung matter, but still, poor guy. That's why I made an abbreviated version of our favorite chicken orzo soup yesterday. We originally made it with turkey around Thanksgiving time, but it's so tasty that we make it more often with chicken.
Simple roast chicken: Coat inside/out with olive oil. Salt and pepper inside/out.
Stuff with fresh herbs, garlic cloves, cut-up lemon. Cook 1 1/2 hours at 425 degrees. Voila.
You can go the easier route and just buy a roast chicken and stock/broth at the store, OR you can go the labor-intensive route of brining the bird overnight, roasting it the next day, making homemade stock after you've taken the meat off, and then begin the soup. The latter produces SUBLIME results. The meat is so moist and flavorful from the brine, and the broth is a rich, golden brown color. The veggies go: mirepois (carrots, onion, celery), garlic, and then whatever root veggies you like. We use rutabaga, parsnips, and turnips. Throw a little bouquet garnis in there (fresh herbs tied up with a string or put in a small bag) while it's simmering, orzo, fresh parsley and chicken at the very end, and you're done. We like eating it with freshly grated Parmegiano Reggiano on top, along with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Hastily taken photograph. Wish I took some better ones.
I made a double batch yesterday so I could bring some to my friend who just had a baby boy last week, but I skipped the brining and making stock-part. Still turned out pretty tasty.
I also tried a new recipe, Ginger Tea Cake, that I read in one of my books, After the Baby's Birth: A Complete Guide for Postpartum Women. The book itself it great because you normally just read about the pregnancy/labor portion and forget about what happens to you AFTER the little bugger is born. It borrows extensively from the Ayurvedic lifestyle practiced in India, including recommendations of food that are given to postpartum women like ghee, honey, milk, almonds, and coconut rice. The recipe was so simple, I'm going to write it down from memory since I just lent the book to my friend.
- 1/2 cup of boiling water
- 1 stick of butter (1/4 lb)
- 1 inch of fresh ginger, grated (or 1 tbsp. of dry ground ginger)
- 1/2 cup of blackstrap molasses
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup brown or raw sugar
- 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour (I used AP)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
(the photo above is for double the normal recipe, hence, two eggs and two sticks of butter)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour boiling water over butter and ginger to melt. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and beat until smooth. Bake in a buttered 8 by 8-inch pan, for approx. 35 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Best served warm with tea.
My verdict: I may sift the flour, mix more thoroughly, or let the batter rest a minute next time since there were tiny bits of uncooked flour in the cake. It still tasted great though, a lot like the gingerbread cake my great-grandma used to make and serve with whipped cream on top. It's not too sweet, and delicous with a cup o' tea. (I also used a 9 by 9-inch pan which worked fine, and will probably even use a muffin tin next time. Just adjust the cooking time.)
Not the prettiest cake I've made, but mighty tasty all the same.
One more dish I made last night was a cucumber salad with mint and feta. I won't write the recipe down here because I snagged it off a great blog called Simply Recipes, so check out this link if you're interested in making it. Again, a very simple, light, refreshing dish, perfect for summer. I used apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar, I'm sure you could even use balsamic or red wine if you preferred.
I won't let go of summer. I won't.
Have a great weekend everyone!
-A.
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