• About the Author
  • Recipe Index
  • Contact Me
  • The Kitchen Crew
  • The Legal Necessities

More Savory, Less Sweet

Adventures in Food - Taste, Explore, Inspire and Share

Quick and Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

02/02/2018 by Laura Leave a Comment

Can you believe it is February 2nd today?  According to Punxsutawney Phil, there’s 6 more weeks of soup weather ahead of us!

January was a total blur for me.  I got that ridiculous virus (flu).  I really hope you have escaped it, and if you catch it, do take it seriously.  I started hacking on Boxing Day; coughing so hard and uncontrollably I could not catch my breath at times.  (Before you ask, YES I GOT A FLU SHOT!)  I saw the Dr. on the 27th of December and was given steroids, antivirals, and inhalers.  If you know me at all, you know I will do anything to avoid taking Prednisone.  This time, I did not even consider putting up a fight!  I would have done anything to STOP the coughing!  When there were clear signs of infection a week later, I was put on antibiotics.  I ran fevers of about 100′ off and on for three weeks.  It was just last week that I honestly believed I would make it to Valentines Day!  I’m surprised our food delivery folks haven’t called to see why the Hot and Sour soup orders have stopped!  Anyway, with my absence explained, and all the crap I ordered on-line while sick; returned, I’m here to share this recipe with you!

We love chicken tortilla soup!  So flavorful and satisfying.  I always have a whole chicken in the freezer, and roasted tomatoes in the pantry.  Onions, avocados, tortillas, and cilantro are usually restocked weekly.  I discovered a frozen southwest veggie mix a couple summers ago.  It is the perfect add-in to this soup.  This frozen veggie combo also makes a great cold salad with a lime, cumin, cilantro vinaigrette.  This veggie mix has become a staple in the freezer as well.  This post is not sponsored…I’m sharing this “short cut” with you ’cause that’s what I’m all about.

For the soup

Place one whole chicken* (extra fat, skin and giblets removed), in a large stock pot.

  • cover the chicken with 3 quarts of fresh, cold water
  • season with salt and pepper

Simmer about two hours, over low heat, until chicken is done – no pink in the thighs.

Remove chicken from pot.  Strain the broth into a large bowl and set aside.

Pull the chicken off the bones, removing the skin, breaking the meat into bite size pieces. Set aside.

*You could use rotisserie chicken and three quarts of chicken stock, if your prefer to not cook a whole chicken. Just start with the steps below.

1 large or 2 small jalapeno peppers, minced

1 large, sweet onion, diced

4 T. olive oil

Sauté the onion and pepper in the olive oil over medium heat in your stock pot, about 5 minutes, until tender.

Add:

  • 1 large can diced, fire roasted tomatoes
  • 2 T ground cumin
  • 1 T chili powder
  • Salt, pepper
  • 2 bags of southwestern style frozen vegetables

Pour the reserved stock back into the stock pot.  Taste for Seasoning.  Simmer about 30 minutes.

15 minutes before serving, add the reserved chicken meat to the pot.  Simmer gently to warm the meat through. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

While the soup is heating, prepare the garnishes:

Cut 4-5 corn tortillas into strips.  Add 4 T of oil to a sauté pan and cook them until lightly brown and crisp.  Cool on a paper towel to remove any excess oil.

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

1 bunch of green onions, sliced

2-3 avocado’s diced

lime wedges – 1 per serving

grated cheese, for serving

sour cream for serving

When ready to serve, ladle soup into a serving bowl bowl.  Top with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro, onion and sour cream.  Add a lime wedge on the side..  This soup is fantastic leftover and also freezes well.

Make it soon, you won’t regret it!

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful evening.

Laura

Filed Under: Mexican, One Pot Meal, Poultry, Quick - Week Night, Soup Tagged With: avacado, bean, cheese, chicken, cilantro, cour cream, onion, soup, tortilla

Garbage Day Soup!

09/27/2017 by Laura 2 Comments

It’s human nature to have many routines, whether they’re conscious or unconscious!  Often, we’re not even sure how long we’ve had them or how they got started.  One of mine is cleaning the fridge the night before the compost, recycling, yard waste, (garbage, if you’re not from Seattle) are collected.  I’m pretty sure my mom does the same thing.  However, now that I have “more time than money” I am very conscientious about the wasting of anything.  It’s not that I was not conscious before, but when your unpredictable work schedule takes you away from home 3-5 days a week, you don’t always manage the larder as efficiently as possible; leftovers get tossed, planned meals don’t get cooked, and the freezer quickly fills with foil packets I call UFO’s….unidentifiable frozen objects, that are rarely interesting a month or two later! 

Even with the best intentions, sometimes what’s left at week’s end, is pretty drab and has very few opportunities to be repurposed!  I’d love to hear ideas for leftover lettuce based salads, as that is one item that fills my compost bucket routinely!  Chicken or salmon – easily become next days sandwich with a little help of mayo, celery, bell pepper.  Potatoes, vegetable and gravy – perfect set up for Shepard’s pie, or “dinner for breakfast” potato pancakes.

I got lucky this week, when I opened the produce drawer to “clean it out”.  I had a few ears of corn, a half-dozen poblano peppers, a couple jalopeno peppers, cilantro and some leftover chicken.  I knew immediately I would be making a corn, pepper, chicken chowder.  We had onions, garlic, baby potatoes and chicken stock in the pantry, so I jumped right in.  This could all be thrown together in a crock pot, but I actually made the base one day, and reheated it with cream the second day.  This soup is delicious and will stay in our rotation throughout the winter, even though we will have to sub frozen corn for the fresh.

For the corn, poblano and chicken chowder

1 large sweet onion, chopped

4-6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 jalopenos , stems and seeds removed and finely chopped

5 poblano peppers, stems and seeds removed and chopped

4 ears of corn, cut away from the cob

12 tiny potatoes, quartered

1 quart chicken stock

2 cups water

2 cups cooked chicken meat in bite size pieces (from leftover chicken)

1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped – retain a few leaves for garnish

1 pint heavy cream

oil for sautéing

salt and pepper

grated cheese for serving – Mexican style

Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in the bottom of a heavy soup pot over medium heat.  Sauté the onion, garlic, peppers until soft, about 7 minutes

Add the corn cobs, chopped cilantro, potatoes and chicken stock, and allow to simmer at least an hour.

At this point, I added the chicken, simmered it about an hour more and then moved the pot to the fridge. You could easily complete the soup, but I think the extra day with the corn husks in the pot really pumped up the corn flavor! Add salt and pepper as needed.

About an hour before serving, I brought the soup to a slow simmer.  I reduced the heat as much as possible and added the pint of cream.

We served this with grated cheese and fresh-baked corn bread.  I really hope you’ll give it a try, whether you have  the ingredients on hand or not!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great evening.

Laura

Filed Under: Mexican, One Pot Meal, Poultry, Soup, Vegetables Tagged With: chicken, chowder, cilantro, cream, poblano, soup, sweet summer corn

Spicy Sesame Pork and Noodle Soup

03/07/2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

This recipe exemplifies “WHY” I love to cook!  Calling for unfamiliar ingredients and new techniques, all leading me to new discoveries at the Asian market.  I know these are the same things that will prevent many from making this recipe!

Starting as a kid, with the Time Life Foods of the World cookbooks, food has always allowed me to explore unknown places and cultures, without leaving my kitchen.  The pictures, the recipes and finally; the meals, opened me up to new taste experiences.   Luckily, the shrinking world (and Food TV)  has made it easier to find “exotic” spices, seasonings, herbs, fruits and vegetables, that were a struggle to locate 30 years ago.

I am a big fan of warm, comforting bowls of broth, meat and noodles.  They taste especially good after a week on the road, eating the nightly “specials” at some non-descript hotel!  When this recipe showed up in my in box from Food 52, I knew I had to make it.  It was originally posted by a food blogger from Hawaii, Gingerroot.  The three day prep time, an extra trip to the Asian market and using every stock pot I own, were all worth it.  This is absolutely delicious.  I am excited that I have extras in the freezer, waiting for me to return from the next road trip!

Unlike most of my posts, I am not going to include detailed, step by step instructions.   Food 52  did an amazing job, so refer to the link if you need help.

soup spicy sesame pork 053.2

Spicy Sesame Pork with Noodles

adapted from this recipe

For Stock

  • 3 pounds meaty pork neck bones – I used Pork Shanks
  • 1 medium onion, rough chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, preferably organic, scrubbed and rough chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 smoked ham hock
  • 5 whole cilantro plants, including roots, well washed – I used one bunch of Cilantro
  • 5 whole scallions, including roots, well washed

soup spicy pork 011.22

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Brown pork bones in a little oil, on both sides, over medium heat,  in a large stock pot, that will fit in the oven.  Cook about 15 minutes.   Add carrots and onions to pan, piling vegetables on top of the bones. Roast for 30-45 minutes, until vegetables begin to char around edges and bones begin to caramelize.  Add 14 cups water. Water should be covering bones by about an inch.  Be sure and scrape up all browned bits from the bottom of pan.

In a small bowl, whisk tamarind paste, tomato paste, and 2 tablespoons water from the stockpot. Whisk this mixture into the stockpot. Heat stock over medium-high heat until nearly boiling, and then reduce to a slow simmer. Continue simmering (uncovered) for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, using a sieve, strain out vegetables, pressing down on solids so liquids go back into stockpot. One at a time, carefully take out bones and put them on a plate near your stockpot. Using small tongs and a fork (or two forks) remove the meat. Transfer meat (should have between 3-4 cups depending on how meaty your bones were) to a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate. Return bones, including cartilage and fat, and any liquid that may have accumulated on the plate, to stockpot. Continue simmering for 1 hour. At this point, you can allow mixture to cool slightly before refrigerating overnight.  The next day, remove congealed fat layer from surface of stock before simmering for a final hour, adding the smoked ham hock, whole cilantro plants and scallions. Strain out hock and aromatics with a sieve, pressing down on solids to allow liquids back into stock. Repeat cooling and refrigerating step.

Alternatively, you can make the stock in one day by adding the smoked hock and aromatics after three hours of simmering (skipping the extra overnight in the fridge), and continue cooking for the final hour. Cool stock enough to refrigerate overnight (see above in step 8).

soup spicy pork 033.2

Seasonings For the Soup 

  • 14-16 ounces rice vermicelli (from an Asian market or section of the grocery store – Do not substitute gluten free rice noodles) *Feel free to substitute your favorite Asian noodle instead, such as ramen
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onion
  • 1/2 chopped cilantro
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 4 cups shredded Savoy or Napa cabbage
  • 3 cups reserved pork meat, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Aka (Red) Miso paste found in the Japanese section of an Asian market or some grocery stores
  • 1-2 tablespoons Gochujang** (fermented Korean chili paste) found in the Korean section of an Asian market or some grocery stores
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup Katsuo Furikake (Roasted Sesame Seed and Dried Bonito mix) *found in the Japanese section of an Asian market or some grocery stores

Take stock out of refrigerator and remove congealed fat layer from the surface of soup (stock should be more like jelly than liquid).

Heat stock over medium-high heat until nearly boiling, and then reduce to a slow simmer.

If you have them, use a suribachi (ceramic Japanese mortar with rough grooves on the inside of the bowl) and surikogi (wooden pestle) to grind katsuo furikake into a paste. If you do not, a regular mortar and pestle will also work. Add ½ t sesame oil midway through grinding to help mixture come together.

When almost all of the sesame seeds are mashed, add in 1 T of gojuchang. If you know you love heat, add 2 T. As you turn the pestle around the mortar, the gojuchang will ball up around the sesame seed mixture. Whisk this into the stock and allow soup to simmer for 20 minutes. If there is still a lot of sesame-gojuchang paste stuck in the mortar, add a little bit of stock to the bowl, stir, and pour mixture into the pot.

Turn off heat.

Place miso paste in a small bowl and whisk in enough hot stock (2-3 T) to liquefy the miso. Pour this into stock and stir to incorporate. Allow mixture to cool and refrigerate overnight.

soup spicy pork 035.2

Finishing the Soup

Remove your soup from the refrigerator and slowly heat it up.

In another pot, cook rice vermicelli according to directions on the package, and then drain in a colander, rinsing with some cold water to stop the noodles from cooking.

In a skillet large enough to hold pork and cabbage, heat sesame oil over medium heat.

Add chopped pork and stir to heat through. Add cabbage and stir to take off raw edge. Turn off heat, stir in balsamic and a pinch of salt.

soup spicy pork 043.2

Portion rice noodles into soup bowls.

Top each bowl with pork and cabbage.

Ladle steaming broth over each bowl.

Generously add chopped green onions and cilantro to each bowl and serve immediately. Enjoy!

soup spicy pork 050.2

Thanks for visiting.  Have a wonderful evening!

Laura

**Gochujang – Awesome Korean Spicy condiment. A little sweeter than Siricha.

Filed Under: One Pot Meal, Pasta, Pork, Soft Food Tagged With: cilantro, pork, rice noodle, sesame, spicy

Grilled Halibut with Pico De Gallo and Avocado Salad

04/14/2014 by Laura 1 Comment

Dave and I spent a few hours at the Pantry at Delancey on Sunday afternoon, “sharpening” our knife skills.  The class was taught by Chef Mataio Gillis from Ciao Thyme.  After Chef Gillis inspected, sharpened and honed everyone’s knife, we reviewed types of knives and their function, proper knife care and body mechanics.  My intentions for signing up for the class, were not entirely honorable.  I wanted Dave to be more comfortable with slicing and dicing, so I do not end up doing all the “prep” work when we cook together.  Even though I am pretty efficient with a knife, I definitely learned some new tricks!   We practiced brunoise, fine brunoise, small, medium, and large dice,  julienne, allumette and batonnet cuts on potatoes, carrots and celery.  As for Dave, he is now in charge of all mirepoix prep and knife care!

The Pico De Gallo was the result of 15 students chopping tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic and cilantro.   As with all classes at The Pantry, we ended with a meal of Pico De Gallo, chips, guacamole and a cold beer!  Since I had a beautiful filet of fresh Alaskan halibut on hand for dinner, I decided to take my portion home and serve it with the fish!   I served an avocado and radish salad with a cumin – lime vinaigrette alongside the halibut.  Just like the class and the beautiful spring day, the meal was fabulous!

halibut 009.2

 

For the Avocado and Radish Salad with Cumin and Lime Vinaigrette

For the dressing

1/3 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice

2/3 cup very light olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon honey or agave

salt and pepper to taste

For the salad

mixed lettuce of your choice – I used butter lettuce and watercress, torn into bite size pieces

about 1 Tablespoon coarsely chopped cilantro per serving

1/2 large dice avocado per serving

2-3 thinly sliced radishes, per serving

for the garnish – finely diced radish and lime zest

Toss the lettuce and radishes together.  Add the dressing and toss again.  Gently fold in the avocado.  Garnish with the lime zest and diced radish

I don’t have permission to share the Pico De Gallo recipe we made in class.   Just make your favorite!  Also, when grilling a flaky fish like halibut, it is extremely important that your grill is very hot and very well oiled!  It takes just a few minutes on each side for perfectly cooked fish.  

 

Filed Under: Fish and Seafood, Quick - Week Night Tagged With: avacado, cilantro, halibut, radish, tomato

Looking for a particular recipe? Search here!

Stay in touch!

Enter your email address to subscribe to More Savory Less Sweet, and receive notifications of new posts by email.

What we’re doing when we’re not blogging!

Follow on Instagram
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
Error: There is no connected account for the user 17841401233545030.
Foodista Food Blog of the Day Badge

Copyright © 2023 · Lifestyle Pro Child Theme for More Savory, Less Sweet on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in