recipes 14, 15, and 16: March Madness Mango Madness!

Okay. So I've been meaning to post my "trio of mango recipes" since right before Jamaica. I was getting excited about the mangoes in Jamaica because when we were there last year, we consumed roughly 86 mango smoothies a day. We were excited to engage in same this year. We were sorely disappointed when we realized that we were one month shy of mango season this time. Instead, we were there during "Jamaican apple" season. Now who knows what a Jamaican apple is? That's right! Nobody! Tristan and I were in split camps about the Jamaican apples. Tristan would use these descriptors: "Delicious! Flowery but sweet!" I would use these descriptors: "Tasted like roses, not food." In any event, I haven't gotten mangoes out of my mind. And March Madness Mango Madness has a nice ring. Go Kentucky. These three recipes are delightfully easy and refreshing! The first is a mix (plus my own ideas) from a few different recipes randomly found in a Google search for something like: "what to do with quickly aging soba noodles that you brought back from Japan, wrongly assuming you would have a million uses for them when you got back." The second comes from a food blog that one of my high school classmates had for about a year before a "URL not found" suddenly (and sadly) appeared in it's place- I believe she credited Cooking Light for the recipe but I'm not sure. The possible Cooking Light citation leads me to believe this is a healthy one. The third one is a Tiffany brain child. When you see the simplicity of it, you might choose to call it an infant brain child instead. But it is delish! And fat free! And refreshing! Um, warning: all of these recipes are summery. Expect feelings of senioritis immediately!

CILANTRO-PEANUT-MANGO SOBA NOODLE SALAD (serves a picnic-full of guests)
Dressing Ingredients:
-1 squeezed lime
-1/4 c peanut oil
-1 T rice vinegar
-1/2 t paprika
-2 T soy sauce
-honey to taste
-1 minced garlic clove

Salad Ingredients:
-12 oz soba noodles, cooked and chilled
-1 red pepper, chopped
-1 large mango, peeled and chopped
-1 c chopped salted peanuts
-1/2 c coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
-1/4 c sliced sliced green onions
-1 T sesame seeds

Instructions:
1) mix dressing ingredients
2) mix salad ingredients
3) mix together

MARINATED CHICKEN WITH WATERMELON-MANGO-JALAPENO SALSA (serves 4)
Ingredients:
-dry spice rub (you can make your own with various spices or buy a pre-made one)
-1 T olive oil
-1 lb boneless chicken breast cutlets
-cooking spray
-2 c cubed, seeded watermelon
-1 c cubed, peeled ripe mango
-1/4 c chopped red onion
-2 T chopped cilantro
-1 T finely chopped seeded jalapeno
-1 T lime juice
-1/2 t sugar
-1/4 t salt

Instructions:
1) combine spice rub, oil, and chicken in bag and marinate for up to four hours
2) grill chicken in a grill pan sprayed with cooking spray
3) mix remainder of ingredients in a bowl
4) top grilled chicken with watermelon salsa

SIMPLE TROPICAL COOL WHIP SURPRISE (serves however many people you would like; plan ingredients accordingly)
Ingredients:
-cubed fresh pineapple
-cubed fresh mango
-Cool Whip
-shredded coconut

Instructions:
1) mix! Go Kentucky!

recipe 13: sherried potage

My best friend Amy (who, after this many years of friendship, has truly become a second sister to me) and I spent a trimester of high school studying abroad in France. We spent 5 weeks living with a host family in Paris, 2 weeks living with a host family in Pau (see map with ridiculously long and complicated website address: http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=pau+map+france&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0xd564885b45c7ae9:0x4066517481394b0,Pau,+France&gl=us&ei=HnVvT6naFoWD0QHEuK34Bg&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CC8Q8gEwAA), and a week traveling through the Loire Valley and the Côte d'Azur. This was the adventure of a lifetime, but we admittedly spent a lot of precious time being homesick. I'd never been away from my family for more than a weekend and then poof! I was suddenly living in France for eight weeks at the age of 15. At that interesting (read: awkward) juncture of my life, I epitomized immature, had no idea how to read a map of the city, and my ability to communicate in French was comical, if anything. Amy and I missed the foods from home, me especially. I went on unsuccessful quests for bagels for breakfast and insisted on storing a half-gallon of imported Tropicana on our window balcony. The family we stayed with in Paris in their very chic Rue des Saints-Pères apartment was, among other things, an avid pack of hunters. They would come home on some weekends and dinner would consist of severely undercooked venison. This was a very far cry from my mom's lasagna and chicken cutlets. The teenage sons would taunt Amy and I: "C'est Bambi!" We did not like when Bambi was for dinner. What we liked and looked forward to, when we finally managed to get the homesickness to a level of tolerable, was our French mother's homemade potage. Potage is a creamy French carrot-leek-potato soup. I have spent forever trying to figure out how potage is made and have searched high and low for recipes. I am confident that I've now mastered it and I am in love with this creation- I've saved the best soup for last in my Feast of Seven Soups. I do want to issue a disclaimer here: I don't know if this soup is for everybody. People who don't adore carrots may not agree that I've saved the best for last. In any case, I feel like I'm right back at that Rue des Saints-Pères dining room table when I eat this... I've adapted the recipe from one of the blogs that I follow http://www.blue-kitchen.com/2009/01/28/potage-crecy-french-for-its-cold-outside%E2%80%94you-need-some-creamy-carrot-soup/:


SHERRIED POTAGE (makes a pot full)
Ingredients:
-3 T unsalted butter
-a spin of olive oil around the pan
-3 leeks (tender white and green parts only), sliced
-2 1/4 lb baby carrots
-2ish lbs potatoes, skins on, cubed
-5 c chicken stock
-2 c sherry
-1 c water
-1/2 t dried thyme
-half and half to your liking (I use just enough to lighten the soup)
-3 T lemon juice
-a dash of nutmeg
-salt and pepper to taste


Instructions:
1) heat a large soup pot over medium heat
2) melt butter and combine with olive oil
3) add leaks and saute for at least 5 minutes, stir occasionally
4) add potatoes and carrots and saute for at least 5 more minutes, stir occasionally
5) add chicken stock, sherry, and water and bring to a simmer
6) add thyme, cover the pot, and simmer for at least 30 minutes until the vegetables are very tender
7) puree the soup in blender in batches, filling the blender only half-way (least the soup splash out and you burn yourself, subsequently suing me)
8) return the pureed soup to the pot, add the half-and-half to taste, lemon juice, and nutmeg
9) season the soup with salt and pepper to taste and bring to a simmer until just heated through. Voilà!

recipes 10, 11, and 12: creamy chicken noodle soup, celebrity chili, and frito pie

Moving on with the soups (or things like chili that are soup-ish and frito pie, which is one step removed from soup-ish)... The chicken soup and chili come to you courtesy of food network celebrity chef personalities. The creamy chicken soup is a modified and simplified version of Paula Deen's recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/the-ladys-chicken-noodle-soup-recipe/index.html. The chili is almost a direct replica of the Neelys' famous chili, save for some spice modification and a little extra beer (of course!): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/pats-famous-beef-and-pork-chili-recipe/index.html. The frito pie comes from an internet search of me trying to figure out what to do with leftover chili. I am my mother's daughter and I do not waste food. I found a bunch of frito pie recipes from real Texans, who apparently eat this as frequently as I eat pizza. I used various recipes as inspiration and then created my own "frito pie" recipe, successfully using up all of my leftover chili via a trick of a new recipe. Sleight of hand! And don't mess with Texas! (I only did a little bit when I altered the frito pie recipes I found...)

CREAMY CHICKEN SOUP (makes a pot full of soup)
Ingredients:
-3 quarts of low sodium chicken stock, seasoned with some garlic and lemon pepper
-1 cooked rotisserie chicken, shredded
-2 c sliced carrots
-2 c sliced celery
-2 1/2 c cooked egg noodles (or any pasta noodles that you would enjoy in a soup)
-1 c sliced mushrooms
-3 T fresh chopped parsley
-1/3 c sherry
-2 t rosemary
-1 c grated parmesan cheese
-3/4 c light cream (can be eliminated or reduced, but I think this is a good amount)
-salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1) bring the stock to a boil and once boiling, add the carrots and boil for 3 minutes
2) add the celery to the pot and boil for 5 minutes
3) add the noodles and cook according to package directions
4) when the noodles are cooked, add the chicken, mushrooms, parsley, sherry and rosemary
5) turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes
6) add the parmesan cheese and the light cream, stir, and simmer for about 3 more minutes
7) add salt and pepper to taste, adjust seasoning as necessary, and serve!

CELEBRITY CHILI (makes a pot full of chili and enough leftovers to make a frito pie)
Ingredients:
-6 slices of thick cut bacon, cut into half inch pieces
-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
-2 medium onions, finely chopped
-1 red pepper and 1 yellow pepper, chopped
-3 T chili powder
-3 T smoked paprika
-2 t dried oregano
-salt and black pepper, to taste
-1 lb lean ground beef
-1 lb ground pork
-1 bottle of Budweiser
-15 oz. black beans, drained
-15 oz. kidney beans, drained
-24 oz. crushed tomatoes
-24 oz. diced tomatoes, with juice
-garnish: lime wedges, sour cream, shredded cheddar, sliced scallions

Instructions:
1) cook bacon over medium high heat in a large pot until lightly crisp, stirring occasionally
2) once bacon is browned, add garlic, onions, peppers, spices, salt and pepper
3) cook until the vegetables are tender and the seasonings are aromatic
4) add the beef and once beginning to brown, add pork
5) cook until the pork is no longer pink, about 4 minutes
6) stir in the beer and beans and then add the tomatoes

7) turn the heat to low and simmer for about an hour and a half (this can be longer or shorter, with a lid on or off the pot, depending on your thickness-of-chili preference)
8) add salt and pepper to taste
9) transfer to serving bowls and add desired garnish(es)

FRITO PIE (serves 4)
Ingredients:
-3 c frito chips
-3/4 c chopped scallions
-1 c grated cheddar cheese
-2 1/2 c homemade chili

Instructions:
1) preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2) spread 2 c of fritos in an 8 inch baking dish
3) sprinkle half of the scallions and half of the cheese on top
4) pour all of the chili on top
5) sprinkle remaining fritos, scallions, and cheese on top
6) bake for 15-20 minutes (or until the cheese is bubbly)

JAMAICA ME CRAZY!

My pitiful dearth of blog posts can be attributed to the following ocean-scapes and jungle-scapes. I am back now (with a blotchy sunburn and the following under my belt: a zoom over a jungle canopy and a deeper understanding of Caribbean spices) and so I'll finish up the soups. And all three of you can also look forward to an "ode to mangoes" as well as a section dedicated to Sweden (by special request), and some experimentation with food tricks I learned in Jamaica... stay tuned!

recipes 7, 8, and 9: french onion soup au gratin, mom's escarole soup, and cheddar squash apple soup

I am continuing with the soups. There is some time pressure with this. It is turning into spring before all of our eyes and in about 2.5 seconds, nobody is going to want to eat any soup! But I promised seven soup recipes and I shall deliver seven soup recipes. And in light of the fast-approaching warm weather, I will do so expeditiously! The French onion soup came from a magazine clipping about a decade ago- no idea which magazine. My mom's escarole soup is the soup that she's been making as a first course for every Thanksgiving and Christmas since she first hosted those holidays. I saw her yesterday and she insisted that the recipe is outdated and nobody would make it, but it is most certainly being posted because it is actually my favorite part of Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts. The cheddar squash apple sauce is a mash-up of a recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, NY http://www.moosewoodcooks.com/ although it doesn't seem to be featured on their website, a cooking class at a restaurant in Asbury Park, NJ called "Market in the Middle" which is unfortunately now closed, and my own twists.

FRENCH ONION SOUP AU GRATIN (serves 6)
Ingredients:
-2 lb white onions, thinly sliced
-1 lb button mushrooms (or, alternatively a pound of mixed types of mushrooms), sliced
-2 c dry white wine (please PLEASE use real drinking wine and not cooking wine, k? thanks!)
-1 T butter
-6 c veggie stock
-1 oz dried porcini
-6 half inch slices of French bread, lightly toasted
-6 oz Gruyere cheese

Instructions:
1) preheat oven to 425 degrees
2) combine onions, mushrooms, white wine, and butter in a shallow baking dish
3) bake uncovered for 40-50 minutes, stirring one or two times while cooking
4) preheat broiler rack 6 inches from the heat
5) in a large saucepan on high, bring stock and mushrooms to  a bowl and then simmer while completing the next steps
6) on a baking sheet, arrange 6 ovenproof bowls
7) divide the baked onions/mushrooms evenly into the bowls and ladle with the simmering stock
8) top the bowls with the slice of toast and sprinkle with the cheese
9) place the tray of bowls under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until the cheese melts and turns golden

MOM'S HOLIDAY ESCAROLE SOUP (serves a houseful of holiday guests)
Okay, there are no exact measurements or precise instructions here because I feel like my mom changes it every time she makes it...
Ingredients:
-1 pound bone-in chicken breasts
-carrots (a few), celery (a few stalks), onions (a couple of medium onions), all sliced in large pieces
-salt, pepper, paprika
-1/2 can tomato sauce (about 4 ounces)
-2 bunches of escarole, chopped with removed ends
-grated parmesan cheese, to taste

Instructions:
1) wash the chicken and place in a large pot with water one inch from the top
2) bowl the chicken and water, occasionally skimming the fat off the top
3) add all remaining ingredients (except the escarole and cheese) and simmer with a lid on for approximately 3 hours and then remove the pot from the heat
4) when cooled, cut the chicken from the bone, cut veggies into smaller pieces if desired, and remove and discard the onions
5) meanwhile, cook the escarole by putting all of it in a large pot filled half-way with water
6) bring the escarole to a boil and cook on medium high heat until cooked
7) drain the escarole and then stir it into the soup, bringing to a simmer before serving
8) top each bowl with some GOOD grated parmesan cheese

CHEDDAR, SQUASH, APPLE SOUP (makes a pot of soup)
Ingredients:
-1 chopped yellow onion
-2 T vegetable oil
-2 medium potatoes, sliced
-1 medium carrot, sliced
-1 butternut squash, diced
-pinches of salt, pepper, cinnamon
-2 c vegetable stock
-1 c milk
-1 c grated sharp cheddar
-1 rib of celery, diced
-3 shallots, sliced
-1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
-minced scallions or chives

Instructions:
1) saute the onions in oil in a very large pot for about 5 minutes
2) stir in all of the other vegetables (except the scallions) and apple and saute for about 5 more minutes
3) add the stock and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until all veggies are soft
4) add the spices
5) stir in the milk and cheese
6) puree the soup in batches in a blender
7) gently reheat the soup, add salt to taste, top with the scallions or chives

recipes 5 and 6: award-winning grilled cheese and tomato soup

Welcome to the Feast of Seven Soups. I HEART soup and am going to be posting my seven favorite soup recipes. Souper Sunday! Souper Dooper! The tomato soup recipe is courtesy of Tristan's mom, and she notes in her cookbook that it is actually courtesy of Sandra Lee. The grilled cheese recipe is a clipping from a magazine about a year ago (I unfortunately forget which magazine) and it is allegedly THE grilled cheese recipe that won the award for the best grilled cheese at a serious grilled cheese competition (I unfortunately forget which grilled cheese competition).

AWARD-WINNING GRILLED CHEESE (makes 4 sandwiches)
Ingredients:
-4 T unsalted butter, softened
-8 slices sourdough bread
-4 slices cheddar cheese
-4 slices Swiss cheese
-4 slices American cheese

Instructions:
1) spread butter on one side of each slice of bread
2) heat a large skillet on medium-high heat
3) place two slices of bread in the skillet, butter side down
4) layer the bread with each type of cheese and then cover with another slice of bread, butter side up
5) grill 3-4 minutes per side
6) slice each sandwich diagonally and return the sandwiches vertically to the pan (cut side down) until a cheesy crust forms

TOMATO SOUP (makes a pot of soup)
Ingredients:
-2 T olive oil
-1 diced onion
-1 garlic clove, minced
-1/2 c dry vermouth
-3 (15 oz) cans of roasted diced tomatoes* (variation below)
-1/2 c low sodium chicken broth
-10 large basil leaves, chopped
-1/4 t salt
-1/2 c cream

Instructions:
1) saute the the onions and garlic in olive oil for one minute
2) add the roasted tomatoes and saute for an additional minute
3) add all remaining ingredients (except the cream)
4) boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes
5) puree the soup in batches in the blender, only filling the blender halfway
6) adjust the seasoning, put the puree back in the pan, add the cream, and heat through
*variation: use whole fresh plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise, rub with a little bit of olive oil and roast at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes

recipe 4: mini cannelloni (the Singapore of wisdom teeth removal)

When I went to Singapore several years ago, which was my first stop in Asia, I decided immediately that it was the perfect East-meets-West city. It was a cultural middle ground between Sydney (where I was coming from) and Bangkok (where I was heading). I felt so strongly about this analogy that when I got to Bangkok, I purchased a set of chopsticks, one of which had a tiny spoon on top and one of which had a tiny fork on top. I called them my Singapore chopsticks. East meets West. This is the end of my travel story and this is why I do not write a travel blog. Now, to segue smoothly into how Singapore relates to cannelloni, I've decided that cannelloni is the perfect food for that "twilight" period after wisdom teeth removal when transitioning from a liquid diet back to solids. Liquids meet solids and create "soft." First, some acknowledgments. I know how to make my own tomato sauce and that recipe will be included later. For this creation, the sauce came from here: http://www.lisasdeli.com/. Tristan and I love this place and love their sauce. The inspiration for the recipe came from some Italy travel website where the degrees are in Celsius and the measurements are sometimes, but not always, in liters. Who knows how I stumbled upon this site http://www.italianstay.com/, but I did, and it created the inspiration for making canneloni: http://www.italianstay.com/italyinformation/pasta/cannelloni.htm. And finally, the recipe says to use bechamel sauce but does not tell you how to make bechamel sauce. So I fell back on Tristan's mom's recipe for bechamel sauce and guess what? This was a perfectly delicious creation. We even took pictures. Granted, they are camera phone pictures and not true blog-worthy food photo shoot canvases using a camera with pixel measurements too mind-boggling to comprehend. But alas, baby steps.

MINI CANNELLONI (serves 4)
Ingredients:
-about 3/4 bag of fresh spinach
-2 1/2 c tomato sauce
-1/2 c parmesan (plus extra for sprinkling)
-16 "mini cannelloni" tubes
-approximately 14 oz ricotta cheese
-salt
-crushed garlic, to taste
-4 T butter
-4 T flour
-2 c milk
-1 t nutmeg

Instructions:
1) preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2) boil some water in a big pot with a pinch of salt and cook the cannelloni, following instructions
3) while the water for the cannelloni is boiling, wash the spinach and drain in a collander
4) add the spinach, crushed garlic, and some salt to a separate pot (without extra water) and cook until wilted, stirring constantly
5) remove spinach from pot, remove stalks, and finely chop
6) mix spinach with the ricotta and parmesan and set aside to cool
7) meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, mix until smooth and cook for a few minutes while stirring but do not allow it to brown
8) slowly add the milk to the butter/flour mixture until smooth and then cook, while stirring until thick
9) stir in the nutmeg
10) grease a baking dish with butter and pour in about a tablespoon of the bechamel sauce, spreading over the bottom
11) fill the cannelloni tubes with the ricotta mixture and place in the baking dish

12) cover the pasta with all of the bechamel sauce and all of the tomato sauce
13) sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes

14) let the deliciousness cool a little before cutting and serving...