I owe you an apology. It has been way too long since I last shared my thoughts on food, wine, cooking and favorite recipes with you. I have been in a state of what you might call a 'funk'. Wandering aimlessly from one day to the next, contemplating the meaning of life, my navel, why I keep my husband around, and other such self-absorbed thoughts. This self-centered, narcisstic period of life failed to yield anything remotely resembling enlightenment, the meaning of life, or knowledge of the greater good. During this listless nomadic mental state, my appetite did not wane. Loose a pound or two? Sure, right, whatever, didn't happen. Oiy vey.
Well it's over, I'm done, let's move on. Better yet, let's cook!
I've been reading and trying recipes from Thomas Kellers' 'ad hoc at home' cookbook, and I'd like to share one with you from his book that I think is wonderful. I've mentioned this book in a previous blog, if you don't have it yet, get it. It retails for $50.00 but Amazon.com has it for about $30.00.
http://amzn.com/1579653774
The book is user friendly for us home cooks who wish we could cook like the pros but lack the formal culinary education, (re: Jack the 'bossy chef'). Thomas Keller is a culinary genius, arguably the greatest chef in America today. Most of his food is far and away beyond my limited culinary skills and knowledge. But the recipes, instructions, techniques and solid advice written in 'ad hoc at home' are easy to follow, approachable, understandable, and the photograpy is beautiful. Pick up a copy you won't regret it.
What I'm going to share with you today is not only a recipe but also a technique that will add tremendous depth of flavor to any dish where you use either chicken or vegetable stock. What I love about this recipe is that it gives you the depth and richness of homemade chicken / vegetable stock without all of the time and fuss that making stock from scratch requires.
Jack and I use stock for soups, sauces, risottos, braises, the list goes on and on. Because we don't take the time to make stock from scratch we've always purchased a good quality organic chicken stock from the market. Different brands vary in taste, color, price and they all do a decent job. My little 'secret weapon' transforms decent store bought stock into delicious, rich, flavorful, 'almost' homemade stock with very little work and just one hour cooking time. Since the first time I tried this, Jack now constantly asks, " Hey honey, would you mind doing that 'thing' with some chicken stock for me?". So here you go, give it a try the next time you have a little extra time and you want to add some super delicious flavor to your dish:
Secret Weapon:
1 TBL (1/2 ounce) unsalted butter
1 Cup thinly sliced carrots
1 Cup coarsely chopped celery
1 Cup coarsely chopped onion
1 Cup coarsely chopped leeks
Kosher salt
Melt the butter in an 8 - 10 quart stockpot over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onions, and leeks, season with salt, and cover with a parchment lid (see below). Reduce the heat to low and cook very slowly, stirring occasionally, 30 to 35 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Remove and discard the parchment lid.
Using parchment paper as a lid for soups, stews, and braises allows some evaporation because of the small steam hole cut in it. But because it covers the meat, it keeps the liquid from reducing too quickly and prevents the surface from becoming caramelized as it cooks. It’s like having a lid and not having a lid at the same time.
Fold a length of parchment paper in half to give you a piece bigger than the pot to be covered. Place the crease to your right. Folding away from you, fold in half again to make a crease in front of you. Fold this bottom crease up to make a narrow triangle. Continue to fold the triangle over until you have reached the opposite side of the parchment paper.
To gauge the size, place the tip over the center of the pot to be covered and mark the edges of the pot with your thumb, then cut the end off there. With a pair of scissors, cut 1/4 inch off the narrow tip of the triangle. Trim the pointed edges of the triangle to form a smooth, rounded edge. Unfold the triangle. It will be a circle the size of your pot with a steam hole in the center. Put the paper lid in the post so that it rests gently on the good you’re cooking.
Add the chicken stock to the vegetables and bring to simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes, strain and discard the vegetables.
That's it! You now have excellent stock for any soup, braise, stew or whatever your cooking.
It's my sincerest pleasure to serve you.
Becky
720-979-3184
To get you started here's Thomas Keller's recipe for chicken soup with dumplings, it's killer good.
Chicken Soup with Dumplings
4 Quarts Secret Weapon
5 stalks celery
3 large carrots
1 teaspoon honey
1 bay leaf
2 thyme sprigs
1 large garlic clove, crushed, skin left on
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup roux (recipe follows)
2 cups cooked shredded chicken (dark and or white meat)
1/4 cup minced chives
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
Flat-leaf parsley leaves
Dumplings
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced chives
Make the dumplings:
Fill a wide deep pot with salted water and bring to a simmer. Set up a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Combine the water, butter, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the flour all at once, and stir rapidly with a stiff heatproof or wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and the bottom of the pan is clean. The dough should be glossy and smooth but still moist; enough moisture must evaporate from the dough to allow it to absorb more fat when the eggs are added. Continue to stir for 4 to 5 more minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent the dough from coloring; a thin coating of dough will form on the bottom and sides of the pan. When enough moisture has evaporated, steam will rise from the dough and the nutty aroma of cooked flour will be noticeable.
Immediately transfer the dough to the mixer bowl. Add the mustard and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix for a few seconds to incorporate the ingredients and release some of the heat. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating until the first egg is completely incorporated before adding the second and incorporating it. Then add the chives and incorporate. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape the dumplings using two soupspoons to make a quenelle shape, dropping them into the simmering water. Below is a video showing how to make quenelles.
Cook the dumplings in batches of about 6 to avoid overcrowding the pot an allow them to cook evenly. Once the dumplings rise to the surface, it will take about 5 minutes for them to cook; remove one and break it open to make sure it is cooked. With a slotted spoon, transfer the dumplings to the baking sheet, and cook the remaining dumplings. (You will have about 18 dumplings).
Once the dumplings have cooled, trim any uneven edges with scissors.
Peel the celery stalks with a peeler. Cut each stalk crosswise on the diagonal into thin slices about 1 1/2 inches long. As you get to the wider lower part of the stalk, adjust the angle of your knife to keep the pieces relatively the same size. You need about 1 1/2 cups celery. Cook the celery in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain, cool in an ice bath, and drain again.
Cut the carrots lengthwise into quarters and then crosswise into bite-sized pieces. As each carrot widens, adjust the size of the cut to keep the pieces bite sized. You need about 1 1/2 cups carrots.
Put the carrots in a saucepan, add the honey, bay leaf, thyme, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper, and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the carrots are tender but slightly resistant to the tooth. Drain and transfer to paper towels.
Bring the soup base to a simmer and whisk in the roux a little at a time until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon; you may not need to use all of the roux. Simmer for 30 minutes, skimming often-this is necessary to remove all impurities from the roux. (The soup will continue to thicken as it simmers.)
Add the dumplings, chicken, carrots, celery, and chives to the soup and heat through. Season with the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a large serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley leaves.
Roux:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Put the butter in a small skillet or saucepan and set it over medium heat. When it is almost melted, whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly and adjusting the heat as necessary so the roux bubbles but does not brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl or other container to cool, then store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
