Soup
Leek and Cabbage Soup
Take a look at this soup. It’s not photogenic. It’s not sexy. But it’s first and foremost delicious. Of course, it’s also healthy and incredibly easy to make. And on cold autumn or winter days, it really hits the spot. How could it not? The other fabulous feature of this soup is that it features veggies from the CSA (Highcross Farms), and home made chicken stock (chicken was from Grassway Organics). If you think that this combination is a little odd, I wouldn’t blame you. But then again, I think anything with peanut butter is strange. Just think about it, there is a leak and potato soup, and cabbage and potato soup. I just...
Read MorePatty Pan (Zucchini) Soup
Being so busy with all the food processing, I haven’t really had a chance to post anything new in a while. But today, I finally decided I need a new post. Hope you like the soup as much as I do. A few weeks ago, actually, about a month ago, I signed up for a CSA. It’s a relatively local farm (HighCross Farm) that sends me a “small” box of organic produce every week. Several weeks in a row, I got some some absolutely gorgeous patty pan (or sunburst) squash. They are in the zucchini family. But I never know what to do with zucchini, and especially these round zucchini, and I’ve only ever had them pickled (recipe coming...
Read MorePepper Soup
I haven’t made any soups recently and since one of my New Year’s resolutions is to make more soups (and eat them), I figured today would be a good day for that. As I was reviewing the produce I had, I noticed that some of the bell peppers were starting to look like a Shar Pei and a few random roasted peppers in a jar could be used up too. So, Pepper Soup to the rescue! I remembered seeing a fairly easy recipe by Bal Arneson on the Cooking Channel, but there were a few ingredients I didn’t have (I’m not driving across town for 1 tsp of asafotida, especially when I don’t even know what it is). Thus, I decided to use the recipe as...
Read MoreMatzo Ball Soup
Turns out, I really, really like matzo ball soup. [Matzo balls (also known as kneidelach) are dumplings made of matzo meal (matzo flour).] I haven’t had it in ages (about a year, I think) and then, had it twice within the span of about a week. So I thought I’d give it a shot and learn how to make it myself, especially since I’ve been craving chicken soup (which is completely foreign for me). With that, I was off on the internet search for fluffy matzo balls and I settled on a recipe from Jewish Magazine. And of course, I made a couple substitutions: I used only 3 TB of oil instead of 4 that’s called for in the original recipe, and I let it...
Read MoreMastava – Uzbek soup
After our last visit to Chaihana, I’ve been wanting to make this recipe and I was lucky enough to have a recipe handy. As a matter of fact, I actually have two. One is from Lynn Visson’s book and one is from a Russian-published book. This attempt is from the Russian-published version and I don’t know how authentic it is. Anyone with such knowledge, please let me know if this is even remotely authentic. That’s the book and the page with the recipe. If you can read Russian, please take a close look at it. For those who don’t read Russian, here’s the rundown of issues with this recipe: 1. It’s not clear enough in...
Read MoreChaihana Continued…
Ok, as promised, now to the food…. My dad ordered Lagman. I love lagman (pronounced: lah-g-mahn, with emphasis on the last syllable). I subconsciously tried making it when I was adding my own twist on a chili recipe I read on the back of a can of beans. And I’ve made it myself quite a few times and you can check out my version. It has carrots and celery (though I don’t know how authentic the celery is and I never use it) and noodles and red bell peppers and lamb. Dad liked it. And it had scallions as a garnish. This time around, I ordered Mastava (I think that’s how that soup is called and spelled and if...
Read MoreChaihana
With my all-encompassing love of Uzbek food, I try to find every opportunity to sample it. But sometimes, I have to make these opportunities. So, a while back, the folks and I drove to the Botanical Gardens in Chicago and for lunch/dinner went to the Uzbek restaurant not too far from there. The restaurant is called Chaihana (19 West Dundee Road Buffalo Grove, IL; 847-215-5044) and is in a strip-mall next to Rogan Shoes. Don’t let the location fool you, it’s an oasis where your hunger for scrumptious food and delicious drink will be fulfilled. There were several articles written about it, and this one is probably one of the better ones. This was my...
Read MoreChicken Soup
I’ve never made chicken soup before. Mainly because I don’t really like it. It’s an odd confession as an opening for a chicken soup recipe. But…. The soup I made wasn’t like the chicken soup I grew up with. What never appealed to me was the rich, clear broth that had little pools of chicken fat floating on top, the kind you eat when you’re sick. So I figured that instead of throwing a whole chicken into the pot with a carrot and an onion, I’d do something differently. I used a chicken breast, a chicken leg, and a bone in, skin on chicken thigh. As usual, I tried to remove as much fat as possible. I also added a lot more to...
Read MoreElla’s Borsch
Finally! A recipe! My family has been blessed with phenomenal cooks. My grandma and her sister make absolutely different but fabulously sumptuous borscht. That’s right, borscht. The funny thing is, as ubiquitous as borscht is and as fundamental to “Russian” cuisine, I’ve never made it before today. Usually, this is how the conversation about borscht goes: Me: Grandma, how do I make borscht? Grandma: When would you like it? I’ll make some for you. Me: No, thanks Grandma, I’d like to learn how to make it. Grandma: Well, you’ll need beets and other things. Me: Ok, I’ll call you this evening for a complete...
Read MoreTomato and Spinach Soup
This was a completely unexpected and impromptu soup. I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’m not much into soup since I have so few soup recipes. But this just came together suddenly, since I didn’t even get into to the kitchen until about 8 in the evening. What can I say, I was bored so I started cooking. I had some things I wanted to use up before they go bad and wanted something easy, light, healthy, and packed with nutrients. And since I’m fond of throwing a bunch of stuff in one pot and seeing what develops, I got a really yummy soup that is perfect for this cold and rainy weather. I hope, one of these days we’ll have...
Read MoreRoasted Chicken Chili
Remember how I made two chickens for my birthday? Well, I used most of the 2nd one for this chili. It payed off to plan ahead like that and have leftovers. It didn’t take any more real effort to make 2 chickens instead of 1. I used the legs and thighs for other meals and had two fairly large chicken breasts and other odd pieces for the chili. So without further ado, here is what I did. Ingredients: 1 can of Red Gold tomatoes with chilis 2-3 cans of tomatoes 2 cans of chili beans (I used mild since the tomatoes were plenty spicy) 1 large onion 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces 2 bell peppers (any kind, but I like...
Read MoreShurpa
When I say we cooked yesterday, I mean we really cooked. In addition to Nora’s Salad and Damlyama, we also made Shurpa. Shurpa is a rich and brothy lamb soup that warms your soul. There are many variations, mainly having to do with vegetables and garbanzo beans. My dad likes garbanzo beans in shurpa and that’s how we made it back home, so that’s how we made it here too, though many people leave out the garbanzo beans. The main thing to keep in mind is that you want the broth to be clear and free of color. Take a look at the picture at the bottom of this post. That is why the vegetables are generally whole or halved. But here is our version. Nora,...
Read MoreLagman (Uzbek soup/sauce)
This is an easy, delicious, completely satisfying, and fairly quick soup to make. The slicing and dicing is very much worth the effort, especially considering that you can do it a day in advance. Growing up in Uzbekistan (Tashkent), we ate this frequently enough to have registered in my mind when I was a child, and this version is almost the same as the one my grandma made (and her cooking is legendary). There are many variation on Lagman, some have it really “dry” and more like a sauce, some have it more “wet”, like a soup. Our version is the more like soup one. Hope you give it a try and enjoy it. Ingredients: 1lb lamb (cut into small...
