Ginger Chicken and Rice Soup with Zucchini

One of the first recipes I posted on my blog was my grandmother's recipe for chicken soup, a recipe I make several times a year. I almost always have a quart or two in the freezer, ready to comfort someone who's not feeling well. But occasionally I like to try something very different, with a contrast of flavors and textures to my standard recipe. This one, with lots of ginger, garlic, and turmeric, and with the added textures of brown rice and zucchini, is heavenly! I served with a side of coleslaw; if I hadn't had that, I might have pulled out some crackers and cheese. But when we had it a second night, we didn't bother with anything on the side, and just finished all the rest of the soup.

 

GINGER CHICKEN AND RICE SOUP WITH ZUCCHINI

lightly adapted from

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026507-ginger-chicken-and-rice-soup-with-zucchini

4-6 servings

 

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 thighs)

Salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or vegetable)

2 tablespoons minced ginger (about a 2-inch piece)

3-5 garlic cloves, minced (recipe said 3; I used 5)

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 fresh or dried bay leaf

6 cups chicken broth

½ cup long grain brown rice (raw) (see note below for using short grain rice)

1 large zucchini, cut into ½ inch pieces)

Lemon wedges, chopped cilantro, or chili crisp (or a combination, for serving (see note)

 

Pat the chicken thighs dry and season with salt and pepper.

 

Heat a medium Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium. Add the oil, ginger, garlic and turmeric and let the mixture sizzle and soften for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

 

Add 6 cups broth to the pot, along with the chicken, rice, bay leaf and a big pinch of salt. (Hold zucchini.) Bring to a simmer then turn the heat down to low and cook, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini about 15 minutes in. Then, cook another 15 minutes or so, until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through.

 

When ready to serve, remove the chicken and place it on a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the thighs, then return the meat with all of its juices to the pot.

 

To serve, divide the soup among bowls and top with any combination of chile crisp, lemon and cilantro.

 

Notes

• CHOPPING GARLIC/GINGER: When chopping this much garlic/ginger, I like to use a mini-chopper like this one. (The chopper is also great for chopping a cup of nuts.)
• RICE: I mostly use short grain brown rice—I like the texture better—but I happened to have long grain on hand, and thought it would be nice in the soup, and it was. If you use short grain, I suggest heating up the chicken broth and then cooking the rice for 10 minutes before adding the chicken and other ingredients. If you prefer white rice, I'm sure the soup would work with that also; it would just need a shorter cooking time, maybe 10 minutes into the broth simmer.
• ADD-INS: I used lemon and cilantro, and would definitely do again. Next time, I may also try chile crisp, which I’ve never used. You can see it floating on the soup in the photo that heads up the recipe.

 

 

Baked Ziti

This recipe caught my eye as something that would work well to bring to a potluck, or to bring around to the home of someone who might need a meal. Also, it has the wide appeal of lasagna, but is much easier to make. It can be made ahead and re-heated, and if you don’t eat it all, what’s left can be frozen for later. If you don’t want to make the full recipe, you can halve it and use an 8x8” square pan. 

The recipe calls for ziti pasta, which wasn’t available in my grocery store. I used rigatoni instead, which was just fine, and I assume other tubular pasta (penne, mostaccioli) would also work just as well. 

 

The recipe calls for a pound of ground beef, but the head note mentioned that the author had also made it without meat and it was also good that way. Since I was preparing it for a vegetarian meal, I left out the meat. I didn’t change anything else, so the sauce was just the sautéed onion and the tomato sauce. The dish was a big hit (including a teenager asking her mom to please get the recipe), so I’m inclined to do it exactly the same way next time. Another option would be to keep it vegetarian, but add a diced green pepper and maybe some minced carrots with the onion.

 

About the tomato sauce: I used Rao’s homemade marinara sauce, which was selected by wirecutter.com as the best all-purpose marinara sauce. It’s also conveniently available at my local Aldi store.

 

One small caution: My large pan was 9x12” rather than 9x13.” Without the meat, the recipe filled it to the brim. If you make it with meat, or even with more vegetables, I’d suggest not going smaller than a 9x13 pan.

 

OK, a long introduction for a short, simple recipe!

  

BAKED ZITI

slightly adapted from https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/11758/baked-ziti-i/

10 servings

1 pound dry ziti (or other tubular) pasta

1 onion, chopped 

1 pound lean ground beef (can be left out)

2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce

6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced

1 ½ cups sour cream

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (I used more than this)

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter (or spray oil) a 9x13-inch baking dish.

 

Put a large pot of water on to boil. While the water is coming to a boil, brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium heat; stir in spaghetti sauce and simmer for 15 minutes. 

 

In the meantime, when the water has come to a boil, add the pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain. (If the pasta is ready before the sauce, run cold water over it in the strainer, to stop the cooking.)

 

Spread 1/2 of the pasta in the bottom of the prepared dish. Top with slices of Provolone cheese. Put spoonfuls of sour cream on top of the cheese, and then use a knife or spatula to spread out the sour cream over the cheese.

 

Add 1/2 of the sauce, remaining pasta, mozzarella cheese, and remaining sauce. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

 

Bake in the preheated oven until heated through and cheeses have melted, about 30 minutes.

Easy Cranberry Cake

I have a similar cake to this already on the blog, cranberry upside-down cake. I’ve made that cake a number of times, and it is delicious, but when I saw this other recipe for something similar but easier to make (including melted butter rather than creamed), I thought I’d give it a try. I served it for guests the other night and it was a big hit! The taste/texture of the two cakes is very similar, so I think I’ll be making this version from now on :-)  See note at bottom for an explanation of a couple of changes I made to the recipe. 

EASY CRANBERRY CAKE

adapted from the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe for Easy Cranberry & Apple Cake

https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/easy-cranberry-apple-cake (includes a photo)

serves 8

 

12 ounces fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over for stems

1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 tablespoon grated orange zest (1-2 oranges)

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1-1/8 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature (I used 2 large eggs and some white from a 3rd egg)

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

NB: There is no baking powder or baking soda in the recipe, but don't worry, it comes out fine!

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9” square glass baking dish with Pam or other oil.

Combine the cranberries, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat the eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. With the mixer on medium, add 1 cup of the granulated sugar, the butter, vanilla, and sour cream and beat just until combined. On low speed, slowly add the flour and salt.

Pour the cranberry mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Pour/spoon the batter over the fruit, covering it completely. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle it over the batter. 

Bake for about 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the fruit is bubbling around the edges. (I haven’t checked bake time yet using a 9” square pan.)

Serve warm or at room temperature. Note: When I opened the oven, I thought I had come close to burning the cake, because the top was quite dark. But it turns out that color was from the cinnamon/sugar topping, which gets baked into a thin layer of batter that remains at the top. The rest of the batter sinks to the bottom during baking, while the cranberries float up. I was surprised! You can see a photo of the finished cake at the link to the original recipe, above.

Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired, but also delicious without. I thought it was even better the next day.

Changes I made to the recipe:

The original includes a chopped apple along with the cranberries. I forgot to put in the apple, but the cake was delicious anyway, and I actually think it’s better not to dilute the focus on cranberries. So I’ve written up the recipe without apple; if you’d like to try it with, see the original recipe for details.

 

The original specified a 10” glass pie plate, which I had on hand. Even without the apples, the plate was filled to the top, and juice from the cranberries bubbled out onto the floor of my oven. To avoid any danger of overflow, I’ve changed the vessel to a 9” square glass baking dish, which I think will do a better job of containing everything; baking time might need to be adjusted a bit. If you have a 10” deep-dish pie plate, I think that would also do well.

 

Salmon with Brothy Beans

This recipe is from Sitka Seafood Market, a company I've been buying salmon from for a number of years. I used to have a subscription, getting several 5-lb boxes a year, but that was too much for me. Now they have an option of buying one box at a time, with a large variety of fish available, an option that is better for me.

I usually cook salmon as part of a sheet pan recipe; my favorite is one with bok choy. This recipe uses a difference process, but is also quite simple, with vegetables sautéed and then cooked in a broth with the beans, the salmon pan-fried separately and then put on top at the end. Very delicious comfort food, and guest appropriate as well.

SEARED SALMON WITH BROTHY BEANS

adapted from https://www.sitkasalmonshares.com/blogs/culinary/recipes/seared-salmon-with-brothy-beans

4 servings

 

20 ounces of salmon, cut into serving-size pieces

3 T. olive oil, divided 

2 carrot, peeled and cut into ¼-cubes

3 c. thinly sliced leeks, white and pale green parts

2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 t. chopped fresh rosemary leaves

½ t. crushed red pepper flakes

1 15-oz can white beans (eg cannellini, navy, or great northern), drained and rinsed

3 c. chicken or vegetable broth (I used two 14.5 oz cans of broth, which was fine)

3 cups (or more) baby spinach

Serve with crusty bread (optional)

 

Remove pin bones from the salmon if it has any. Season the fish with salt and pepper and set aside.

 

In a wide Dutch oven or shallow saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the carrot and leek, then season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, rosemary, and pepper flakes, and cook, stirring, until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute.

 

Add the beans and broth, then season lightly with pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels and add it to the skillet, skin side down. Press the salmon gently with a spatula for 30 seconds so it lays flat. Lift the spatula and cook until the salmon is nearly done, 5 to 8 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet. Then turn the salmon and cook for about 30 seconds to lightly cook the surface.

 

Just before serving, coarsely mash a quarter of the beans. Stir the spinach into the bean mixture and cook just until wilted.

 

Divide the brothy beans between shallow bowls and top with the salmon. Serve with crusty bread, if desired.

Lemony Greek Chicken, Potato, and Spinach Stew (using ground chicken)

I was looking for a relatively simple one-pot dish that would serve for dinner for a couple of nights before Thanksgiving, and I found this recipe in my files. It way surpassed my expectations! The lemon flavor to this dish really lifted it beyond the ordinary. It is definitely guest-worthy!  

I made a couple of changes to the recipe: The recipe called for 6 cups of broth, but commenters mentioned using less for a stew consistency rather than soup, so that's what I did. The recipe still made a hefty 5 servings. Also, the recipe called for dill, with parsley or mint as possible substitute; I went with a combination of parsley and mint. 

LEMONY GREEK CHICKEN SPINACH AND POTATO STEW (using ground chicken)

adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024015-lemony-greek-chicken-spinach-and-potato-stew

4-5 servings

 

8 large garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped

1 red or yellow onion, finely chopped (yellow is fine)

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt, plus more to taste (I left out)

1 pound ground chicken [or turkey if can’t find chicken]

1 heaping tablespoon roughly chopped fresh rosemary or 1½ teaspoons dried rosemary

1½ teaspoons dried oregano

½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes or 1 t. Aleppo pepper

Black pepper

1½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes (ca. 3 medium), scrubbed and chopped into ½-inch chunks (I used only about 1 lb., and I liked the balance with fewer potatoes)

4 cups chicken broth (two 14.5 oz cans worked well)

Juice of 1 large lemon (about ¼ cup juice) [fresh lemon juice is important for the flavor]

8-ounces spinach, stems included, roughly chopped, or 1½ cups frozen leaf spinach 

¼ to ⅓ cup lightly packed roughly chopped parsley, mint, or a combination of the two (I used a combination)

Crumbled feta and crushed pita chips, for topping (optional—I skipped)

 

Mince the garlic and finely chop the onion (in a food processor). In a large skillet, pot or Dutch oven, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and salt and cook, stirring, until the onion and garlic are softened and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes or a little more.

 

Add the chicken, rosemary, oregano, red-pepper flakes and several generous grinds of black pepper. Cook, breaking up the chicken into crumbles, until the meat starts to lose its translucent pinkness and is turning white, about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir well to combine. Add the chicken broth and half the lemon juice, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Bring to a rolling boil and then lower the heat to maintain a very brisk simmer. Simmer until the potatoes are nearly tender, 15 minutes.

 

Add the spinach and parsley/mint. Continue to simmer briskly until the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes more. Add the remaining lemon juice, as well as salt and pepper, if needed. 

 

If desired, top with with feta and crushed pita chips when serving. But this is also delicious without any toppings!

Great price on an inexpensive espresso machine

For those of you who enjoy espresso drinks, but don't have your own machine, I just noticed that Amazon has a great price right now on the inexpensive espresso machine that I've been using for decades. When I bought another one as a gift back in February, it was $150, but right now it's priced at $84.99.  Enjoy!

And soon, I'll be posting a couple of tasty recipes for you :-)

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

I recently brought this cake to a dinner for ten, and it was much enjoyed by all. I don't make it very often, and then each time I do, I resolve to not wait so long!

CRANBERRY UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

8-10 servings

adapted from Cooking Light, November 2009

 

Topping:

butter for preparing the cake pan

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

2 T. butter

6 oz fresh or frozen, thawed, cranberries

 

Cake

1-1/2 c. all purpose flour

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 c. granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs, separating out whites/yolks (both used in recipe)

1 t. vanilla extract

1/2 c. skim milk (other milk also fine)

optional: serve with vanilla ice cream

 

Preheat oven to 350. 

 

To prepare topping, generously butter a 9" round cake pan.  (If you have a “quick-release” pan with a slider, that will help get the cake out; see NOTE at bottom.)  Heat brown sugar and 2 T. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Cook 2 minutes or until butter melts and sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally.  Pour sugar mixture into prepared cake pan, tilting pan to coat bottom evenly.  Arrange cranberries evenly over sugar mixture.

 

To prepare cake: set out a small, medium, and large bowls.

In the small bowl, beat the egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside; this will be stirred into the batter.

 

In the medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir with a whisk.  

 

In the larger bowl, beat sugar and 1/2 cup butter at medium speed until well blended and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add egg yolks and beat well.  Beat in vanilla.  Fold flour mixture into sugar mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Then gently fold the egg whites into the batter.  

 

Spoon the batter over the cranberries, spreading evenly.  Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.  

 

Cool in pan 15 minutes on wire rack.  Place a serving plate upside down on top of cake, and invert the cake pan onto the plate.  Let stand 5 minutes and remove the pan.  Serve warm (or see below for making further ahead).  

 

NOTE: I have also made the cake as much as a day before serving. I left it in the pan until ready to serve.  When I used a pan with a "slider" to loosen it, it came out easily.  When I used a pan without a slider, I had to work to loosen some of the bottom as well as the sides, and lost some around the edges.