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.

 

 

Cooking for lunch: Tomato and White Bean Soup with Lots of Garlic

It's rare for me do any real cooking for lunch. Standards are things like pouring boiling water into a container of dry soup, maybe a peanut butter sandwich or tuna fish, or if I'm feeling ambitious, matzah fry (scrambled eggs with a piece of matzah crumbled in). But when I saw this recipe in the NY Times, it sounded really good to me, and so simple and quick to make that I decided to try it for lunch. I highly recommend it!  This is basically tomato soup, but with much more substance/depth than opening a can of Campbell's. I had the soup with an apple and some nuts, and found that to be a very satisfying meal.

(Sorry for the extra spaces between the lines before the instructions--something odd going on, making it impossible for me to make them single spaces.)

TOMATO AND WHITE BEAN SOUP WITH LOTS OF GARLIC

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020733-tomato-and-white-bean-soup-with-lots-of-garlic

4-5 servings

10 garlic cloves

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 (14-ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or great Northern, including their liquid. Drain one can but use both beans and liquid from the other can.*

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 cup stock or water, plus more as needed

 Kosher salt and black pepper

 Heavy cream, for serving (optional)

 

Peel the garlic, then smash the cloves using the flat side of a chef's knife or the bottom of a heavy skillet until wispy and flat.

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the olive oil, then add the crushed garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the white beans and the liquid from one can, crushed tomatoes, stock or water, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then partly cover, reduce heat, and let simmer until thickened and fragrant, 15 to 20 minutes.

Using an immersion or regular blender, purée the soup until smooth. Add stock or water to thin as desired. (I did not thin.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. (I did not use any salt.) Option: Drizzle with heavy cream before serving. (I happened to have cream on hand, so drizzled some on the first time I served the soup. I forgot about it the next day when I had the soup for a second lunch, and didn't notice any difference. So, no need to add cream!)

*This is what I did, following advice from one commenter. The original instructions were to not drain either can, and use the liquid from both cans. I might try that the next time, as it makes it that much easier to leave out a step and not have a colander to wash.

Split Pea Soup

This is one of those recipes that I look at each time I make it, and think, because of the simplicity of the ingredients, "Can it really be as good as I remember it?"  It is!  The bit of cloves gives just a little edge of special flavor.

Split Pea Soup (6 servings)

adapted from The Mayo Clinic-Williams Sonoma Cookbook

2 cups split pea

1 T. olive oil

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 onions, chopped

1/2 t. ground pepper

4-1/2 cups water, plus more as needed

1 can vegetable (or chicken) broth

1 bay leaves

1/2 t. dried thyme

1/8 t. ground cloves

         Rinse split peas under cold running water. Drain.  In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil.  Add celery, carrots, garlic, onion, and pepper.  Sauté until the onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

          Stir in the split peas, water, broth, bay leaf, thyme, and cloves and bring to a boil.  

         Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup is thick and the peas are mushy, about 80 minutes.  If the soup seems too thick, stir in additional water.  Remove bay leaf.

Harira--two types

I first had this soup in Jerusalem, while there for a week to attend a conference. I was staying at the YMCA (small room, but great location and an indoor pool big enough to swim laps). It also has a restaurant with a lovely outdoor terrace, where I ordered the harira more than once. Once I got home, I searched out a recipe, and found two versions that I like very much, one vegetarian and one with meat. This soup is both delicious and comforting.

HARIRA (vegetarian)

from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

serves 4-6

total time: 1 hour

1 cup chopped onions

4 cups vegetable stock

1 t. ground cinnamon

1 t. turmeric

1 T. grated fresh ginger root

1/8 t. cayenne

1 cup peeled and diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1 cup undrained canned tomatoes, chopped

1-1/2 cups diced potatoes

pinch of saffron

1 cup cooked lentils (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup dried)

1 cup drained cooked chickpeas

1-2 T. chopped fresh cilantro

1 T. fresh lemon juice (I use lime)

salt and black pepper to tast

lemon (or lime) wedges

In a covered soup pot, simmer the onions in 1 cup of the stock for 10 minutes.  Combine the cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, and cayenne in a small bowl and add 2-3 T. of the hot liquid to form a paste.  Stir this paste into the pot along with the carrots, celery, and the remaining stock.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 5 min.  Add the tomatoes and potatoes and continue to cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.  Crumble in the saffron.  Stir in the lentils, chickpeas, cilantro, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Reheat.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Harira (with meat)

from The New York Times International Cookbook

8-10 servings

1/2 cup barley

1/3 cup lentils

1/3 cup split peas

2 lbs. shin of beef (meat and bones)

3 T. vegetable oil

3 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrot

1 T. turmeric

10 cups beef stock or water

salt and freshly ground pepper1/2 cup uncooked rice

1 cup canned, drained chick-peas

1-1/2 T. all-purpose flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

lime juice, lemon juice, or vinegar to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

lime wedges

            1. Place the barley in a mixing bowl and add water to cover.  Soak overnight.  If package directions indicate it, soak the lentils and split peas overnight.

            2. Cut the meat from the bones of the shin of beef.  Cut the meat into small cubes.  Reserve the bones.

            3. In a kettle, heat the oil and add the onion, celery, and carrot.  Cook, stirring, until the vegetables give up most of their moisture.  Add the meat and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture browns,  Sprinkle with the turmeric and add the bones.  Stir in the beef stock or water and add salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, partly cover, and simmer, skimming the surface to remove foam and fat.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, about one hour.  Take out bones.

            4. Drain and add the barley, lentils, and split peas and simmer 15 minutes.  Add the rice and chick-peas and cook thirty minutes longer.

            5. Place the flour in a small mixing bowl and blend with a little of the soup.  Return this to the kettle, stirring. Beat the egg with a little soup liquid and add it.  Bring just to a boil, but do not boil.  Add the lime juice and coriander and serve, with a lime wedge on the side.

            Note:  If this soup stands it will become thick.  If it is to be served later, thin it with more beef broth.

Coconut Salmon Chowder

This is a simple and very tasty chowder, leaning towards Thai. With a salad on the side, this is a filling meal. I've made it with salmon, which is what the original recipe called for, but I think it would be great with many other kinds of fish. The strong flavor is all in the broth.

COCONUT SALMON (OR OTHER FISH) CHOWDER

adapted from http://www.driftersfish.com/coconut-sockeye-salmon-chowder

serves 6

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 medium shallots, thinly sliced crosswise

2-inch knob fresh ginger, chopped fine

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk (low-fat is fine)  

3 tablespoons curry paste (either green or red or a mixture)

3 tablespoons fish sauce

12 ounces baby potatoes, quartered (or any size potato, cut into about 1/2-3/4" pieces)

1 to 1-1/2 lb. salmon (or other fish), skinned and cut into 1" pieces

chopped cilantro, for garnish

3 to 4 green onions, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced, for garnish

2 limes, sliced into wedges

If using salmon: remove the skin from the salmon by searing the fish, skin-side down for 20-30 seconds; the skin will then scrape off easily. Then cut the fish into 1" pieces. 

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and sauté until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Add the broth, coconut milk, curry paste, and fish sauce and mix thoroughly to combine. Cover, increase heat to high, and bring to boil. Decrease the heat to medium-low; add the potatoes and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes, until potatoes are tender but not fully cooked. Add the salmon and simmer until the salmon is just cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Ladle into serving bowls. Garnish with the cilantro leaves and green onions, and serve with lime wedges on the side. 

Thai salmon (or other fish) soup with ginger and lime juice

Last night I wanted to make soup with our new Sitka Salmon delivery, and wanted something brothy rather than a milk-based chowder, which is what I've made before. Looking through my file of saved recipes, I found this one, copied a while back from a friend's cookbook. The original recipe called for some ingredients not available to me, but it suggested substitutes that I used (lime juice instead of tamarind liquid, cilantro leaves rather than roots), and the soup came out great--more tasty than I imagined it would from such a simple recipe.  The soup alone isn't quite enough for a full dinner; we had some crackers and guacamole on the side.

I've given two sets of instructions, one for making the whole recipe at once, and one for dividing it in half, to eat on two separate nights, which is how David and I generally cook. Usually I just cook a whole recipe and heat up leftovers, but when cooking fish, I like to cook the fish on the same night I'm serving it. For this recipe, I made all the broth (including what would have been garnishes at the end), set aside half, and will add the rest of the salmon on the second night.

SALMON (or other fish) SOUP WITH GINGER AND LIME JUICE

adapted from Quick and Easy Thai

serves 4

3 cups water

3 T. coarsely chopped shallots (about 1 large bulb)

1/4 c. chopped cilantro, divided in half

1/2 t. freshly ground pepper

3-inch chunk of fresh ginger

3/4 lb salmon or other meaty fish fillets (e.g. cod, tilapia), cut into about 1" chunks

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

2 T. fish sauce

2 T. brown sugar

1/4 t. salt

2 T. thinly sliced green onions

1.     Cut up the ginger into small chunks and then mince it in a food processor.  Add the shallots, 2 T. cilantro, pepper. Process, adding 1/2 cup of the water as you process, to make a fairly smooth paste.

2.     In a medium saucepan, combine the paste with the remaining 2-1/2 cups water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

3.     Add the lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, salt, and the cut-up salmon.  Return soup to a boil and simmer until the salmon is just cooked through (about 2 minutes of total cooking time).  Stir in the green onions and remaining cilantro leaves.

If serving just 2 people and you want to cook the salmon fresh when having leftovers on a second night:

Do steps 1 and 2, as above.

3.  Add the lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, salt, green onions, and remaining cilantro leaves.  Divide the broth in half (about 2 cups each portion) and put one portion in the refrigerator, along with half the cut-up salmon.

4.  Put the other portion of broth back in the saucepan, add half the cut-up salmon, bring to a boil and simmer until the salmon is just cooked through (about 2 minutes of total cooking time).

5. For a second night, repeat step 4.

Thai Corn and Fish Soup

This is a great soup, quick and simple to make, but with complex flavors.  The original recipe called for crabmeat, but I don't eat shellfish, so I substituted cod, which worked well.  I'm sure it would be good with most any variety of seafood.  I added in the snowpeas for a bit of crunch.  To fill out the meal, I served the soup with home-made artisan bread dinner rolls (with rosemary and kalamata olives).  I will not wait long to make this again!

THAI CORN AND FISH SOUP

adapted from Flat Belly Diet Cookbook by Liz Vaccariello

1 16-oz bag frozen corn, thawed

3 c. vegetable broth, divided (I used Better than Bouillon base mixed with water)

1/4 c. canola oil

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips and then strips cut in half

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

8 scallions, sliced

1 T. fish sauce

3/4 lb. cod, cut into about 3/4" pieces

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 t. ground red pepper (optional)

handful of fresh snow peas, cut in half (optional)

1. Place 1-1/2 cups of the corn and 1-1/2 cups of the broth in a food processor or blender. Process until fairly smooth.  Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add the red pepper and jalapeno.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.  Add the scallions and cook for another 3 minutes.
3. Add the fish sauce, reserved corn-broth mixture, remaining corn, and remaining broth.  Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes.  
4. Add the cod, cover and cook another 4 minutes.  Add snow peas (if desired) and cook for 1 minute.  Add cilantro, and ground red pepper (if desired).

355 calories

Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger

For many years, I've made some kind of squash soup for the first course for the Thanksgiving meal.  I like all of them, but this one with ginger is probably my favorite.  The ginger flavor is delicate, but a definite plus.  A tip on peeling butternut squash:  I find that a Swiss-style vegetable peeler (which you pull towards you rather than pushing away) makes short work of this task.  If I didn't already have one, I'd buy this polka dot one.

CREAMED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP with GINGER

adapted from Jane Brody Gourmet Food Cookbook

This low-fat soup can be prepared with virtually any kind of winter squash, including pumpkin, but butternut squash is the easiest one to peel.

2 T. unsalted butter or margarine

2 medium sweet onions, peeled and thinly sliced

2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 Macintosh apples, peeled, cored and diced (other apples also fine; Honey Crisp is good)

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup unsweetened apple juice (I've also used a 6-oz can of orange-pineapple juice when I forgot to get apple juice)

1 T. (or more) finely minced ginger

1 cup 1% milk (skim milk also fine)

1/2 t. salt

1/8 t. white pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg for garnish (optional--nice if you have it)

1.  In a stockpot, melt the butter or margarine over medium heat.  Add the onions, and cook them, stirring them occasionally, for 10 minutes until softened.

2.  Add the squash, apples, broth and juice.  Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer the mixture for 20 minutes or until the squash is tender.

3.  Puree the mixture with an immersion blender (or in several batches in a food processor), adding in the minced ginger.

4.  Stir in the milk and heat the soup through, but do not boil it.  Add the salt and white pepper and serve the soup garnished with the nutmeg, if desired.  (One year I forgot to put in the milk.  The soup was still very good!)

Makes 11 cups.

Simple Hot and Sour Soup

About ten years ago I picked up a copy of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine.  This little booklet is chock full of good recipes; I don't know why I've not looked at later issues or any of her cookbooks.  The booklet itself tends to get lost among my cookbooks, but recently I happened to turn back to it.  This Hot and Sour Soup recipe is easy to make, and delicious.  I made some fried rice also, and the two together were a filling meal.

HOT AND SOUR SOUP

adapted from Everyday Food, issue #11, from the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living

serves 6

• 3 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth (can substitute vegetable broth)
• 2 T. soy sauce
• 1/2 t. crushed red pepper
• 2 cups water
• shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps thinly sliced:  if fresh, 8 oz.; if dry, 2 oz. (pre-sliced dry mushrooms especially easy to use)
• 3 T. rice vinegar
• 2 T. cornstarch
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 7 oz. firm tofu, cut into 1/4" cubes and drained
• 2 T. finely grated fresh ginger
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 t. sesame oil

If using dried mushrooms, pour boiling water over them and soak for 30 minutes, then drain and squeeze out excess water.

Combine in a large pot (5 qt) the broth, soy sauce, crushed red pepper, and water.  Bring to a boil.  Add mushrooms, reduce heat, and simmer until the mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar and cornstarch.  Add to the pot.  Simmer, stirring, about 1 minute.

Add egg through a slotted spoon and stir the soup--the egg will form ribbons.  Stir in tofu.  Remove from heat and let stand, covered for 1 minute.

Put the ginger in a small sieve and squeeze to release the juice into the soup; discard the solids.

Stir in the scallions and sesame oil, and serve.