The Cure for the Gray Winter Funk

Recently I left the beautiful bay area in order to go to this place:


to see this:


and this:
I had a lovely time snugging my delicious little niece and waiting on my sister hand and foot, the time went by so quickly and then I had to kiss them both goodbye.

When I arrived home I found the German P. (P.=physicist) half dead with the winter funks and a horrible cold. Since I know his eating habits (potato chips+beer+chocolate+wine=dinner) whenever I'm not around I knew that in order to nurse him back to health, I would have to make this on the double and order him to eat half a pot full:


What is that bowl full of deliciousness, you ask? It's my tasty Ginger Chicken Soup, guaranteed to lift that grayish-orange winter funk (or at the very least chip away a little bit of it, I promise).


Winter Funk Banisher Ginger Chicken Soup

the goods:

1 big soup pot worth of chicken or vegetable stock
2 chicken breasts (skinless)
2 small sweet potatoes (I like to mix it up using one white and one orange one), peeled and diced into small chunks
1 small parsnip, peeled and diced
1/2 white onion diced
1/4 head of Napa Cabbage, chopped (I like Napa, it is milder and cooks faster than white cabbage. Chinese cabbage is also okay for this recipe.)
2 good handfuls of spinach
1 carrot, diced
2 inch piece of ginger root, peeled and diced into tiny pieces
1/2 tsp. dried cilantro
a bunch of red pepper flakes
a dash of soy sauce (or tamari)
a pinch of sugar
fresh pasta cooked al dente (or any dried pasta cooked and rinsed)


the deal:

1) Saute onion on medium low in a little bit of olive oil in a big soup pot. Add carrots and ginger, and cook for 2 or 3 more minutes.
2) Add stock, dried cilantro, pepper, soy sauce. Bring to a simmer.
3) Add diced sweet potatoes.
4) While soup is simmering, cook noodles. Set aside.
5) In a heavy pan (I like cast iron), heat a little bit of oil till it is pretty hot and brown chicken breasts on both sides, add a little bit of water to pan and cover with a lid. Simmer/steam until chicken is done all the way through. Remove from pan to plate or cutting board and shred with two forks.
6) Add parsnip to pot, simmer for 3-4 minutes.
7) Tear spinach into smaller pieces directly into the pot along with the cabbage, let simmer until cabbage is wilted.
8) Stir in chicken and noodles. Add salt and a tad of sugar to taste.

While you are cooking feel free to adjust the amount of liquid in the pot by adding more stock, or even water. I like to reserve a little bit of the water that I used to cook the pasta to thin the soup. I even added the liquid from the chicken pan when the chicken was done cooking. This would also be a good veggie soup! Just substitute the chicken for a can of white beans (drained and rinsed).

Fall Dinner Comfort Food

It is finally getting "cold" here. It's not really cold, but it's not hot anymore. Yesterday was especially nice. I had the doors open while I napped on the couch in the sun with Gunter and the breeze just had that particular fall smell to it. I can't define it, but as I lay there drifting images of hand knit sweaters, and tall boots, piles of leaves, pumpkins and canned pears floated through my mind. Strange imagery. After A. came home, Gunter and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. The sun was still shining and there was just the tiniest nip in the air. (Really, the tiniest...imperceptible really. I think I'm just so eager for fall that I feel it!) When I came home, I started reading Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food. It's nice, but a little too preachy for me. I love the slow food movement, and buying organic, but I just can't get into reading someone telling me I should and shouldn't be doing. I just want recipes and ideas. It did get me into the mood to cook though, and last night I made a nice chicken noodle soup and baked apples with caramel sauce and ice cream. It was heavenly.

Bean's Simple Fall Chicken Soup

1. one pot full of chicken broth
2. half an onion (diced)
3. one stalk of celery (diced)
4. one carrot (diced)
5. one sweet potato (diced)
6. one can of tomatoes, drained
7. handful of your favorite pasta
8. crushed red pepper
9. fresh or dried sage
10. fresh Italian parsley
11. cracked black pepper
12. salt
13. sugar

I made the broth ahead of time and froze it. I had roasted a chicken and after we had eaten it with a nice cabbage salad and roasted potatoes (and had chicken salad the next day, wrapped in lettuce leaves), I made my stock with the the bones and the little bit of meat that was left. I did an unusual stock, inspired by my favorite Vietnamese soup, pho.

For the broth:

put the chicken bones into a large heavy pot, add water to cover. Add to the pot:

1. a couple star anise (these are shaped like little stars and taste a little like licorice)
2. a few cloves
3. sliced garlic
4. slices of fresh ginger
5. one stalk of lemon grass
6. plenty of crushed red pepper
7. dried cilantro

Simmer all ingredients until you think the broth tastes good. Skim the nasty stuff off the top as you go along. After it's done and cooled, take out the bones and pick off any chicken meat. Pour the broth through a fine meshed sieve to get the bits and pieces out. You should now have a nice, relatively clear broth. Salt to taste and add meat.

I froze mine, and then defrosted it on the stove in the pot that I was cooking my soup in. That is why I had to cook my onions, carrots, and celery in a separate pan. But if you are using fresh stock, just begin with the veggies in your big pot.

For the Soup:

Begin by pouring a little bit of olive oil into the pot, cook onions, carrots and celery on medium to low heat until fragrant and onions are slightly translucent. Add stock, tomatoes and red pepper. Simmer for a bit and then add your sweet potato. Simmer until potato is tender. Meanwhile, cook pasta in separate pot until done (should still be slightly al dente). Drain and add to soup. Turn down the heat on the soup and add minced up sage and parsley. Taste broth. If it is lacking something, add a little bit of salt, taste again. Still not tasting mmm mmm good? Try adding a tiny bit of sugar.

Bean's Wonderful Marvelously Tasty Fall Baked Apples

1. Baking Apples (or any nice crispy apple you like)
2. Butter
3. Raisins
4. Cinnamon and Nutmeg
5. Pinch of Salt
6. Brown Sugar
7. A Dash of Lemon Juice
8. A Tiny Bit of Half and Half or Heavy Cream

Begin by coring the apples and peeling a strip of skin off from around the middle of the apple. Mix together raisins, sugar, salt, and spices. Fill the centers of the apples with the mixture. Set apples into a deep baking dish with a lid. Add a little bit of water to the dish, just enough to cover the bottom. Put a pat of butter on top of each apple. Bake in a 35o degree oven for 30 or so minute. When the apples are tender, remove to individual serving dishes. Drain baking dish into a small sauce pan, simmer on high until mixture has thickened, let cool and add a bit of cream. If the cream seperates, turn heat back on and whisk until smooth. Let cool and add a dash of lemon juice. Serve apples with vanilla ice cream with sauce drizzled over the top.