Eye for a Recipe

For the past month or so, I’ve been roasting a whole chicken once a week. It’s easy to do, provides one dinner and two lunches for the two of us and then I make chicken stock from the carcass and get two more meals of soup. This recipe from Bon Appetit is simple — whisk together oil, lemon juice and honey and rub the mixture under the skin of the chicken and all over the outside. Place half a lemon and some rosemary inside the chicken and surround the chicken with shallots and lemon slices. Roast for about an hour. Cook’s note: To make stock, remove any meat on the carcass and set aside for another use. Put the carcass in a large deep pot and cover with cold water. Add a large celery rib, chopped, a large carrot, sliced, an onion, quartered (no need to peel), a handful of parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so the stock barely simmers. Partially cover and simmer for four hours, skimming off any foam that comes to the surface. Strain the stock to remove the bones and other solids. You can use the stock right away or refrigerate for use within a day or two (it’s easier to remove fat from the stock after it’s been in the fridge. You can also freeze it.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use fresh lemon juice, as concentrates contain sodium benzoate.

Rub chicken with oil, lemon and honey. Place lemon half and rosemary in chicken cavity and place shallots around the chicken.

Roast chicken with rosemary, lemon and honey

Ingredients:

3 ounces (85 g) rosemary sprigs (about 1 large or 2 small bunches), divided

1 4-pound (1.8 kg) chicken

¼ cup (60 ml) plus 1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey

1 lemon, halved, one half sliced into eight ¼ -inch (0.6-cm) rounds

8 oz (226 g) shallots, peeled

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) Line a large roasting pan with ¾ of rosemary sprigs. Place chicken on top.

Whisk ¼ cup oil, lemon juice, and honey in a small bowl to blend. Using your hands and beginning at the neck end of the chicken, gently lift skin away from breast. Under skin of the chicken, rub 2 tablespoons lemon mixture into meat. Drizzle remaining lemon mixture all over outside of the chicken.

Place 1 lemon half and 1 shallot inside chicken cavity; stuff with remaining rosemary sprigs, dividing equally. Season chicken all over with salt and pepper. Place remaining shallots around chicken; arrange 4 lemon rounds on top of chicken. Drizzle shallots and lemon rounds with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil.

Roast chicken, basting frequently with pan juices, for 45 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 425°F (218°C) and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F (74°C) and skin is deep golden and crispy, about 10 minutes longer.

Spoon pan juices over chicken, shallots, and lemon slices and serve in roasting pan. Serves 6-8.

From Bon Appetit

This soothing soup from Nigella Lawson’s Kitchen is true comfort food. While you quickly marinate pork strips, cook the noodles and drain them. Saute green onions and ginger, add the pork and then hot stock. Once the pork is cooked, add the bean sprouts and bok choy and simmer until the bok choy softens a bit. Then ladle it into your bowl, garnish with chopped hot pepper and enjoy. Cook’s note: I used udon noodles instead of ramen noodles and they worked very well.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use fresh lime juice and tamari instead of soy sauce. Use a fish sauce that does not include MSG or sodium benzoate; I use Cock brand. Check to make sure the paprika doesn’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. Imagine organic chicken stock is additive-free.

Marinate and cook the pork

Add the stock and bring to a boil

Add the bok choy

Vietnamese pork noodle soup

Ingredients:

10 oz (280 g) pork tenderloin, cut into thin discs and then fine strips

2 tbsp (30 ml) lime juice

2 tbsp (30 ml)  soy sauce

½ (2.5 ml) teaspoon paprika

2 tbsp (30 ml) fish sauce

8 oz (250 g) ramen noodles

1 tbsp (15 ml) garlic oil

6 thin or 3 fat green onions, finely sliced

1 tbsp (15 ml) chopped fresh ginger

1 quart (1 litre) chicken stock

10 oz (280 g) bean sprouts

2 small baby bok choy, torn into pieces

2 teaspoons (10 ml) chopped red or green chili pepper

Preparation:

Put the strips of pork fillet into a bowl and add the lime juice, soy sauce, paprika and fish sauce, but don’t let this stand for more than 15 minutes.

Cook the noodles according to packet instructions and then refresh in cold water.

Heat a wok or a deep, heavy-based frying pan, then add the garlic oil and fry the spring onions and ginger for a minute or so. Add the pork and its liquid to the wok, stirring as you go.

Cook the meat in the pan for another 2 minutes, then make up the chicken stock with boiling water, add the hot stock to the pan and bring to the boil.

Check the pork is cooked through, then add the bean sprouts and baby bok choy. Add water if the soupy base has evaporated too much – about ½ cup (125 ml) of freshly boiled water should do the trick, but you may not need it.

Arrange the drained noodles equally in two large or four small warmed bowls, ladle over them the pork and vegetables, and finally the soupy stock. Scatter the chopped chili on top and serve. Serves 4.

From Kitchen by Nigella Lawson

At this time of year, I like to cook a big pot of soup on Sunday. This soothing Ginger Chicken Soup from epicurious.com is delicious and very comforting if you have the sniffles.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

There are no additives or preservatives in these ingredients.

This recipe calls for lots of ginger

Remove the chicken breasts after about 30 minutes

Shred the chicken

Rewarm the stock after straining out the solids

Ginger Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 onion, sliced

2 celery stalks, chopped

8 ounces (250 g) unpeeled scrubbed ginger, cut into ½ “-thick (1.27 cm) slices

2 garlic cloves, crushed

10 whole black peppercorns

1 3-pound (1.5 kg) whole organic chicken, cut into 7 pieces (2 breasts, 2 legs with thighs attached, 2 wings, 1 back)

Kosher salt

Cilantro leaves (optional)

Preparation:

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large heavy pot. Add chicken, placing breasts on top. Add 6 quarts (6 L) water (preferably filtered or spring water); bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover with lid slightly ajar. Reduce heat to low; simmer until chicken breasts are just cooked through, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken breasts to a plate; let cool, then cover and chill. Continue to simmer soup, uncovered, until broth is fully flavored, about 2 ½ hours longer. Return breasts to soup to rewarm, about 5 minutes.

Remove chicken from broth. When cool enough to handle, coarsely shred meat; discard skin and bones. Place a fine-mesh sieve over another large pot; strain broth, discarding solids in strainer (you should have about 8 cups broth). Season with salt.

Rewarm soup. Divide chicken among bowls. Pour hot broth over, dividing equally. Garnish soup with cilantro leaves, if desired. Serves 8.

From Epicurious.com

We have been eating soup more often this winter, and this recipe from the cover of the January 2014 issue of Bon Appetit is a keeper. Ground pork is mixed with garlic, ginger and spices and then browned. Add broth, simmer a few minutes, and then add greens, scallions, soy sauce and fish sauce. The recipe calls for mustard greens; I used kale. Be sure to taste the soup before adding salt, as the soy sauce and fish sauce are quite salty.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Check your spices to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. I use Imagine brand all-natural stock, tamari and a fish sauce with no MSG such as Cock brand.

Ground pork is mixed with spices

Cook the rice noodles until they are tender, but not too soft

Add kale

Simmer until the kale is tender

Spicy pork and kale soup

Ingredients:

½ pound (250 g) ground pork

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

2 teaspoons (10 ml) finely grated peeled ginger

1 teaspoon (5 ml) Sichuan peppercorns, crushed

¾ teaspoon (3 ml) crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon (2 ml) cumin seeds, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cups (1 L) low-sodium chicken broth

1 bunch mustard greens, torn, about 4 cups (1 L)

4 scallions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons (30 ml) reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon (5 ml) fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)

8 oz. (250 g) wide rice noodles

Preparation:

Mix pork, garlic, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and cumin in a medium bowl. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add pork mixture; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring and breaking up with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, 8–10 minutes.

Add broth and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until flavors meld, 8–10 minutes. Add mustard greens, scallions, soy sauce, and fish sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender, 5–8 minutes; season with salt and black pepper.

Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions; drain.

Divide noodles among bowls and ladle soup over. Serves 4.

From the January 2014 issue of Bon Appetit