Best Tortilla Soup

This is one of my favorite Mexican dishes.  It’s rather hard to find a good recipe however.  It seems that every family has it’s closely guarded recipe, that they aren’t willing to share.  Well, I’ve searched high and low, tried as many recipes as I could get my hands on, tweeked it to taste, and this is what I’ve come up with.  I think you will find that it will stand up to just about any abuela’s best tortilla soup.  And I’m sharing it with you.

Note: You can substitute store-bought soup stock in this recipe if you want to shorten the cook time; however, you will find that it is much richer and authentic tasting if you make it from scratch using the attached recipe.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups white onion, diced
1 ½ cups celery, thinly sliced
1 ½ cups carrot, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 jalapenos, seeded and minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 quarts chicken stock (recipe follows)
10 corn tortillas, cut into strips
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp ground cumin
Cooking oil, for pan-frying
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
3 avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced
1 ½ cups shredded Jack cheese, optional
1 ½ cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
2 limes, cut in wedges, for serving

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a stockpot over medium. Add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and jalapenos; cook, stirring for 15 minutes until soft. Pour in the stock and tomatoes. Season with spices, and salt to taste. Add about half of the tortilla strips as a thickener. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the tortillas have completely dissolved.

Meanwhile, heat 1-inch of cooking oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rest of the tortilla strips in batches and fry until they are crisp on all sides. Remove to a paper towel-lined platter and sprinkle with salt.

Ladle into bowls and put a pile of shredded chicken on top of each. Top with the diced avocado and fried tortilla strips (and cheese if desired). Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges. Serves 6.

Chicken Stock:

1 whole chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds)
2 carrots, cut in large chunks
3 celery stalks, cut in large chunks
2 large white onions, quartered
1 head of garlic, halved
1 turnip, halved
1/4 bunch fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 quarts filtered water

Directions:

Place the chicken and vegetables in a large stockpot over medium heat. Pour in enough cold water to cover (about 3 quarts). Add thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns, and allow it to slowly come to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and gently simmer approximately 1 1/2 hours, or until the chicken begins to fall off the bone. Add a more water if necessary to keep the chicken covered while simmering.

Remove the chicken. Discard the skin and bones, and hand-shred the meat.

Strain the stock through a fine sieve into another pot to remove the vegetable solids. Use immediately, or if you plan on storing it, let it cool down to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate. Yields 2 quarts.

Best Chicken Gravy

Gravy is all too often relegated to being a mere culinary afterthought – something made from a little stock and a thickener, or heaven forbid mixed from an MSG-laden packet. Well, I disagree! If you consider that a good meal should be a well-constructed vehicle for a gravy that you dream about afterwards, then I suggest you check out this recipe.

Make no bones about it (pun intended) making the best gravy is no simple matter. It requires a little extra time, not just whisking a little flour into your drippings at the last second. However, it’s well worth it.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. chicken bones
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 oz. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 cups chicken broth
• Salt and pepper
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 4 Tbsp. flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425.

Mix the vegetables with the tomato paste then lay them out on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil so they won’t stick to the pan. Rest the chicken bones on top of the vegetables. Bake for 45 minutes.

Remove the bones and vegetables from the oven and put into a stock pot with the broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer for an hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Strain and set aside. [Note: you can leave in the vegetables if you want a more hearty or chunky gravy.]

Melt the butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. Sprinkle in the flour a little at a time while stirring briskly and constantly until all flour is incorporated into a roux (creamy paste.) Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly and moving the mixture all around, until the roux is a light to golden tan color. 

Remove the skillet from the burner. Slowly but steadily pour all of the stock into the pan while stirring briskly and constantly until it is blended in well.  [Note: If you are making this gravy in conjunction with a roast chicken, you can add the drippings into the mixture as well. In this case, just reduce the amount of stock to compensate for the amount of drippings added.] Once all of the liquid and roux have been incorporated, return the skillet to the heated burner, and continue cooking at a light simmer, whisking occasionally for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until nicely thickened.   

Keep warm over very low heat, or transfer to a gravy bowl for the table. Enjoy!

“Best” Recipes

When you love to eat good food, it’s essential that you learn to cook. That way you can have your favorites whenever you want, and it allows you to come up with your own recipes without having to be at the mercy of a particular chef’s taste. It’s also very rewarding to share something that you’ve poured your heart and soul into with the people that you care about.
It is my opinion that the best food is cooked by someone who loves to eat whatever it is that they are cooking. Although, I’m sure that any good chef who has an extensive understanding of ingredients and techniques can make just about anything taste good, I think that it’s a little dishonest to serve something to others that you don’t like yourself. That’s because cooking to me is a form of communication. And the most effective communication is delivered with conviction for what is being offered, and a sense of affininty for who it is being share with.
My “best” recipes represent a few of my favorite things to eat, which I’ve spent a great deal of time and care perfecting into dishes that I absolutely love. Each is a little piece of me, and as such is a continual work in progress as I learn about new ingredients and my culinary knowledge expands. Therefore, you will find that they change slightly over time. However, for the time being, they are what I consider the best possible version of each dish.
I offer them to my friends to try and enjoy. Bon apetite!

Best Clam Chowder

If you grew up in the Seattle area, you’ll know about clam chowder! It’s a Northwest specialty and one of my all-time favorites. This is my take on it.

Note: The secret to exceptional chowder is to not skimp on the ingredients. Canned clam meat and juice may be substituted but the final product will not be the same.

Ingredients

• 6 lbs. live steamer clams (produces about 1 ½ cups of clam meat)
• 6 oz. dry white wine
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 cup yellow potatoes, peeled and cubed into ½-inch chunks
• 2 oz. Custom Culinary Master’s Touch All Natural Clam Base,
• 1 tsp. marjoram
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp. thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 slices smoked bacon, cut into ½-inch strips
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• ½ cup flour
• ¼ tsp. dill
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• ½ tsp. white pepper
• cayenne pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• 3 cups heavy cream
• ¼ cup minced fresh parsley

In a large pot bring water and white wine to a boil. Add clams, cover and cook for five minutes, or until most of the clams have opened. Remove the clam meat from the shells, chop into ½-inch pieces and set aside.
Strain the liquid (clam broth) into a clean stock pot being careful to remove any sand. (You should have about 3 cups of broth. If not, add enough water to bring the volume up to 3 cups.) Add potatoes to the pot and bring to a boil. Add clam base and simmer lightly for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes soften.

In a separate pot fry the bacon until the fat is rendered. Add the butter and sauté the onion, celery, garlic and and all spices (except dill and parsley) until the onions become transparent. Sprinkle the flour into the fat and vegetable mixture to make a roux. Cook over low heat for several minutes, taking care not to let it brown or burn.

[Note: For a thinner chowder use less flour, or for a gluten-free version, mash some of the potatoes instead of making the roux.]
Add the clam broth a cup at a time and whisk until smooth. Add the potatoes and remaining broth and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the clams and heavy cream, and season with pepper and dill. Adjust seasoning with salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

Set aside for 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld. Then slowly reheat over low heat, being careful not to bring to a boil.
Serve immediately garnished with fresh parsley. Enjoy!

Updated: September 4, 2012

Best Chili Powder

It’s hard to find a really good chili powder in order to make authentic Texas-style chili. Most of the chili cook-off recipes seem to use Gephardt Chili Powder; however, I prefer to have a little more control over my ingredients. This is my version. It is a key ingredient to my Best Turkey Chili.
Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp New Mexico Chile Powder
• 2 Tbsp California Chile Powder
• 1 Tbsp Ancho Chile Powder
• 1 Tbsp Cumin
• 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Cayenne
• 1 tsp Mexican Oregano
• 1 tsp American Paprika

Instructions
Mix all ingredients together and store in a dry container.
Note: The ratio of the first three ingredients can be adjusted to taste. For a hotter chili – use more New Mexico powder (or Cayenne). For a milder version, use more Ancho and California (and omit the Cayenne.)

Chile Pepper Notes:
Ancho: These are dried poblano peppers, and very commonly used in Mexican cuisine. They’re brownish-black in color and mild in flavor and heat. It can be purchased in any Mexican store.
California: These are dried Anaheim chiles. They are reddish in color and are very mild in flavor and heat. It is usually only available in specialty spice stores.
New Mexico: These chiles have a distinct earthy flavor and resemble the California chile, only they’re more brownish in color and medium in heat. Authentic New Mexico chile powder is often hard to find. One place to get it is: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/new-mexico-chili-powder
Cayenne: These are very hot, bright red peppers. They have a mild flavor but are extremely hot. Typically this chile is only used if more heat is desired. The powdered form is available in any grocery store.

Updated: May 12, 2013

Best Turkey Chili

I LOVE chili! However, recently I changed my diet and can no longer eat beef. So, I’ve spent some time trying to come up with a tasty chili using turkey instead. It was a little difficult because turkey is rather tasteless and doesn’t simmer up like beef. This recipe is based off of a winner of the annual World’s Championship Chili Cookoff. I added a few interesting ingredients like beer and cocoa to create a blend of seasonings and flavors that create a mouth-watering chili that I guarantee will have your friends begging for the recipe.
Note: The key to really good chili is the chili powder. Most of the cook-off winning recipes use Gephardt Chili Powder. However, I prefer to have a little more control over my ingredients, which is why I created my own. You can substitute with the store-bought kind if you want.
Ingredients:

• 2 ½ lbs. turkey cutlets, cubed
• ½ lb. hot Italian turkey sausage
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup sweet onion, diced
• 1 can Ortega green peppers, diced
• 20 oz. chicken broth
• 12 oz. dark beer
• 10 Tbsp. Best Chili Powder
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 6 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 tsp. butter
• 2 tsp. corn starch or arrowroot
• 2 cans beans (optional)
• 1 tsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
• Additional Tabasco sauce and sea salt to taste*

Instructions:
Lightly brown the meat in oil in small batches and add to pot.
Sauté the garlic, onion and peppers until tender and add to pot.
Add the broth, beer, and tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Add half of the chili powder and the chicken bouillon and reduce heat. Simmer until the meat is very tender (up to 2 hours.) Add additional broth as necessary to keep meat covered.
In a small sauce pan, melt the butter, add the starch, mix and then stir into the chili.
Add the rest of the ingredients and leave at a very low simmer for another 15 minutes.
Serve with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips. Enjoy!
*Note: If you want even more heat, you can add some habañero sauce.
UPDATED: May 12, 2013.

Best Beef Stew

I love beef stew!  It’s a great stick-to-your-ribs sort of dish that’s very satisfying.

The best stew I ever had was made by grandpa Hal.  He was quite the gourmet cook.  Unfortunately, he past away before I had a chance to get the recipe out of him.

I’ve spent the last several years trying to perfect the right spices and ingredients to get something that approximates the goodness that I remember. This recipe is the closest I’ve gotten so far.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef stew meat (chuck)
• 1 pound lamb stew meat
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup Pinot Noir (or any rich red such as merlot)
• ¾ cup chopped onion (appox. ½ a large onion)
• ¾ cup chopped carrot (appox. 2 carrots)
• ¾ cup chopped celery (appox. 2 stalks)
• 1 garlic clove minced
• ¾ cup parsnip cubed (appox. 2 roots)
• 1 ½ cups Yukon gold potato cubed (appox. 3 large potatoes)
• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons veal demi-glace
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• ½ tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Sprinkle the flour over the meat and mix together in a mixing bowl. In a large pot (or Dutch oven) brown meat in oil over high heat. Remove and set aside.

Add butter and sauté celery, carrot, garlic and onion until onions are see-though (do not brown.) Add wine and reduce until a paste. While the wine is reducing, deglaze the bottom of the pot by scraping it with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Add the meat, parsnip, potatoes, broth, demi-glace, and herbs.  Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until meat and vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with a good bottle of red wine, and enjoy!

 

UPDATED: August, 24 2012.

Gazpacho and Sangria

A couple of Spanish favorites that I first had the pleasure of tasting while visiting Seville.  Gazpacho is basically a “cold” vegetable soup that is usually served as an appetizer with roasted bruscetta.  It’s super yummy, and is a great way to utilize those fresh vegetables in the garden. 

Sangria is a fruity wine “cooler” that pairs extremely well with this dish.  It’s very refreshing, and is perfect for a hot summer day next to the pool.

Ingredients

(yields 4 servings each)

For the Gazpacho

• 1 ½ pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup tomato juice
• 1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
• ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
• ½ cup chopped red onion
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1 large garlic clove, puréed
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves (chiffonade)

For the Sangria

• 1 cup halved red seedless grapes
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 1 apple, sliced thin
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 bottle good quality fruity red wine, like shiraz or rioja
• ½ cup cognac
• 1 liter soda water
• ¼ cup simple syrup
• 1 orange sliced, as garnish

Directions

Fill a 6-quart pot halfway full of water, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for 15 seconds, remove and transfer to an ice bath and allow to cool until able to handle. Remove and pat dry. Peel, core and seed the tomatoes.

When seeding the tomatoes, place the seeds and pulp into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl in order to catch the juice. Press as much of the juice through as possible and then add enough bottled tomato juice to bring the total to 1 cup.

Place the tomatoes and juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients (vegetables, oil and spices) and stir to combine.

Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to a blender and puree. Return the pureed mixture to the bowl and stir to combine.

Cover and chill for 2 hours and up to overnight. Serve with chiffonade of basil.

In a large pitcher, add the grapes, raspberries and apples. Pour in the red wine, cognac and simple syrup and mix together. Refrigerate, about 20 minutes. When ready to serve, pour the soda water into the pitcher and stir. Serve the sangria in large wine glasses, and garnish with an orange slice.

Enjoy!

Best Japanese Curry Rice

 “Curry Rice” was my favorite dish growing up. My Japanese father would make it at least once a month. However, that wasn’t enough for me.  In order to have it more often, I struck a deal.  If I made dinner, then we would have my favorite.  My parents being busy were more than happy to oblige.  So, that’s how at the age of eight I became a cook.

Over the last thirty years I’ve literally made this dish hundreds of times.  And just like every Japanese person, I have developed my own little tricks and variations. It has always been a great hit with all my friends who’d come over for dinner. Many times I’ve been asked to tell my recipe.  Well, at long last here you go.

The basics are very simple.  The easiest way to make it is with the curry sauce mix that you can buy at your local grocery store.  There’s a recipe on the box; however, if you follow my recipe below, I assure you it will be even better.

If you are really adventurous, you can also make the curry roux from scratch.  It’s a more involved process than making it with the curry blocks. However, making Japanese curry from scratch is hardly complicated, and gives you control over what you’ll ultimately be consuming. First, it allows you to control how spicy you want it. Second, if you want to avoid MSG, then curry from scratch is the way to go. [ALL store-bought curry mixes have MSG in their ingredients.] For this reason, I’ve included both ways in my recipe

Ingredients

(yields 4 servings)

For the roux

• 3 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 tablespoons curry powder (S&B is best)
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (add more if you want it spicy)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (or ketchup)
• 1 tablespoon tonkatsu sauce (or Worcestershire sauce)

For the stew

• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1 large onion sliced
• 1 pound tri-tip steak cut into chunks (you could also use chicken, shrimp, or tofu)
• 2 carrots cut into chunks
• 4 cups beef stock (use chicken or fish as appropriate, or just water if you want it to be less rich.)
• 2 medium yukon gold potatoes cut into large chunks
• ½ cup peas (or any other green vegetable such as broccoli or zucchini)

Directions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat and add the onions. Sauté the onions until they are see-through (but not caramelized.) Turn up the heat to high, add the meat, and brown.

Add the carrots and the stock (or water), then bring to a boil. Skim off any foam or oil that accumulates at the surface then lower heat to medium and add the potatoes (and puréed apple if you like.) Simmer for about 30 minutes or until you can pass a fork through the carrots and potatoes.

For the roux, melt the butter over medium low heat in a small sauce pan. Add the flour and curry powder, stirring until you have a thick paste. Add the sugar, cayenne pepper, white pepper, and salt and incorporate into the roux. Add the tomato paste and tonkatsu sauce and combine. Continue to cook until the roux starts crumbling. Remove from heat and set aside until the meat and veggies are ready.

To make the curry sauce, ladle about 2 cups of liquid from the stew into the roux, then whisk until smooth. (If using the curry block, just break it up in a small mixing bowl and do the same.) Pour this mixture back into the other pot and gently stir until thickened. Add the peas (or other green vegetable) and heat through.

Serve over rice. Enjoy!

(Note: You will want to get the rice cooking in the beginning if you want it to be done at the same time.)

UPDATED: April 31st, 2012