Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan & Pine Nuts

It’s hot outside and after roasting a pork shoulder earlier this week at 1 million degrees, I felt like something with no heat required would be best.   Not to mention, many of you have zucchini coming out your ears this time of the year. 

When Obed asked me what was for dinner yesterday and I told him that he was grilling chicken and I was making a zucchini salad he was not super excited.  He didn’t have a problem with grilling the chicken, he was “poo, pooing” the idea of a zucchini salad.   I don’t think salad is in Obed’s vocabulary.

This is one of the simplest and refreshing salads that you can make.  That is my opinion anyway….whatever that is worth.   

For my salad I used two zucchinis and one yellow squash.  Trim the ends off the vegetables and run a vegetable peeler from top to bottom, slicing them into ribbons.    When you start to see seeds stop and start slicing from the other side, leaving the core.

Place zucchini and squash ribbons in a bowl, sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.  Which I didn’t do because I didn’t want to turn the oven on, but if you feel so inclined I encourage you to do so.

Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Cheese makes everything better…..right?

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad.  If you are the more organized type, you may want to do the dressing first, but after a long hot day I was not organized nor I did know my name.

Toss everything together a TA-DA you have a wonderfully crisp and light salad to go with your husband’s grilling. 

Yes ladies if you want to grill, feel free.  I am all about equality.  I just believe that I have an equal right not to sweat like a dog in front of a hot grill when it is 102 outside…..I am just saying.

The jury (Obed, aka Spousal Figure) came back with a ruling on the salad and declared it good enough to moan, grunt and have seconds…..and then pout when it was all gone.

It really is a wonderful salad and a quick and easy side dish after a long day.  You can even add some diced chicken breast have it as your main dish. 

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Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan & Pine Nuts  (adapted from Bon Appétit  | August 2010)

Dressing

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1 large garlic clove, grated
• 1/2 tsp dry rosemary, crushed

Salad

• 2 large zucchini, trimmed
• 1 large yellow squash, trimmed  (about 2 lbs total)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• Small wedge of Parmesan cheese

Whisk together dressing ingrediants ina  small bowl to blend. Set dressing aside.

Using vegetable peeler and working from top to bottom of each zucchini, slice vegetables into ribbons.  Place ribbons in large bowl. Add nuts and parm then dressing; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with additional nuts and parm if desired.

Panzanella Salad

Now I present to you the final recipe of my Italian feast.  Mind you by this point my guest had arrived and I was trying to cook, entertain and photograph all at the same time.  Unfortunately due to my lacking skills in multitasking, step-by-step photos didn’t happen and may of them were blurred.   The good news is I didn’t burn myself, sever any fingers or accidentally poison my guest, so I think I did ok.

This was my first Pazanella Salad and why I deprived myself so long of this beautiful salad is beyond me.  I guess I always thought that it was just a salad with glorified croutons.  I was so wrong and I am so sorry.  *Stupid, stupid, stupid*

I made this salad with a day old loaf of homemade olive oil bread, but you don’t have to do that, a store bought French bread or boule will work just fine.  I just lucked out and happened to have some dough in the refrigerator.  Thanks to this wicked awesome cookbook!

This salad is everything you could ever want it to be, full of flavor, textures, color and simple….simple good!  Nothing complicated about this dish.  To make my life a wee bit easier I made the dressing and chopped the vegetables the night before.  When it was time to assemble I just toasted the bread in a cast iron skillet, combined everything and tossed.   I almost followed the recipe to a “T”, but I left out the capers and basil….only because I was distracted.     But it;s all good, it was still delicious and nutritious!

The salad was an instant hit and of course my guest were picking out their favorites.  Some liked more peppers, some liked more tomato. but everyone wanted more bread. 

The idea that a Panzanella is a salad with glorified crutons was so wrong.  Croutons are there just as a garnish but in a Panzanella the bread is the star.  It takes in all the flavor of the salad without getting soggy, it really is a wonderful salad.   Perfect for the summer and a better option than a heavy potato or pasta salad.

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Panzanella   (Barefoot Contessa. 2001)

• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
• 20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• 3 Tbs capers, drained

For the vinaigrette:

• 1 tsp finely minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 Tbs red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.

For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend

Chicken and Dumplings

Can you believe that before I made this I have had never eaten chicken and dumplings?  Seriously I had never had chicken and dumplings, its not really something they make back home in Puerto Rico.  I also have never used a pressure cooker.  I always had this fear that I would do it wrong and the next thing I know I would be yelling “Fire in the hole”!

Luckily enough these two first went off without a hitch.  I discovered a new love for chicken and dumplings and I managed not to blow a hole in my kitchen.

First season chicken with salt and pepper and brown.

Add everything to pot and add enough water to cover.

Bring to 15 pounds pressure, cook for 35 minutes, let pressure fall naturally before removing lid.

When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove chicken from bone, sherd and return to the pot.   The chicken should really fall off the bone.

Meanwhile, mix the batter for the dumplings.

If you want mix in some fresh thyme and parsley.

Using a cookie scoop make about 10 – 12 dumplings.

Place dumplings over the top of chicken and vegetables, turn on heat once more, cook covered for 12 minutes or until dumplings are puffed.

Get the biggest ladle you have and scoop yourself a big heaping bowl of creamy chicken goodness.

I have to say I was surprised how much I enjoyed chicken and dumplings.  The truth is that I had many opportunities to try it but for some reason the look and idea of it just didn’t do it for me….it kind of icked me out.   I made a mistake and deprived myself of this delicious goodness for all these years.

I also write this post to encourage you to try the big scary pressure cooker. I admit I lived in mortal fear for a short amount of time and watched the pot from the living room.  It’s really not as I thought and cuts your cooking time in half, it’s like the opposite of a slow cooker.

I encourage you to try a new dish and a new cooking method, you will surprised what you will learn.  Keep an eye out this pressure cooker may make a reappearance.

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Chicken and Dumplings

For the Soup

• 2 1/2 lbs chicken (I like thighs)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, cut into large chunks
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 Tbsp dry sherry or vermouth (optional)
• Salt
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Ground black or white pepper

For the dumplings

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup coarsely ground cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream

Heat olive oil in pan over medium high heat, season chicken with salt and pepper and brown.  Arrange chicken in a large kettle or pressure cooker. If you are using the kettle, place the chicken, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves, bouillon, thyme and dry sherry in a large pot. Add 4 quarts of water bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer the chicken until it is tender and the thigh juices run clear, about 2 hours or until chicken is very tender.  Add carrots during last hour. If you are using a pressure cooker, place all soup ingredients in pressure cooker, add enough water to cover chicken and vegetables, bring to 15 pounds pressure, cook for 35 minutes, let pressure fall naturally before removing lid.  When chicken is cool enough to handle remove meat from bones and shred.

Meanwhile, mix the batter for the dumplings. When chicken is cooked, place dumplings over the top of chicken and vegetables, turn on heat once more, cook covered for 12 minutes or until dumplings are puffed.

Sopa de Platano (Plantain Soup)

Yesterday the wind was blowing down the plain and along with it came the rain.  It was the perfect weather for a hearty soup.

Inspired by new friends, that we made though is very blog, asking if I had ever made plantain soup, I decided I give it a go.  I have had plantain soup before but it was a very long time ago and I had never made it myself.  I looked up a few recipes and came up with this version.

It was perfect for the cold wet weather we were experiencing and it required minimal attention, which was perfect since I am still running after 7 puppies on the move.

Start with 1/2 lb of stew beef, cubed into 1 inch cubes.  Season the meat with Adobo seasoning (you can find this in the Latin aisle of your local grocery), add olive oil to heavy pot or dutch oven, brown beef on all sides.

Add all remaining broth ingredients to the pot, bring to a boil, lower heat and cover.  Cook for 1 hour, when done fish out the culantro and cilantro leaves.

About 20 minutes before the broth is ready, peel and cut the plantains.

Soak them in salted water (you can also use adobo) for 15 minutes.

Heat enough oil to cover plantains over medium high heat, fry the plantains until golden in color, about 5 minutes.  Drain plantains in paper towel lined plate.

Mash the plantains in a mortar and pestle or with a potato masher.

Use a 2 tbs scoop to make plantain dumplings.

Roll out about 6 dumplings.  There are 9 in this photo but I ended up using only 6.  The other 3 were added back to the mash.

Add the remaining plantain mash and 1 cup of broth to a food processor, process until smooth.

Add the mixture to the soup and drop in the plantain dumplings.  Bring to a boil, lower heat and cover, cook for 10 minutes.

Add parmesan cheese and stir until melted, serve immediately.

This soup is thick and hearty, more like a stew.  It is exploding with flavor and has a sort of creamy element to it.  The beef comes out very tender as are the dumplings.  I can’t forget to mention the corn, which gives it just a touch of sweetness.

This is a perfect soup for a rainy day and it is sure to fill you up.   Obed some how managed to have two bowls, I could hardly finish my first I was so full.  I was feeling rolly polly after I was done, a happy rolly polly.

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Sopa de Platano (Plantain Soup)

Serves 2 with leftovers

Broth

• 1/2 lb stew beef, cut in 1 inch squares
• Adobo seasoning
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups beef stock
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 4 leaves culantro
• 3 stems cilantro
• 1 corn cob, split in 4 pieces
• salt

Plantains

• 2 green plantains, peeled and chopped
• salt
• oil for frying
• 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Season beef with Adobo seasoning, drizzle olive in heavy pot or dutch oven, brown beef over medium high heat.  Add all remaining broth ingredients and bring to a boil, lower heat and cover, cook for 1 hour. Remove culantro and cilantro leaves when done.

Soak peeled and cut plantains in salted water for 15 minutes.  Heat enough oil to cover plantains, drain plantains and fry until golden.  Drain on paper towel lined plate, mash plantains using a mortar and pestle or potato masher.  Using a 2 tbs scoop roll 6 plantain dumplings.  Add remaining plantain mash and 1 cup of broth in food processor, process until smooth, add mixture to soup.  Add plantain dumpling to soup, bring to a boil, lower heat and cover, cook for 10 minutes.

Stir in parmesan cheese until melted, serve immediately.

Thai Green Papaya Salad with Shrimp

I will not confess to sitting on the sofa with a carton of ice cream and a spoon, yesterday.  I will confess to feeling guilty for some unexplained reason and deciding that a light salad would be a great dinner option.  The guilt had nothing to do with a carton of ice cream, because there was no carton.  :)

Ok fine there was a carton, but only because all my bowls were in the dish washer.

I didn’t only make this salad to counter act the pint of ice cream I almost polished off.  I have been curious about a green papaya salad since I saw it on an episode of Triple D.   When I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit I jumped in the car and headed out to the Asian market for a few ingredients.

First let’s start with the dressing.  You will need fish sauce, golden brown sugar, dried shrimp, lime and garlic.   Whisk everything together and set aside.

A warning, it won’t smell so great at first but don’t let that scare you, it’s really very tasty.

Take 1/4 cup of the dressing and pour over the peeled and deveined shrimp, set aside.

Time to work the papaya.  I had to go to the Asian market for the green papaya because I only found ripe ones at my local grocery store.  Cut the papaya in half, seed and peel.

The seeds look like little popped rice pods, interesting.

Using a julienne peeler (or grater) peel enough until you have 3 cups of papaya.  It will be about half of the papaya.  You can peel the rest and freeze to use later.  Place in a bowl and set aide.

Blanch the green beans in boiling salt water until bright and crisp.

Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Chop the green beans into 2-inch pieces, add to papaya.

Thinly chop the scallions, cilantro and half the cherry tomatoes, add to bowl.

Now to give this salad a bit of a kick, add 1 tsp of chile garlic sauce.  It gives you that little tickle in the back of your through, it’s good for you.

Now cook your shrimp until pink and cooked through.  I grilled mine on my cast iron grill skillet but any skillet will do.

Add the shrimp to the salad,

top with chopped peanuts and remaining dressing,

toss until evenly coated.

This salad was perfect!  It’s light, crisp, and the lime in the dressing makes it bright and tangy.   For such simple ingredients it has a lot of texture and character, you will not be disappointed.

When Obed got home from work and saw what I had for dinner he made “the face”.  You know the face your man makes when he is suspicious about what you are about to feed him, the “what is that?” face, but he was very surprised to find out he actually enjoyed it.  He said the seller for him as the citrus in the dressing.

Trust me if my carnivore of a husband can eat this and enjoy it, anyone can.

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Thai Green Papaya Salad with Shrimp (adapted from Bon Appetit May 2010)  Serves 2 – 4

Ensalada de Camarones (Shrimp Salad)

Ahahahahahaha!  Today when I woke up my buns where burning and I am not talking about some baked good I put in the oven, I am talking about my own personal buns.  No, it’s not because I sat in a batch of hot jamaican peppers it’s because I did a new class yesterday at the gym and it kicked my butt.  I felt the burnnnnnn.

It was an awesome class and one of the instructors was a trip.    He was from Texas, loud, buff, about 50 years old, in blue and white spandex and with a personality that would barely fit inside the state of Texas.  He had me laughing, while at the same time turning my legs into jello with every squat.

I was beat after that workout and I needed to get dinner together quick.  This is one of those I am tired and don’t feel like making an effort, toss together, and get dinner on the table quick meal.  The bonus is that Obed loves this and so he is happy and I have saved myself time and energy. The only problem about this dish is because it is a “throw it together” meal I have never paid full attention to my measurements when making it, so some of this will be a guesstimation.

In a hot skillet drizzle about 2 Tbs of olive oil and drop in 4 tbs (cubes) of sofrito.

While the sofrito breaks down, thinly slice 1/2 a large onion.

Add an additional 2 Tbs of olive oil, 1 Tbs of white vinegar and onions to the hot skillet cook at a medium-high heat until they begin to become translucent, about 5 minutes.

Once the onions begin to soften, but not too much because you still want a crunch, add the 1/2 bag of medium shrimp, about 30 shrimp.

Cook shrimp and onions together until shrimp turns pink and curls.  Once the shrimp is cooked through set aside in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl whisk together 1/2 cup of oil and 1/4 cup of white vinegar and set aside.

Dice a large tomato, two hard boiled eggs and cube an avocado.

To cube the avocado cut the avocado lengthwise around the seed. Open the two halves to expose the pit.  To remove the pit gently tap the pit with a knife with enough force so that the knife edge wedges into the pit, then twist your knife and the pit will pop out.  If you need tap it again but be careful not to miss and loose a finger.  Then using a small knife cut the flesh into a cube grid and use a spoon to scoop out the pieces.  For a more detailed tutorial check out this post by Simply Recipes.

Add diced egg, avocado and tomatoes to shrimp mixture and drizzle desired amount of dressing over top.

Toss everything together and add salt and pepper to taste.  You can serve it immediately or refrigerate and allow to marinate.

I have served this salad with white rice, boiled roots like yucca or on a chopped bed of spinach.    It is full of flavor and super easy and when the temperature finally decides to rise this will be a great dish to toss together.

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Ensalada de Camarones (Shrimp Salad)

• 4 Tbs of sofrito
• 3 Tbs olive oil, divided
• 1 Tbs white vinegar
• 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
• 30 medium shrimp
• 1 avocado, cubed
• 2 eggs, hard boiled and diced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

In a hot skillet drizzle about 2 Tbs of olive oil and drop in 4 tbs (cubes) of sofrito.

While the sofrito breaks down, thinly slice 1/2 a large onion.

Add an additional 2 Tbs of olive oil, 1 Tbs of white vinegar and onions to the hot skillet cook at a medium-high heat until they begin to become translucent, about 5 minutes.

Once the onions begin to soften, but not too much because you still want a crunch, add the 1/2 bag of medium shrimp, about 30 shrimp.

Cook shrimp and onions together until shrimp turns pink and curls. Once the shrimp is cooked through set aside in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together 1/2 cup of oil and 1/4 cup of white vinegar and set aside.

Dice a large tomato, two hard boiled eggs and cube an avocado.

To cube the avocado cut the avocado lengthwise around the seed. Open the two halves to expose the pit. To remove the pit gently tap the pit with a knife with enough force so that the knife edge wedges into the pit, then twist your knife and the pit will pop out. If you need tap it again but be careful not to miss and loose a finger. Then using a small knife cut the flesh into a cube grid and use a spoon to scoop out the pieces.

Add dice egg, avocado and tomatoes to shrimp mixture and drizzle desired amount of dressing over top.  Toss everything together and add salt and pepper to taste.

You can serve it immediately or refrigerate and allow to marinate. I have served this salad with white rice, boiled roots like yucca or on a chopped bed of spinach.

Posole: Pork and Hominy Soup

Yesterday I posted Carnitas in an attempt to revolutionize taco night.  Because that is my job….my purpose…..no!  My reason for living!  Taco night ¡Revolución! *fist in the air*  

Ok I may have taken that a wee-bit too far, but you get the idea. 

I had quite a bit of carnitas leftover from my taco night ¡Revolución!.  It was to be expected, 3 pounds of pork shoulder for 2 people is a little much, but I was sure to make good use of my leftovers.  To be honest the whole purpose of making the carnitas was to make a posole soup.  I am ashamed to admit that I was not motivated by trying to start a taco night ¡Revolución!, it was my own selfish need to try posole soup.  But this fact should not diminish the taco night ¡Revolución!.

Ok I have used up my quota for the use of the word ¡Revolución!.

The whole thing started while watching an episode of Dinners, Drive-ins and Dives where they visited a place that made a posole soup.   Obed is a huge fan of soup so I made a mental note to find a recipe and try it.   When I went on my search I found a recipe on Chaos in the Kitchen, which gave me the idea of the slow cooker which brings us here today.  I credit her with the seed that planted the idea for the ¡_____________!(remember quota met)

This worked out perfectly.  I got everything together in the morning before heading out for church and when we got back we had a warm savory soup waiting for us.  It is a very filling soup, the pork is soft and tender and the hominy adds to the texture of the soup.   Next time you make carnitas, make extra and plan for a posole soup. 

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Posole: Pork and Hominy Soup (adapted from Chaos in the Kitchen)

• 2 Tbs butter
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
• 3 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3 cups cooked pork, like carnitas
• 1 cup roasted green chilies (canned or fresh), diced
• 1/4 cup green salsa, medium
• 2 (15 oz) cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
• juices from carnitas
• 1 qt chicken or pork stock to cover
• tabasco or sarachi sauce (optional)

Melt butter over medium heat and add onion, garlic, jalapeno, and spices. Saute until veggies are soft.

Add vegetables in a slow cooker with pork, green chilies, salsa and hominy. Add and reserved juices from the carnitas and stock to cover.  Cover slow cooker and set on LOW for 7 hours or HIGH for 3 1/2.   Add tabasco or sarachi sauce to your taste and serve with desired garnishes.

If you prefer to do this stove top saute veggies as directed and combine everything into a large heavy pot.  Bring the soup to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and cover, simmer for 2 hours until flavors are well combined.

Sancocho (Puerto Rican Beef Stew)

It has been gloomy and rainy for a week now and it doesn’t look like it’s going to let up till maybe the weekend….so says the weatherman.  What is really annoying is that it isn’t even a real rain, it’s a mist, I feel like I am in London or something.  Cold and drizzly weather like this calls for a warm hearty stew.  This particular dish has to be my favorite cold weather dish, no doubt.  The name of this dish, Sancocho, literally means stew.  In Puerto Rico when a person has spent all day under the hot sun, it is said that they are “sancochao”,  which means stewing in the blistering heat.

This stew goes back at least 400 hundered years to when the Spaniards brought African slaves over to the island.  The slaves would make a huge pot and let it stew all day and have a hearty meal ready after a long day of labor.  The tradition continued on to the poor farmers, which were call “Jibaros” and it is still here today.

Sancocho is made up of beef tips, beef stock and a variety of starches that are both native to the island and to Africa.  Although plantains are associated with Puerto Rican cuisine, the plantain is originally from Africa.  My favorite starch in this stew is the yucca root, which is native to Puerto Rico and was use by the native Taino Indians.   I was lucky enough to find frozen yucca at my local Asian market.  You can switch starches in and out if needed.  If you are missing something, add a little more of something else, but do not leave out the corn.  The corn is one of the best parts.  I always save my corn for the very end, it is almost like a savory dessert.  I remember when my sister and I were young we use to fight over the last piece of corn in the pot.  She is a scrappy one, but I didn’t go down without a fight.

This stew is just heaven and reminds me so much of home.  Obed was very excited to come home to a huge pot of sancocho.  It is very filling and bursting with flavor.  If you have any left, refrigerate it and save it for later.  This stew is even better the next day after it has been marinating overnight.  I think Obed and I ate from this pot for three days.  You can also freeze it and have it on hand for a cold rainy day.

To me, it’s a little piece of home in a bowl.

Print Recipe

Sancocho (Stew) Serves 6

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-1/2 lbs top round beef, cubed into 1-1/2-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup yellow onions, chopped
• 1/3 cup green pepper, chopped
• 5 sprigs of cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped
• 4 quarts beef stock
• 1 green plantain, peeled and slice into 1-inch pieces
• 1 yellow plantain, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 medium sweet potato, diced into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
• 3 medium new potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 2 ears of yellow corn, cleaned and sliced into 6 parts each

In a preheated dutch oven or heavy pot over low-to-medium heat, combine olive oil, garlic, beef cubes, and onions, stir until beef is brown on all sides and onions begin to caramelize. Add in chopped pepper, cilantro, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and 1 quart of beef stock. Cook down until stock is reduced by half about 20 minutes.

Stir beef, then add in all the remaining vegetables and beef stock. Continue to cook until meat is tender and the vegetables are soft.

Sopa de Pollo con Fideos (Chicken Noodle Soup)

Tired and lazy here, thought I would let you know I am alive……..

It is definitely getting chilly in these parts and when it’s chilly it is time for soup.  This is a soup that I make for Obed on chilly days like today.  He loves soup, in fact he had about three bowls of this soup and was sad when there wasn’t enough for a fourth.  This is how Mami(es) in Puerto Rico make chicken noodle soup.  First of all we use bone in meat, none of that dried shredded chicken breast stuff here and of course the secret ingredient sofrito.  Sofrito gives all Puerto Rican food its distinct flavor.

This is very simple to make and it just a warm and satisfying meal on a cold or rainy day.  Make it with love and it cures the common cold.

Print Recipe

Sopa de Pollo con Fideos (Chicken Noodle Soup)

• 1 whole chicken, cut in pieces
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil (1 reserved)
• 2 quarts of chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 3 tablespoons sofrito
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 large onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 large potato
• 1 envelope Sazon con Achiote
• 1 large bay leaf
• Angel hair pasta

Rub the chicken with salt, pepper and oregano and one teaspoon olive oil and set aside for 30 minutes.

In a large heavy pot sauté the sofrito purée, onions and celery with remaining olive oil, for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Brown the chicken pieces to seal in their flavor. Add the chicken stock or water to the chicken and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Raise the heat and bring to a boil once more; add carrots, potatoes, sazon and bay leaf. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, until carrot and potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. During the last 5 – 10 , minutes add the angel hair and cook until pasta is done.

Gazpacho

How many of you ladies have a husband what will not consider a meal, a meal if there isn’t some meat on his plate?  That when you order pizza it has to be the meat lovers or nothing.   He won’t even consider the veggie pizza.  How many times have you been making dinner as he has hovers around asking, “Is there any meat in it?”  I am sure I have many fellow sympathizers.  My man is a hard core carnivore, not only does there have to be meat in it but it has to be chunks of meat.  For example if  I am making something with sausage he protests if I cut the casing to break up the sausage, he wants it in slices. 

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 large red onion, diced
• 1/2 large cucumber, diced
• 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 zucchini, diced
• 2 cups tomato juice
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoons sugar
• Salt and Black Pepper to taste
• 1 Jalapeno, Finely minced
• Sliced avocado
• Cilantro
• 8 large shrimp
• Dash of Cumin
• Pinch of kosher salt

In the food processor, combine the minced garlic with red onion, cucumber, tomato, zucchini,  tomato juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, Tabasco, and a dash of salt. Pulse until all ingredients are blended well.

Pour into a large bowl, stir mixture together and check seasonings, adding salt if needed. Chill soup for at least a 1 hour; soup need to chill to allow the flavors to marinate.

Remove the soup from the fridge and stir. Check seasonings one last time.

Season shrimp with cumin and salt, drizzle with a bit of olive oil.  Grill on grill skillet until pink.  Drizzle a thick slice of wheat bread with olive oil and grill on grill skillet.

Ladle soup into a bowl and garnish with remaining diced vegetables, a slice of fresh avocado and cilantro. Finally, place a grilled shrimp on the top and serve with grilled slice of bread.

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