"Party Cookbook" (an Australian publication) - Chicken Cacciatora

Date I made this recipe:  October 29, 2017

Party Cookbook by cookery editors Anne Marshall and Elizabeth Sewell

Published by Paul Hamlyn New South Wales (New South Wales is a “state” or section of Australia)

© 1971

Purchased at Bloomington (MN) Crime Prevention Association (BCPA) Annual Sale

Recipe:  Chicken Cacciatora – p. 19

A few weeks ago, I needed to shift a lot of my cookbooks around to make way for ducklings new acquisitions.  I’m going to call this The Great Cookbook Migration 2017.

Let me just say that this was no easy feat.  Not only did I have to deal with years of accumulated dust (I try but you know…), but I had to deal with falling books (jeez, you nudge it just a little) and spatial relations, i.e. figuring out which books fit which way on my shelves.

It didn’t take me long before I had more books on the floor than I did on shelves as I kept arranging and rearranging my collection.  This book managed to slide off the top of its stack to land at my feet in a clear attempt to get me to look at it (Yes, books are sneaky that way), and so I did.

Although I did not have a party planned, it was close enough to Halloween for me to think about Halloween parties, past and present, and so why not, right?  Not that this is an official Halloween recipe because as I’ve said before, I don’t really “do” Halloween, but a party cookbook in the hand is better than none at all.

This book did a pretty good job of hitting a lot of party themes. Here’s the Table of Contents.  Do note that this book was published in Australia which explains some of the British and Maori (New Zealand) party themes.

• Brunch Party (Brunch is a “party?”  Huh.  I always thought brunch was just…brunch!)
• Morning Coffee Party
• Luncheon Party
• Kitchen Tea (given for the Bride-to-be!)
• Christening Tea
• Children’s Birthday Party
• Open House Party
• Cocktail Party
• Dinner Parties
• Formal Dinner Party
• Casserole Dinner Party
• The Man Takes Over [Dinner Party]
• Buffet Dinner Parties
• Summer Buffet Dinner Parties
• Winter Buffet Dinner Parties
• After Theater Party
• Patio Party
• Barbecue
• Haangi (a Maori BBQ pit)
• Wine and Cheese Party

 And here’s some sample recipes and again, do note that the cookbook features food from Australia which was once a British colony which is to say, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

• ·       Brunch Party – “Lamb Cutlets with Tomatoes;” “Liver with Onions and Bacon;” “Scrambled Eggs and Tomatoes,” and “Savoury Mince on Toast.”  This looks absolutely nothing like any brunch menu I’ve ever seen, and I cannot say it appeals.  Cannot.
• ·       Morning Coffee Party – “Cheese Roughs” and “Gingerbread.”
• ·       Luncheon Party – “Chicken Cacciatora;” “Malakoff” (a cookie and cream concoction)
• ·       Kitchen Tea – A “kitchen tea” is a tea given for a bride-to-be, and the menu includes “Fish Patties” and “Savoury Eggs.”  Ew.  This is what they serve at a bridal shower? That said, this menu also includes “Chocolate Rum Truffles” which is more than acceptable to moi.
• ·       Christening Tea – “Ham and Shrimp Puffs,” “Ribbon Sandwiches,” and “Christening Cake.”
• ·       Children’s Birthday Party – “Sausage Rolls;” “White Mice in Jelly” (hmmm), and “Skippy Birthday Cake.” “Skippy” is a kangaroo and this cake is shaped like one. I have photo proof! I think I need this, children’s birthday or no children’s birthday!
• ·       Open House Party – This two-page “chapter” does not contain recipes, just dialog about how to throw a large open house party.  Been there, done that.
• ·       Cocktail Party – Once again, these four pages cover the basics of Hors d’Oeuvres which is to say, “breads and spreads.”  They give you a list of “ideas” so you can build your own but no recipes to follow.
• ·       Dinner Parties – This category has three parts:  Formal Dinner Parties (“Cauliflower Hollandaise,” “Duckling with Olives,” and “Crepe Suzettes”), Casserole Parties, and The Man Takes Over dinner parties.  As to Casserole Parties, on what planet is “Salmon with Cucumber Sauce” considered a casserole?  I need to know this.  I need to know this right now! I ask the same question about the recipe for “Roulades” which are basically meat rolls.  All I’ll say is that these Aussies have odd ideas about casseroles.  Finally, the very title of this last section – The Man Takes Over – made me laugh but then made me mad.  How sexist! Like what, the woman couldn’t deal with the situation? Naturally, “Minute Steaks” is the key recipe in this section because you know, men are born with a gene that tells them how to grill steaks (and only steaks) and women aren’t.
• ·       Buffet Dinner Parties – This category includes “Summer Buffet Dinner Parties” and “Winter Buffet Dinner Parties.”  Well that works, doesn’t it?  The recipes also tend to work although my eyebrow raised a bit at the recipe for “Lima Bean and Cauliflower Salad” (summer) and “Prawns in Garlic and Anchovy Sauce” (winter) only because most people would never eat anchovies, or a sauce made from anchovies.  I am not one of those people, but that’s another matter for another day.
• ·       After Theatre (not to be confused with “Theater) Party – Oh for crying out loud folks, never ever have I thought to eat these awful concoctions after an evening at the theater…or ever: “Fandango Sardines,” “Satanic Sardines,” or this abomination – “Osborne Oysters” made with, I kid you not, oysters, bananas, grated Swiss cheese and lemon juice. Blink.  Blink.  Blink. 
• ·       Patio Party – Le sigh. We were doing great with recipes for kebabs, risotto and more, and then it all went to hell in a handbasket with this recipe, “Greek Marrow Salad.” I can’t even….
• ·       The Barbecue, Haangi and Wine and Cheese Chapters don’t really contain recipes as much as they do instructions.

 You know what, the above was a lot of dialog about a book that is a mere 121 pages long, but I would not be me if I didn’t comment about the recipes.  Once again, let me repeat that I continue to be stymied by “British” food, or rather, what members of the British empire consider food.  Edible food.  Maybe this was the real reason the Revolutionary War was fought?  “You Brits take your horrible excuse for food and get the hell outta here!”

Out of the wreckage though, I selected a “winner, winner, chicken dinner” – Chicken Cacciatora. (By the way, I don’t think I ever heard the “winner, winner, chicken dinner” phrase until I moved here but maybe people everywhere say that?  That said, only in Minnesota, and I do mean only in Minnesota, is a casserole referred to as a “hotdish,” and only in Minnesota do the natives say [of a child’s game) “It’s Duck, Duck, Grey Duck” instead of “Duck, Duck, Goose.”)

If you read last week’s blog post highlighting another chicken dish I made, then you’ll know about my incident with the chicken I purchased at Kowalski’s (grocery store).  I’m still rather poleaxed by that spectacular service.

I’m here to tell you though, that Whole Foods (Whole Paycheck) is no slouch in the service department, either.  Since Kowalski’s didn’t have what I was looking for, I went to Whole Foods to purchase just a couple of bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts.  Normally, that chicken is on display in the meat department, but this trip, they were out.

“No worries,” said the lady behind the meat counter.  She walked me over to the pre-packed chicken cooler and said that if I saw what I’d like, she’d be happy to split up a package(s) so that I got exactly what I wanted and also give it to me at the meat counter price which is $1.00 less than the packaged product.  Sold!

The recipe is really easy and can be made on the stovetop if you want (and I wanted) instead of the oven.  The only thing I changed was to add the tomato juice to the dish instead of draining it as directed as you won’t have enough liquid to cook if you do it otherwise.  Also?  “Green capsicum” “translated” is green pepper.  Oh, those Aussies!

Chicken Cacciatora – serves 6

2 x 2 ½ pound roasting chickens (Ann’s Note:  If indeed she meant that I should purchase two 2.5 pounds of roasting chicken, that is a hell of a lot of chicken to feed six people, don’t you think?  I did!  Then I wondered if she meant to buy 2 to 2.5 pounds of chicken but the fact that she said chickens (plural), instead of chicken (singular) made me think she really did want that much chicken.  That’s almost a pound of chicken per person, folks – whoa!) 

½ cup plain flour

Pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ounce butter

1 green capsicum (pepper), diced

1 white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 carrot, diced

3 cups tomatoes, skinned (tinned tomatoes may be used)

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons sherry

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

6 black olives, and 6 green olives, for garnish

Cut chicken into serving pieces.  (Ann’s Note:  Once upon a time, my dad did this but that was once upon a time. These days, pre-cut chicken is the way to go but by all means, if you have mad butchering skills, have at it!).  Wipe and dip chicken pieces into seasoned flour.  Heat oil and butter in a heavy-based frying pan and fry chicken until golden brown on all sides.  Remove chicken from pan and keep warm in a large heavy-based saucepan or flameproof casserole.

Fry green pepper, onion, garlic and carrot in frying pan, adding a little extra oil if necessary.  Cook until onion is soft and golden.  Add tomatoes.  If tinned tomatoes are used, drain liquid off first.  (Ann’s Note:  I don’t recommend that you drain the tomatoes because your dish will be dry and may burn.  I added the liquid and am glad I did.)  Add bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil, simmer a few minutes, the pour sauce over chicken pieces.  Add sherry.  Cover and simmer gently on top of stove or cook in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes or until chicken is tender.  Garnish chicken with chopped parsley and spiral cut olives.  Served with boiled noodles.

"Rachael Ray Express Lane Meals - A 30-Minute Meal Cookbook" - Leek-y Chicken and Couscous

Date I made this recipe:  Sunday, October 22, 2017

Rachael Ray Express Lane Meals – A 30-Minute Meal Cookbook by Rachael Ray

Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers

ISBN: 1-4000-8255-2; © 2006

Purchased at: Paperback Exchange, Minneapolis

Recipe: Leek-y Chicken and Couscous – p. 22-23

Reader, I don’t know when I’ve been so decisive on selecting a cookbook and recipe, but this was a new a new record for me.  In fact, I wasn’t even trying when I pulled it off the shelf.  This is not normally how it goes for me, but maybe I should try this more often?

To set the stage, I had a couple of other dishes on deck to make this weekend, but when I ran them by Andy, he was rather “meh” about them and so I tabled them for another day.  I was also torn between making something that said “fall” but then our weather warmed up and something warm and heavy didn’t seem appropriate.

That said on Saturday, I attended a pot luck and one of the attendees brought pulled pork (which to me says “fall”) and dang, did that taste good!  So, hmm, maybe a crock pot meal?

At this point, I still had a fairly decent window to make something in the crock pot without going too late into the evening, and so I did a quick scan of my collection, and up on one of my very top shelves, I spied Slow Cooker cookbook.  Alas folks, nothing in there floated my boat, so I re-shelved it and was rethinking my options when I found myself eye to eye with several Rachael Ray cookbooks and decided to look through Express Lane Meals.  To be clear, Rachael Ray is famous for her 30-minute meals, so there went the crockpot idea!  This turned out to be a good thing though, since Andy and I had a few stops to make before we could get to a grocery store and by that time, the afternoon was flying by.

I’ve mentioned before that Rachael’s chipper personality can be grating but her recipes are spot on and Andy and I have enjoyed almost everything we’ve made; this dish was no exception.  In fact, to quote Rachael, this was “delish!”

At this point, I had totally lost interest with heartier and/or slow-cooked fare and decided I needed something “light.”  Not “salad” light, but along those same lines.  Fall may be the season of hearty and comforting food, but I am slow to embrace fall; bring on endless summer!

As you’ll see below, the book’s “Table of Contents” was brief which was fine except I had to take the time to go through each page to find recipes of interest; I prefer a more streamlined approach.  Our chapters were:

• ·       “Meals for the Exhausted” (76 pages of recipes and instructions)
• ·       “Meals for the Not Too Tired” (104 pages of recipes and instructions)
• ·       “Bring it On! (But, Be Gentle.)” (44 pages of recipes and instructions)

 You see?  How were these categories helpful?

Further, I just had to chuckle over the first two categories, “Meals for the Exhausted,” and “Meals for the Not Too Tired.” Let’s break this down, starting with the interpretation of what was written, particularly the “for the” designation as in:  these meals are being made FOR people who are exhausted or not [yet] too tired.  Well, where does that leave the cook?  What if I’m the one who is exhausted or not [yet] too tired? What result?

Assuming then, (dangerous, I know), that Rachael intended these recipes to be made BY me or others who are exhausted or will be shortly, let’s look at how many pages there are for us to review.  If you’re already exhausted, then you must look through 76 pages of recipes and instructions.  If you are merely working your way up to being exhausted, then you need to review 104 pages.  I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that reading that many pages will change your status from “not too tired” to “exhausted” in a Rachael-Ray minute!

Okay then, since the possibilities of me ending up on my couch instead of in the kitchen cooking were high, I decided to make it easy on myself and look for recipes that were easy and light and concluded that this meant chicken, seafood, or pasta sans heavy sauces.  This meant that I could pretty much tear through the cookbook, saving my strength for the cooking to follow.

Happily, it didn’t take me long to find what I was looking for because right there, on page 22, was the recipe I selected:  Leek-y Chicken and Couscous.  This recipe was very easy, and I did appreciate that it was not too taxing for me to make seeing as how I was already “exhausted” and everything!

Here were some other contenders:

• ·       Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper Pasta) and Spinach with White Beans – p. 30
• ·       Toasted Garlic and Sweet Pea Pasta (I love peas!) – p. 52-52
• ·       Cowboy Spaghetti (with fire-roasted tomatoes and Cheddar cheese) – p. 60-61
• ·       Smoky Black Bean and Rice “Stoup” – p. 64-65 (Rachael likes to call something that is a soup/stew a “stoup.”  I can’t say that word does much for me but it’s her word so she gets to use it.)
• ·       Everything Lo Mein – p. 114-115

There were a few others of interest and there were some other heartier recipes that I might have made on another day, but I liked the sound (and the taste) of chicken and leeks. 

Once I selected the dish of the day, it was time to go shopping and since I needed to go to Kowalski’s (local, family-owned grocery store) to get a few things, I thought I’d pick up the chicken there, and so I got two packages of chicken tenders and went home to start cooking.

Folks, as I walked into the house, I smelled something rather awful and could not figure it out until I took the [still sealed] packaged chicken out of my grocery bag.  Ew, that did not smell good!  Then I opened it and ew x 2, that really did not smell good. I called Andy over for a second opinion and he thought one didn’t smell too bad, but the other smelled “interesting.”  Well, I am totally my mother’s daughter, and I don’t “do” chicken that smells “interesting” or is “not too bad” so I called Kowalski’s and asked to speak to the meat department.

Folks, if you live in the Twin Cities and are close to a Kowalski’s you need to visit them because here’s what happened next.  I spoke to Brian in the meat department on Grand Ave and said, “Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think this chicken smells right.”  He said, “Well, rather than take a chance that it’s gone bad, if you want, you can bring it back to us and we’ll exchange it for a product that does work for you, no charge, and we’ll give you a gift certificate for your trouble.

Ponder that a second:  Not only did they give me new product for free, no questions asked, but they rewarded me for letting them know and bringing it in.  I LOVE this grocery store even more than I already did! I dispatched Andy to go to the grocery store to do the deed, and he too, came back glowing.  I even posted this on my Facebook page because getting any type of services these days is a miracle, but getting this type of service was outstanding.

Okay then, now on to the recipe and how we fared.  This was a very easy recipe to make and one that seemed healthy and that was what I was looking for.  First, you make the couscous, then you make the chicken and leeks and ta-da, you are done!  That Rachael – when she says “30 minutes” she means “30” minutes!  Enjoy!

Leek-y Chicken and Couscous – 4 servings

1 ½ cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup golden raisins, a couple of handfuls, chopped

1 ½ cups plain couscous

2 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil), twice around the pan

1 ½ pounds chicken tenders, cut into large bit-size pieces

Salt and black pepper

2 medium leeks or 1 large leek

1 cup dry white wine (eyeball it), about ¼ bottle

A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Heat the chicken stock and 1 tablespoons of the butter in a medium pot with a tight-fitting lid.  When the liquid boils, add the raisins and couscous.  Take the pan off the heat.  Stir the couscous and place the lid on the pot.  Let it stand.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the EVOO.  Add the chicken in a single layer and season it with salt and pepper.  While the chicken browns on all sides, trim the rough tops and the root ends off the leeks.

Cut the leeks in half lengthwise, then cut them into 1-inch half moons.  Place the leeks in a colander and run them under cold water.  Separate the layers to release the dirt and grit.  Rinse well, then drain well.

Add the leeks to the chicken and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the wine and let it cook down by half, 3 to 4 minutes. The leeks should still have some color but should be tender and the chicken should be cooked through.  Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and swirl into the sauce.

Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir in the parsley.  Place a bed of couscous on each dinner plate and top it with the chicken and leeks.

"The Firefighter's Cookbook - Award-Winning Recipes From a Fire-Fighting Chef" by John Sineno - Chicken Marsala - 9/11/2017

Date I made this recipe:  September 11, 2017 – 16^th Anniversary of 9/11

The Firefighter's Cookbook – Award-winning Recipes from a Fire-Fighting Chef by John Sineno (Engine 58, NYC)

Published by Vintage Books

ISBN: 0-394-74429-2; © 1986

Purchased at Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, NYC

Recipe:  Chicken Marsala – p. 19 – submitted by Jim Sherwood, Ladder 19 (Bronx, NY)

On 9/11/2001, 343 members of the FDNY (Fire Department New York) died in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center Twin Towers.

On 8/1/2017, I purchased this cookbook at Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks in New York City's West Village with, I have to admit, the intention on cooking from this on 9/11/17, the 16^th observance of the fall of the Twin Towers.  It's uncanny how many times over the years that I've discovered and purchased a cookbook just when I need it.

When I noticed that this book was published in 1986 (5 years before 9/11), I decided that I simply had to know if any of the firefighters and related personnel who submitted recipes for this book perished when the towers fell.  I found two similar sources on the internet and so book in hand, I started my search, always fearful that I would find a "match."

I am relieved to report that not a single name in this book appeared on the list.  That said, we continue to mourn the fallen from that horrible, horrible day.

For the record, my small hometown in Michigan has a volunteer fire department.  Although they were best known for putting on a fantastic water fight every 4^th of July, they continue to do this work because they love it and really, if you are going to be a firefighter, it is essential that you love what you do!

In 1986 when he wrote The Firefighter's Cookbook, author John Sineno, was a twenty-three year veteran with Engine 58, and a two-time first prize winner in annual cooking competitions among NYC firehouses; he retired in 1992.

Sineno's cookbook is filled with recipes from fellow firefighters across NYC (and a few from firefighters in NJ); administrators such as commissioners, assistant commissioners, and even a secretary to an administrator; a medic; a counsel to the FDNY, and a chaplain.  

As you might imagine, some of the recipe yields in this cookbook are huge as they are intended to feed firehouse staff.  Although I often divide recipes in half, breaking down a recipe that serves 8 or more is fraught with peril.  When you end up using "1/16^th teaspoon" of an ingredient, you have to ask yourself "Why bother?"  Sometimes, the taste itself also suffers and I wanted to avoid that which is why I shelved the otherwise delicious-sounding "Tortellini Meatball Soup" that served 16-20 people.  (Apologies to Capt. Pat Buttino, Engine 263.)

Recipe yields aside, I liked this cookbook because it was pretty compact and the recipes all sounded really good.  Your chapter options are:

• Main Courses
• Pastas and Soups (I would expect nothing less than a "pasta" chapter of an NYC cookbook)
• Side Dishes
• Desserts

Recipes up for consideration were:

• "Seafood Newburg" – p. 10
• "New Orleans Jambalaya"- p. 23
• "Pepper Steak" – p. 29 (This calls for six pounds of skirt steak.  Six???)
• "Artichoke Pie" – p. 59
• "Scalloped Potatoes and Onions" – p. 105
• "Pistachio Mousse" – p. 139

 And honestly, aside from a few fishes dishes (I don't like fish), there didn't seem to be a clunker in the bunch.  That has to be a first.

Initially, I was gung-ho on the "Scalloped Potatoes and Onions" but I wasn't sure I would get the rich, creaminess I am used to with this recipe and didn't know what to make about the inclusion of mayonnaise. 

Then I was thinking about the "Seafood Newburg" but it seemed like too heavy of a dish for what I was looking for plus it was topped with Swiss Cheese and that didn't work for me. In fact, I don't think that is a traditional topping.

So hmmm....what to make, what to make....okay, Chicken Marsala, final answer.  In fact, I was quite chuffed that I selected this because I had Marsala wine on hand so I used it and then realized afterwards that it was "dry" Marsala wine, not "sweet."

This explains much.  I mean, the flavor wasn't bad but it definitely did not taste like other Chicken Marsala dishes I have known and loved.  No worries:  The next day, I stopped at the liquor store, bought the "correct" Marsala and then added it to my leftovers!

Before I go, I wanted to note that 57 firefighters and related personnel contributed to this cookbook. I imagine many, maybe even most, are now retired but it should never be taken fore granted that it takes some kind of courage for these firefighters, and those who lost their lives on 9/11/2001, to run willingly into danger when others are fleeing;  for this, I salute you.

N.B.  Right after I published this blog, I realized that I had my own little fire marshal story to share. 

In 1997 or thereabouts, I worked for Wells Fargo in one of the taller office buildings in downtown Minneapolis.  Wells Fargo needed to have volunteer floor fire marshals for each floor that the employees occupied and so I became one for my floor. I even got an official hat! 

The floor fire marshals' job was to make sure employees left via the stairwell (never the elevator) and to check for stragglers.  Floor marshals were always the last ones to leave.

That year, we had several drills, some planned and some not planned, and actually one microwave fire on another floor that caused us all to exit the building, so I was a busy gal. To help me out, I enlisted the aid of a fellow co-worker, whose name I can't recall but let's call her "Sandy."  Sandy helped me do a sweep of the floor before we both left via the stairwell. This gal was really funny but took her job seriously.  After one event, she no sooner saluted me and said "Perimeter clear, sir," when a guy came running around the corner and down the stairs.

"Hey! You!  Where did you come from!"  She was so mad that she had missed him, sneaky bastard!  

Now, the interesting things about fire drills at this time (pre-9/11) was that all floor marshals were told specifically not to force anybody to leave, and in fact, one guy refused to go because he was in the middle of something. Lucky for him, it was a drill and not the real thing.

Post-9/11, the thought that anybody would remain in place, drill or no drill, seems ridiculous if not downright dangerous. I have to wonder too, if companies have changed their informal policy and now require everybody to leave; I hope so.  Remember when employees in the second tower were told all was well and they should return to their desks? (I believe the "all-clear" command though, came from the building management and not each individual company housed in the tower.) I pretty sure I've read that the vast majority of people who defied that command and kept walking down the stairs to safety, lived to tell about it.

If this happened to me today, I believe I too, would skedaddle, but only after ensuring everyone else was okay, of course.  Once a floor fire marshal, always a floor fire marshal!

Chicken Marsala – Servings: 4 (Ann's Note:  Even half the recipe made quite a lot) – recipe submitted by Jim Sherwood, Ladder 19 (Bronx, NY)

2 pounds chicken cutlets, pounded

½ pound butter

¼ cup olive oil

Flour

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 pound mushrooms

1 shallot 1 ½ cups sweet Marsala wine

1 bunch parsley, minced

2 lemons, halved

Clean chicken cutlets, remove excess fat.  Cut into medallion-size pieces.  Melt ¼ pound butter in a skillet and add olive oil.  Dredge chicken in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.  Shake off excess and sauté to golden brown.  Place chicken in an ovenproof pan and set aside.

Separate mushroom caps from stems.  Mince shallot and mushroom stems, quarter or slice mushroom caps.  Melt remaining butter and sauté shallots and mushrooms, and cook until mushrooms release their juice.  Remove from heat and add Marsala and 1 tablespoon minced parsley.  Season to taste and simmer for 5 minutes.

While mixture is simmering, squeeze juice of 2 lemons over chicken.  Pour sauce mixture over chicken, cover, and cook at 350°F for 15- 20 minutes.  Garnish with parsley.  Serve with noodles Alfredo.

"My Mother's Secret Recipe File - More than 125 Treasured Recipes From The Mothers Of Our Great Chefs - Sweet 'n' Smoky Chicken - Mother's Day 2017

Date I made this recipe:  May 14, 2017 – Mother's Day

Mom's Secret Recipe File – More than 125 Treasured Recipes from the Mothers of Our Great Chefs, edited by Chris Styler ("A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book is being donated to the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children")

Published by Hyperion

ISBN:  1-4013-+0754-X; © 2004

Recipe:  Sweet 'n' Smoky Chicken – p. 207 (submitted by chicken magnate, Jim Perdue)

Ann's Note:  I had another recipe on deck for Mother's Day, a Caramel Cake from the cookbook/essay  In My Mother's Kitchen.  Alas, while on my third attempt to make caramel for the caramel sauce, I burned my left hand something fierce and one week later, have not been back in the kitchen at all.  Since I am still in pain (burn is infected), I shall turn my back on the recipe but will talk about the book at the end of the blog.

All right then, this Mother's Day, I had a couple of options in front of me and so finally decided upon the chicken recipe that was really good and a caramel cake that sounded good but is still unmade because of my kitchen accident.  I must say, this will forever be a memorable Mother's Day for me for all the wrong reasons!

Let's focus on the positive and talk about the cookbook Mom's Secret Recipe File.  There is a lot to like in this cookbook and I was challenged to select just one recipe.  Thirty three "celebrity" chefs submitted recipes for this endeavor to aid the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children (how apt for Mother's Day), and they include:  Lidia Matticchio Bastianich; Jaques Pepin; Marcus Samuellson; Anthony Bourdain and Nieglla Lawson.  What the Table of Contents didn't include, and which irked, was a list of recipes submitted by all these glorious personnel.  I hate that.  It's a small thing, but would it have killed someone – anyone – to put a name and then some bullet-point mentions of the recipes at the front of the book?  Rhetorical question, no need to answer!

Here were some of the recipes up for consideration:

• The Perfect Chocolate Dessert – p. 24-25 from Barbara Kafka
• Spinach and Sun-dried Tomato Strata – p. 67-68 from (editor) Chris Styler
• Spoon Bread with Smithfield Ham and Cheddar Cheese – p. 122 from Chris Schlessinger
• Mushroom-Barley Soup – p. 177 from Mollie Katzen
• Poppy Seed Cake with Lemon Glaze – p. 251-252 from Susan Feniger

 Don't these all sound delicious?  Seeing as how I had just cooked from Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen for Earth Day, I eliminated that recipe.  I would have loved to have made the "Poppy Seed Cake with Lemon Glaze "recipe as that was my wedding cake, but this was Mother's Day not Ann and Anniversary's Day (May 18^th) so that was out.

So there I was debating about the merits of one of these over the others when I looked through the book again and well, the answer was so obvious to me that I can't even believe I overlooked it the first time:  Sweet 'N' Smoky Chicken.

The backstory:  When my mom turned 80, I made her a homemade birthday card (mini scrapbook) of things that made me think of her and one section was called something like "Jobs my mother could have had."  Included in that was the job of an FDA meat inspector because my mother's fear of germs, especially salmonella from chicken, made her scrub the crap out her kitchen lest we all fall victim to such a terrible illness.  In no way, shape, or form, was my mother going to be responsible for her children's food illnesses, no sir!

And this is why if you came over to our house when she made chicken, you'd see her scrubbing away on her cutting board (a wooden cutting board no less) with Comet cleaner afterwards, followed by a ton of dish soap and hot water until she was assured that whatever might be lurking or fixin' to lurk was dead and gone.  I used to tease her about it to no end until I started cooking and lets just say the apple does not fall from the tree.

Given her rigorous efforts to ensure nothing wicked this way came during prep, it should come as no surprise to learn that if raw chicken was the enemy, undercooked chicken was kitchen Armageddon!  If she cooked the chicken, it sometimes bordered on overdone, something that irked my father to no end.  Dad was a wildlife research biologist and a very practical scientist, whose efforts to try to persuade my mom that "It's fine," failed and failed miserably as did "Some gut bacteria is good." 

When my father cooked the chicken, which he did on a tiny Hibachi grill using his own (and fabulous) BBQ sauce, my mother was all over him with her nagging:  "Are you sure it's cooked?  Well did you check?  Well check it again?"  (Note:  This was often before microwaves saved the day.)

Finally my dad had enough and so he wrote on a Post-it that remained on the refrigerator until the day they both died, "Don't overcook the chicken!" 

And this is how this phrase became the running joke in our household.  Let me just say that it didn't end there though as she moved on to steak and hamburger.  My dad (and I) love a rare steak and I mean rare and I also appreciate a rare burger which really, if you think about it, it steak tartare with a little char.  My mother, fearing total contamination, made my father broil her steak or burger to medium if not medium well and wow, that was a source of contention!

"Ah, come on, honey, you're ruining the meat!," dad would bellow.  "I am not."  "It'll be fine, you won't die."  "Well, I might!" (You should know that whereas my dad often sounded like Star Wars character, Chewbacca when he bellowed, my mother had the daintiest of voices sort of like Minnie Mouse, making the whole exchange even funnier.)

And on and on and on they went but it was adorable.  I am happy to report that my dad usually got his way when it came to his steak (a beautiful sirloin that my mom would "special order" – on sale, always on sale – from the butcher) but had to give it all up when it came to the chicken which is as it should be.

This chicken recipe was delicious, but what really sold the deal was the very last instruction to use a meat thermometer to check the temperature (180°F in the thickest part of the thigh) which was bloody brilliant even though today's chefs and home cooks say "Of course."  Back in the day when my family's chicken-cooking efforts were at an all-time high (60's and 70's), nobody thought to use a meat thermometer and we sure didn't have the internet to fill us on advisable temperatures nor a microwave to cook it further, so it was pretty much eyeball the sucker and hope for the best!

The other day I talked to my brother about the hilarity of all this and we both marveled that nobody in my family ever got sick from undercooked steak or chicken.  Not once because really, with my mother, would the germs even dare?  Nope! 

Here then, is a very good chicken recipe that was "perfectly cooked" and would no doubt have made my mom (and dad) happy this Mother's Day!

Sweet 'n' Smoky Chicken – makes 4 servings

1 large onion, sliced

1 whole Perdue fresh young chicken (about 4 pounds), cut into serving pieces, or 4 pounds of your preferred chicken part (Ann's Note:  I used two chicken breasts for half this recipe.)

2 teaspoons hickory-smoked salt (Ann's Note:  you can make this at home by mixing liquid smoke with sea salt and then letting it dry.  I used 1 teaspoon of sea salt and then a few drops of liquid smoke.)

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ cup ketchup

½ cup maple syrup

¼ cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons prepared mustard

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Scatter the onion slices over the bottom of a shallow baking pan.  Place the chicken in a single layer, skin side up, on top of the onion.  Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.  Stir the ketchup, maple syrup, vinegar, and mustard together in a small bowl and pour over chicken.  Bake, uncovered, until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 180°F.  (Ann's note:  if you are using chicken breasts, insert the thermometer in the thickest part of the breast.)

And now a word about the book I didn't use and the recipe I didn't make.  In My Mother's Kitchen is an essay with recipes.  The book's subtitle is "Writers on Love, Cooking, and Family," and while the essays were great, the recipes were scarce.  I  counted 12 but I'm not sure it's correct as there is no way to cross check; neither the Table of Contents or the Index listed the recipe names.

I had been wanting to make a caramel cake for some time and thought it would go well with the chicken.  In theory, this is correct, in practice, this is now a cake that I will never bake because of my burn.  And not that I want to lecture you on kitchen safety, but one week after the incident, my hand still hurts like hell.  It was such a stupid – nearly comical – event but one with lasting ramifications!  So if you decided you want to attempt caramel for this cake at home, please be careful out there.

Should you want to see the recipe for yourself, here's the information:

In My Mother's Kitchen – Writers on Love, Cooking, and Family – With contributions from Ruth Reichel, M F. K. Fisher, Maya Angelou, Julie Sahni, Joyce White, and Nigel Slater.

Published by Chamberlain Brothers

ISBN: 1-59609-209-2; © 2006

Recipe (that I didn't make):  Maya Angelou's Caramel Cake – p. 22-23, included in her essay titled "The Assurance of Caramel Cake."

Alternatively, it's also included in Hallelujah! The Welcome Table by Maya Angelou.  I have not cooked from her book(s) yet (I have two) although they are always " on my list."

"Harrods Cookery Book" - Chicken Breasts with Mango and Almonds - Queen Elizabeth's 91st Birthday!

Date I made this recipe:  April 21, 2017 – Queen Elizabeth II's 91^st birthday!

Harrods Cookery Book by Marilyn Aslani

Published by Arbor House

ISBN: 0-87795-735-5; © 1985

Recipe:  Chicken Breasts with Mango and Almonds – p. 158

Well hip-hip, hooray, it's "HM's" Birth-day!  Yes, that's right,  Her Majesty ("HM"), the ageless Queen Elizabeth II, just turned 91.  Amazing but true!

Also "amazing, but true" is that the very famous Harrods department store is 183 years old this year.  Wow – twice as old as "HM."  As the Brits would say, that is "Smashing!"

I'm happy to say that Andy and I have been (or "bean" as the Brits say) to Harrods (in October 1994) and it was a fun place although we didn't get to spend a lot of time there.   I do recall us making a beeline for the famed Food Hall as it is possibly more famous than the store itself.  I can only imagine how the Food Hall has grown over the years because when we were there, you could pretty much get your hands on every type of food imaginable from every country imaginable though sometimes at a hefty price.  I do believe we gasped out loud when we spotted a bag of Kraft Marshmallows priced at $5.00 a bag and folks, that was in 1994!  Preposterous!

It should come as no surprise then, that we left the Food Hall sans food but all was not lost as we bought a couple of boxes of Christmas Crackers for the holidays.  Although the name certainly suggests this is a food item, it is not.  Christmas Crackers are paper "firecrackers," i.e. cardboard tubes filled with all kinds of goodies that are wrapped in bright holiday-colored paper and then twisted at each end.  The recipient then pulls on the ends to crack the package open (it actually makes a cracking noise) to reveal what is inside typically, little toys, candy and paper crowns.  The Brits love these things and so when I saw them, I knew I had to bring some back with me to share with my family at Christmas time.  The paper crowns were the best and I have several hilarious pictures of my mom, dad, and brother wearing them (such troopers) during our Christmas dinner.

This then concludes my memories of Harrods except to say we can now check this off list of "Things to see and do in London."  (For the record, we were in England on business and toured a good portion of the country, but had only a few days at our disposal to tour London.  Bummer, that.)

As to this cookbook, well...huh.  Let's just say that despite the fact that Andy and I had some very good meals (mostly pub grub) while in England, British cooking and recipes underwhelm me still, and sad to say, this cookbook and recipe was one of them.

The Table of Contents divides food into categories based on what how the food hall was laid out in 1985 when this cookbook was written:

• The Meat Hall that includes recipes for meat, fish, and poultry and game
• The Provisions Hall that includes recipes for cheese and dairy as well as charcuterie and variety meats
• The Fruit and Vegetable Hall that includes recipes for vegetables and fruit (I don't know why the simplicity of that made me laugh but it did!)
• The Bakery that includes desserts, biscuits and cakes (please remember that cookies are called biscuits in England), and breads and yeast doughs
• The Confectionery Hall that includes sweets of all kinds
• The Panty – you'll find your preserve recipes here
• Special Occasions that include Christmas, Picnic Hamper, Afternoon Tea, and a Garden Party.  The last two occasions – Afternoon Tea and Garden Party – are just so "vedy" British, are they not?  Quite!

All right then, from these categories, I came up with a mere handful of recipes (so disappointing) and here's what I considered:

• "Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli with Sage Butter" – p. 137 (from the Vegetable chapter)
• "Scallop Pilaf" – p. 49 (from the Fish chapter)
• "Chicken Breasts with Mango and Almonds" – p. 158 from the Fruit [and vegetable] chapter)

And the winner/not winner was....Chicken Breasts with Mango and Almonds.

Why was this dish not a "Winner, winner, chicken dinner?"  Well, I can't quite put my finger on it except to say that the dish was neither good nor bad, it just was and "was" is not an option.  To put it another way, I just don't think any of the flavors stood out and so what we had was a dish of chicken + mangos + sauce rather than a blended dish of all of these ingredients and more.  These days, I am all about the "and more" in a dish.

I have to say that I was particularly amazed that the mango was not the star ingredient and I don't know why.  The dish sure looked good in the photo but maybe my mango wasn't as ripe as it should be?  Not that I know how to test a mango for readiness but that's another story.

Alas though reader, the mango problem wasn't the only issue as the "seasoning profile" also missed the mark. Both the marinade and the wok sauce contained soy sauce, rice wine and cornstarch and that is not exactly exciting.  The wok sauce contained 1 teaspoon of sugar but that wasn't enough to elevate it, either.

For the longest time after making this dish, I was stumped as to what could have made it work, and I've concluded that Chinese Five-Spice powder might have done the trick.  This flavor marries really well with the mango and also would have punched the dish up a notch as it contains cinnamon, cloves, fennel and star anise.  Sometimes it contains also ginger but this recipe used fresh ginger in the marinade and unfortunately, it was also strained out of the sauce.

I might have also added a half to full teaspoon of sesame oil to the marinade, not that it was called for, but because sesame oil adds flavor.  Sesame oil cannot be used in the wok to cook the chicken (the recipe calls for peanut oil) as it will burn, but a small amount in the chicken marinade shouldn't cause a problem.  Of course, I don't know that for sure, I'm just thinking of ways to make this dish more enjoyable to eat.

Finally, I erred on the side of cooking the chicken a bit longer than directed. "As directed" was about 1 minute, 30 seconds, and I, being my mother's daughter when it comes to chicken, wanted to make sure my chicken was done and not raw and so left it in a bit longer.

After making some rice to go with this stir-fry, I told Andy that dinner was ready.  He often waits until he's done to comment but this time around, he didn't say a word and I think that is indicative of what we collectively thought about the dish.  In summary:  "Huh."  Sadly, the leftovers I had the net day did nothing for me either.

As an aside, I tried hard to find a recipe to make in this cookbook that might please "HM," but I just don't like most of the standard fare that Brits enjoy.  I honestly can't see "HM" sitting down to this dinner but then again, maybe she would.  She's traveled all over the world so who's to say she's not a fan of stir-fry?  I'm just sayin' she probably wouldn't have been a fan of this stir-fry.

As to the cookbook though, you might want to take a gander at it for the sheer novelty of it all.  Harrods is still a must-see when in London and hip, hip hooray for them for standing the test of time!  As to "HM," long may she reign!

Chicken Breasts with Mango and Almonds – Serves 4 – Ann's Note:  allow ½ hour to marinate the chicken

For the marinade

1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch

1 egg white, beaten

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar or medium-dry sherry

Ann's Note:  consider adding ½ to 1 teaspoon sesame oil to the marinade.  Consider also adding some Chinese Five-Spice Powder either to the marinade or the wok sauce.

3 boneless chicken breasts, skinned and cut into 1-inch squares

For the sauce

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine or medium-dry sherry

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Ann's Note:  Consider substituting brown sugar for table sugar.  It may not work but I just have a feeling it might have helped the flavors come out. 

Other wok ingredients

1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh ginger root

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

2 large scallions, white part finely chopped and green part cut into pieces

1 large mango, peeled and cut lengthwise into strips

Scallion tassels, to garnish

Mix together the ingredients for the marinade and pour over the chicken.  Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Ann's Note:  You would be wise to bring the chicken and marinade to room temperature before adding them to the wok.  See below.

Heat a woke over high heat, then add the peanut oil.  Ann's Note:  Before you add the chicken and marinade to the hot wok, bring them up to room temperature first.  The recipe doesn't call for you to do that, but I found the cornstarch in the marinade started clumping when added to the hot oil and that was not a very attractive look. Plus, I don't think the flavor came out as it should have. When the oil is hot enough for a piece of ginger to float to the surface, add the chicken and marinade, and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

Place a sieve over a bowl, and pour the chicken and all of the oil into it.  Leave to drain thoroughly, then return 2 tablespoons of the oil to the wok.  Stir-fry the ginger, garlic and white scallion parts for 30 seconds.  Return the chicken to the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute.  Transfer the chicken to a serving dish.

Pour 1 tablespoon of the oil into the wok, heat and add the mango.  Stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add all the sauce ingredients except the almonds.  Cook for a further 30 seconds until the sauce thickens.

Stir in the green scallion parts and the toasted almonds. Pour over the chicken.  Garnish with the scallion tassels.

"Full Color Chinese Cooking - 30 Recipes" & "Fowl Cooking...Chicken, That Is" - a chicken soup and a chicken casserole for the Chinese Year of the Rooster!

Date I made these recipes:  February 19, 2017 – Belated Chinese New Year—the year of the Rooster!

Full Color Chinese Cooking – 30 Recipes by Constance D. Chang

Published by Shufunomoto Co., Ltd. Tokyo, Japan

© 1969; fourth printing August 1970

Purchased at Goodwill

Recipe:  Chicken Noodle Soup – p. 25

Fowl Cooking – Chicken, That Is by Virgo Paynter Miyamoto

Published by Mutual Publishing Company

© 1989

Purchased at Kona Bay Books, Kona, Hawaii

Recipe: Cock-a-Doodle-do-da Casserole – p. 144 (Chicken with a veggie mix of artichokes, olives, pimento, green pepper and onion, topped with soup, sour cream and cheese – yum!)

Thank goodness the Chinese New Year – the Year of the Rooster – lasts the entire year because if not for that, I might not be able to do what I am doing which is to finally get around to telling you in the month of March what I made (late) in February. 

As always, life gets in the way of me making other plans!

So the Year of the Rooster – woo hoo!  Unlike the zodiac calendar we're all familiar with - Aquarius, Pisces, Libra, etc., a Chinese zodiac calendar is broken into years and each year is assigned an animal.  The animal signs are: rat; ox; rabbit; tiger; dragon; snake; horse; goat; monkey; rooster; dog, and pig, and these animal signs repeat every 12 years.

So, for example, if you were born in 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972 and so on, you are a rat – ha!  If you were born in 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, and (coming up), 2029, you are a rooster! And just like the zodiac signs we are familiar with, rats and roosters and the other animals have lucky numbers, unlucky numbers, lucky colors, personality traits, other "animals" to avoid and so on.

Here's an example: People born in a year of the Rooster are "very observant, hardworking, resourceful, courageous, and talented.  Roosters are very confident in themselves."  Rooster lucky numbers are 5, 7, and 8 and red is an unlucky color.

I have to say, much of this amuses and so every now and then, I do a deeper study into these signs although I often disagree with what I read.  One thing I read while "researching" these "year of" signs almost made me spit my coffee onto my keyboard and it was a chart titled "Famous Dogs." Ha!  Hahahahahahaha.  Let me assure you that this list did not include Lassie or Rin Tin Tin (but did include Winston Churchill so that's cool).

It should go without saying that celebrating the Chinese New Year means making Chinese food and I did that by cooking from one of my Chinese cookbooks, but I also had to – just had to - make something from this hilarious cookbook I purchased in Hawaii last year:  Fowl Cooking...Chicken, That Is.  There's a reason why this book was so fitting and so let's get to it.

You may not know this, but the island of Kauai has a poultry problem.  Many islanders raise chickens (and roosters) but when Hurricane Iniki roared through the islands years ago, those chicken coops were destroyed and the chickens went rogue and then multiplied, such that you cannot go anywhere, and I mean anywhere, on the island without tripping on a chicken. 

So we should not have been surprised, and yet were, when at 5:00 a.m. on the first morning of our most recent stay, we were rudely awakened by a rousing "Cock-a-doodle-doo" by a you know who! I wish I was able to capture that Kodak moment i.e. the look on our faces when we heard it.  I remember commenting that I felt like we were in an episode of the TV show, Green Acres!  Later that day, while relaxing by the pool, I heard a "cheep, cheep, cheep" and looked down in time to see a mama chicken and her little chicklets strolling by my beach chair on their way to the...pool?

Fast forward then to last year when we were on the Big Island and once again, on our first morning there were awakened by a rousing "Gobble, gobble, gobble" of a wild turkey, not to be confused with the alcoholic beverage, Wild Turkey which we drank after this happened.  After folks.  Once again, the look we gave each other was priceless more so because good lord, are fowls on the move?  Have they grown tired of the overcrowded Kauai and are now looking for more space in which to grow and raise their families on the Big I? (Think House Hunters Chicken [version]:  "Well, Kauai's chicken coops are 'a little small' so we're looking for more space.  We'd like to stay in the same neighborhood but would move to the bigger island if need be...")  At any rate, we shall just have to go back soon to monitor the situation.

Okay, so, with all that in mind, it was time to pull some recipes and I had no trouble finding recipes containing chicken.  These recipes don't go together at all but they contain our "secret" ingredient and that's all that matters.  By the way, unless you own a chicken farm (my paternal grandparents did), you will not find rooster (as in the Year of the "Rooster") in a grocery store, likely because it's a pretty tough bird and I don't mean "street" tough, I mean tough to eat.  So roosters are out and really, we should redub this year "The Year of the 'Hen.'"  I may need to send a letter to the Chinese government.

And so folks, let's review my two dinner selections – Cock-A-Doodle-Do-Dah Casserole from Fowl Cooking...Chicken, That Is, and Chicken Noodle Soup from the Full Color Chinese Cooking cookbook.  Think of these as a Tale of Two Chickens and by all means, feel free to make and serve these separately lest your palate and your family members get confused.

Now I could have made something Chinese-related from the Fowl Cooking cookbook, but given our experiences in Hawaii, I just could not pass up the opportunity to make the hilariously and appropriately named Cock-A-Doodle-Do-Dah Casserole.  This dish is what my mother would call a "company" casserole, not that my mother ever served any guest in our home a casserole as she favored company classics like a beef roast or Swiss steak or baked chicken. This was a yummy casserole though because in addition to the requisite chicken, it contained ingredients we casserole lovers cherish:  cream of chicken soup, sour cream and parmesan cheese.  It also includes artichoke hearts, noodles, and a few other ingredients.  We quite liked it.

As to the [Chinese] Chicken Noodle Soup, it was easy to make, the vermicelli noodles were a fun addition, but it fell flat on flavor. (Well, did I find my "f" key on the keyboard, or what?).  The recipe called for three "spices" – salt, pepper and MSG.  Now most of us know that MSG has been dubbed the evil empire of seasoning since it can trigger migraine headaches and I sure didn't want that, but I think of an appropriate substitute and I wish I had because it needed a little extra "something" to liven it up a bit.  I suppose one could use soy sauce but maybe something like star anise?  Or maybe fish sauce?  Well, play with it.

This then, concludes my post on the Chinese New Year – The Year of the Rooster.  I hope it's a good year for you all but just know it will be a while before I get around to making another dish in honor of the occasion as next year is the year of the dog and....no.  Nope.  Enjoy your chicken!

Cock-A-Doodle-Do-Da Casserole – serves 8 to 10

4 cups cubed cooked chicken

¾ cup dry white wine

2 cans (10 oz. each) cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 pkg. noodles, cooked and drained

2 cans (14 oz. each) artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

1 can (14 oz.) pitted ripe olives, halved

½ cup chopped pimento

½ cup slivered green pepper

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Mix wine, soup, and sour cream and set aside.  Butter a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. 

Starting with the noodles, layer the noodles, chicken, artichoke hearts, olives, pimento, green pepper and onion.  Add the wine, soup, and sour cream mixture.  Top with the Parmesan cheese.  Refrigerate overnight if desired.  (Ann's Note:  Nope, not desired!)

Bake in a 350F oven for approximately 45 minutes.

Turkey cubes may be substituted for the chicken.  The casserole can be made ahead of time and frozen.

Chicken Noodle Soup – 2-6 servings

2 oz. vermicelli or noodle

2 ½ oz. chicken breasts (Ann's Note:  I wasn't sure whether to use raw chicken breasts or not so I erred on cooking the chicken separately and then adding it to the dish at the very end to warm it up.)

12 snow peas

¼ cup dried mushroom, soaked and shredded (Ann's Note:  dried mushrooms are expensive so I used fresh.)

1/3 cup caned bamboo shoots, cut into strips

¼ cup carrot, cut into strips

7 cups chicken stock

1/3 cup ham, cut into strips

1 tablespoon salt

Pepper

MSG (monosodium glutamate)  (Ann's Note:  see discussion of MSG above)

Cut chicken, snow peas, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, carrots and ham into thin strips.

Drop vermicelli into boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.  (Ann's Note:  this is less time than normal for fully-cooked vermicelli.) Drain, rinse and drain again.  Set aside.

Bring chicken stock to boiling point.  Add chicken meat, ham, snow peas, mushroom, bamboo shoots and carrot.  Cook for 2 minutes. Add seasonings and cooked vermicelli and boil for 1 minute over medium heat.