A CHEF… must think like a scientist, organize like an accountant, inspire and motivate like a warrior, move like a trickster, plate like an artist, and COOK like a Grandma!
As the wintery cold days give way to spring, a little comfort can go a long way. There’s nothing quite like the warmth of delicious home-style meals to set the tone.
Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup
Serves six
Ingredients:
- Two tablespoons of butter
- One onion, diced
- Two carrots, peeled and diced
- Two stalks of celery, diced
- Three cloves of garlic, minced
- Eight cups of chicken broth
- Two bay leaves
- Salt and pepper
- Two and a half pounds of bone-in, skinless chicken breasts
- Two cups of wide egg noodles
- Two tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
- Two tablespoons of chopped fresh dill
- One teaspoon of grated ginger
- One tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions:
Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about four minutes.
Stir in garlic for about one minute. Add the chicken stock and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.
Add the chicken and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and
simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through (about 30-40
minutes).
Remove the chicken and let it cool a little, then dice it into bite-size pieces.
Add the chicken and noodles to the pot and cook until tender (about seven minutes).
Remove from the heat, stir in chopped herbs and lemon juice. Adjust seasoning and serve.
Chicken Pot Pie
Serves 10
Ingredients:
- Four tablespoons of butter
- One-half cup of finely diced onion
- One-half cup of finely diced carrot
- One-half cup of finely diced celery
- Three cups of shredded cooked chicken
- One-quarter cup of flour
- Three cups of low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
- A splash of white wine (optional)
- One-quarter teaspoon of turmeric
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Chopped fresh thyme to taste
- One quarter cup half-and-half or cream
- Pot pie crust (recipe follows)
- One egg
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns translucent, about three minutes.
Stir in the chicken, sprinkle the flour over the top, and stir until the meat and vegetables are combined. Cook for one minute, then pour in the chicken broth (and wine, if using). Stir and let it cook and thicken.
Once it starts to thicken, add the turmeric, salt, pepper, and thyme. Add the half-and-half or cream, stir the mixture and let it bubble and thicken for about three minutes. Turn off the heat.
Pour the filling into a two-quart baking dish. Roll out the pie crust on a floured surface and lay it over the top of the dish. Press the dough so the edges stick to the outside of the pan. Use a knife to cut little vents here and there on the surface of the dough.
Mix the egg with two tablespoons of water and brush it all over the crust's surface. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbly for 25 to 30 minutes.
Pot Pie Crust
Ingredients:
- Three cups of flour
- Three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt
- Three-quarters of a cup of butter, cut into pieces
- Four and a half tablespoons of shortening cut into pieces
- Six tablespoons of water
Instructions:
Combine flour, salt, butter, and shortening in a food processor and blend until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add four tablespoons of water and blend in, adding enough water by tablespoonfuls to form moist clumps.
Gather dough into a ball and flatten it into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until cold (about one hour).
Focaccia Bread
Makes two large loaves
Ingredients:
- Four cups of flour
- One tablespoon of salt
- One tablespoon of yeast
- Two cups of lukewarm water
- One teaspoon of sugar
- One tablespoon of olive oil
- Rosemary and coarse salt.
Instructions:
Place the sugar in one-half cup of lukewarm water. Sprinkle in the yeast and allow it to rise for 15 minutes or until doubled.
Mix the flour and salt and add the rest of the water. And one-half tablespoon
oil and mix until the dough is smooth and homogeneous.
Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a dry place for two hours.
Divide the dough in half and stretch it to a 1/2-inch thick round. Cover
again and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.
Turn on your oven to 425F.
Use your hands to gently push the dough to the edges of the baking pan. Brush with the rest of the olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary and coarse salt. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the focaccia crust is medium brown and feels dry and firm on the surface. The baking time will vary according to the thickness of the bread.
Cut into wedges and serve warm.
Crema de Mango
Serves three to four.
This Filipino icebox dessert consists of layers of crushed graham crackers, sweetened whipped cream, and ripe mango!
Ingredients:
- Two cups of heavy cream
- One 14-ounce can of sweet condensed milk
- One and a half cups of graham crackers
- Three ripe mangoes, diced.
Instructions:
Combine the whipped cream and the sweet condensed milk in a bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until doubled in volume and is stiff.
Spread two cups of cream in an 8-inch square baking dish, followed by 1/2 cup graham crackers and a third of the mangoes. Continue alternating layers for a total of nine layers, ending with mango.
Chill overnight… and serve!