Rain, rain, go away

It's been raining cats and dogs all week. Everyone has had to put on boots...

...and raincoats.

In addition to engaging in an endless cycle of preparing to go out, getting soaked, coming in, drying off, and in the process splattering the front hall and stairs with water, we've also been eating a lot of soup.  I made minestrone earlier in the week, to which I added--you guessed it--some red cabbage, which turned the whole soup a shocking purple. But don't worry, I understand I've pushed the cabbage limit here. So instead, I'll tell you about the plain and simple potato leek soup I made last night.

Although, what's to tell? Saute some leeks, add potatoes, garlic, and chicken broth, simmer, puree, add cream, salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley (chives would have been ideal but there were none in the house). Serve with crunchy garlic toast.

You can tell I got a little overzealous with the garnish. I have trouble keeping a light hand with herbs. I get excited sprinkling them over the top of things. They look pretty in the moment but clumpy in a photo. Oh well. You'd never know I'm the daughter of an artist.

The soup was warm and comforting and exactly what we wanted as the rain poured down outside and we settled on the couch, Frances at our feet, waiting for toast crumbs. We ate while watching "Hope For Haiti Now," which I have to say was impressive. In addition to being quite moving in some parts, the husband and I also got to ogle our respective celebrity girlfriends (Beyonce and Reese Witherspoon) and boyfriends (George Clooney and John Legend).

We went online and made a donation, but immediately afterward I started feeling like it wasn't enough. When people say, "Give what you can," many of us probably fib a little to ourselves. I started thinking about the fact that we just bought iPhones, and how they cost quite a bit more than what we had donated. I sense another donation in the near future.

Compassion and guilt can go hand in hand, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Take it from me, a fundraiser by day. You want people to give, no matter what compels them. But whether or not you donate, we can all keep the people of Haiti in our thoughts--while holding those we love close and keeping them warm.

Going out, staying in

What a busy week it's been! In spite of dreary weather, we've been getting out and about, being surprisingly social and eating all kinds of wonderful things. There was dinner at Serpentine for a good friend's birthday, where I renewed my love of osso buco; a perfect crispy pizza from The Cheese Board in Berkeley, eaten in a cozy kitchen with lots of red wine and a big kale salad; perfectly grilled flank steak with an addictive romesco sauce at our neighbors' house; and tapas with hibiscus margaritas at Ramblas with our friends Matt and Kirsten, visiting all too briefly from Madison, Wisconsin.

The flip side of these fun nights out (in addition to most likely putting on a few pounds and apologizing profusely to my liver) is that I haven't been cooking much, and therefore haven't had much to post about. But last night, we stayed in and I made one of our favorites, orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe.

This is a little cheat-y, considering I did post about this once before. But it was awhile ago and probably none of you read it. And I didn't end up with a good photo that time around. So I hope you'll forgive me for repeating myself. As much as I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen, I have a pretty solid repertoire of recipes that make weekly or monthly appearances Chez Hungry Dog--recipes I've already told you about. Sometimes I find myself flailing a bit, without something new to share.

Anyway, you can read how I came up with my version of this classic pasta, as well as my recipe, here. Suffice it to say, the dish is rich and not at all appropriate for anyone on a diet, unless the purpose of your diet is to get pudgy. On the other hand, it's very good for anyone in the mood for something comforting during these long days of winter. The pork sausage adds a salty bite against the creamy sauce and slightly bitter broccoli rabe. On a cold night at the end of a long weekend, you'd be hard-pressed to find anything better.

Tortilla soup

No, I'm not talking about that silly movie, which, incidentally, is a remake of a great movie. (May I ask why people remake good movies? If you're going to remake a movie, pick something that was cruddy the first time around, which had potential but fell short. Don't take a movie that was already good and make a lame, watered-down version it. It's just insulting to everyone involved.)

Back to the soup. I'm talking about the real thing: soul-warming, slightly spicy tortilla soup, filled with chicken, tomatoes, chiles, and sunny yellow corn.

Of course, there are a lot of variations on tortilla soup. Some recipes call for the tortillas to be cooked in with the soup, to provide a thickening agent. And then there are recipes like the one I used from Firehouse Food, in which you fry the tortillas in little strips and use them as a crunchy garnish.

From the first spoonful, this tortilla soup catapulted to the favorite recipe category. The flavors were perfectly balanced, the broth warm and soothing with just the slightest hint of heat from the chilies. It was a cinch to put together, too.

It does take a bit of planning. You simmer a whole chicken in stock, let it cool, then shred it. You could take a shortcut on this, and use chicken breasts or thighs that you sauteed quickly in a pan, I suppose. But I think this step, while it added about an hour of cooking time to the dinner, was critical. First of all, I used good homemade stock. Cooking the chicken in the stock makes a doubly-flavorful cooking liquid, which you then use for the soup. Second, the texture of the chicken that has been simmered in broth then shredded is much different than the way it would be if you cooked it in a saute pan.

Once the chicken is cooked and shredded, though, the soup moves quickly. And garnished with cheese, crispy tortillas, lime juice, and avocado, it's perfection in a bowl.

Tortilla Soup
from Firehouse Food

Serves 6

1 frying chicken (about 5 lbs) cut up and skin removed (do NOT skip removing the skin, or the soup will turn out oily)
8 cups chicken broth
1/2 c. plus 2 T. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 can (7 oz.) diced roasted green chiles
1 t. ground cumin
1 can stewed (14.5 oz) Mexican-style stewed tomatoes (I used regular plum tomatoes and added a pinch of marjoram)
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce)
1/4 c. arborio or other short-grain rice
3 corn tortillas, halved and cut crosswise into 1/4" strips
1 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
salt and pepper

Accompaniments:
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
grated Monterey Jack cheese
sour cream
1 lime, cut into wedges

Put the chicken in a large, heavy stockpot with the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the chicken is tender and pulls away from the bone easily, about 45 minutes. Transfer the chicken pieces to a plate and let cool. Remove the meat from the bones and tear into bite-sized pieces. 

Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and skim as much fat as possible from the surface (do not skip this step; I did and had to skim at the very end when everything was combined--not easy).

In the now empty stockpot, heat 2 T. of the oil over medium heat and saute the onion until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the chiles and cumin and cook about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, strained chicken broth, and rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

While soup is cooking, heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Fry the tortillas in small batches until golden brown, removing them with a slotted spoon to a paper towel. Set aside.

Add the chicken and corn to the soup. Simmer for 20 minutes more. Add cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, top with tortilla strips and other garnishes, and serve at once.