Soups, Stocks + Sauces – Page 8 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Tandoori Chicken with Peach-Blackberry Chutney

I’m still in shock when I find that most of the ingredients I need for a certain recipe is already in our kitchen. That’s the good thing with store-bought spices: you only have to buy them once in a while because you can store them for up to a year. For this one, all I had to do was buy the chicken, the yogurt and a couple of peaches. I used the blackberries I picked from North Fork after our trip to Montauk. They were in a Tupperware inside the fridge, but even after a few weeks, they were still good to go.

All I really wanted was to use the blackberries before they went bad. I found this chutney recipe online and thought of matching it with pork chops because of the cherry chutney I made earlier this season. But then something Indian-spiced came to mind after I bought several lamb pieces from the Halal store around the corner.

Ingredients:
8 chicken breasts and legs, skinned
1 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted, ground
2 tbsps paprika
2 tbsps garam masala
2 tbsps turmeric
2 tbsps cardamom, ground
2 tbsps cayenne pepper
salt, pepper, oil

For the peach-blackberry chutney:
1 cups of blackberries
2 peaches, peeled, seeded, diced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 onion, chopped
2 coves of garlic, minced
1 small knob of ginger, peeled, chopped
1 small jalapeÃ±o, seeded, chopped
salt, oil

1. Make the marinade by mixing all the spices and yogurt together in a bowl large enough to fit all the chicken. Add the chicken pieces and make sure the marinade covers them all. Marinate for at least 2 hours in the fridge.
2. Make the peach-blackberry chutney. In a saucepan, heat some oil and sautÃ© the onions and the garlic. Add the jalapeÃ±o and ginger and sautÃ© a few minutes more. Add in the cinnamon, vinegar, brown sugar and peaches. Keep sautÃ©ing until the peaches are soft. Add blackberries. Cook, stirring occasionally and crushing the fruits with the back of a wooden spoon. Turn off the heat and let cool. Strain to a container and serve with tandoori chicken.

Bluefish Sashimi with Kochujang Sauce

This isn’t really a recipe for the bluefish as much as it is for the spicy sauce that Koreans use to eat their sashimi with. The Dr. grew up fishing in Los Angeles and this is what his family does when they eat their catch. He replicated it in New York after he caught some bluefish off Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn.

Kochujang is a spicy Korean condiment made of fermented soy beans and chilis. It’s the same red pepper paste used in making kimchi. You need sushi-grade or freshly-caught fish to make the sashimi. A Korean boy with knife skills is also important. A big plus is spicy arugula to wrap and pick up the sashimi with.

Ingredients:
freshly-caught bluefish or any sushi-grade fish, filleted and sliced in small pieces
a dollop of Korean kochujang red pepper paste
1 tbsp sugar
a few jigs of rice wine vinegar
toasted sesame seeds
salt
a few leaves of spicy arugula

1. Combine and whisk all ingredients together in a bowl, except for the sashimi and the arugula. Season the mixture with some salt to taste.
2. On a serving plate, lay some arugula leaves and top with sashimi. Drizzle with the kochujang sauce and sprinkle with extra sesame seeds.

Salsa Verde

All the herbs in this salsa verde, or green sauce, recipe is available in the spring and early summer. Wash them thoroughly and you can make almost two cups. I put mine in a small glass jar my father picked up from Ikea and stored it in the fridge for up to a week. It’s a great side with steak.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, washed
1 bunch of mint leaves
1 bunch of basil leaves
1/2 cup of capers, drained and rinsed
2 salt-packed anchovy fillets
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
olive oil, salt, pepper

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine everything except the oil, salt and pepper. Pulse to form a coarse purée. While the motor is running, drizzle in the olive oil to form a smoother purée. Season with salt and pepper.

Shrimp Hot and Sour Soup

Brrrr. It’s winter in New York City! This soup warmed the deepest of my organs.

Ingredients:
1 pound of shrimps with heads and tails saved, peeled and deveined
chicken stock
1 bunch cilantro, thoroughly rinsed
1 bunch watercress, thoroughly rinsed
2 red chilies
1 small knob of galangal or ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, pounded with a pestle
lime juice
fish sauce
sambal oelek
shrimp paste, to taste
peanut oil

1. In a large pot, heat some peanut oil and add the shrimp heads and tails until they turn orange, about 4 minutes.
2. Add the lemongrass and the ginger with the stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the stock and discard the shells and heads. Return the stock to the pot.
3. Add lime leaves, scallions, mushrooms, cilantro and watercress. Cook for less than 5 minutes.
4. Add the shrimps and cook for another 3 minutes. Adjust the broth taste by adding lime juice, fish sauce, sambal oelek and shrimp paste.

Tomato Bread Soup

I had everything I needed in the kitchen. What could I make that’s easy, quick and filling? This soup took about 30 minutes to make and fulfilled a soup craving during brunch.

Ingredients:
3 vine-ripe tomatoes
3 slices from a day-old loaf of Italian bread, cut into smaller pieces
1 quart vegetable stock
5 slices of bacon
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
fresh basil leaves, torn
salt, pepper, oil

1. Score a cross in the bottom of the tomatoes and place in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove and plunge in a bowl of cold water to peel the skin off. Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds. Chop the tomato flesh and set aside.
2. Preheat oven 400Âº. Bake bacon for 8 minutes or until crispy. Let drain on a paper towel. Chop coarsely and set aside.
3. Heat some oil in a pot. SautÃ© the garlic and tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring ocassionaly. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, add the bread and cook until the bread softens and absorbs some of the liquid.
4. Season with salt and pepper and stir in some olive oil. Top with bacon bits.