Food Porn III: A Boy and His Toy

[elfs]

Chicken noodle soup! Sorta.

On my fourth and last day without Omaha, I decided to make something simple: chicken noodle soup. It's actually a very simple recipe, and I kinda wimped out and used store-bought chicken stock. But the base of onions, celery, and parsnips worked very well. Now that I've rediscovered the parsnip, I may never do a soup or casserole with carrots again. It's more savory and sweeter, it sautes much easier, and it's cheaper!

I tend to overburden my soups and this was no exception; it was more like a stew. I ladeled it into bowl, topped it with fresh bread straight out of my oven, and then covered it with slivered Gruyere cheese (oy, the food miles!) and went at it with my kitchen torch to melt and hold it all together.

Mmmm....

Comments

[anthologie.livejournal.com]

I, too, tend to "overburden" my soups, but I like them that way.

Butane is your friend.

[pandakahn.livejournal.com]

How did we ever survive before you could get those small little butanes torches?

French onion soup, glazing a ham, browning a pie crust, and don't forget CHEESECAKE!

Kitchen toys! their fun, useful, and you don't have to hide them from your parents when they visit.

MPK

[pixel39.livejournal.com]

Have you considered roasting the vegetables before making stock? That's supposed to sweeten things up as well. It's on my list of nifty food things to try now that I don't have homework, otherwise I'd tell you more about it. ;-)

Good stock

[pandakahn.livejournal.com]

OK, so I am a pretentious git about food...

... But who DOESN'T roast their vegetables when making stock?

I can understand the need for a white stock, but I even brown my chicken bones these days (Brian you SUCK for that!!! stop doing new things!)

If you don't brown the mirepoix how do you get carmelization?

I sooooo need to switch to decaf right about now... and go punch down the bread.

MPK

Food pron redeux...

[ladyallyn.livejournal.com]

Seconds the roasting the stock veggies snd the bones until toasty brown, at least. Dries the bones and makes them easy to crack and get the nice tasky marrow out. (if you feel the need, skim the fat later, but get the deeper flavor from the marrow - also a good reason to include the feet if you have them)

The other 'hardly ever thought of' but awesome stock / roasting veggie is North American turnip -- the purple and white round ones. Most people see them at the store and have no idea /what/ to do with them. They add a nice kick to lamb stock as well.

Side note; the little pencil torches are cute and handy, but I've never found one that didn't need near constant refilling. I have a Craftsman light duty torch with a long-ish flex neck and fitting for a variety of cannistered gases. (including some I wouldn't use in the kitchen, but torches are handy).