Friday, January 9, 2009

Props to a Great Cook!

This post isn't about one of my new recipes I tried out. Instead, it's about giving kudos to someone who deserves it. And that would have to go to Michele Gross. This story starts with another "a while back ago, Adam and I were" *fill in the blank*. We decided we wanted to be lazy one evening, and found a lil crock of goodies in the pantry. It was full of spices and seasoning, pasta, beans and lentils, and it had a name: Country Soup. I believe the lil crock had roots back to Adam's college days, as I vaguely remember seeing it on his shelf in the kitchen at his fraternity house. But we pulled out the crock, added several items to it as called out per Michele's directions, and a few extras like some shredded up cooked chicken, and what else I don't exactly remember. But it was delish!

The lil crock fed us for several meals, and it's one of those things that was better after sitting for a day. So Michele, if you have any other mixin's like the country soup, send 'em to Warsaw, I'll definitely be your guinea pig, and test out any of your recipes!!....... Especially if you'd ever feel like sending us a Dobos Torte...... :)

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Burn Out

I know, I know. I've been a horrible blogger lately. Sorry I suck so bad as a human. lol But good news. With all the major holidays passed, I should have more free time and energy to get back to posting regularly. I've got some maaaajor catching up to do. Quite some delish creations have been made. And I'm pretty positive with the Christmas gifts I received this year, there will be many more yet to come, thanks to Mom's crock-pot and the Gross' cuisinart food processor. But I digress. Back in oh, late November, I found a recipe for Smokey Chicken Tortilla Soup. And of course, it's another Rachel Ray recipe.

Ingredients
3 cups chicken stock
1 pound chicken tenders
1 bay leaf, fresh if available
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
4 slices thick, smoky bacon, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons sauce
1 28-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
Salt to taste
4 cups corn tortilla chips, lightly crushed
3/4 pound (2 cups) shredded fresh smoked mozzarella or smoked sharp white cheddar cheese
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/2 red onion, chopped
Fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Preparation
Bring broth to a simmer and add the chicken tenders. Poach them for 6-7 minutes with a bay leaf.

While the chicken poaches, heat EVOO in a medium soup pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook it until crisp then remove it with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain off the excess fat, leaving 2-3 tablespoons in the pan. Add the onions and garlic to the skillet and cook them for 5 minutes. Stir in chipotles and tomatoes.

Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid, dice it then add it to the tomatoes and chipotles. Pass the poaching liquid through a strainer then add it to the soup pot as well.
Place a pile of crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of each soup bowl. Cover it liberally with cheese then ladle the hot soup down over the top. Serve it with lime, raw onions and cilantro at the table.


This is my favorite picture that Adam took while cooking. It just shows such pretty colors, and you can imagine the smells that go along with the various items cooking in it.


I used a smoked yellow cheddar cheese that I found at one of Fort Wayne's little produce markets on my way home from work. Might I add that it was spectacular cheese.
Also, please be very cautious. Although I loved this recipe, it could have been better, had I not misread the recipe. Instead of using just 2 of the chipotles in the adobo sauce, I used the whole can, which was maybe, oh, a dozen or so. BIIIIIIG mistake. It made it soooo spicy hot. It was so hot, but so good, that I tried to salvage the left overs. I added maybe another cup of the stock, maybe a half a cup of cream, and two medium peeled and diced potatoes. It took some of the edge off, but it was still pretty killer. But I suggest that you add that stuff from the get go. It added some healthy starch to the soup and made it a little more filling. Adam liked it better as well. He got a little crazy with the photo taking during this meal, and set-up a nice lil get-up for our dinner area. Mine is the one on the left with the little spoon.