Well Strained - Chicken Soup Stock

I don't get sick often, but have caught a dreaded summer cold.  Since it's raining today and my throat is sore, I've decided that it is a perfect Chicken Soup day.

If you know J, you'll know that he is VERY particular about his soup.  With the exception of French Onion Soup - he won't eat anything but a clear broth soup.  I actually strain my soup (twice) so that there are no 'smeglies' floating in it for him.  J's family can attest to the fact that as a kid he would fish out anything resembling a vegetable and line them up around the edge of his bowl.

My stock simmers for hours, but is never brought to a boil.  Boiling will result in a cloudier stock.  It's a running joke in our family that J doesn't like cloudy soup.

Despite J's clear broth issues, we are a soup loving family.  As a kid, I took a thermos of soup to school daily.   Whether it is my Mom, J and me or J's family, soup is in regular rotation on our dinner menus.  In the winter, it's a given once a week.  Our soup is always home-made.  Never from a can or even worse - a package.

When I was working, I'd watch my co-workers warm their canned soup (it was a quick and relatively healthy lunch for them) and my mouth would water.  I remember buying a can of a healthy chicken soup and looking forward to enjoying it at lunch.  I also remember throwing it out and going to buy lunch because it tasted so terrible.  I'm a soup snob!  I proudly admit it.

This is my recipe for a classic chicken stock.

Chicken Soup Stock

1 package of Chicken Backs/Necks or 4 Thighs (see notes below)
1 medium Carrot, washed but not peeled
1 small Onion, cut in half but with the peel left on
2 Celery ribs, with leaves, washed and but into 3 inch long pieces
10-15 black pepper corns (whole)
2 Bay Leafs
1 sprig Thyme
1 medium garlic clove (peeled, but left whole)
2 litres cold water
Salt to taste

Add all ingredients to a large stock pot.  (I use a Le Creuset Enamelled Cast Iron pot.)  Place on stove top to simmer.  Do not let it boil.  Simmer for 8-10 hours.  After 5-6 hours, taste the stock to check that you've added enough salt and season as required.  After 8-10 hours - strain into a large bowl or another pot and enjoy.

Notes:

• When finished, your stock will be clear with a slight brown tint from the onion skins.  It will look and taste amazing!
• If you are using chicken thighs instead of the bones, remove the chicken after 8-10 hours and let cool slightly then remove meat from bone and reserve for your stock.
• Turkey backs/necks/thighs or the remains of your Thanksgiving dinner can be used in place of chicken.
• I start the stock by adding 1 teaspoon of salt then add more as required.  This ensures that you don't over-salt.  Remember, the flavours will intensify as the stock simmers.
• Don't add your noodles or pasta to the stock as it is cooking.  You won't be able to strain the stock if you do and the starch from the pasta will change the colour and consistency of your stock, not to mention that you'll have over cooked pasta.  Finally, it's just wrong (in my opinion).
• This stock can be served with the meat from the bones and pasta or with Beef Tortellini and a few grates of Pamigiano-Reggiano. 
• I also use this stock as the basis for my Wonton Soup and promise to post my wonton recipe and instructions for adding additional seasoning in a future post.

Balderdash - Vietnamese Grilled Chicken with Vermicelli (Bun Ga Nuong)

My husband J and I were both born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  After we married, we moved to Vancouver, British Columbia.  It's been 20+ years now, and while we are still prairie kids, we have developed a Vancouver palate and thought process.  Our family in Winnipeg have come to appreciate that change in us.

When we're together, the family will often play our version of Balderdash.  For those of you not familiar with the game, the dealer selects a card with a real, but uncommon and very unusual word on it.  The players then each supply their own convincing definition. The dealer will read each player's definition and the real one.  Points are awarded each time you select the correct definition and someone selects yours as correct.  Strangely my brother-in-law N's definitions never seems to be selected - they usually involved a body part and have us rolling on the floor laughing.  My purpose for sharing this story is that our family says that they can always tell my husband's and my definitions because they involve a food or cooking utensil.

I think that my family will find it amusing that my first post is not of a common Canadian dish or something from my own or my in-law's family recipe repertoire.  Instead it is for Bun Ga Nuong.

My husband and I are crazy for authentic Bun Ga Nuong.  Although there are a lot of ingredients, it's such a simple dish, and one in which you truly appreciate the flavor of each ingredient.  The key is using the freshest ingredients that you can find, and the Dipping Sauce called Nuoc Cham.  I confess that we love the Nuoc Cham so much that we just pore it over the entire dish.

Ingredients
Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham, recipe below)
1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken (for the best flavor, use a mix of breast and thigh meat)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red chill powder
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 shallot, finely minced
2 tsp papaya, crushed into a paste
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp grated palm sugar
2 tsp lemongrass puree
1 cup green onion, sliced into 2" pieces
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp lime juice, to drizzle over cooked chicken
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 (16oz) package vermicelli rice noodles (bun in Vietnamese), cooked and cooled to room temperature
1 cucumber, seeded and cut into matchsticks
1 cup iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks
4 tbsp fresh mint, chiffonade
3 tbsp roasted unsalted peanuts, slighted crushed
2 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

Trim all fat from the chicken breasts and thighs.  Slice into 2 1/2 inch pieces.  Season with salt and red chilli powder.

In a bowl large enough to hold the chicken meat (or a large ziplock bag), combine garlic, shallot, papaya, baking powder, palm sugar, lemongrass, green onion and soy sauce.  Add the chicken and toss to coat well.  Refrigerate for a 1 hour.

Remove from the refrigerator ahead of cooking to bring it back to room temperature.  Preheat a large non-stick grill pan.  Just prior to adding the meat, brush the pan with oil.  When the pan and oil begin to smoke add the chicken.  Cook 5 minutes (or until a caramelized crust begins to form) and then flip the chicken.  Grill for another 5 minutes.  Finish with a drizzle of lime juice and a sprinkle of black pepper.

In a single serving sized bowl, add a 1/2 cup (or more) of the cooked, cooled vermicelli rice noodles.  Add lettuce, mint, cucumber and carrots as desired.  Top with grilled chicken and sliced jalapeno peppers (optional).  Garnish with a small amount of crushed peanuts.  Serve with Nuoc Cham.

Notes:  Cooking is all about customizing to your own taste and what you have on hand, for example, I didn't have iceberg lettuce and neglected to pick-up any on this morning's shopping run.  In it's place, I used a mixture of romaine, green leaf and kale.  I like bean sprouts, so I garnish with them even though I don't include them in the ingredients above.  Don't skip the papaya.  It is key to tenderizing the chicken.  Excess papaya or lemongrass puree can be frozen in ice-cube trays and stored in the freezer for use at a later date.  You'll find powdered Palm Sugar in your local market, but it will likely be insanely priced.  If you are lucky to have a T&T or Osaka Market near you, they will carry a hard, hockey puck-like Palm Sugar at a fraction of the price.  I use the hockey puck type and grate it with a microplane. 

Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) 
4 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
5 tbsp boiling water
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice,with pulp
4 tsp garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp red Thai Chili pepper, finely chopped (or less as desired)

In a bowl, dissolve the sugar in boiling water.  Let cool to room temperature.  Add rice vinegar and lime juice.  Mix in garlic and chill pepper.

Inspired by The Noodle Guy.