Soups

[caption id="attachment_170" align="aligncenter" width="333"] The perfect meal to warm you up on this snowy March day![/caption] This recipe is by Jim Huebner: My favorite Chinese dish. This is a slightly simplified version in that I only use Shiitakes instead of a mixture of Shiitakes and Tree Ears. I also omit the traditional bamboo shoots and Tiger Lily stems for simplicity – and I don’t think the taste suffers a bit since it is based primarily on pepper and vinegar! This is a filling dish with a lot of flavor. Place 5-10 dried Shiitakes (aka black mushrooms) in very hot or boiling water and set aside for a ½ hour or more. Take the mushrooms from the liquid, remove the stems if you have not already done so and slice into bite-sized pieces; reserve the soaking liquid. Slice ¼ pound or more of boneless pork (or chicken or omit for a vegetarian soup) into matchstick size pieces (easier if partially frozen); stir-fry in a tablespoon of cooking oil in a deep pot large enough for the finished soup until browned; add a tablespoon of tamari. Add the sliced mushrooms and stir-fry until starting to brown; add another tablespoon of tamari. Then add 4 cups chicken (or vegetable  or mushroom) stock and/or the mushroom soaking liquid and bring to a simmer. Salt and/or add additional tamari to taste, add 2 tablespoons of Fire Cider or more to taste, then blend in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in water. When the broth has thickened, add a half package of firm tofu cut into ¼” x ¼” strips. Add 2 tablespoons sesame oil and a teaspoon of white pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. Turn off the heat and slowly add 2 well-beaten eggs into the broth while stirring so that shreds, rather than clumps of egg form. Cover and let sit for a few minutes. Serve with chopped chives or scallions and a sprinkling of ground coriander seeds. Yield: The above is generous for two as a main course and should easily serve four. The recipe can be doubled or expanded. Variations: if you want to use tree ears and Tiger Lily stems, soak them along with the Shiitakes and slice/shred them before browning, use fewer Shiitakes. If using bamboo shoots, brown them along with the mushrooms.

“If you're afraid of butter, use cream.” ― Julia Child

This recipe by Jim Huebner is perfect for the snow day we are having!

Ingredients:

• 5 -7 cups of leeks, tops trimmed down to pale green, roots removed, sliced into thin half moons.
• 6 carrots, peeled if necessary, and chopped
• ¼ cup of pasture butter (you can, as Julia suggests, also add cream to the finished soup)
• 2-4 cups of organic chicken stock or mushroom broth
• Salt and pepper
• a dose of Fire Cider

[caption id="attachment_122" align="aligncenter" width="460"] Leeks from our garden![/caption]

First, sweat the leeks in the butter with a generous sprinkling of salt in a heavy bottomed sauce pan.   Cook the sliced leeks over medium-low heat until they are soft, wilted and starting to brown a bit.

Add the broth, start with 2 cups, if it looks too thick, add more.  Then the chopped carrots and cook the soup until the carrots are soft.  Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender. Add salt, pepper and Fire Cider to taste. Optional: Add a dollop of cream to each bowl as you serve for a filling and decadent meal.