When I was a kid, coming home from school to the aromas of cinnamon, star anise and ginger meant that we would have pho for dinner. Score! I’d throw my backpack on the couch and run to the kitchen to watch my grandfather char onions halves and ginger over the open flame of a burner until they turned black. He’d let me add them into the pot when they had cooled a bit.

When I got older and moved out of the house, I took those scents along with me. Nowadays, it seems I can’t make a stock or broth without using those ingredients to flavor them. There’s always a little Vietnamese inspiration in even the most American soups I serve, like split pea or even this chicken and rice soup. It’s good for any occasion, even an elegant one, if you know how to plate it. I’ll explain.

Say you’ve made this soup and you’re eating it out of a mug, only later you realize that you need something more elegant. In other words, something to help you apologize to your boyfriend after you’ve had a fight. Well, you can turn this soup from homey to handsome with just a few tricks. Pack the rice into a small ramekin to mold it into a circular shape, then overturn the ramekin onto a shallow bowl. You’ll have a neat little rice mound where you can artfully arrange the shredded chicken and parsley. And here’s the kicker: If you’re really in the doghouse with your boyfriend, you pour the hot chicken broth into the bowls at tableside. Now that’s service that says “I’m sorry.”

(Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe.”)

For the stock, you’ll start with a huge pot and 6 quarts of water, but you’ll reduce the liquid to less than half of that to concentrate the broth’s flavors. You may only need a smidge of salt at the end, but sometimes I find that I don’t need any at all. Finish with some lime juice to perk it up a bit.

VIETNAMESE-INSPIRED CHICKEN AND RICE SOUP
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

• 4 pounds chicken bones (carcasses, or necks, backs, wings, etc.)
• 2 medium onions, cut in half
• 1 4-inch piece of ginger
• 2 carrots, peeled
• 2 stalks celery
• 3 star anise
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 6 quarts water
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Lime juice, to taste
• 2 cups wild rice
• Shredded chicken from carcass, or 2 cooked and shredded chicken breasts

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken bones in a roasting pan. When oven comes to temperature, roast bones for 1 hour, or until thoroughly browned. Remove from pan and place in a 10-12 quart stock pot.
2. Place onion halves (peels removed) over the open flame of a gas burner. Use tongs to turn onions when needed. When onions are blackened, place in stock pot. Repeat method with ginger, but cut ginger into 1-inch pieces before placing in pot. Add carrots and celery to pot.
3. Make a sachet of spices: Pile star anise, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves and garlic in a cheesecloth, and tie with kitchen string to make a little pouch. Add pouch to pot, as well as cinnamon sticks.
4. Fill pot with 6 quarts of cold water, making sure to cover all ingredients (add more if you need to). Bring pot to a boil and immediately turn heat down to medium-low. Let the pot simmer with the lid slightly ajar for 4 hours. Refrain from stirring here, so that you’ll end up with a clear broth.
5. Remove all bones, veggies and spices from pot. Turn heat up to medium-high, and reduce to about half of its current amount. Taste, and add salt if needed. When broth is full-bodied and flavorful (and this depends on personal preference), remove from heat and cool. Add a healthy sprinkle of lime juice, if desired.
6. When ready to serve soup, portion cooked rice into 6 to 8 servings. Pack each serving into a ramekin to mold it into a circular shape. Overturn the ramekin onto a shallow bowl. Arrange the shredded chicken and parsley over rice. Pour hot broth over rice tableside and eat up.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

If you’ve been around long enough, you may have noticed things are getting a bit green in here, what with a salad and a broccoli rabe-heavy spaetzle as my last two recipe posts. Green just seems like the thing to do in the middle of February. Maybe it’s a subconscious thing to counteract all that V-day red we’ve been seeing, or maybe I’m jumping the gun into March. Either way, it just feels right.

These recipes were inspired by the simple pear, basil and parmesan salad I made for L.A.’s Stir It 28 event for Haiti last weekend (that of which I adapted from Leite’s Culinaria). People really seemed to like the combination of pear and basil.

For those not familiar with Stir It 28, read the rundown here. A handful of dedicated and super-friendly food bloggers, caterers and chefs descended on Greg/SippitySup’s lovely Hollywood Hills kitchen in the name of Haiti. (I’m compelled to mention here that Greg has excellent taste in knives. Shun, baby.) We cooked for an estimated 75 guests, all whom donated to the Stir It 28 Haiti fund. For more coverage of the L.A. event, visit the Duo Dishes, The Food Addicts, Uncouth Gourmands, South Bay Rants n Raves and Domestic Divas. (I’ll add more links as they come in!) If you didn’t attend the event, you can still donate to the cause by visiting Flanboyant Eats or CocoCooks and clicking on the logo. All proceeds benefit Share Our Strength and Yele Haiti. Donations will be accepted until Feb. 28.

So back to the recipe: The pesto portion of these recipes can be doubled, tripled – quadrupled even – to suit your needs. And if you have more than an hour on your hands, I suggest cooking the onions down until they’re really browned — not just a golden brown. The darker they are, the sweeter they will be.

PEAR AND PESTO CROSTINI
Yield: 2 to 3 servings (or if you’re me, 1 serving)

• 1/2 loaf French bread
• 2 cups packed basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano
• 3 tablespoons your best olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 Bosc pear

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice French loaf into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and brush (or spray, if you have one of those nifty Misto things) with olive oil. Place slices on baking sheet and toast in oven for 10-15 minutes, or until edges are a deep golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. While those are in the oven, make your pesto. In a food processor, combine basil leaves, garlic clove, pine nuts and Romano cheese. Pulse until pesto is coarse in texture, like coarse sand. Add in olive oil and process until fully incorporated. Taste. Add salt and pepper, if needed. Scrape pesto into a serving bowl or dish and set aside. (You should have about 3/4 cup.)
3. Cut pear into thin slices and place on a platter with crostini and pesto. To assemble: Spread pesto over crostini and top with pear and fresh ground black pepper, if desired. (Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for skirt steak/caramelized onion recipe.)

SKIRT STEAK, CARMELIZED ONION AND PESTO CROSTINI
Yield: 2 to 3 servings

• 1/2 loaf French bread
• 3 medium onions
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons your best olive oil, divided
• 2 cups packed basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano
• 1/4 pound skirt steak
• Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice French loaf into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and brush (or spray, if you have one of those nifty Misto things) with olive oil. Place slices on baking sheet and toast in oven for 10-15 minutes, or until edges are a deep golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. Slice onions crosswise into thin rings. Place in a pot over medium heat with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. You’ll know onions are ready when they turn a super-caramel color. (You can always cook them down even more, until they’re jam-like and brown. There’s no right or wrong here.)
3. Make your pesto while the onions are on the stove. In a food processor, combine basil leaves, garlic clove, pine nuts and Romano cheese. Pulse until pesto is coarse in texture, like coarse sand. Add in 3 tablespoons of olive oil and process until fully incorporated. Taste. Add salt and pepper, if needed. Scrape pesto into a serving bowl or dish and set aside. (You should have about 3/4 cup.)
4. When onions are done, remove from heat and start on the steak. Heat the remaining table of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle skirt steak with a bit of salt and pepper and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes (depending on thickness) on both sides. Transfer steak to a cutting board and rest it for 10 minutes before slicing meat crosswise.
5. To assemble: Slather on the pesto, top with caramelized onion and skirt steak. Enjoy!

– Cynthia Furey

Hey guys, here’s a chance to eat in the name of charity: Stir It 28 is a nationwide food blogger event organized by Bren from FlanboyantEats.com, Chrystal of The Duo Dishes and Courtney at Coco Cooks. On Sunday, Feb. 21, there will be events in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and Manhattan, with all proceeds benefiting Share Our Strength and Yele Relief for Haiti. If you’re in Southern California, please come to the event! I, along with other local food bloggers, chefs and caterers, will make sure you’re well-fed. Did I mention there’s alcohol and free valet parking, too? Here are the deets: 

• When: Sunday, Feb. 21 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. 
• Where: At the lovely Hollywood Hills home of Greg from SippitySup.com. (You’ll get the address once you purchase the ticket.)
• Why: To raise money for Haiti Relief! And to meet your fellow food bloggers in an afternoon of deliciousness. 
• How much: Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door. All proceeds go to charity.  

Who: Sample some dishes from: 
Gisele, Small Pleasures Catering
Austin, Austio’s Catering
Barrie Lynn, The Cheese Impresario
Chrystal & Amir, The Duo Dishes
Michael, Southbay Foodies
Diana, Diana Takes a Bite
Cathy, Gastronomy Blog
Andrea, L.A. Easy Meals
Esi, Dishing Up Delights
Greg, Sippity Sup
Patti, Worth the Whisk
Erika, In Erika’s Kitchen
Cynthia, Furey and the Feast (that’s me!)
Krissy & Daniel, The Food Addicts
Josie, Daydreamer Desserts
Jennifer, Domestic Divas
Nastassia, Let Me Eat Cake
Nancy Goodman, Food Art LA
Anisha, Food Is My Nish
H.C., L.A. and O.C. Foodventures
Mary, The Food Librarian
Craig, Hipcooks

Grey Goose vodka and LA brand attaché Christophe Namer partner with Natalie Bovis-Nelsen of TheLiquidMuse.com. They will create a signature cocktail called “Hearts for Haiti.” The Liquid Muse’s wine bar will have sangrias featuring Fre Alcohol-Removed Wine and Sutter Home Wine and the Sparkling Pomegranate Snowflake “mocktails.” Additional sponsors include Trader Joe’s, Ralphs and Party City. (Click on link below for ticket information.)

I hope you local readers out there can make it! And we’ve had some issues with purchasing tickets, so here’s a step-by-step from Chrystal of The Duo Dishes. 

• 1. Visit Flanboyanteats.com or Cococooks.blogspot.com. Click the Stir It 28 logo to go directly to the Paypal portal, which is automatically set up for the purchase of one $30 ticket. (As usual, Paypal’s procedure will let you log into your account or proceed with payment.)
• 2. Write in the notes field what city’s event you will be attending by clicking on the link that says “Special instructions to the merchant.” 
• 3. Confirm and finalize payment. You will receive a receipt via e-mail, and Chrystal will also email a second confirmation. Repeat the process if you’d like to purchase another ticket. 
• You can also pay by check at the door, but you will need to e-mail Chrystal (chrystal at duodishes dot com) to let her know your name and how many tickets you plan to buy. 

Hope to see you guys there!

– Cynthia Furey

My apologies for the light posting today. I can barely keep my eyes open — let alone attempt to say something with wit — because of all the meds I’m on right now. All I can offer you is this salad, and if my memory serves me well, it was a good one at that.

This peppery salad is the last thing I could taste before a nasty sinus infection set in and rendered my taste buds useless. But it could have been worse. The last thing I ate could have been something awful, like Brussels sprouts or a bowl of frozen peas. I thank my lucky stars.

It’s been a few days and I still can’t taste anything, but the memory of this simple salad still lives on. I loved the crouton-sized roasted sweet potatoes, which lent a sunny vibe to an otherwise wintery salad. (Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe.)

This is another one of those simple-is-best salads, where you can really taste the ingredients. Try it as a first course with a roast chicken, or as a full meal in itself. And reward yourself: don’t skimp on the cheese. You deserve it.

ARUGULA SALAD WITH SWEET POTATO CROUTONS
Yield: 4 servings

• 1 sweet potato
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed and dried rosemary
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 cups packed arugula
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Shaved Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut sweet potato into crouton-sized pieces and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until pieces are browned and tender. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, add arugula, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss mixture until all leaves are coated. Throw in roasted sweet potatoes, toss, and garnish with shaved Parmesan.

I’m not gonna lie. This isn’t a gourmet dish that came about through many moons of research and testing. It was birthed when its parents, desperation and craving, met late one night in a refrigerator half-stocked with vegetables my mother has never heard of and more booze than I would ever care to tell her about. We all know that chance encounters sometimes don’t work out, but on that night, desperation and craving were at the right place at the right time. It was love at first sight.

Desperation wanted to use all of the ingredients in the kitchen that were on their last legs. Craving wanted nothing more than a giant bowl of wiggly spaetzle — the same spaetzle that caused a young culinary student (ahem) to hide in a corner of the kitchen storeroom while shoveling it into her mouth with her bare hands.

Together, desperation and craving created a meal with echoes of that curious day when three-quarters of the spaetzle mysteriously disappeared from the Culinary Arts 122 class. Only this time, there was broccoli rabe, prosciutto and toasted pine nuts to share the spotlight. (Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe.)

A big hug and thank you to Val, who  in my hour of need typed the spaetzle recipe to me in an e-mail. The original recipe is from one of the earlier editions of the CIA’s “Professional Chef,” but it was inexplicably taken out in later versions of the book (too many students hiding in storerooms?). I tweaked the recipe based on what I had in my fridge, and it’s just as good as I remember.

BROWN BUTTER SPAETZLE WITH PROSCIUTTO AND BROCCOLI RABE
Yield: 2 to 3 servings

• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup parsley, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 medium onion, minced
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe, chopped
• 1/4 pound sliced prosciutto, chopped
• Garnish: Parmesan cheese, lemon juice

PROCEDURE
1. Put a large pot of salted water on the stove and over high heat to boil.
2. In a large bowl, crack the eggs and add milk, parsley, salt and pepper and mix until combined. Add in flour a little bit at a time and mix until combined. The dough will be a bit runny, and this is just fine. Let sit for 10 minutes to rest.
3. Put a colander or cheese grater over the pot of boiling water and spoon dough through holes. You’ll have a bunch of wiggly noodle nuggets that drop into the pot. Cook these for 5 to 6 minutes until just tender. Drain.
4. Melt butter in a sauté pan over high heat. When butter starts to separate and brown, have your ingredients at the ready. You’ll know the butter is ready to go when you start smelling a sweet, nutty aroma.
5. Dump in the drained spaetzle, garlic, onion, pine nuts and broccoli rabe. Cook in browned butter for about 2 minutes, then remove from heat. Toss in prosciutto and top with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Hey all! Here’s my latest installment of “Food 101,” which was published in The Orange County Register today.
***
Now that the Superbowl is right around the corner, how about treating your friends and family to a super appetizer along with those obligatory chips, dip and wings?

Crab-stuffed mushrooms only look difficult to make. A large tray with an army of mini sized appetizers, each little soldier with a browned, bubbling cheese crust only suggests that you’ve painstakingly slaved over them for days. Really, the most work you’ve done is chop up some vegetables and spoon filling into some mushroom caps.

Don’t let the ingredient list intimidate you, either. The bulk of it is just vegetables and cheeses that you will cook and mix together in a large bowl. All of these ingredients can be found in your neighborhood supermarket, even the jarred crab meat (check the fresh seafood display).

And if you really want to impress your friends, make sure to grab some lemons while at the store. Ever wonder why lemon wedges are served alongside fish? It’s because their tartness brightens the subtle, sweet flavors in seafood. You can experiment for yourself: Once the stuffed mushrooms have cooled slightly, pop one in your mouth and observe the taste: it’s good, right? Now sprinkle some lemon juice on a second stuffed mushroom and munch on that. Pow! Flavors are instantly enhanced, and you can really taste that crab.

For this recipe, you will need a large bowl, large frying or sauté pan, and a baking pan – maybe two. You can also prepare the filling a day ahead of time. Just make sure to refrigerate and cover with plastic wrap. (Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe.)

CRAB-STUFFED MUSHROOMS
Yield: 10 to 12 appetizer servings

• 2 pounds button or baby Portobello mushrooms
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 jar (6 to 8 ounces) crab meat
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 to 2 lemons, cut into wedges

1. Clean dirt and debris from mushrooms by wiping them with a damp paper towel or rinsing them under running water in a strainer. Let them dry for a few minutes, and then pull off the mushroom stems from their caps (these pop right off). Set the mushroom caps aside.
2. This next step is where you get to hone your chopping skills. You will need to chop the mushroom stems, onion, bell pepper and garlic as finely as possible without turning them into mush. The fancy term for this is mincing, which you’ve most likely heard. So, mince the vegetables until you’ve got what looks like tiny mosaic tiles all over your cutting board.
3. Once you’re done with that, place the butter in the frying pan on the stove over high heat. When the butter is melted and hot, dump in all your minced veggies and cook them for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the liquid from the mushrooms is mostly evaporated. Stir occasionally.
4. Add the crab meat, salt and pepper to the pan, and cook for a minute or two, just enough to heat the crab through. When it’s good to go, scrape the whole mixture into a bowl and let it cool for at least 20 minutes, or until it’s cool to the touch.
5. Next, add in the cream cheese, egg yolk and half of the Parmesan cheese. Mix it thoroughly with a wooden spoon or whatever you have handy at the moment. If you are making the filling a day in advance, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator. For those forging ahead, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
6. Using a tablespoon, scoop a little bit of the crab mixture from the bowl and pack it down gently into a mushroom cap. Place the stuffed mushroom on your baking pan. You want a well-rounded mound of crab and cream cheese goodness on top. Repeat with the rest of the mushroom caps, then sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan cheese for a topping.
7. Bake the stuffed mushrooms for 25 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when the Parmesan cheese on top is a light golden brown. Remove the pan(s) from the oven.
8. Before serving, cut the lemon into wedges and sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice onto each mushroom cap. Or, you can serve them on a tray with the lemon wedges and let your friends sprinkle on the lemon juice themselves. Enjoy!

– Cynthia Furey

Oh, my.

So it’s been a little over a month since we’ve had the official taste test of this Jones Tofurkey and Gravy soda. That’s mainly because, in the back of my mind, I’ve spent this entire time trying to come up with the adjectives to do it justice. I still haven’t fully come to terms with my experience, so please bear with me as I scrape the bottom of this barrel for the phrases necessary to convince you to never, ever try this soda.

But no matter what I say, you’re just going to try it anyhow. I know from experience: When you’re in a position to take a sip, curiosity over this trainwreck-in-a-bottle will get the best of you. But that’s OK. It’s all in good fun.

Jones dreams up these limited-edition soda flavors and sells them every year right around the holidays. A Turkey & Gravy soda made its debut in 2003, and other flavors followed almost every year after that, most notably 2004’s Mashed Potato soda and 2007’s Christmas Ham soda. I have no doubt that Tofukey & Gravy will return for Holiday 2010, because it’s got appeal to people who used to get a kick out of eating things their friends dared them to. Which is almost everybody, I think. Oh, and it’s vegan. That scores Jones some points from those who don’t partake in the holiday poultryfest.

So when you go to the Jones Web site to place your order, there are a couple of strategically placed red flags, all of which you will ignore. The first is the soda’s tagline, which reads in exaggerated sans-serif font, “Soda you can chew on.” Has anyone ever really wanted that?

The second warning is a turkey holding a sign that reads “Turkey approved.” But look closer: this turkey is absolutely terrified. If you Photoshopped a gun to its head, it would resemble a possible hostage situation. Its blue eyes are almost pleading with you to go back from whence you came. But you won’t listen. You’ll place an order, and the box will arrive on your doorstep fairly quickly. Just in time for a party, where you and your bravest friends will pass the bottles around in a circle and compare stinky faces after you take your first sips. “Ugggh,” “Whoah…eghh” and two octaves worth of gurgling noises soon follow the slightly sweet and overall rancid flavor of gravy, diluted Dimetapp and artificial sweeteners.  Hey, the turkey warned you. Sorta.

The best thing out of the whole deal was the collector’s metal lunch box the soda came with — but even then, I didn’t feel right about keeping it because it had a cute little cartoon depicting an animated wad of Tofurkey at the circus. I dislike both Tofurkey and the circus. Wait, why did I want to try this soda again?

Photo credits: Turkey and lunchbox photos are from Jonessoda.com.

Hey all:

Please forgive me for the obvious plug you’re about to read, but I just can’t contain my excitement. (Plus, a little horn-tootin’ never hurts in moderation.)

So: The California Strawberry Commission this week launched its iPhone app featuring 50 recipes from chefs and fellow bloggers. One of my recipes is included (toot!). There’s all kinds of stuff in there ranging from cocktails to desserts, and some of the recipes featured come from some of my favorite bloggers like Cookin’ Canuck, Michael Ruhlman and Ravenous Couple. It’s great to be included in a group with bloggers I personally hold in high esteem.

I hope you can check it out! Click on this link to open iTunes on your computer and download. 

Regular posting resumes next week. Good weekends to all, and thank you for reading.