Since being confined to my house, because of this….
my back steps
I have been cooking big pots of soup, which are made from things that I have, not from things that I planned on having for soup-making. I have been too lazy to dig my car out from under the big white powdery blanket it is now wrapped in, (and the blanket has gotten thicker by the day!) and so have been making soup from what my kitchen has to offer up – and for the moment, quite good stuff actually!
Dragon Soup
My soups tend to veer towards the brothy/Asian side, which are chock full of everything to round out an entire meal; protein, veggies and carbs. I do like a blended, creamy style soup occasionally, but it doesn’t satisfy me if it’s going to be my dinner. This Dragon Soup has EVERYTHING that is great about soup and it was slurped up while we watched the snow slowly bury our house.
Blue Dragon Noodle Nests (these noodles are very sturdy and hold up well in hot broth)
A bag or two of these egg noodles is always a good thing to keep in stock. They came in handy for this dish. Of course this soup works equally well with a cup of rice added to each bowlful, but there was something so gratifying about winding the long strands around my chopsticks before inhaling them.
__________________________________________________
*This is a good Blood Type A Diet recipe – omit the black pepper and chili flakes and we are good to go!*
You will need:
1 lb chicken breast fillet – thinly sliced (If you stick the chicken in the freezer for a 1/2 hour or more, it will be easier to slice)
1 medium onion – diced
2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
1/3 lb shiitake mushrooms – thinly sliced
1 tsp cayenne pepper flakes (optional, but I like the subtle heat)
1 tsp salt (use less if salt is very fine – you can always add more later if you need to)
1 bunch chard – about 5 big leaves, center rib removed and leave roughly chopped
12 cups chicken broth (or 2 good quality bouillon cubes and water)
4 scallions (green onions) – very thinly sliced, including some of green parts
1 cup julienned or thinly sliced carrots ( about 1 medium/large carrot)
2 tbs finely chopped cilantro leaves (if you have them, but works great without)
juice of 1/2 a lime
salt and freshly ground pepper for seasoning
6 oz egg noodles (If you can find egg noodle nests, use 1 per person. Figure on about 1 oz per serving)
Method:
1 – Put soup pot on medium heat and add 1 1/2 tbs olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook for another couple of minutes. Turn the heat up a bit and add the thinly sliced chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until it turns white all over (about 3 minutes). Add the broth, cilantro, carrot, salt, pepper and pepper flakes (if using) to the pot and bring to a boil. Turn down pot to a simmer and cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Add base ingredients, saute, add broth
2 – Add the chard and continue to cook for another 8 to 10 minute. Taste for additional seasoning and adjust if necessary. Add the lime juice and let the soup sit for about 10 minutes to let the flavors meld.
Add chopped chard
3 – While the soup is sitting, cook your egg noodles according to instructions. Drain and add a serving to each soup bowl.
Ladle soup over noodles and garnish with some chopped scallion and serve!
Add noodles to bowl and ladle soup into bowl
Crappy Kitchen - Good Dinners! 