Katie Stew

My boyfriend has been traveling for work a lot the last few weeks. Which means that I have been spending a significant number of evenings at home alone eating takeout and watching trashy tv. Then I frantically clean the house on the day he is returning home so that he doesn’t walk through the front door and worry that we’ve been robbed or that squatters have moved in. Turns out that when I have the house to myself I don’t worry too much about things like dishes, cooking, cleaning, or for that matter, showering.

Keeping it classy y’all.

Lately, in the midst of all this takeout, I’ve been really into noodle soup. Specifically, ramen. I came to this realization this past week. On one Friday, I had ramen from a new local joint and loved it. By the next Monday I was out of leftovers and craving it again, but decided to shake it up. So, I picked up some Pho at a local vietnamese place. It was good, but wasn’t what I really wanted. Tuesday I stopped in the International district at this great Chinese noodle house and got a noodle soup with wontons. And it was also really good, but didn’t satisfy my craving. Apparently, I only want ramen.

To be clear, I’m not talking about Top Ramen. Though I have certainly enjoyed my fair share over the years of those magical, salty, msg loaded noodles. In fact, I really like using the noodles in stir fries (without the weird flavor packets), so I keep a couple of packets stocked in the pantry. I also really like them when I’m sick with a cold. I cook up a block of noodles with half the weird seasoning packet and then load it with lots of Sriracha and soy sauce. Don’t judge me. I’m telling you, when I’m all clogged up with snot, sometimes super spicy salty noodles are the only thing that 1. makes me feel better and 2. that I can even taste.

So anyways, if ramen isn’t about the magical 3 minute cooking packets, what is it all about? In the real world, it is about the broth. There is vegetarian ramen out there, but my favorite right now is Tonkotsu, which is a pork broth that has been slowly cooked for hours and hours and hours, usually served with fresh noodles, slices of pork, and soft boiled eggs. The broth is sometimes flavored with Miso or soy and is always rich, salty, and delicious. And the soft boiled eggs melding into that broth is often my very favorite part. Shoyu ramen is also delicious and is a soy sauce based ramen with a chicken and/or vegetable stock base.

Now if you are not lucky enough to have a ramen restaurant in your area, I’m terribly sorry. Really I am, because in case you haven’t caught on yet, I’m a little obsessed at the moment. But all hope is not lost. I’ve been experimenting with making ramen broth at home. I’ve also got a good friend trying to figure it out. Maybe between us, we can unlock the answer to the perfect ramen broth. My first attempt wasn’t perfect, but I’m a woman on a mission now.

Is it weird to just post about how much I love ramen right now? Maybe. But in case you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of weird y’all. Welcome to my world.

Ok. So I didn’t go home and make the Brown Rice Mushroom Casserole like I said on Monday. But, I still did pretty well on the healthy/I need some vegetables front. I made lentil soup. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it before here, but I love lentil soup. It is simple, hearty, filling, and it just makes you feel good about the world.

And having a grilled cheese sandwich on the side certainly helps.

Over the years, I’ve made many varieties of lentil soup. It’s good with Italian sausage inside. Sometimes I make a spicy curried lentil soup. This time I went with my classic French Lentil. Whichever variety you want to make, there is a really simple base you can use and you’ll have soup in no time. Seriously, lentils only take about 20 minutes to cook, so you can have a pot of fabulous soup, made from scratch, in about half an hour.

So what makes this lentil soup, “French”? For me, it is the flavor profile of the thyme, rosemary, and Dijon mustard. The base of the soup is a basic mirepoix, which is pretty darn French too. What is a mirepoix you ask? Basically it is a combination of chopped celery, carrots, and onion that form the base for many soups, stocks, casseroles, and other dishes. If you start your recipe with these things, you know that you’ll end up with some nice flavor. There are other versions out there, depending on region. For example, in Creole cooking, the mirepoix type base is referred to as the “Holy Trinity” and consists of onions, celery, and bell peppers.

Anyways, if you want to shake things up, make a curried lentil soup for example, leave out the thyme, rosemary, and mustard and instead add 1/2 tsp of chili flakes and 1-2 TB curry powder. You can also add diced potatoes for more substance.

For an Italian version, try adding oregano some Italian sausage.

Hopefully you’re seeing a trend here. Lentil soup is a simple, lovely thing that can be customized in many different ways. Start off with a solid base and have some fun.

Extra fun fact, this recipe is vegan! So, if you ever have some friend that goes vegan and don’t know what to feed them, this is an excellent option. Also for vegetarians, low carb, low fat, meatless monday, lactose intolerant, or whatever complicated person comes over for dinner.

French Lentil Soup

• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 jalapeno, diced (optional)
• 1 tb olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 lb lentils
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Saute celery, carrots, onion, and jalapeno in olive oil until vegetables soften and begin to brown. Add garlic and saute for another minute, until fragrant. Add remaining ingredients and about 4 cups water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Add water as needed to get the consistency you want.

If you want a slightly creamier consistency, hit the soup with your immersion blender for a few seconds and blend some of the lentils up. You can also accomplish this by smashing some lentils on the side of the pot if you don’t have the blender option.

Enjoy!

Sometimes you overindulge because it is a holiday. Sometimes you overindulge because you have company in town. Sometimes you overindulge because you’re on a mean streak of cravings for nothing but cheeseburgers. Or you’re in a bad mood or having a hard time at life right now. Or maybe you got a sunburn so bad last week that your doctor put you on steroids. I hear you. It happens.

And maybe you wake up and you want something really healthy. Maybe it is because of the overindulgences, or maybe it is just because you crave something that makes you feel good. Granted, a double bacon cheeseburger also makes you feel good, but more in a mental way than a physical way.

For me right now, I am in need of something healthy. Something with vitamins and fiber and other similar buzz word nonsense. You know what I’m talking about. Between out of town company and sunburns and eating out all the time and a dozen other reasons, I’ve had too many cheeseburgers lately, I’m feeling the need for a salad. I need some vegetables. And this next recipe, is right up my alley today. This is the Monday restart meal. The, “no really, I’m going to eat better this week” meal. It’s nice to have a plan for dinner.

This dish is light, filling, and delicious. It is a side, or a main, or a just got home from work and want to eat something cold straight out of the fridge snack. Basically, it is brown rice that is tossed with some delicious vegetables and thrown together in a casserole with cheese on top. The mushrooms are baked, which is very low maintenance, and the kale and onions are sautéed in one pan. You’ll toss with the rice (you can even use instant rice packets, which are awesome) and put the whole thing into your already hot oven for a few minutes and then you’ll be ready to go! Squeeze a lemon on top if you are feeling fancy.

You’ll be amazed at how good something so simple can be. I also like to do this recipe with farro instead of brown rice.

Do something nice for yourself today. Make this recipe. Participate in Meatless Monday. Or go get a cheeseburger. Don’t let me tell you what to do. You do you.

Happy Monday.

Brown Rice Mushroom Casserole

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
• 8 oz sliced white mushrooms
• 1 cup brown rice, cooked according to package directions
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried
• 2 TB olive oil
• 2 oz goat cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Place mushrooms on a foil lined cookie sheet. Toss with 1 TB olive oil, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, salt, and thyme. When oven is ready, bake for 12 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat 1 TB oil. Saute onion over medium heat until soft and lightly carmelized. Add garlic and cook a minute more. Add kale and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook until kale is wilted, 3-5 minutes.

Mix rice, mushrooms, and kale in a large bowl. Be sure to add any juices leftover from the mushrooms or kale. Salt and pepper the mixture to taste. Top with crumbled goat cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes. This allows time for the flavors to meld together.

Enjoy!

I tried something new the other night and it was awesome. Confit! I confit’ed something.

What is that you say, Katie? Confit? Sounds fancy.

The answer to that is, sorta- kinda- not really. Let’s break it down.

Confit is a classic French cooking technique. The word is derived from the french word that means, “to preserve”. Originally, it was used as a method to make meats shelf stable for long periods of time, but it tastes so good that it is still a common technique, despite the fact that we now have refrigerators and people don’t generally keep meat around on their shelves. The preservation occurs when you cook the meat slowly at low temperatures in a substance that is bacteria resistant, like olive oil. Apparently, after doing this, you could put your chicken into a jar, making sure it is completely covered by the cooking oil, seal it, and it would be fine for weeks in a cool room or months in a fridge. Crazy!

But, more importantly than the fun history/sciencey lesson, it tastes delicious. The chicken thighs became rich and absurdly tender in the process. And while you would think that it would seem greasy from all the olive oil, it does not.

When I cooked the chicken confit, afterwards, I put some of the oil in a pan and cooked the thighs skin side down until they were very brown and crispy. Crisping up the skin after you take them out of the oil takes it to another level. Another level, y’all. It leaves you with chicken that is straight up succulent. Tender and moist, but with a great crispy skin on top.

So, I hope you see that despite it sounding fancy (which it’s not) and French (which it is), it is not complicated. It does take a while to cook, but I cook stuff all the time that takes longer (pulled pork or brisket for example). And this dish will have a real wow factor that will make you sound as impressive as the dish tastes. Serve the chicken on rice, pasta, or couscous with a side of roasted vegetables. Or hey, whatever sounds good to you. And leftovers can be shredded and turned into some amazing sandwiches.

Chicken Confit

• 4 chicken thighs, bone-in/ skin on
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1 head of garlic
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup olive oil

Set oven to 225. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Pack into a loaf pan with garlic and rosemary. Pour oil over the top. Cover with foil and place in oven for 3 hours.

Remove from oven. Before serving, heat a skillet to medium-high and add a few tablespoons of the oil from the confit. Sear chicken thighs, skin side down, until brown and crispy. For a great, crisp crust, try not to move them around too much when they’re in the pan.

Enjoy!