Mushroom Soup

This is a wonderful mushroom soup, topped with a little chopped Spanish Chorizio makes it perfect.

Ingredients:
2 TBSP butter
3 small leeks, sliced thin and rinsed
20 oz white mushrooms, sliced
1 quart mushroom or vegetable stock
1 quart chicken stock
Salt and pepper
16 thin slices chorizo sausage, cut into matchsticks

In a large pot melt butter, add leeks and sweat covered over low heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and stock, cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Transfer to a blender process until smooth. Pour into bowls and season with salt and pepper, garnish with chorizo.

Serves 4 – 6.

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Chicken Bahn Mi

This one is from F&W adapted from The Slanted Door Cookbook, which I might have to buy. Marinate the chicken overnight to really enhance the flavor of the chicken.

Ingredients:
1/2 c Asian fish sauce
3 small shallots, minced
1/4 c light soy sauce
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp white miso
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
3 Thai bird chile, minced
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c distilled white vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 small carrot, julienned
Four 6-inch-long soft sandwich rolls, split lengthwise
1/4 c sriracha mayonnaise
1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise
12 cilantro sprigs
4 green onions, sliced thin
2 jalapeños, thinly sliced

In a large bowl, whisk the fish sauce, shallots, soy sauce, garlic, miso, five-spice powder and chile. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

In a bowl, whisk the sugar with the vinegar and salt until dissolved. Stir in the carrot and let stand at room temperature until lightly pickled, about 30 minutes.

Light a grill and oil the grate, or preheat a grill pan. Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and cooked through, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°. Using your fingers, scoop out some of the bread from the insides of the rolls. Toast the rolls in the oven for 6 minutes, until golden. Let cool slightly.

Thinly slice the chicken. Divide 1 TBSP of mayonnaise between the top and bottom of each roll and arrange the cucumber slices and chicken on the bottoms. Top with the cilantro sprigs, jalapeños, onions and pickled carrot. Close the sandwiches and serve.

Serves 4.

Duck and Figs in Port Sauce

For this I used Trader Joes frozen figs – they are whole frozen figs and they are perfect for this dish. This was inspired by Patricia Wells, I did not have creme de cassis so I used port instead. This recipe can be easily doubled.

Ingredients:
8 figs
1 duck breast
Salt
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/2 c port

Stem figs and make an X shape incision into each fig about 1/2 way through the figs.

Make 10 diagonal incisions in the duck skin being careful not to cut through, then repeat to make a criss cross pattern.

Place the figs in a small pan, cover with vinegar and port. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Heat a dry cast iron skillet over high heat. Add the duck skin side down, reduce heat to medium and cook for about 3 minutes until the skin is crispy. Flip over, cover and cook for 10 minutes for medium rare.

Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Pour juices from pan into fig sauce.

Slice duck thin, serve with figs and drizzle with sauce.

Serves 2.