Chicken Noodle Soup

Please read my Chicken Stock post before reading this one. This post is a continuation of that one. Thank you!



EVOO or Butter
1 Leek bottom white and lite green parts only - sliced and cleaned
2 Celery Ribs - cut into small pieces
Garlic - chopped
Ginger - chopped or grated
10 cups Chicken Stock
Fresh Parsley - chopped
2-3 Carrots - sliced
2 cups Chicken (cooked) - shredded or chopped
3/4 - 1 1/2 cups Noodles (depending on how noodlely you like your soup)
s/p



Heat the oil in a large pot.

Add your leeks and celery. Cook for two minutes.



Stir the garlic and ginger into the pot. Cook for another two minutes.



Carefully add the stock to the pot.



Bring the stock to a boil.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I made this for Tony, although I secretly wanted it too. It was fun making a classic without one of the usual ingredients, a can of cream of something soup.



1-2 T EVOO
1 small Onion - finely diced
1 Leek - sliced and cleaned
1/4 Red Bell Pepper
4 Cloves Garlic - diced
Salt
Hot Sauce (I used chili garlic sauce) - to taste
3 T Butter
1/4 cup Flour
3 cups Milk
White Pepper
Juice from 1/2 Lemon
Zest from Lemon
1 cup of Peas - steamed for one minute
small palm full of Dried Parsley
small palm full of Capers
2 6oz cans of Tuna - drained
10oz Dry Noodles or Pasta (I used Mafalada)
Pot of Boiling Water - heavily salted
about 1 1/2 cups of Cheese - separated (I used Sharpe Cheddar and Parmesan) - shredded or shaved
about a 1/4 cup of Panko Bread Crumbs

Preheat oven to 400°.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion, leeks, and peppers.

Chunky Vegetable Sauce

The uses of this sauce are as versatile as the veggies that can be put in it. Use whatever you have on hand, or use what you like best.



Celery Heart
3 Carrots
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Leek - white part only - sliced and cleaned
4-5 garlic cloves
1 Yellow Squash
1 Zucchini
7 small Tomatoes
Vegetable Stock
1 T Tomato Paste
1 T Red Wine Vinegar
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
Fresh Basil - or any fresh herbs

Dice all of the vegetables except the sliced leeks and the tomatoes.



Peel the tomatoes.



Separate the tomatoes into two parts, blend one of them with a little veg stock and cut the other into large pieces. Set aside.



Heat oil and butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.



Test the oil by throwing one small piece of onion in it. If it sizzles, the oil is hot.

Add the celery, carrot, and pepper. Cook for a minute or two.



Stir in the leeks and garlic, season with salt.



Cook for another two minutes or till the veggies are soft and sweating.

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Sauce

This is a pretty basic white sauce, with a few upgrades. You can try little changes like a different cheese, or fresh instead of roasted garlic, to make it your own. Have fun and don't forget to stir!



2 T Butter
1/4 cup Flour
5 cloves Roasted Garlic
Cream - half pint
1/2 (more if needed) Milk
s/p
Fresh Grated Nutmeg
Red Pepper Flakes (RPF)
1 cup Leeks - sliced and cleaned
1/4 Parmesan Cheese - freshly grated
1 Chicken Breast and 2 Thighs (Optional) - poached and shredded

Heat a sauce pan on med to med-lo and add the butter. Slowly mix in the flour with a wooden spoon. Stir the whole time so that the flour doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan. Stir this for 1-2 minutes. You're looking for a blond roux. (So don't let it brown.)

Stir the garlic in. Smash it up and into the roux with the spoon.



Next, stir in the cream and milk. Add a little of the milk at first, then more if you need it. Remember that the sauce will thicken as it cooks.

Turn the heat down to low.

Season the sauce to taste with the s/p, nutmeg, and RPF.

Blanch the leeks. When I made this sauce I was making a lasagna, so I just threw the leeks into the salted boiling water that was ready for the pasta.

When the leeks are soft and light green (this should only take a minute), remove them from the water and dry them between two paper towels. Squeeze out the excess water.



Next, stir the leeks, cheese, and chicken (if you're using it) into the sauce and you are done.





This creamy sauce is great mixed with brown or white rice, farro grain, or pasta. Mix it with one of these in a casserole pan and top with bread crumbs and small pats of butter or a drizzle of EVOO. Then bake till it's bubbly.


Baked Orzo in Cream Sauce served with Smashed Peas

Or, you could try it as a layer in lasagna. Yummm!



White Lasagna with Roasted Veggie Sauce

Baked Salmon with Fennel and Leeks

Salmon is great baked. The cooking time is longer than other methods but, the fish stays so moist and flavorful that it's worth it. Now that fall is upon us, lets turn on our ovens and bake some tasty salmon.



Salmon
1 cup Leeks - white part only - sliced and cleaned
1 Fennel Head - quartered and sliced
Juice and Zest from 1 Lemon
s/p
Red Pepper Flakes

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Rinse the salmon and pat it dry.



Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.



Grease a baking dish.

Place 1/3 of the veggie mix on the bottom of the dish.



Lay salmon on veggies.

Cover with the remainder of the leek mixture.




Place the dish in the middle of a preheated oven and bake till the fish is done.




My fish baked for forty minutes.

You want it to be med-rare. Don't over cook the salmon. It's done when it's flaky, use a fork to test. Remember that the fish will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven. So, take it out when it's still a little less done then you like it, and let it sit while you prepare the plates for serving.



I served this baked salmon with braised leeks, fennel, and parsnips.



Another Tony approved meal.



This is a gluten free recipe.

Lansdowne Braised Veggies

Braising is a cooking method that includes both dry and wet heat. First, the food is cooked over high heat without liquid, then liquid is added and the food is steamed. Both vegetables and meats can be braised. Ones with low moisture content work best.



In my recipe, the fennel and leek look alike after they're cooked, so you don't know what flavor is coming till it's there. The parsnips add just the right sweetness and texture. But, you don't have to use all of these veggies. If you don't like fennel, just leave it out.

2 T Butter - separated
1/2 T EVOO - separated
4 large Garlic Cloves - sliced
1 cup Leeks, white parts (bottom) only - sliced
2 Parsnips - peeled and cut into bite size pieces
1 head Fennel - cut into bite size pieces
1 cup Leeks, green parts only (top) - cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
Crispin's Lansdowne Cider*
fresh Sage (about 6 leaves) - chopped
fresh ground Black Pepper
Fennel Fronds - chopped
1 spoonful of Sugar - optional


I cooked the veggies with one pan, but in two steps. I'm sure you could cook all the veggies at the same time if you use a larger pan and/or less veggies. Just be sure that each piece can touch the bottom of the pan. You want a little sear.

Start by heating half the butter and oil in a sauce pan on high to med high. Add the garlic and white parts of the leeks. Stir till the leeks are cooked, soft.



Slide the leeks over and add the parsnips. You may need to turn the heat down a bit at this time. DO NOT stir or shake the parsnips for three to four minutes after you put them in the pan. They need to stay in contact with the pan to form a nice sear. Then, stir and remove from pan. (Put on a plate and set aside.)



Heat the rest of the butter and EVOO. Add the fennel and leave alone for a few minutes. Once again, you want to sear the veggies. Then, remove the fennel and repeat with the greens of the leeks. Once this is done, stir the all the veggies back together in the pot.



Now, cover the veggies half way with Crispin. Stir in the sage, black pepper, and fronds. Put a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to med-low. Cook till fork tender. Don't over cook the veggies, you don't want much. A few minutes should do.



Once the veggies are done to your liking, remove the lid and turn the heat back up. Stirring constantly, add the sugar and cook till a syrup is formed. If you don't want to add the sugar, cook till the liquid is gone. Just another minute or two.



Sprinkle chopped fennel fronds over the finished dish. I served these braised veggies with baked salmon. The flavors went wonderfully together.



*You can substitute apple juice, veg broth, another cider, or even water for the Crispin.
This is a gluten free technique.

Tip - How to Clean Leeks

Leeks and other veggies that grow in layers close to the ground can hold a lot of dirt.



This dirt can be hard to completely remove. Following these simple steps will ensure that your leeks will be grit free.

1. Slice the leeks and place in a bowl.

2. Run cold water over the leeks till the bowl is full.

3. Use your fingers or a fork to separate the pieces. This should loosen the dirt.

4. Let the water sit still for a minute so that the dirt settles to the bottom.

5. Lift the leeks out of the water and place on a plate.

6. Empty water and rinse out the bowl.

7. Place the leeks back in the bowl and repeat the above steps. Do this till the water is clean after step five.


This is Tony cleaning leeks for me. Thanks Tony!

This also works for cleaning rice. Look for small stones and bad rice in step three. Clean till the water is clear after step five.