Flounder and Chicken Congee

Flounder and chicken congee

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Otherwise known as jook, congee consists of rice and (either water or) stock that’s slowly simmered until the rice grains begin to break down. The result is a thick porridge that epitomizes Chinese comfort food at its very best. It’s perfect for a chilly autumn evening like tonight.

There are as many recipes and variations of congee as there might be hairs on a donkey’s tail. This version contains flounder that was marinated in a mixture of sesame oil, rice wine and soy sauce, along with some leftover roast chicken from last week’s chicken dinner.

The beauty of congee is that it can be a flavor vehicle for whatever toppings you happen to have on hand. These may include chopped deep-fried strips of dough, “hundred-year old” eggs, roasted peanuts, minced onion chives and nam yu (fermented tofu).

Recession Specials

When times get tough, the tough get cheap:

Fettucine with roasted mushrooms, pine nuts and herbs

wild mushrooms, sliced
salt
pepper
olive oil
2 T. pine nuts, toasted
handful of parsley or other herb, chopped
pinch of red pepper flakes
lemon juice, to taste
cooked pasta
pecorino or P-R cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine mushrooms with salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes or until mushrooms have caramelized. When mushrooms are done, add herbs, red pepper flakes and lemon juice. Toss together with pasta and serve.

Swiss chard, kielbasa and bean soup

3 T. olive oil
1 lb. kielbasa or other smoked sausage, sliced
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 lb. Swiss chard or other greens, stems removed and reserved, greens coarsely chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 to 1 1/2 cups cooked beans (canned is fine if you don’t want to bother with dried)
5 to 7 cups bean cooking liquid, water or stock
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

In a large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Brown the kielbasa, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Remove from the pot. Pour off excess fat. Add remaining oil, along with the onion, carrots and garlic. Saute for 8 minutes, stirring often.

Add chard stems, potatoes, water or stock or bean cooking liquid, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

Add beans. Cover the pot and simmer over low heat for one hour.

Add greens and kielbasa. Stir. Simmer for an additional fifteen minutes. Check seasoning and serve immediately.

Congee

The usual recipe — 1 cup rice, 9 cups Chinese chicken stock (basically the stock I used from making Hainanese chicken rice last year*), 3 eggs lightly beaten, some sliced ginger and a dash of white pepper. Garnishes include chopped scallions, chili paste, shredded ginger, sesame oil, mushroom soy and white pepper.

*I had frozen a couple of quarts of chicken stock from that batch and used the last of it tonight.

Risotto from Start to Finish

Wild mushroom and smoked bacon risotto

Mushroom stock ingredients

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, roughly 1/2 cup
2 T. olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 celery ribs, diced
4 to 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
1 leek, sliced (green and white parts)
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
parsley stalks
sage leaves
2 bay leaves
a generous pinch of salt
6 cups water

Risotto ingredients

1/2 cup smoked bacon, diced (1)
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 T. olive oil
1 cup wild mushrooms, sliced (2)
1/2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup warm water
1 cup Arborio rice
5 cups mushroom stock (3)
1 cup white wine (4)
2 T. unsalted butter
pinch of salt
cracked black pepper, to taste
chopped parsley
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

For the mushroom stock:

Shake the dried mushrooms in a sieve to loosen any dirt. Heat oil in a soup pot, add the onion, carrots and celery and saute over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the onion is well-browned, about 15 minutes.

Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any juices or browned bits, then add the dried mushrooms and soaking liquid, the remaining ingredients and 6 cups water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partially covered for 45 minutes to one hour. Strain and set aside. Can be made one day in advance.

For the risotto:

Have the stock on a low simmer prior to beginning the risotto. Strain the reconstituted porcini; add the mushroom soaking liquid to the stock.

Saute onion and bacon in a large sauce pot, along with a little olive oil. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until onion is translucent and bacon is partially browned.

Add the rice and mushrooms to the bacon mixture. Stir around for a minute or so to coat the grains with the bacon drippings. (Never rinse the rice or you’ll lose the starch that’s essential to the dish.) Pour in the wine and simmer until the liquid has been absorbed, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the porcini and stir to incorporate.

Add the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly until each addition has been absorbed before adding the next. When the rice tastes done, add the butter and a handful of chopped parsley. The risotto should have the consistency of thick oatmeal. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately, passing grated cheese and parsley at the table. This recipe makes roughly four to five servings.

Notes:

1. I used smoked bacon ends from Flying Pigs Farm in upstate New York, but you can substitute regular bacon, smoked pork sausage, kielbasa or even ham. Remember to adjust any salt that you add towards the end.

2. I used oyster mushrooms, crimini and regular white mushrooms from the supermarket. Feel free to substitute anything from shiitakes to portobello or morels.

3. If you don’t feel like making mushroom stock, you can substitute chicken stock but the flavor profile will be different.

4. Any regular white wine will do from a purchase at Trader Joe’s to a $15 bottle at your local wine shop. For tonight’s dinner I used some leftover pinot gris that I had picked up last week. A rule I usually follow (and this is especially true of stuff like risotto) is “if you wouldn’t drink it, then don’t cook with it”. Why? Because the end product will be greatly affected by what you put in.

La Potage

Potage de Crécy

2 T. unsalted butter
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced
salt, to taste
3 cups water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
4 T. long grain white rice (1)
white pepper, to taste
chopped parsley, mint or chervil
toasted sourdough croutons

For the croutons: Trim sourdough bread of crusts. Melt 1 1/2 T. unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add bread cubes. Stir frequently until cubes are lightly golden brown. Do not burn. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

For the soup: Heat butter and olive oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and a pinch of salt. Cover partially and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and fragrant. Add the rice, water or stock and another pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until the carrots are tender and the soup is fragrant.

Puree soup either with a hand blender, a regular blender, or through a food mill fitted with the fine blade. Return to pot. Stir and taste. Adjust salt if necessary, add a generous pinch of white pepper, and heat through.

Serve, garnishing each bowl with croutons and a sprinkle of herbs.

(1) Yukon gold potatoes can be substituted if desired.

Confidential to Subtle Knife

This post dedicated to Subtle Knife, since she doesn’t like root vegetables.

Roast chicken la Keller
Potatoes, turnips and watercress in the style of Istria (basically potatoes, turnips and greens cooked first in boiling salted water, then sauteed with garlic, red pepper flakes and olive oil, and a pinch of salt; you can substitute green beans for the turnips and it will be more traditional.)

Comfort Food 4

Monkfish congee

1 cup rice
8 cups water
ginger, thinly sliced
1 fillet cod, haddock, monkfish or other firm-fleshed white fish, cut into 1″ medium cubes
pinch of salt
slivered scallions, for garnish
fried shallots, for garnish
roasted peanuts, for garnish
gomashio, for garnish
minced cilantro, for garnish
nam yu (fermented tofu), for garnish

For the fish marinade:
1 t. oyster sauce
1 T. mushrooom soy or light soy sauce
1 T. sesame oil
pinch of white pepper
1 T. rice wine

Combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper and rice wine. Pour over fish cubes and set aside. Marinate for one to two hours.

Meanwhile, prepare congee. Combine rice and water. Bring to a boil. Add salt and sliced ginger. Turn heat to the lowest possible setting and cover. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remember to stir and check the consistency. If it becomes too thick, add some more water. The congee is done when it reaches the consistency of pancake batter.

Once you have achieved the desired consistency, add fish to the pot. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, covered.

Serve congee in bowls, passing garnishes at the table.