Tag: Make ahead

Spicy Curry Chicken Noodle Soup

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Right about this time of year is when I get officially sick of wintertime and start to count down the days until summer. The cold is overrated, but noodle soups help me get through. This spicy curry one is vaguely Southeast Asian and transports me to a warmer climate — at least in my imagination, for now.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 3 tablespoons chopped shallots
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons minced lemongrass
  • 2 tablespoons minced ginger
  • 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
  • 2 tablespoons curry powder (I use a blend of Madras and roasted Sri Lankan curry powders)
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
  • 1 1/2 14-ounce cans coconut milk, divided
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 cups snow peas, trimmed
  • 2 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled red-skinned sweet potato (yam; from about 1 large)
  • 1 pound dried rice vermicelli noodles or rice stick noodles
  • 3/4 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 red jalapeno chiles, thinly sliced with seeds
  • 1 lime, cut into 6 wedges
  1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add next 4 ingredients; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in curry paste, curry powder, and chili paste. Add 1/2 cup coconut milk (scooped from thick liquid at top of can). Stir until thick and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add remaining coconut milk, broth, fish sauce, and sugar; bring broth to boil. Keep warm.
  2. Cook snow peas in pot of boiling salted water until bright green, about 20 seconds. Using strainer, remove peas from pot; rinse under cold water to cool. Place peas in medium bowl. Bring water in same pot back to boil. Add sweet potato and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Using strainer, remove sweet potato from pot and rinse under cold water to cool. Place in small bowl. Bring water in same pot back to boil and cook noodles until just tender but still firm to bite , about 6 minutes. Drain; rinse under cold water to cool.
  3. Bring broth to simmer. Add chicken; simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add sweet potato; stir to heat through, about 1 minute. Divide noodles among bowls. Divide snow peas and hot soup among bowls. Scatter red onion, green onions, cilantro, and chiles over soup. Garnish with lime wedges and serve.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

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Okra is my favorite vegetable so naturally, I love gumbo. That silky, sumptuous texture that good gumbo has? It’s all okra, so unfairly maligned. Served over rice, I could eat this hearty stew all winter.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup avocado oil
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 4 slices turkey bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 3/4 to 1 cup flour, depending on how thick you want the gumbo to be
  • 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 6 canned whole, peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
  • 6 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 10 ounces okra, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch slices
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • Cooked white rice, for serving
  • Hot sauce and file powder, for serving
  1. Heat 1/4 cup oil in an 8-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, season chicken with salt and pepper, and add chicken to pot. Cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add sausage and turkey bacon and cook, stirring, until bacon is browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate with chicken.
  2. Add remaining oil and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until this mixture is the color of dark, reddish caramel and forms a roux, about 8 minutes. Add celery, onion, and bell pepper and cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add thyme, cayenne, tomatoes, garlic, and bay leaf and cook for 3 minutes. Return chicken, sausage, and bacon to pot along with the okra and stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, okra is tender, and gumbo is thickened, about 30 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove and shred meat, then stir back into gumbo. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with rice, hot sauce, and file powder.

Twice-Baked Loaded Potatoes

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Do me a favor and look past this incredibly unflattering photo of the most delicious potatoes. Filled with aged cheddar, Gruyere, sour cream, and chives, they’re buttery, they’re creamy, and they’re super indulgent.

Ingredients:
  • 4 russet potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 cup grated aged cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 8 slices turkey bacon, cooked and cut into 1/4″ strips
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  1. Heat oven to 450F degrees. Put potatoes on a baking sheet and bake, turning occasionally, until tender, about 1 hour. Transfer to a rack and let cool slightly.
  2. Halve potatoes lengthwise and scoop out insides with a spoon into a medium bowl, leaving 1/4″ of the outer layer of potato and skin behind; transfer empty potato halves to a baking sheet. Combine scooped potato insides, 1/2 cup each cheddar and Gruyere, and sour cream, butter, chives, parsley, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and bacon and season with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into potato halves and sprinkle with remaining cheese and the paprika.
  3. Bake until cheese is browned and bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Braised Tuscan Kale

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Take a ton of kale and cook it slow and low with olive oil and garlic. The velvety result is nothing short of alchemy. This makes a perfect (and healthy) side to any wintry meal.

Braised Tuscan kale

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 12 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
  • 1 quart chicken stock or bone broth
  • 4 pounds Tuscan kale
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Heat oil in a wide pot over medium-high heat. Add fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, garlic, and anchovies; cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
  2. Add stock; bring to a boil. Add Tuscan kale and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until leaves are somewhat wilted, 4–5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, covered, until very tender, 40–45 minutes more.

Sparkling Citrus-Pomegranate Sangria

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I love big-batch drinks for the holidays because it frees up my time for other tasks like cooking (and eating). This fizzy pomegranate sangria has entered the permanent rotation and best of all, you can prep most of it ahead of time.

Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 cups 100% pomegranate juice
  • 3/4 cup brandy
  • 1 small green pear, cored and thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 small Fuyu persimmon, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
  • 1 small orange, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and quartered (about 1 cup)
  • 1 small lime, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate arils (optional)
  • 1 (750-ml) bottle lambrusco (or other sparkling red wine)
  1. Combine sugar, water, cinnamon sticks, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium. Boil, stirring occasionally, until cinnamon flavor is infused, about 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat, and let mixture steep at room temperature, about 1 hour. Remove and discard cinnamon sticks.
  2. Whisk together pomegranate juice, brandy, and cinnamon syrup in a large pitcher. Stir in pear, persimmon, orange, lime, and pomegranate arils. Chill until flavors combine, 4 to 12 hours.
  3. Gently stir lambrusco into chilled pomegranate juice mixture. Divide sangria with fruit evenly among ice-filled glasses and serve.