Chicken, Sweet Potato, Leek Soup: 3 Ingredient Recipe #4

3 Ingredient Recipe: 3-Way Chicken, Leek and Sweet Potato Soup (no laughing at the title, now...)

Today I'd like to talk to you about economy.  No, not THE economy, though the subjects are intrinsically linked.  I mean food economy, and what this little experiment is teaching me about it.  Being raised by a thrifty mom, I have always known to be aware of which grocer has the best price for bulk goods and how to clip my coupons.  I have a preternatural sense for sniffing out deals - it's in my blood... but this, this is something different: something pulled down from your grandmother's kitchen shelf, wiped of it's dust, and hugged close as a family heirloom.

I am talking, maybe obviously, about using every part of your ingredients to the fullest: throwing nothing out until they've relinquished every remaining ounce of flavor and nourishment.  And so was born the concept of 3-way soup.  I couldn't think of a better name for it, so it remains a slightly suggestive title, maybe... but oh well.

This is by far the most complex of the 3 ingredient dishes I've experimented with for this challenge.  I held my breath the whole time hoping not to create a epic disaster as it requires making your own stock out of the trimmings from your 3 ingredients, plus roasting and caramelizing and frying... but as many of the steps can be preformed simultaneously, it takes a little less time than one might imagine: about 2 hours total.  I've included some of my tried and true tips for roasting chicken in this as well as a trick for caramelizing leeks without using sugar.  The result is buttery and dense and has a round mouthfeel I've rarely had in any soup.

So be forewarned, this is not a throw together dish, however, the results are well worth it, I'm proud (and relieved) to say.  Oh, and I'm forgetting the very best part: All in the cost of a meal for 4 people is, get this, a whopping $5.46.  To me, that's worth a little effort right there... I'd suggest reading thru the directions below before starting so you have an idea of how this works.  It might seem like a lot of steps, but much of this is intuitive and makes more sense once your understand the context of each line.

For a refresher on the rules of my 10 day, 3 ingredient challenge, check out the first post.

The 3 Ingredients...

1. 4 chicken pieces w/bones and skin (combo of thighs and breasts suggested)
   
2. 2 large leeks, split and washed thoroughly of grit
   
3. 3 sweet potatoes, peeled (reserve peels) 
   

What to do with it...

For the roasted chicken...

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees and coat your chicken with melted butter and cracked pepper (no salt)
  
• Add chicken to a heavy ovenproof skillet or roasting pan and place on bottom rack of oven
  
• Roast for 35 - 40 mins or until internal temp is 175 degrees (at this point see sweet potato steps)
  
• Remove and allow to cool then separate meat from bones and skin, saving everything
• Chop meat and add salt and pepper
• Pour pan drippings into gravy separator or use spoon to separate fat and juices - juices will be added to stock and fat will be used for the last step

Prepping leeks...

• Trim bottoms and dark green tops and reserve for stock
  
• Thin slice your remaining white portions and divide out 1/4 cup for your last step, the rest will be caramelized

For the stock...

• Add your leek bottoms, sweet potato peelings, chicken bones, skin and pan juices (reserve fat) to a large stock pot and add about 10 whole peppercorns
  
• Pour enough cold water to cover plus one inch and bring to a boil
  
• Reduce to a simmer and cook for at least 1 hour, skimming fat occasionally
  
• After cooking, allow stock to cool then strain thru mesh colander or cheesecloth into large heat-proof container and then return strained stock to the pot

For the sweet potatoes...

• While the chicken is roasting, cut all but 1/3 section of one potato (or about 1/4 cup) into a small dice - cut the remain 1/4 cup into julienne strips for the fried shoestring sweet potato topping at the end
  
• Heat a heavy-bottom, ovenproof pan over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of butter
  
• Add diced sweet potatoes and saute until golden, then remove from pan and set aside
  
• Keep pan on the heat and add 1 more tablespoon of butter for the caramelized leeks...

For the caramelized leeks...

• Add all but 1/4 cup white portions to the sweet potato pan (the brown bits from the potatoes will help caramelize leeks) and 2 pinches of salt
  
• Saute on medium until they just begin to turn brown, then reduce to lowest heat and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure they are not burning
  
• At the end of 45 minutes leeks should be very soft and deep golden color

Compiling the soup...

• Bring your reserved stock to a gentle boil and then add sauteed sweet potatoes
  
• Cook until potatoes are just soft then add your caramelized leek mixture
  
• Reduce heat to a simmer and use an emulsion blender or fork to cream about half of the soup (be sure to leave it chunky)
  
• Add chicken and salt and pepper to taste

Making the fried leek and sweet potato shoestring topping...

• Spoon reserved chicken fat into a skillet (add some butter if there's not enough)
  
• Toss in julienne potato in and fry on medium-high heat until golden, remove to paper towel to drain
  
• Add your reserved 1/4 cup leeks to fat and fry until golden, remove to paper towel to drain

Serve soup in individual bowls topped with a little fried leek and sweet potato shoestrings!

4 down (and that was a doozy!) 6 to go!

Curry Shrimp with Oyster Mushrooms: 3 Ingredient Recipe #3

3 Ingredient Recipe: Curry Shrimp w/Oyster Mushrooms

There are several Vietnamese/Chinese/Korean markets just a couple of blocks from my house.  They're surrounded by Peking duck specialty restaurants and the best Pho available in Chicago.  Between Little Vietnam and the gastronomiphile (made up word) establishments of my Andersonville neighborhood, I feel blessed to live in what I believe, in my humble opinion, to be the new epicenter of Chicago good eats.

Tonight was a night spend with some of my dearest friends.  I felt guilty dragging them into my little blog challenge, but thankfully I have the best friends I could ever ask for and not only were they game, they let me drag them to one of the local Vietnamese markets and together we hatched a plot for tonight's 3 Ingredient Challenge.

After debating over bitter melons, silkie chickens (with black skins!) and something cryptically labeled "phallicialia" that we could only guess might be bull's penis, we settled on some fresh head-on prawns in a bin and oyster mushrooms.  This is where I admit a fault of mine:  I am weirdly freaked out by crustaceans.  I like to eat them.  I like to cook them.  I DO NOT LIKE TO SEE THEM IN THEIR ORIGINAL SHELLS.  It nauseates me.  Something in the little antennae and beady bug eyes I no likey.

Every time this comes up, I tell myself to suck it up.  If I'm going to be a cook, I gotta learn to love me some crawdads and lobster and ACK... shrimp with crawly legs and big black eyes.  Some whimpering, pleading and a quick heebie jeebie dance later and we had a nice bag of the prawns collected and away we go... me a little blanche-pale but determined not to be a baby.

The third ingredient was tricky because we needed something that would go well with both mushrooms and shrimp, two ingredients rarely seen together, but would also be able to pack a flavorful punch.  Surveying my cupboards, one of my brilliant cooking buddies suggested turmeric, which then led to the natural progression of curry.  Yes, Curry Shrimp and Mushrooms!

With the help of some good wine, we decided that to get the most of our 3 lowly ingredients, we would broil the shrimp and dry toast the mushrooms in a skillet.  The results were a success: hearty mushrooms, succulent shrimp and a curry sauce to bind it all nicely.  Happy tummies, good friends... is there anything better?  I conclude not.

For a refresher on the rules of my 10 day, 3 ingredient challenge, check out the first post.


3 Things to get...

1. 1 pound of raw shrimp
   
2. 2 cups of oyster mushrooms - trimmed
   
3. Curry powder
   

What to do with it...

• Toss shrimp with some melted butter and place in a broiler pan that allows juices to be caught, or create an aluminum tray - if you have shell-on shrimp, keep them this way during broiling and remove skins/clean after allowing to cool
  
• Broil on high until just pink, turning once (time depends greatly on your broiler)
  
• When shrimp are done, remove to a separate plate, reserving the butter/liquid
  
• Heat a skillet on high and add oyster mushrooms.  Toast on high until golden on both sides, remove and set aside
  
• In the same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add your shrimp cooking liquid and curry powder to your taste
  
• Add back mushrooms and shrimp and toss
  
• Add pepper and salt to taste
  

3 down, 7 to go!

Roasted Cauliflower Pasta: 3 Ingredient Recipe #2

3 Ingredient Recipe: Roast Cauliflower Pasta w/Goat Cheese

Day two of my challenge got some help from a post from TheKitchn.com .  I subscribe to the site's newsletter and yesterday as I hashed over ideas for getting more flavor out of 3 ingredients, I received their email with piece called How To Roast Any Vegetable .  As I was planning on making a dish today that I knew would have cauliflower in it, this was perfect.

This recipe for a simple pasta dish gives you a chance to take notice of individual textures and find nuances in a common vegetable normally found pan fried, boiled or muted in sauces or breadings.  Here the roasted cauliflower is crisp, bright and smoky.  Tangy goat cheese is sauteed to create a caramelized crust and oozing rich center.

For a refresher on the rules of my 10 day, 3 ingredient challenge, check out the first post.

3 things to get...

1. 1 head of cauliflower - chopped
2. 4 cups of bow tie pasta (or similar)
3. 8 ounces of goat cheese (tube shape preferred)

What to do with it...

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
  
• Toss cauliflower in olive oil to coat, paying special attention to coat the floret tops so they brown evenly
  
• Place cauliflower into a roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes, checking occasionally and shaking/turning to get even browning
  
• Cut half the goat cheese into 1/4 rounds and set aside
  
• Prepare pasta according to instructions and drain, place in large bowl
  
• Toss hot pasta with the uncut half of your cheese and 2 tablespoons olive oil and set aside, covered
  
• Heat enough olive oil to a skillet to coat bottom evenly
  
• Add your 1/4 cheese rounds and saute on medium heat for 1-2 minutes until brown, watching carefully
  
• Carefully flip rounds with a metal spatula (cheese may cling to rubber/wood) and saute another 1-2 minutes, then transfer to paper towels to absorb excess oil
  
• Remove your roasted cauliflower from the oven and add to pasta along with salt and pepper to taste
  
• Serve immediately in individual bowls topped with sauteed goat cheese rounds
  

2 down, 8 to go!