Monthly Meal: December 2007

Yeah, this Monthly Meal is a little late, but the combination of extensive travel and our lovely power outages here made it difficult to post the recipe in time. Besides, what’s a holiday for if you can’t procrastinate a little?

So, here’s my favorite recipe from December: Potato Kale Soup. Yeah, it’s kind of random, and not at all Christmas-y, but by the end of 2007 I’d had enough of holiday food to last until, well, next holiday season. This soup is based on a rich chicken broth; I’ve included a recipe that makes much more than you’ll need for the soup because it’s easily stored and it can be used for just about everything.

I was given a copy of Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food in November, and this recipe comes from the book. As always, I’ve made some edits here and there, but I can’t take credit for her delicious chicken broth; that’s all her. Though I don’t agree with the idea that Waters has been “revolutionary” to the way we eat, and I admit there’s more than a little controversy about some of her recent decisions, you can’t take away the fact that the woman makes a mean soup. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do.


CHICKEN BROTH

INGREDIENTS:
-1 whole organic chicken*, about 4 pounds, cut into pieces
-1 1/2 gallons cold filtered water
-1 carrot, peeled and cut into thirds
-1 onion, halved and peeled
-1 head of garlic, cut in half (leave skin on)
-1 celery stalk, cut in half
-1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
-1 bouquet garni of parsley, thyme sprigs, and a large bay leaf, tied with cooking twine
-sea salt**

*If the organs are included, use the neck, heart, and gizzard in the broth; but reserve the liver for something else (or give it to your dogs).

DIRECTIONS:
In a large pot, bring chicken and water to a boil. Reduce heat to low. The broth will have a foamy froth on the top at this point, so use a large spoon or ladle to skim the broth, taking care to leave the fat behind.

Add the vegetables and seasonings to the broth after skimming. Simmer for 4 to 5 hours. Every hour, use a ladle to cool and taste a bit of broth, which allows you to see how the flavor is developing.

Make sure the broth doesn’t actually boil while cooking. If you discover that the broth began boiling while you were doing something else, add some more filtered water to stop the boiling and return the broth to simmering gently.

**Add a little salt at a time, taking GREAT care not to over-salt at any point. The broth will reduce down during the length of cooking time, so take that into account when adding salt to the broth. It’s best to add a little salt every hour or so, tasting the broth before adding it, to ensure the salt’s purpose is fulfilled, i.e. bringing out the broth’s flavor. If you wait until the end to add all the salt, you’ll end up with a salty broth that has undeveloped flavor.

STORING BROTH:
If you’re going to use the broth right away, skim the fat and use as desired. To store the broth, leave the fat on. It will rise to the top as it cools, and it will be very easy to remove when you decide to use it. VERY IMPORTANT: If the broth doesn’t cool quickly enough, it will ferment and sour in the storage containers. I avoid this problem by leaving the lid off of the storage containers for a couple of hours while the broth cools in the fridge/freezer; then I cover the containers once it’s cold.

I like to store broth in several smaller containers, so I can thaw out as much as I need when I want it without having to thaw the whole lot. Chicken broth will keep in the refrigerator for one week, or in the freezer for three months.


POTATO KALE SOUP

INGREDIENTS:
-1 large bunch of curly kale, rinsed and roughly chopped (remove stems first)
-1/8 cup red palm oil
-1/8 cup macadamia nut oil
-2 yellow onions, diced
-1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
-4 garlic cloves, minced
-6 cups chicken broth, fresh or thawed
-sea salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a heavy soup pot, heat the oils over medium heat. When hot, add the onions; cook for about 15 minutes, until almost clear. Add garlic, potatoes, thyme, and salt; cook for five more minutes. Add kale, cook for a few more minutes.

Pour in the broth. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Taste the soup along the way to correct the seasonings. The soup is done when potatoes and kale are tender, and the soup is full of flavor. If you want, you can garnish this soup with croutons and grated Parmesan cheese, though I prefer it ungarnished.

Serve hot; serves four to six people. This soup makes for great leftovers.


DESSERT

Dark Chocolate

Typical holiday desserts are super-sweet and very rich. Usually people think of the holidays as a time to indulge, and they do so frequently and with much pleasure. I’ve found that I get sweeted-out very quickly, so I try to limit my sweet indulgences to the times when the sugar (and the calories) are really worth it. I’ve chosen dark chocolate to go with this meal as a dessert. It’s delicious and healthy, and it will satisfy even the most addicted chocoholics without the addition of too much sugar.

I like to buy fine chocolate, particularly from Valrhona. While people typically think of chocolate as coming from Switzerland or Germany, I’ve found that this French chocolatier makes some of the best chocolate I’ve ever had. It’s a little bitter, a little sweet, and full of different flavors. Valrhona chocolate’s sophistication makes it a wonderful match for dessert wines, if you’re into that sort of thing. It’s also great with Champagne and/or strawberries, the latter of which I only eat in season. But this chocolate is delicious all on its own, and it will make you feel like you’re indulging without contributing to your holiday waistline. Just be sure to have a small piece, since the caffeine will otherwise keep you awake.


MUSIC

Album: The Flying Cub Cup by Beirut

I typically hate Christmas music; I just find its tone to be too upbeat, too cheery, for my disposition. So, to go with an atypical holiday meal such as the above soup, I’ve chosen this spectacular album for its accompaniment. I love Beirut, and for some reason I had this album in permanent rotation for the last part of 2007. It still is, actually…