Quick and Easy Clam Noodle Soup

I have been very lazy lately. Sometimes, I think blogging takes more dedication than I possess with all the cooking, then revising the recipe over and over again. I'm just not really in the mood to try complicated things right now. When I'm in a slump like this, my fallback comfort food is normally a hot bowl of noodle soup.

In Asia, instant noodles are in a league of their own. Ramen shops are hugely popular. At grocery stores, you will find dozens, maybe even hundreds of options - different brands, different flavors, from different countries. On top of that people started adding whatever they could think of to the instant noodles, and publishing these "gourmet" recipes. There are a couple of flavors that I do enjoy once in awhile, but in general, I'm a little leery about all the additives and preservatives they have. Making normal noodles doesn't take much longer, even a bowl of "luxurious" noodle soup.

Whether you are a devoted clam lover, or a soup slurper, this one is for you. It's so quick and easy that there isn't any excuse to wait.

Quick and Easy Clam Noodle Soup

2 qt chicken broth
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
8 oz noodles
2 baby bok choy, or the greens of your choice
1 lb manila clams

Boil the chicken broth in a large pot.

In the meanwhile, clean the clams.

Add sugar, and cooking wine to the broth, and stir. Turn the heat down to medium. Add noodles, bok choy and clams to the pot. Cover the pot, and boil for 5 minutes.

Tada! Serve while hot.

If the noodles take longer than 5 minutes to cook, just boil them for the extra time necessary before adding the greens and clams.

Happy Anniversary

Even though I started this little blog of mine back in July 2009, I went hiatus for a few months after November. So in my heart, I consider today the 1st anniversary of this place.

Happy Anniversary!

And thanks for reading. =)

Salute

I don't know what to say. Even though those horrifying imagines are all I see on the news for a week now, I'm still in disbelief. It's difficult to grasp how in so few moments, everything you've ever owned could be washed away, everything you've ever known could be destroyed, and people you love could be gone forever. I salute those heroic volunteers who are risking their lives trying to repair the nuclear plants, those rescue workers, even all the citizens who are trying to remain calm and orderly. My heart goes out to all of you. It's times like this, I feel so small and powerless, no matter what we do, we can't go back in time, we can't save the lives lost.

It feels wrong to celebrate St. Patrick's day at a time like this. So celebrate, we don't, even though we still had a corned beef and cabbage dinner. When testing for the doneness of the meat with a fork, it should have a little resistance without clinging to the fork. This way the meat was tender, but still retained its shape when slicing. If you are wondering which cut to get, do a little research. You will find that while there are people who stand firmly by the flat cut, more people prefer the point cut. All for the same reason - the fat. The fat makes the point cut more flavorful, as long as you get a piece that's firm, not squishy. Hey, it's only once a year. Plus, there is all that veggie to balance off the meal. =)

Corned Beef and Cabbage
based on this recipe
3 pounds corned beef brisket with spice packet
10 small red potatoes (about 36 oz), halved
1 onion (about 9 oz), cut into 8 wedges
5 carrots (about 20 oz), peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 head cabbage (about 26 oz), cut into 8 wedges

Place corned beef in large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Add the spice packet that came with the corned beef. Cover pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 2 and half hours (approximately 50 minutes per pound) or until tender.

Add potatoes, carrots and onions, and bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add cabbage and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.

Slice meat across the grain. (It's easiest if the meat has completely cooled.)

Hop, Hop, Hop

I still remember vividly the first time I had rabbit meat. I was fourteen. My parents were in the US, so my grandma came to stay with me in Beijing. With just the two of us, she made all my favorite food. The aroma in the kitchen was so irresistible that I often sat on a stool in the kitchen while she cooked, and nibbled on whatever that was done. One day, she braised some mysterious meat. It smelled so delicious that I couldn't wait for dinner. So grandma gave me a bowl. It was just as scrumptious as it smelled, so tasty that I couldn't stop myself. I asked for more and more, until grandma looked at me in surprise and said that there wasn't any left. I had finished more than a pound of meat ALL by myself!!! (Yes, I was going through a growth spurt. =) This mysterious meat was rabbit. I also remember grandma telling me that rabbit meat doesn't have much taste - it will take on whatever it's cooked with. While I hear a lot of people comparing rabbit meat to chicken, what I remembered was very similar to pork.

Awhile ago, I saw some wrapped up frozen rabbits at an Asian grocery store. (No, they didn't look like Thumper. There was no skin, and just like chicken, the head, feet and insides were all gone.) I bought one on impulse without a single clue what I would do with it. So there it stayed in the freezer for a few months. Quite a few! Then last week, all of a sudden I got the urge to tackle this frozen log. I read up on Judy Rodgers' Zuni Cafe Cookbook. While Ms. Rodgers explained nicely how to cut up a rabbit, the recipes all call for one type of cuts or another. I wasn't exactly up to making multiple dishes yet, so I went to the most knowledgeable source - the Internet. This recipe seems to the best rated. While I had my doubts, since Ms. Roger said that different cuts require different cook time, I marched on trusting all those reviewers.

I didn't have any shallot or current jelly, so I substituted with onions and grape jelly. I also added a can of sliced mushrooms to the gravy. The end result, you wonder? Well, I loved the gravy! The meat itself was good, but not as amazing as the reviewers acclaimed, and definitely not as succulent as my grandma's. (And obviously not a beauty either.) Due to the long braising time, all the pieces were tender regardless of the cut, but not quite fall-off-the-bone-tender. The flavor also didn't fully penetrate into the large pieces, such as the hind legs. Even though it was very slight, there WAS a gaminess to the dish. I'm not convinced that I want to make this dish again, but it certainly gave me confidence in dealing with rabbits that next time I will try to reproduce my grandma's version.

Hasenpfeffer (Rabbit Stew)
from AllRecipes

3 pounds rabbit meat, cleaned and cut into pieces
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
½ pound bacon, diced
½ cup finely chopped shallots
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup water
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon currant jelly
10 black peppercorns, crushed
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
⅛ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Sprinkle rabbit with salt and coat with ⅓ cup flour, shaking off excess. Brown rabbit in remaining bacon fat. Remove from skillet, along with all but 2 tablespoons of the fat, and reserve.

Saute shallots and garlic in skillet for about 4 minutes, until tender. Stir in wine, 1 cup water and bouillon. Heat to boiling, then stir in jelly, peppercorns, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme. Return rabbit and bacon to skillet. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer about 1 ½ hours or until rabbit is tender.

Remove bay leaf and discard. Place rabbit on a warm platter and keep warm while preparing gravy.

To Make Gravy: Stir lemon juice into skillet with cooking liquid. Combine 3 tablespoons water with 2 tablespoons flour and mix together; stir mixture into skillet over low heat. Finally, stir in thyme. Pour gravy over stew and serve, or pour into a gravy boat and serve on the side.