No Nonsense Meals: Tortilla Soup

I developed this soup by accident. I had been craving shrimp fajitas, but I wanted to precede that meal with something warm, fragrant and full of flavor and in the genre.

Basic Tortilla Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil

1/2 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic

2 C stock (1/2 vegetable, 1/2 chicken; or any kind of combination)
2 C water
1-15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup beans (pinto, black, cannellinni, or whatever you enjoy) (optional)
1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen) (optional)
1 diced jalapeño pepper (optional)

Garnishes:
Sour Cream/Greek Yogurt
Cilantro
Avocado
Queso Fresco (or other cheese)

Method:
Heat the pot over medium heat, then add the olive oil. Saute the onions for a few minutes, then add the garlic.

When fragrant, add the stock, tomatoes, beans, corn, jalapeño. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes.

Serve warm, garnish to your discretion, and enjoy.

Note: If you would like a creamier soup without the cream, you can add cannellini (white) beans and blend either the entire soup, or half of it for a thicker, chunkier consistency.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 223 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  143 Calories from Fat  26

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  2.9g 4%

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  276mg 12%

Total Carbohydrates  22.6g 8%

Dietary Fiber  8.3g 33%

Sugars  2.0g

Protein  8.1g

Vitamin A 1% • Vitamin C 8% Calcium 6% • Iron 15%

Nutrition Grade A

Revolution of the Gourmets: How the Communists Failed to Politicize The Palate

It's funny how often we come across a coincidence. It seems like coincidences happen so often, they are better left just being called fate. So perhaps it's fate that a month after my last post I would be inspired to blog again. Maybe fate has kept me busy, stressed and searching since I've been back in school. Whatever it is, fate, coincidence, or something other, I feel like I have something to share.

I am currently a senior, and for most seniors, this means that I have begun work on my thesis, a culmination piece of my studies, and my experiences, since I have been at Georgetown. I had been thinking about a topic since my sophomore year. When applying to study at the Harbin Institute of Technology, you have to choose a topic to research one-on-one with a faculty member while abroad, and you are urged by your professors to choose a topic that you would likely want to use as your thesis topic. And so the idea of a thesis topic has been at the back of my mind for nearly two years. Of course, at the time that I was applying, I had taken a seminar in Chinese-US Relations and I thought that, after having studied the US angle of the relationship, it would make sense to explore the Chinese angle of the relationship while in China. It was an amazing experience, my faculty advisor was amazing, intelligent, and a woman (it's something you don't see enough of in higher education, particularly in China). However, Chinese-US relations didn't become my thesis topic.

I wanted to write about food. And I chose a topic with "lots of potential" according to the senior seminar (thesis workshop) professor. It's also very difficult to navigate, food being a very broad topic in itself. When you add on thousands of years of history to the very concept of food and cuisine and cookery, it becomes a veritable maze to navigate, and one that you aren't supposed to escape from. So I decided to narrow it down by choosing a time period and a book, that being post-Socialist China and the short story, "The Gourmet" by Lu Wenfu. Of course you can't talk about post-Socialist China without talking about Socialist China and Republican China before that, so I've stretched myself from 1920s to the 1980s, a time of massive social and cultural upheaval within one of the largest populations in the world. Frankly, it feels as though I have 1.3 billion people resting on my shoulders as I approach beginning writing this paper.

And so I've shared my feelings, my doubts, apprehensions about the paper. But I would also like to share my outline and my proposal. I don't expect comments, but I feel as though engaging myself on a more public forum in regards to my paper could be helpful in recognizing that this is not a lost cause, and even moreso if I manage to get meaningful dialogue. But I hoping more for the former.

Paper Proposal

Introduction: It has been determined that there are three classic requirements for the development of a great cuisine: 1) geographic variety; 2) a peasantry forced to use reasonable means of procuring and conserving food; and 3) a long established elite with the means to enhance one’s status and consolidate political power through the quantity and quality of food consumed. However the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 brought about a political orientation that faced the “masses”. The Chinese Communist Party applied terms of “bourgeoisie” and “proletarian” depending on whether they were something accessible by all people or those things reserved for only a few. And so a rich food culture whose development depended on the consumer elites exploiting the workers who produced was essentially labeled a “bourgeoisie” institution.

Main Question: As seen through the lens of Lu Wenfu’s 美食家 meishijia or The Gourmet, given the political evolutions and socialist revolutions of China in the Twentieth century, has food been able to transcend politicization by the Chinese Communist Party and it’s overarching notions of the proletarian society?

Argument: Food has existed throughout the history of China as an aesthetic experience that is an art of the highest form. Confucius went so far as to say 食色性也, essentially meaning that food and sex are innate to humans. Thus, food serves a role not only as the fulfillment of a basic human need, but that of an innate quality of humanity that needs to be cultivated. Because of the aestheticism and literary nature that has become intrinsically tied to food, these conceptions are such that  they can not yield to the politicization of a proletarian notions of Socialist government.

Evidence: It is evident in all of the literature that a long history of food, food culture and cookery is widely accepted. It is also widely accepted that food has historically played a role in rituals that pay respect to other entities and the satisfaction of a biological need food and physiological preference for quality food. The writings of Confucius and Mencius include ideas about food that regard it as a means of social regulation and structuring, as well the notion that food has a role in the Confucian sense of the cultivation of a gentleman. Judith Farquhar’s Appetites: Food and Sex in Post Socialist China addresses the politics of food in Maoist China, particularly those within The Gourmet, a novella that infuses local Suzhou dishes with post-1949 political vissitudes, written by Lu Wenfu in the 1980s. “Hunger of the masses,” “gluttony of the powerful,” “Is eating and drinking a mere trifle? No. Class struggle exists even at the tips of your chopsticks.” These are all examples Farquhar gives of the attempted politicization of food language. However, she also goes on to point out that eating is a pleasure and food is grounded on the aesthetics of eating. And thus, the appeal of beautiful food can not be eliminated by Chinese Marxism’s attempts to eliminate notions of luxury and gluttony. In Culinary Nostalgia, Mark Swislocki notes that there is an enduring appeal to traditional foods during times of rapid and extreme social and cultural changes. These traditional foods are the core components of cultural identity and the satiation of a physiological need for these dishes. Thus, nostalgia is a reason for the quick rebound of the restaurant industry in Post-Mao China. All people recognize good quality food, and all people desire good quality food. As E. N. Anderson says in his definitive The Food of China, “Food is part of a system of belief in which quality, freshness, purity, high standards are matters of necessity if one is to remain in any way truly human.” This is the reason that Gao Xiaoting, the narrator of The Gourmet, is not successful as a restaurant manager, as even the proletarian masses strive for good food.  This seems to point to the idea that the producer-consumer continuum is one that will be maintained in regards to food, and such the great cuisine that is Chinese food will also remain, transcendent of politics.

Outline

1. Introduction
1. Introduce sources and question
2. present my thesis, claim I hope to prove
2. Food of China
1. Background
1. Eight Major Cuisines
2. History of food rituals
1. Zhou Li
2. Li Chi
3. Lunyu
3. The Gourmet
1. Food in literature and language
1. food idioms (chengyu)
2. provides an unabashed look into the sentiments of people toward food, sentiments that were highly emotional, passionate, and, best of all, uncensored.
3. Jin Ping Mei
4. Hong Lou Meng
5. The Gourmet
1. Lu Wenfu background
2. Republican China
1. Social Structures
2. The Gourmet and his Kin
1. Zhu Ziye
2. Gao Xiaoting
3. food language used
3. Socialist China
1. Marxist-Leninist Thought
1. proletariat v bourgeoisie
2. applications/politicization
1. politics
2. labor
3. economics
4. literature
5. food
1. the people fight back against this
2. In “The Gourmet” people complain about the food at Gao Xiaoting’s restaurant
2. The Gourmet and the Revolutionary
1. Gao Xiaoting
2. Zhu Ziye
4. Post-Socialist China
1. Resurgence of restaurants, haute cuisine
2. lack of politicization of food
3. The Gourmets are the Revolutionaries
1. Gao Xiaoting
2. Zhu Ziye
4. Conclusion
1. foreign elements are what influence China politically
1. Marxism, Leninism, Communism, Socialism are all foreign schools of thought
2. Food in China is domestic, ostensibly tied to it’s history and culture
1. historical accounts of food rituals
2. 8 major cuisines
3. use of food in celebration
3. Food and China can’t be politicized by foreign elements and are revered by domestic ones
1. domestic schools of thought see food as an aspect of the self-cultivation of a gentleman
2. foreign schools of thought weren’t able to undermine something so categorically important to people (high quality food)
3. food is food, something completely other, something completely transcendent.

Crêpes, It's What's For Breakfast

I have reformed my ways. Growing up, I hated eating breakfast. There was no way for me to work up significant enough of an appetite to justify eating in the morning. But since I left home for college, the threat of the "Freshman Fifteen", a condition that afflicts those recently matriculated students with poor eating habits, has encouraged me to get better about nutrition and diet, and it started with starting my day off the right way.

Fast forward to 2010 and I love breakfast. It can sometimes be a struggle to eat (particularly if I'm up at 7 in the morning), but I've amassed a number of recipes that are sweet, savory, can be made ahead, but most importantly, get you going in the morning.

One such recipe is my ratio for the basic crêpe. You can fill this thin, French pancake with any number of ingredients. Thus, the crêpe is simple as a pancake, but much more versatile and far reaching.

Basic Crêpe Ratio

1 liquid

1 egg

1/2 flour

Melted butter

Alternative additions:

Salt

Black Pepper

Cinnamon and Nutmeg

(White/Brown) Sugar

Vanilla/Almond/Lemon/Orange Extracts

Herbes de Provence

Chives

Rosemary and Thyme

I make a big batch of the batter so that I can have it ready so I can cook quickly on a weekday morning or sleep a little longer on the weekend.

Like I said earlier, you can fill these crepes with virtually anything. The dressing can be as simple as butter and sugar, classic as strawberries and nutella, or as extravagant as eggs and bacon and ham and gruyere cheese and spinach, or even mac and cheese! The point being, this basic recipe can be the base for any number of flavor combinations. Go crazy!

Thai Coconut and Valhrona Chocolate Gelato

No recipe this time, though my previosly-posted recipe for chocolate ice cream could be a nice substitute for those not within close distance to a gelateria. I have also provided pictures that you are free to drool over, (watch out for your keyboards).

The menu at Dolcezza always warrants a shameless, yet understandable request for several samples of flavors as varied as Avocado Lime, Lemon Opal Basil, Black Plum or Chili Pepper. This is truly just a sample as the daily offerings are close to 20.

If you happen to be in Georgetown or Dupont Circle, this Argentinian Gelateria is the place to get your sweet fix on. Also on sale: awesome churros, with or without a center full of dulce de leche.

Red Quinoa-Oatmeal Porridge with Peach and Golden Raspberries

I love the bulk bins at Whole Foods. The prices are the most competitive I've seen and I can stock up my pantry well enough to go in any direction I wish on a whim. This is great for two reasons: I am in college (read: poor), and I don't have to fall into the rut of variations on a theme of pasta dishes that would make Chef Boyardi beg for mercy.

I've had quinoa before, but this time I decided to go for the more exotic-looking red quinoa. Of course it sat in my pantry for a few weeks before I stumbled across this recipe for a red quinoa porridge with peach and white tea syrup. Then this past Sunday I found myself with all of the necessary ingredients, as well as a few extras for my personal embellishment, and decided to dig in.

My recipe is essentially the same as the original, expect I've added half a cup of golden raspberries in place of one of the peaches and doubled the amount of oatmeal. There may be some other amendments that I made on a whim, and I'll account for those in the recipe posted below. Also, I used extra thick oats, for more substance and because I like my oatmeal thick!

Red Quinoa-Oatmeal Porridge with Peach and Golden Raspberries


Ingredients:
1 peach, peeled and diced
1/2 C raspberries
1 1/2 C water
1/2 cup milk
2 tT agave nectar (optional)
1/4 cup red quinoa
1/2 C extra-thick rolled oats


Method:
Place the quinoa, peaches, raspberries and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, cooking for 30 minutes, then add the oatmeal, milk and agave nectar.


Cook until the oats are tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve warm, topped with fresh peaches and raspberries, if desired, and a side of greek yogurt topped with honey or fresh fruit.

Light, Rich and Creamy Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream

I was craving a homemade dessert that I could keep on hand for a while and to help me beat the waning DC heat. So naturally my mind fell on ice cream. I only had two eggs left in my fridge, which posed a bit of a problem as I usually make my ice creams with 4-6 egg yolks. However, I had recently read an article in the New York Times about egg-less ice creams. And so I thought that I could try to apply that theory to this recipe. Of course I couldn't help myself so I added 2 eggs, including the whites. I think that was enough and I'm glad I did it.

Traditionally in a gelato, there is no cream added. This allows it to be lower in fat than traditional, American ice creams. However, my lack of eggs necessitated the addition of heavy cream in order to allow for the proper creaminess and mouthfeel of the frozen dessert. And I think that allowed for the perfect balance of cream to egg to milk and a dessert that came out at the perfect consistency right out of the freezer, as opposed to having to let it sit at room temperature in order to allow it to be scoop-able.

In my haste and excitement, I didn't freeze the freezer bowl completely, and so it was churned in a half frozen bowl for about 30 minutes. I then poured it into a pyrex bowl and stuck it in the freezer overnight, fearful that I would awake to a block of solid custard. But the result was light, airy, smooth and better than I could have hoped for.

Ingredients

2 C whole milk

1 C heavy cream

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

1/2 C bittersweet chocolate chips

1/2 C nutella

1 T olive oil

Method:

Make the custard base using milk, cream and eggs, by heating the milk and cream to 170 degrees, adding 1/2 cup of the heated milk to the eggs, then adding that to the sauce pan and heat for another 10 minutes, at the point right before it simmers. Melt the chocolate chips with the nutella and olive oil, then add to the custard base and chill. 

When cool, add the mixture to an ice cream maker and churn according to the machine's directions. Chill in the fridge for another 2 hours, then serve.

Nutritional Information (1/2 cup portion)

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 77 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 217 Calories from Fat 102

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 11.4g 18%

Saturated Fat 8.8g 44%

Cholesterol 38mg 13%

Sodium 34mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 25.6g 9%

Dietary Fiber 1.2g 5%

Sugars 23.7g

Protein 3.2g

Vitamin A 4% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 7% • Iron 6%

Nutrition Grade C

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Quick and Easy Wonton soup

It was about an hour before I had to go to work when I realized that I didn't have anything to eat for lunch. With the weather being a little cooler in DC, I wanted something warm and comforting. Not only would it warm my body, but also help to erase the drabness of my current occupation, which had experienced a whirlwind of a 3 days (more on that story later). My fridge and freezer lacked the bounty of ingredients that normally defined them, however, it had just the right combination of ingredients for a soup.

Soup is one of the quintessential fridge-clearing recipes, and can range from the rustic to the refined. It can be a thick, stew-like soup or a consommé, in it's brothy-glory. I chose something in between, a broth-based soup, brimming with fresh, untampered ingredients, and a light flavor. The result was a 20 minute wonton soup. Perfect for beginning-of-Fall coolness, and deep Winter chills alike.

Wonton Soup

Approximately 3 Servings

Ingredients:

1 t ginger, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T peanut oil

1 t sesame oil

2 T soy sauce

1 T mirin or white rice vinegar

1 C scallions, sliced crosswise

1/2 C red onions, sliced

2 C vegetable stock (I made some from left over vegetable scraps a week or so ago)

1 1/2 C chicken stock

1/2 C water

2 Chinese Sausages (Lop Cheong in Cantonese; you can get these at an Asian Food Market, or probably on Amazon)

1/2 bag Trader Joe's  Wontons (I used Chicken Cilantro; you could easily use any kind of potstickers, dumplings, wontons on hand, because everyone has those in the freezer, right?)

Method:

Add the peanut oil to a pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot (not smoking), add the ginger and garlic and saute. When fragrant add the red onions. 

When the onions become translucent add the soy sauce, sesame oil and vinegar and let it sit for a minute. Then add the vegetable stock, chicken stock, water, and the  and bring to a boil.

When the water comes to a boil, add the sausage and the wontons and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with scallions or sesame seeds.

Notes:

Really anything could go into this soup. You could replace the wontons with meat, and just sear the meat then add to the soup in small pieces and cook a little longer to ensure the meat is cooked thoroughly. Other vegetables to consider would be carrots, peas, snow peas, green beans, boy choy, chinese broccoli, etc.


Approximate Cost:
Wontons - $1.65
Chinese Sausage - $0.50
Scallions - $0.15
Red Onions - $0.19
Chicken Stock - $0.62
Vegetable Stock - $0.00
Water - $0.00
Peanut Oil - $0.09
Sesame Oil - $ 0.10
Soy Sauce - $0.19
Mirin - $0.30
Total - $3.79; ~$1.26/serving

The End of A Much Needed Vacation

Image via IMP Awards

To all of my faithful readers, thank you for inudating me eith emails and comments about the recent lack of posting. I took a much needed vacation, from work, from blogging, and only slightly from cooking. School begins tomorrow, and with that my regular schedule commences. And on that note, here are some posts to look forward to:

New York Restaurant Week: Review of Arabelle at the Hotel Plaza Athenee
Homemade Vegetable Stock: A Healthier Base for Your Fall Soups and Dishes
Is It Possible to be a College Student and a Foodie: A Lesson in Trite Food Writing

...and more!!!

Zucchini-Potato Chips: A Way To Get Your Vegetables and Eat Them, Too

Chips generally are not a good, healthy option. Even when they are made out of a less starchy, more substantive vegetable. But they sure do taste good.

I had the idea for zucchini chips when I realized I had a lot more zucchini than I had time to use it all. And I wanted another method of preparing them that wasn't steaming or sautéing or roasting. They came out well, though a few tweaks would be necessary to make them great. I would like to mention that Mike found them good enough to replace or accompany bread that is served before a meal at a restaurant.  That has yet to be seen...

General method

Slice vegetables very thin, using a knife or mandolin slicer. Place in layers in a colander, cover in salt, and allow to drain for 30 minutes. 

Rinse the vegetables and pat dry. Fill a saucepan with a mix of canola and olive oils, or peanut oil, or any oil with a high smoke point, and heat to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook small batches at a time, allow to fry in the oil for about 5 minutes. Drain the vegetables in a colander or bowl lined with paper towels, sprinkle with sea salt and serve. 

My tiny kitchen. 

Potatoes and zucchini frying on the stove top. 

Chips draining in a paper towel-lined bowl. 

The Professional Chef Series: Part One, Chapter One - Introduction to the Profession

My eyes glazed over as I opened the cover, revealing over a thousand of some of the most inspired knowledge of cooking and classical techniques. Despite my anticipation, I wanted to crawl over this text, moving slowly from paragraph to paragraph so I could soak in the full breadth of the information that existed on each page. And upon opening it, I began with the introduction.

Part one of this book is called "The Culinary Professional." It is meant to introduce the culinary profession as well as the concept of menus and recipes, nutrition and food science basics, as well as explain the importance of food and kitchen safety. Given the rise and popularity of food television, the exponential growth of recipe websites, use of techniques such as sous vide and other molecular gastronomic methods, and massive recalls of eggs and other food stuff across the United States, none of these topics are unimportant. Without a mastery of this information, there is no precedent for a mastery of cooking.

And so I'm toiling in the most boring topics in the book. Though, not without an end, as I plan to provide an overview, and my own reactions, to each section, warranted or not.

Introduction to the Profession


The culinary industry is constantly changing, developing, and that means that you must be flexible and spontaneous, willing to communicate and share with others to keep your work contemporary and constantly evolving. Moreover, there is a degree to which your job will be that of an executive, developing a mission for your organization, and that of an administrator, who implements and tracks that overall goal.

There is a third role that must be played, that of a manager. This job must be handed in four regards: managing physical assets of the business; managing information resources, including media and technology, trends, restaurants and menus; managing human resources, so that you provide an environment in which employees have the capacity to make contributions to the business; and managing time, so as prioritize and accomplish tasks.

There are many career opportunities and all offer a number of interesting and creative challenges for a chef. These settings include hotels, full-service restaurants, private clubs, executive dining rooms of corporations, institutional catering, caterers, and home meal replacement. Newer, less traditional opportunities, have also begun to arise, many which don't involve the production or service of food. These include food and beverage managers, consultants and design specialists, well-informed salespeople, teachers, food writers and critics, food stylists and photographers, and research-and-development kitchens.


Lastly, this first section includes a list of the kitchen brigade system, as outlined by Escoffier as a solution to the chaos that ensued when workers lacked clearly-defined responsibilities. The positions in a classic brigade are as follows:

• Chef/Chef de Cuisine/Executive Chef
• Saute Chef (Saucier)
• Fish Chef (Poissonier)
• Roast Chef (Rotisseur)
• Grill Chef (Grillardin)
• Fry Chef (Friturier)
• Vegetable Chef (Entremetier)
• Roundsman (Tournant)
• Cold-Foods Chef (Garde-Manger)
• Butcher (Boucher)
• Pastry Chef (Patissier)
• Confiseur (candies, petits fours)
• Boulanger (Baker)
• Glacier (frozen and cold desserts)
• Decorateur (show pieces and special cakes)
• Expediter/Announcer (Aboyeur)
• Communard
• Commis/Apprentice

A list of the dining room brigade was also included and is as follows:

• Maitre d'hotel (Dining Room Manager)
• Wine Steward (Chef de Vin, Sommelier)
• Head Waiter (Chef de Salle)
• Captain (Chef d'etage)
• Front Water (Chef de Rang)
• Back Watier/Bus Boy (Demi-Chef de Rang, Commis de Rang)

Reactions

It appears that there is a large amount of coordination that is important to remember. Moreover, there is a very clear hierarchical system in terms of responsibility and ones relation to other positions. There were many instances in which positions were combined, for example the saucier is also the poissonier, or the maitre d'hotel is also the sommelier. But for the most part there is a class system. And in light of this, it is important to develop ones communication, organization, marketing and managerial skills, as well as culinary and technical skills in order to gain recognition, move through the ranks, and be the best chef one can be.