A Few of My Faves

Perusing the lineup for next week it looks a bit like I'm cooking primarily for myself. Certainly not the case, but included (and this was not intentional) are some personal super faves. Starting with Chicken with Lemongrass and Coconut Milk Soup. Or in our house, simply referred to as "Vong" soup. In reference to Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Chicago restaurant where Val and I first enjoyed it prepared for us roughly 20yrs ago. I had actually made the soup myself several times prior using the recipe from Jean-Georges book. But this was the first time having it served to us in a fancy setting. It does not disappoint. So good in fact, Val (as you may recall a strict vegetarian) ate much of it just avoiding the pieces of chicken. She never does that. If it has a hint of animal anything, Val scrupulously avoids. This was worth the dalliance apparently. Monday's City Chicken is a childhood favorite. And still delicious to this day. I was never really a planned meal. But if Dad was on his way home from work, and there was nothing in the fridge he deemed acceptable dinner fare, a quick stop to Mulier's or Fairfax was added to his itinerary, and we knew we had a very good chance of feasting on City Chicken that evening. Tuesday is simply a nod to one of my first culinary loves, classic French cuisine. Shrimp in Lobster Sauce. If memory serves, I first encountered it in an old copy of Paul Bocuse's French Cooking. If memory continues to serve, it was technically an awful cookbook. Recipes themselves weren't especially great/accurate, but the vision of the larger than life Frenchman in his huge chef hat and the pictures of the food were inspiration enough. That said, as a young teenager trying to learn how to cook, accurate recipes would have been very helpful. Wednesday's Chicken with Portabella Ravioli is all about the season. Spring is mushroom and asparagus season around here. (Side note, if anyone knows or is a morel hunter, morel mushroom soup is the next in line for a decadent break the bank soup. As soon as I can get morels, we shall have the soup, though with the weather I expect it will be some time yet.) In the meantime, mushrooms and asparagus you shall have. The porcini mushroom sauce you will find tastes a bit of our Golden Mushroom Soup. Finally, Asian meatballs. I just love these things. Whether simply as a meatball, or used as a stuffing in a dumpling or shumai, either way just delicious. I think, aside from the amazing flavor profile, using cornstarch as the binding agent (as opposed to the traditional egg and breadcrumb) gives the meatballs a much lighter and springier texture. Not quite as dense and heavy as your spaghetti and meatball balls. We will be off to the Asian markets to find some fun veggies to accompany. Said veggies will also be jazzed up a bit with some Chinese sausage. Again, frankly and unashamedly because I love the stuff. I predict you will to.