Chick-ama Soup, Umami, and Chocolate Pudding Fruit

For those who don't know, Jicama ( pronounced "hick-ama")  is a Latin root vegetable that is slightly sweet, and nicely crunchy.  Marinated in lime juice and dusted with chili powder, it's a classic Mexican street snack.  Similar in taste to water chestnut, but better!  I usually use it in chopped salads, stir fries and as an appetizer.

Chick-cama Soup

It was 9 pm and Lady Sally didn't have a main dish for lunch for the rest of the week. What to do?  Take out 2 chicken breasts to start thawing in cold water. Look in the fridge -- jicama, turnips ("not in my soup" she says), leftover mashed potatoes, bell peppers, celery, a Roma tomato, half an onion... the usual suspects.  Jicama for a soup veg??? What the heck, we'll give it a try.

2 Chicken Breasts, skinless, boneless, mostly thawed

1 Jicama, softball sized

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Yellow Bell Pepper

1 Roma Tomato, chopped

2 stalks Celery

1/2 Sweet Onion

3 cloves Garlic

1 Chicken bouillon cube

1/2 cup or more leftover Mashed Potatoes

1-2 Tbsp Cavender's seasoning blend

Dust the chicken liberally with Cavender's, and place in the soup pot to brown in a splash of oil. While that's going on, chop the veggies. Peel the jicama and cut into 1/4" x 1" pieces, and large dice everything else. Turn the chicken breasts over and brown on the second side for a couple minutes.

Toss in the veggies and other ingredients except the mashed potatoes, and let things cook together a few minutes until fragrant. Add about six cups of water, bring to a boil, and put the lid on.  Reduce the heat and let things simmer. After about 20 minutes, fish out the chicken breasts, chop them up, and return to the pot. 

 Taste the broth; it will probably need another seasoning with Cavender's. Cook another 15 minutes, then add the mashed potatoes by the spoonful, so they almost immediately dissolve and start to thicken the broth a bit. Carry on another 10 minutes or so before serving with hot crusty bread on the side.

This turned out really good!! As they say "Try it, you'll like it!".

This recipe was worth microwaving and mashing a couple red potatoes (while the main soup is cooking) if you don't have any leftovers. The mash adds umami -- earthiness -- to the broth that's worth taking the time for.

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Aside: Speaking of umami, an easy way to add this delicious, unctuous, 'earthiness' to your dishes is by using one of the many mushroom powders available. Half a teaspoon or more in a gravy, soup, or casserole, really takes the taste up a notch or three!

Ears & Elbows Pasta

This one started as a vegetarian dish for Lady Sally to take to a work potluck. I made a double batch - one for us, and one for them.

2,  9x7 microwave/ovenable disposable baking dishes

1 box  Oriechetta pasta ("ears")

1/2 box Elbow pasta

1 ea. large Red, Green Yellow and Orange Bell Pepper

3 Green Onions, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, minced

8 oz sliced Mushrooms (Crimini are best)

1 pint Whole Milk

3-4 Tbsp Butter

3-4 Tbsp Flour

1/2 tsp Mushroom Powder

1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika

1/4 tsp Porcini Finishing Salt

8 oz shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Cook the pasta al dente. Drain, toss with a tbsp of EVOO to prevent sticking, and reserve. 

 Cut the peppers into 1/2" or larger dice. Saute the peppers, mushrooms, onion and garlic with a splash of water or oil until they begin to soften. Remove from pan and in a large bowl, toss with the pasta.

Add the butter and flour to the hot pan, to make a roux. Cook the roux for a minute or two to get rid of the flour-y taste. Slowly add the milk and bring to a simmer to thicken. Add the mushroom powder and paprika, stirring to combine.

Fill the baking dishes with the pasta/pepper mix and ladle the sauce over. Top with cheese and bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes until the cheese melts and browns a bit. Rest before serving with a dash of Porcini Finishing Salt.

Black Sapote -- Chocolate Pudding Fruit

One of the most unusual, and most delicious of the tropical fruits, the Black Sapote is related to the Mamey, which I wrote about back in June/July. Black Sapote is the size of a big orange or a baseball, and bright green when unripe. The color darkens to nearly black as the fruit ripens and softens. You want this reaaally mushy ripe. The ones I got from my friends at Pine Island Botanicals had been picked five or six days prior, and took an additional two days to sufficiently ripen.

Black Sapote Mousse

1 ripe black sapote per person

1/3 cup frozen Whipped Topping, thawed

1 Tbsp Sugar or Spenda(tm) per fruit

Halve the fruit to reveal the nearly black interior. Remove the lima bean-sized seeds and their pods, and scoop the rest into a bowl. Add the sugar, stir, and fold in the whipped topping until totally incorporated. Spoon into serving glasses. Can be topped with another dollop of whipped topping, or a bit of grated orange peel. A bit of orange juice could be incorporated in the mousse, as we know how well orange and chocolate get along!

Cottage Pie

This week's Sunday lunch was a British classic. Cottage Pie is made with beef. Shepherd's Pie is made with lamb. Fish Pie and Pork Pie don't have fancy names in England for some reason.

English Cottage Pie has no pastry crust, but it is always topped with mashed potatoes.

1-1/4 lbs of 90/10 Ground Beef

1 Turnip, diced 1/4"

8 oz frozen Mixed Peas & Carrots

8 oz sliced Mushrooms

3 cloves Garlic, minced

2 Oxotm or other brand Beef Bouillon cubes (Oxo brand has less salt)

1 Tbsp Cavender's or Old Bay seasoning

1/2 cup water

2-3 pound Potatoes, peeled and quartered

White Pepper

Butter and/or sour cream and/or whole milk to add to mashed potatoes

Paprika

Start water to boil for about 2 pounds of potatoes for mashing. I like Yukon Golds.

Brown the meat. Add the garlic, turnip, mushrooms and veg. Cook for a few minutes, then add the spice blend, powdered bouillon cubes and water. Simmer until everything is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add a tablespoon or to of Wondratm or sifted flour to thicken things up.

Ladle filling into a bowl or other baking dish, leaving nearly an inch of space below the rim.

Mash the cooked potatoes and add the fat, along with a pinch of salt and some white pepper to give the spuds some character. Spread the mash atop the filling, and dust the top with bit of paprika.

Put the completed pie under the broiler for a couple minutes until the potato crust starts to get nice and brown. Serve with or without a side vegetable.