Leftovers Repurposed: Chicken Soup with Shitakes and Kale

Sometimes I end up with leftover chicken. I bet you do, too. In fact, here's a little secret: whenever I roast a chicken for just the two of us, while we're eating... I'm already thinking about what I'm going to do with the leftovers. This time, I made soup, but I wasn't in the mood for classic chicken noodle. I know it doesn't look like much, but it's earthy from the mushrooms with a little bit of heat from the ginger and scallions, plus it's basically a bowl of kale, so hippies love it. Next time you've got a chicken carcass, don't trash it: make soup!

Chicken Soup with Shitakes and Kale
serves 4, generously


The broth takes an hour or two, so get that started before you prep the soup, ok? I usually carve the rest of the serving pieces off a carcass, then start the broth, then dice or shred the meat while the broth comes up to a boil. This makes more broth than you need for the soup, and if you don't have immediate chicken broth needs you can freeze the extra or keep it in the fridge for up to a week.

For the broth:
1 roasted chicken carcass
one small onion
one stalk of celery, cut into big chunks
2 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed
4-5 slices ginger

For the shitakes:
about 10 dried shitake mushrooms (approximately 1.5 ounces)

For the soup:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 scallions, white and light green parts finely chopped, dark greens sliced and reserved for garnish
3 small cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger (about a one inch piece)
1 bunch lacinato kale, sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch (or thinner) strips*
about 2 cups cooked chicken, diced
soy sauce to taste
lime juice to taste
cooked white or brown rice
sliced scallion greens and sriracha for serving (optional, but tasty)

*Cutting the kale this way means you don't have to yank out the nice, nutritious stems - when you cut across the leaf the stems end up in small pieces that cook quickly and don't feel tough or fibrous in your mouth. 

First, start the broth: carve or pick all the serving pieces and remaining meaty chunks off the chicken carcass, then stick it in a 6-8 quart pot. Cut the hairy end off the onion, then cut it in quarters (I cut it through the root for ease of fishing-it-out-later) and stick that in the pot. Add a couple of smashed garlic cloves and a few thick slices of ginger. Add water just to cover the carcass - it shouldn't float, but it shouldn't stick out - and bring it up to a boil, then back it down to a simmer and let it go for about an hour, or two if you have time.

While the broth simmers, put the shitakes in a heat proof bowl and add 2.5 cups of very hot water. Weigh the mushrooms down with a plate, if need be, to keep them submerged. They'll need at least 30 minutes to soften. When they're soft, lift them from the liquid (but don't dump it!). Use a sharp knife to trim off the stems, then thinly slice the caps. Add the stems to the simmering broth. Let the soaking liquid sit so any grit settles to the bottom, then carefully pour it into a clean measuring cup, leaving the sediment behind (or strain it through a fine mesh filter, if you prefer). You should have about 2 cups. NB: while the mushrooms soak is a good time to start cooking some white or brown rice - I use a cheap-o rice cooker that I got about 6 weeks ago and I reeeally like it. So nice to have the rice cooking over on the counter across the room instead of taking up space on the stove.

Just before you make the soup, strain the broth, or just ladle 4 cups of broth through a strainer into a bowl and deal with the rest of the broth after you eat.

To make the soup, heat the oil in a large pot (I use a 5 quart dutch oven... and I just realized it's basically the only pot I ever use for making soup. Huh.) over medium high heat. Add the scallions, garlic and ginger and saute for a minute or two, until the scallions soften up a bit and it starts to smell really good. Add a good pinch of salt, then add the 2-ish cups of mushroom soaking liquid. Add 4 cups of chicken broth, then add the kale and stir/poke the kale down under the liquid. Let the kale cook for a couple of minutes, then taste it to see if it's soft enough for you. Let it go a little longer if need be, then add the shitakes and chicken. Let them warm up, then season the soup with a splash of soy sauce (start with a teaspoon or two). Stir, then taste again. It might need a squeeze of lime juice or more soy. Once it's seasoned to your liking, serve it ladled over rice and sprinkled with the scallion tops. If you like spicy, feel free to add sriracha.

Movie Night.

It's snowing. It's freaking snowing. Ugh. I trudged home in the mess this evening, my toes turning into little individual icycles. I don't mind the snow, but I DO mind improper footwear. Tomorrow I'm ditching my sneakers for boots, which means it's winter. Tonight, we're hanging out in South Africa with Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. Did you know I love action movies? Because I do. Especially bad ones. I'm not sure yet if this one is good good or bad good.

Incidentally, that kale experiment from the other night turned out brilliantly. It was: a leek and an onion, softened in olive oil, then all the kale, chopped into big pieces, plus salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and 4 cups of homemade chicken stock. Simmer simmer simmer, add a can of chickpeas. Eat!

Experimenting with homegrown kale

I've got three or four hugely overgrown kale plants in the backyard that are still thriving even though it's so chilly out. (Winter coat, day one. Boo.) I'm experimenting with two bunches worth at the moment, and also trying to figure out  how to use up leftover roast chicken and leftover rice. Will report back.

Quinoa with Kale and Sweet Potatoes

I'm never really sure what to call this kind of dinner. It's really a shame that there's no good name for it because I eat this sort of thing all the time. Cook a grain. Cook some vegetables. Put them together in a bowl. I think some corporate lunch spots refer to it as a "rice bowl" or something, but that makes it sound like something... from a corporate lunch spot. Hm.

So I'll just say it's a simple one dish dinner or an excellent side that comes together quickly: the kale and sweet potatoes cook while the quinoa simmers. And hey, look how pretty it looks next to the centerpiece I took from my cousin's wedding!



Quinoa with Kale and Sweet Potatoes
serves 2-3 as a light meal, or more as a side dish

A note on cheese: I used an aged goat cheese called Colombier from the cheese shop where I work, and I liked the flaky texture and tang in this dish. Classic chevre would be a good fit but creamier, or a sharp feta would be a great counterpoint to the sweet potato.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 small bunch kale, stems removed, leaves cut into 1/2" wide strips
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large pinch red pepper flakes (optional if you like it spicy)
2 ounces tangy cheese of your choice (see note)
olive oil
salt and pepper
a beverage for the cook

Combine the quinoa and two cups of water with a hefty pinch of salt in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. It should be done in about 20 minutes.

Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat, then add a tablespoon of olive oil and when it shimmers, add the sweet potatoes in one layer. Partially cover the pan and cook for a few minutes, then stir or shake the pan so the cubes of sweet potato flip and cook on another side. Repeat the steaming/shaking action a few times until the sweet potatoes are cooked. They'll be browned on a few sides, you might have to adjust the heat down a bit if they're browning faster than you'd like. This could take 5-10 minutes depending on the size of your dice.

Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, deglaze the pan with a splash of water, or wine or beer if you're drinking while you cook (ahem). The liquid will help you scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Season the sweet potatoes with salt and pepper and remove to another bowl.

Add another little splash of olive oil to the pan, then add the garlic and chili flakes and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the kale and saute, stirring, until wilted and tender. This could take anywhere from 2- 8 minutes, depending on how tender you like your kale. Season the kale with salt and pepper. Add the sweet potatoes back to the skillet if they've cooled.

By now your quinoa should be done (if it's done earlier, just shut off the heat and leave the lid on. It'll be fine.). Fluff the quinoa with a fork, then put some quinoa in a couple of bowls and top with the sweet potatoes and kale. Crumble the cheese on top and drizzled with a little more olive oil. Mmm, fall in a bowl*.

*You know, I thought about calling this post "fall in a bowl" but then I figured somebody might  think I ran around tripping and ending up in a cereal vessel. Nope. Autumn in a bowl just wasn't as catchy. Look at the dilemmas we bloggers face! My goodness.

And Now We're Married

It's true what they say about your wedding day flying by. It was a wonderful day, sunny and warm for New England October, but it seemed like we woke up, put on our party clothes and BOOM, it's over. Who's taking home the centerpiece? Is there any cake left? (No, there was not. I only had about four bites of cake and I WANT MORE.)

These wedding photos were taken by our photographer David Barnes. If you want to see more wedding photos, you can see some on Facebook on the David Barnes Photography page. I also want to point out that David is awesome: he is calm and collected even though we didn't have a ton of time for photographs (read: didn't stress us out one bit) and he still managed to get a ton of awesome shots. I can't wait to see the whole set!

Two other local Somerville businesses were totally awesome, so if you're in the market for flowers check out Nellie's Wildflowers in Davis Square. My bouquet was freaking gorgeous and it had baby pine cones in it! The centerpieces were exactly what we wanted, even though I was vague and unhelpful with my ideas. Our amazing cake was from Lyndell's bakery in Ball Square: holy chocolate frosting. I might have to go down there on our one month-iversary (please, did you think I was going to wait a year?) and get myself a tiny cake just so I can eat more of it. Four bites is not enough. 

The day after the wedding we headed home from the Museum, packed up, and drove up to Woodstock, Vermont, to the Village Inn (warning: their website plays music) for a three day mini honeymoon (mini-moon?). It was perfectly delightful even if we were the youngest tourists in town. The thing is, retirees make dinner reservations, and we are young! and crazy! and newlyweds! Which means we only had reservations for one night (at Simon Pearce, where we had a gift certificate from the best man - thanks Tyler!) Luckily, there are tons of awesome restaurants in and around Woodstock and we managed to find great food every night. We had a really wonderful crab cake that I can't wait to recreate at Richardson's Tavern, and the house special whole fish at Mangowood was crispy and flavorful. 

In addition to awesome food (breakfast at the Village Inn was unbelievably good), we got in two solid mornings of hiking and plenty of cribbage. We also tasted cheese and maple syrup and brought home plenty of deliciousness to savor for the next little while.

We've been back in Boston for about a week, and it's been a little weird adjusting back to real life. Not much is different, except that Adam wears a ring now. He still goes to work, I still go to school (oh, and I got a part time job doing prep work, so I go there, too, and make hundreds of spinach triangles), but we're not planning a wedding any more. Frankly, it's pretty nice. 

I'll be back again soon enough with something more substantial, but to ease back into things, here's a blurry picture of a salad for fall that we had a few days after we got back. It's made with a bunch of raw lacinato kale, center ribs removed and sliced into 1/4 inch strips, one sliced honeycrisp apple, and a nub of diced smoked gouda, with a handful of chopped walnuts for crunch. The dressing is red wine vinegar, salt, and olive oil, and you can just mix it all up and let it sit for an hour while you make the rest of dinner if you want. Raw kale can stand up to the vinegar without wilting much; it's even good the next day! 

Ack! It's Thanksgiving!

 Oh, hi there. I haven't forgotten you exist, blog friends. Really. AND I've been cooking! Look, soup!

And monster-enormo-giant carrots! (baby carrot and onion for scale)

And beautiful Borlotti beans!

In addition to actual cooking, I've been doing a TON of baking. My contribution to the Thanksgiving table consists of dill bread (my family would revolt if I show up without this for any holiday), parker house rolls, multigrain bread, compound butter, jam from my canning extravaganza (well, ok, that won't be ON the Thanksgiving table), and the turkey. Yep. My employer gives us a turkey from Bob's Turkey Farm every year on the Wednesday before The Big Day... and he's in a cooler in the hallway now, waiting for the trip up to Maine, which we'll be taking in a couple of hours. I'll be back on Sunday with Sweet Potato Latkes for Gourmet Unbound. Until then, I'll leave you with this awesome soup I learned about from The Wednesday Chef.

Cranberry Bean, Lacinato Kale and Pasta Soup
Makes 8 to 10 servings, seriously. This is a lot of soup. I sometimes halve the recipe. I soaked my beans for the eight hours I was at work, plus Rancho Gordo beans are super fresh, so my cooking time for the beans was a little shorter than what's noted here.

1/4 cup olive oil plus 2 1/2 tablespoons, divided
2 leeks, white part only, cleaned and sliced, about 2 cups
2 medium carrots, finely chopped, about 1 cup
1 onion, finely chopped, about 1 cup
3 cups dried cranberry beans (I used Rancho Gordo Borlotti beans)
Kosher salt
2 bunches lacinato kale (or one and a half bunches curly kale), cleaned, stemmed and coarsely chopped, about 10 cups
3 cups dried orecchiette pasta (about 9 ounces)
1 tablespoon fresh minced sage
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
1/8 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

1. In a 4-quart soup pot or cast iron casserole, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil and cook the leeks, carrots and onions over medium-low heat until just softened, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Add the dried beans and 12 cups of water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with the lid, stirring occasionally. After about 45 minutes, add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Continue to cook, covered, and again stirring occasionally, just until the beans are soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour or more (my beans only needed another half hour or so).

3. With a slotted spoon, remove 1 cup of the beans and, separately, 2 tablespoons of bean liquor and set both aside. Add the kale to the soup, stirring in a few cups at a time as the greens wilt. Cover, and continue to cook for 8 to 10 minutes more until the greens are tender, then remove from the heat.

4. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook the pasta until al dente; drain and reserve.

5. Combine in a food processor or blender: reserved beans and bean liquor, sage, parsley, paprikas and lemon juice, 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Give it a taste, it may need salt or more liquid from the soup for ease of blending.

6. Right before you're ready to serve it, stir the cooked pasta into the soup. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with 2 tablespoons of spiced bean purée (feel free to be generous, this stuff really makes the soup). Grate Parmesan over the top of each bowl to taste and serve immediately.

Kale Chips

I know it's been a quiet month here, my friends, but I was browsing my Flickr stream the other day and I realized I never told you about Adam's favorite snack! Please to be forgiving me for my oversight... and please to be sharing with me when you make these.


Oh and how about this: kale chips are as easy as freakin' pie. Easier! No rolling of stubborn dough. You just wash your kale and dry it super well (wouldn't want it to steam in the oven). Put it in a big bowl, toss it with a glug of olive oil - not too much - salt, pepper, and maybe some hot sauce or a little vinegar if you're feeling adventurous.


Spread it out on a cookie sheet or two, and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. You should flip the chips over half way through. Start checking them at 10 minutes, some of the smaller leaves will be ready, though the big ones will still have some chew left in the stem.

Once they're crispy and dry (smaller leaves will be done first) stand them up in a glass and take a pretty picture. OR just stand at the stove and eat the whole pan. That's what we do, so I won't judge you.

Kale Chips

one bunch lacinato/Tuscan/dinosaur kale OR one bunch curly kale stemmed and torn into medium sized pieces, washed and dried thoroughly
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2-1 teaspoon black pepper
a few shakes hot sauce (optional) or 1/2 teaspoon vinegar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a very large bowl (or in two batches) toss the kale leaves/pieces with oil, salt, pepper, and hot sauce (if using). Spread in a single layer on two baking sheets. Bake for 10-15 minutes, turning once, until kale is dry and crispy.

Boiled Kale

So I know this doesn't look much like a celebratory meal, but how about if I just tell you that on Tuesday we stayed up very late eating Hugh's crab dip and Adam's black bean dip and hummus and I put my hand upon your hip, when I dip, you dip, we dip so much DIP. Wow. That sentence really got away from me, huh? ANYWAY. Between planning for the people coming over to watch the election results and then watching the election results and then being really tired from staying up so late, I did not do a very good job documenting my meals over the last week. I made some turkey chili. It was ok.

A couple of weeks ago, though, I took Molly's advice: I boiled some kale. I toasted some bread. I fried an egg.

It was a cold night, and this was a soul-satisfying meal for such an evening. It was simple and filling. I won't tell you the method, because Molly does a better job of interpreting Zuni than I could, but I will suggest you give it a try. I'm heading up to Maine this weekend, but I will be back next week with plenty to discuss - Hugh and I are hosting a baby shower this month and I'm doing the food... chocolate peanut butter cake, anyone?