Ramen for Two

I had previously posted a Shrimp Ramen Soup recipe - this is a more traditional ramen that is pork based.  Being an empty nester makes it necessary to scale down recipes for just two people.  That can often be difficult since the ingredients necessary may not come in small enough portions.  This is the first post focusing specifically on recipe's for two people - hopefully there will be others.

Ramen soup - a staple for college students.  I will occasionally eat it even now using the included broth packet.  I like to eat it for breakfast - I use a bit less water than it calls for; and, after adding the noodles and broth packet, I'll stir in a slightly beaten egg. 

But, sometimes, you just want the real thing.  I put that in italics as I really have no idea if this even remotely resembles ramen soup that you might find in Japan, having never been there.  But it is a hearty, and quite tasty, soup - perfect for dinner in the cooler months of fall and winter.  It's easy to make and much of the preparation can be done the day ahead.

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound of pork (see note 1)
• 1 onion, sliced thin
• 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1-inch hunk of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 5 dried shitake mushrooms with stems removed and reserved
• 4 cups chicken stock (preferably home made)
• 1/4 head cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1/4 - 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
• (optional) other fresh vegetables (see note 2)
• 1 Tbl miso
• 1 Tbl soy sauce
• 1 Tbl mirin
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• (optional) salt and pepper (if necessary)
• 2 packages ramen soup noodles (discard seasoning packets)
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• (optional) sriracha, or other hot sauce, added to taste, while serving

Directions

A small 6-quart crockpot works well; but, this could also be done on a stove top. The first 5 steps can be done ahead of time - even the day before.

1. Place the sliced onions in the bottom of a pot.  Place pork meat on top (cut pork into smaller hunks if necessary).  Top with garlic, minced ginger, and and dried shitake mushrooms (both stems and tops).  Pour chicken stock over everything.
2. Simmer until pork meat is tender enough to shred (about 5 hours in a crockpot - possibly quicker on stove top)
3. Remove from heat and let sit until cool enough to handle
4. Remove pork meat; shread and reserve.  Remove shitake mushroom tops (not stems); slice into slivers and reserve
5. Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer and then let sit to allow oil to float to the top.  Skim off oil
6. Return stock to pot and add all remaining ingredients (including reserved pork and shitake mushrooms) - except noodles and green onions.
7. Simmer until vegetables are tender
8. Taste and add salt, if necessary
9. Meanwhile, cook ramen noodles by placing in boiling water for two minutes, strain and run under cold water to stop cooking
10. To serve, place noodles in bottom of bowl, ladle soup over noodles, add sriracha, if desired, sprinkle chopped green onions on top

Notes

1. You can use any type of pork, such as country style ribs, pork chops, etc.  I happened to find a slice of pork shoulder that was 0.8 pounds which I used.  Preferably the meat should include bones and they will help make a richer stock - but boneless will work as well.
2. You can add any other vegetables you may happen to have on hand; for example:  Chopped bell pepper (green, red, or any other color), summer squash or carrot, julienned, etc.  You can also add things such as snow peas or sugar snap peas - although I would add these later (just a few minutes before serving) so as to not overcook.  Personally, I would avoid vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower as they have a strong flavor which could prove overpowering.  I would also avoid starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and winter squash.   But, this is America - so do whatever floats your boat.

More Notes

• I like to add lots of vegetables which almost makes this a thick soup - or thin stew. This is a good use of extra vegetables in the fridge that need to be used before they go bad.  When I made it, I julienned some zucchini squash,  yellow crookneck squash, and carrots in addition to the cabbage.  I also used a whole 8oz package of mushrooms thinly sliced.
• No need to reconstitute dried shitake mushrooms as they will reconstitute while making the stock.  But, be sure to remove the stems as, even reconstituted, they can be tough and chewy.  But add the stems to the stock for flavoring since they will be strained out with everything else
• If using store bought chicken stock then you may not need to add any salt as it typically has a lot of salt.  I make my own chicken stock and don't add any salt; so, I find I do sometimes need to add a bit of salt to recipes using my homemade chicken stock.  Although, for this particular recipe, I find that the soy sauce, mirin, and miso add enough sodium for my taste and don't need to add any salt - but others may find it necessary.
• My wife does not like black pepper - so I usually leave it out in recipes and grind some on top of my portion at the table.  But, if you have no aversion to black pepper, I think this recipe could benefit from it.
• Only cook enough ramen noodles that you will eat during the meal as they will get mushy if left in the soup.  You can easily cook more noodles if you have leftover ramen soup,
• Normally I like to add lots of garlic - I will often double the amount called for in a recipe.  But, in this recipe I tend to take a more conservative approach - especially since I use my own homemade chicken stock - which I make using garlic.  I love garlic; I just don't want too much of a good thing.

Gumbo

I've been having a hankering for gumbo lately. My wife an I were at Fish City Grill a week or so ago so I ordered a cup of gumbo. Unfortunately, it had a burnt flavor; so, I sent it back (something I very rarely do). They replaced it with a cup of crab bisque, which was quite good - but it didn't satisfy my gumbo hankering.

The weather cooled down a bit; so, I decided to make some gumbo. As usual, I looked up several Gumbo recipes and then concocted my own.  So, here is my Gumbo recipe inspired by Alton Brown, Emeril Lagasse, Paula Dean, & Rachel Ray.

BTW, the shrimp and oyster Po'boy's at Fish City Grill are very tasty.

Rub

• 2 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp ground thyme

Ingredients

• ½ cup oil
• ½ cup flour
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ red pepper, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 14oz can diced tomatoes
• ½ cup water
• 2 boneless (half) chicken breasts (about 1 - 1½ pounds), cubed
• 1 pound cooked andouille sausage, cut into ½-inch slices
• 2 cups frozen okra
• 2 bay leaves

• Cooked rice
• Filé powder

Directions

1. Mix rub ingredients together and then mix with chicken cubes, being sure to coat each cube.  Refrigerate until ready to use
2. To make rue:  In a cast iron (or other heavy) dutch oven, mix together ½ cup oil and ½ cup flour.  Place in oven preheated to 350 degrees and bake 1½ hours, whisking 2 or 3 times while baking.  Rue should be a nice creamy chocolate color.
3. Remove dutch oven from oven and place on stove top over medium heat.  Add onion, pepper, and celery (the holy trinity) and saute until onion is transluant
4. Add stock, tomatoes, and water and whisk thrououghly.  Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking frequently, until thickened.
5. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, fry sausage until browned, remove sausage and add to gumbo
6. Then cook chicken in the oil rendered from the sausage, when cooked through add to gumbo
7. Add okra and bay leaves to gumbo
8. Simmer for 30 minutes (or longer)
9. Remove bay leaves and serve with cooked rice and Filé powder (to sprinkle on top)

Notes

• Kudoes to Alton Brown for the idea of baking the rue - it's so easy to burn when doing it on the stove top
• I prefer red pepper over green, but green pepper will suffice
• Any smoked sausage (like kielbasa) can be substituted; although, I prefer something spicy
• This gumbo is not very spicy, so add some tabasco sauce if you want to spice it up a bit

Butternut Squash Soup

One fall I had butternut squash soup at corner bakery that was absolutely delicious. So, I set out on a internet search quest to recreate this wonderful culinary delight. With a few of my own twists, I think I've done it.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds fresh butternut squash
• 4 Tbl unsalted butter
• 1 large shallot
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 6 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• freshly ground nutmeg

Equipment

• Stock pot with steamer insert
• Hand blender

Directions

1. Remove any labels and wash squash under cold running water.
2. Cut squash into quarters lengthwise. Scrape out seeds and stringy stuff and reserve. Place squash quarters into steamer insert skin side up.
3. Dice shallot and red bell pepper into small pieces
4. Melt butter on medium in bottom of stockpot and add diced shallot and red bell pepper, saute until shallot is translucent (about 2-3 minutes)
5. Add reserved seeds and stringy stuff from squash. The idea is you want to lightly toast the seeds in the butter; but, first the liquid needs to be boiled out. This will take about 10-15 minutes stirring frequently.
6. When squash seeds begin to take on a light brown color then add the 6 cups of water and bring to a boil
7. Place steamer basket with squash into stock pot and cover. Steam the squash for about 30 minutes on medium high.
8. When the squash is tender, turn off heat and lift steamer basket out of pot and let drain. Leave squash draining into liquid until both are cool enough to handle
9. Strain steaming liquid and reserve, discard solids
10. Scrape squash pulp into a clean pan and discard skin
11. Using the hand blender, blend the squash pulp adding just enough of the reserved steaming liquid until smooth textured and of the desired consistency (you may or may not end up using all of the liquid)
12. Stir in cream, brown sugar, and nutmeg and adjust seasoning
13. Gently heat, being careful to stir often as it will scorch easily.
14. Enjoy with some nice chewy french bread