Garlic Soup for the Soul

Recipe Name: Garlic Soup for the Soul

Story: I found this recipe earlier this year (2020) and it was good but not quite perfect.  When Vilma, Alexander, and myself traveled to Mom on labor day the first thing I tried was using Parmesan cheese that was not grated, grating it, and throwing a little of the rind in.  That made it almost perfect.  After I came home I substituted the 3 ½ cups of chicken stock for the homemade turkey stock that Dustin makes.  That was the kicker.  Between the difference in the roasted garlic, raw garlic, parmesan cheese that is not already grated, and a little bit of the rind it made for the perfect recipe.  Vidalia onions are the ones to use because it brings the onion flavor but at a muted level. Lastly, in my opinion, the 26 cloves that are unpeeled but need to be roasted, it is better to wrap them in tin foil with the olive oil and salt and place it on a baking dish.  Either way works but I think if the garlic cloves are wrapped rather than the whole dish the package retains the heat and does not have change to stick or burn.  Have fun! This is a great garlic soup recipe!

Years you've been making it: 2020

Submitted by: Brad

Ingredients: 

• 26 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 2 1/4 cups sliced onions
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 18 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 1/2 cups Dustin’s Turkey Stock. Dustin’s stock makes for a more rounded flavor (or chicken stock if you do not have it)
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (always use block cheese and shred it; it is a better taste)
• 4 lemon wedges (organic whole foods or similar place if possible)

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 26 garlic cloves in small glass baking dish. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake until garlic (in my opinion cover each individually with oil and tinfoil) until golden brown and tender. Cool. Squeeze garlic between fingertips to release cloves. Transfer cloves to small bowl.
2. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and thyme and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add roasted garlic and 18 raw garlic cloves and cook 3 minutes. Add Dustin’s Turkey Stock or chicken stock; cover and simmer until garlic is very tender, about 20 minutes. Working in batches, purée soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to saucepan; add cream and bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Divide grated cheese among 4 bowls and ladle soup over. Squeeze juice of 1 lemon wedge into each bowl and serve.

The Best Bruschetta

Recipe Name: The Best Bruschetta

Story: In 2021 I wanted to make bruschetta as an appetizer for an Italian dinner. I tried several recipes and each had "something" missing. After several tries I tweaked multiple recipes and created my own version of bruschetta from scratch. It takes about 20 minutes to make and then 30 minutes to an hour to marinate.

Years you've been making it: 2021 

Submitted by: Brad

Ingredients: 

• 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 large, fresh, and very ripe tomatoes
• 1/4 c. thinly sliced basil
• 1 tbsp. plus a splash more balsamic vinegar 
• 1 tsp. kosher salt, and then more to taste after it all comes together
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 fresh baguette

Directions: 
1. Heat oil in a small sauce pan or skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until lightly golden, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to separate bowl, and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Dice the tomatoes and thinly slice the basil (1/4 cup plus a little more for love).
3. In a large bowl or tupperware, add tomatoes, basil, vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Add garlic and oil to the mixture and stir to combine. Put the container, covered, in the fridge and let it marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
4. After marinating, taste and add salt to your preference.
5. Cut baguette into slices and slightly toast in a toaster or oven so that it's slightly crunchy on the inside.
6. Spoon mixture on the baguette slices. Enjoy!

Hot and Sour Soup

Recipe Name:  Hot and Sour Soup

Story:  I have made this recipe since I have been right next to an asian market and have access to allllllll the mushrooms.

Years you've been making it:  Since 2019

Submitted by:  Bradley

Ingredients:
1/2 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms (about 6)
1/2 ounce dried wood ear mushrooms (about 3)
2 cups warm water, plus 4 cups cool water
8 ounces boneless pork loin, cut into thin strips
1 1/2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine; may substitute dry sherry)
3 tablespoons cornstarch combined with 1/4 cup water, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
5 tablespoons Chinkiang black vinegar (see headnote), or more as needed
2 teaspoons chile oil, plus more for optional garnish
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
10 thin slices fresh ginger
2 tablespoons regular or low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup canned bamboo shoots, drained and cut into matchsticks
8 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 to 3 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions:
Step 1
Gently rinse the dried shiitake and dried wood ear mushrooms with tap water. In a medium bowl, soak the mushrooms in the 2 cups warm water until softened, about 20 minutes. Squeeze the excess water out of the mushrooms and reserve the water. (Strain the mushroom water through a fine-mesh strainer if it looks too gritty.) Discard the stems from the shiitake mushrooms and slice the caps into strips. Discard the tough ends of the wood ear mushrooms before chopping into bite-size pieces.

Step 2
In a medium bowl, combine the pork, Shaoxing wine, 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix until the pork is evenly coated, and let it marinate on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 3
In a small bowl, stir together the black vinegar, chile oil and pepper.

Step 4
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the mushroom water, 4 cups cool water and sliced ginger and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then, using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the ginger. Add the soy sauce, followed by the rehydrated mushrooms and bamboo shoots, and simmer for 5 minutes. Give the cornstarch mixture a quick stir to recombine and gradually stir into the soup. The soup will become slightly thickened.

Step 5
Add the pork, including the marinade, to the soup, stirring to separate any pieces that stick together. Continue to simmer until the pork is no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Carefully add the tofu, so the broth does not splash. Stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon salt.

Step 6
Slowly pour the eggs into the soup in a steady stream while stirring continuously with a long spoon or chopstick. The eggs should cook immediately and look like long yellowish-white strands. Turn off the heat once you see the strands, so the eggs do not overcook, and stir in the black vinegar mixture.

Serve hot, garnished with scallions and additional chile oil, if desired.

Notes:
There are two ingredients that help make hot and sour what it is. The hot comes courtesy of ground white pepper. It’s from the same source as black pepper, but the berries are allowed to ripen before their skins are removed. The result is technically less spicy, but more complex and floral. The other key ingredient represents the sour: Chinkiang black vinegar. The vinegar is actually made from glutinous rice, and the dark color comes naturally from scorched rice grains. Dried mushrooms play a strong supporting role, lending heft to the final dish and a savory, umami-rich undertone to the broth. The two types called for here are dried shiitake, available at many supermarkets, and wood ear, which you might as well pick up from the Asian market when you get the black vinegar. If you can’t find wood ear (it may be labeled as black fungus), just use all shiitake.

Baby Back Ribs

Recipe Name: Baby Back Ribs

Story: This is the same recipe I have been making since I had my own place after college.  It is taken from a 1994 cooks illustrated magazine.  I think the homemade sauce is the best part and has gotten rave reviews everywhere from Louisiana to Hawaii.

Years you've been making it: 2005+

Author / Creator: Cooks Illustrated

Submitted by: Bradley

Ingredients: 

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We wanted a baby back ribs recipe that would produce juicy, tender, and fully seasoned meat, with an intense smokiness; in short, ribs that would be well worth the time, money, and effort. For ribs that were so flavorful they wouldn’t even need barbecue sauce, we first brined them in a salt, sugar, and water solution, then rubbed them with a spice and sugar mix before barbecuing. A "low and slow" cooking method ensured that our baby back ribs would be moist.

SERVES 4

For a potent spice flavor, brine and dry the ribs as directed, then coat them with the spice rub, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate overnight before grilling. You will need two wood chunks, each about the size of a lemon, for this recipe.

Brine
1/2 cup table salt or 1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 racks baby back ribs (about 2 pounds each), or loin back ribs

Spice rub
1 tablespoon sweet paprika, plus additional 1/2 teaspoon
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon table salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. To brine the ribs: Dissolve salt and sugar in 4 quarts cold water in stockpot or large plastic container. Submerge ribs in brine and refrigerate 1 hour until fully seasoned. Remove ribs from brine and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.

2. While ribs are brining, cover two 3-inch wood chunks with water in medium bowl; soak wood chunks for 1 hour, then drain and set aside. Combine spice rub ingredients in small bowl. When ribs are out of brine and dried, rub each side of racks with 1 tablespoon spice rub; refrigerate racks 30 minutes.

3. To barbecue the ribs: Open bottom vents on grill. Ignite about 4 1/2 quarts charcoal briquettes (3/4 large chimney-full, or about 65 briquettes) and burn until covered with thin coating of light gray ash, about 20 minutes. Empty coals onto one half of grill bottom, piling them 2 to 3 briquettes high; place soaked wood chunks on top of coals. Position cooking grate over coals, cover grill, open lid vents two-thirds of the way; heat grate 5 minutes, then scrape clean with wire brush.

4. Arrange ribs on cool side of grill parallel to fire; cover, positioning lid so that vents are opposite wood chunks to draw smoke through grill (grill temperature should register about 350 degrees on grill thermometer, but will soon start dropping). Cook for 2 hours, until grill temperature drops to about 250 degrees, flipping rib racks, switching their position so that rack that was nearest fire is on outside, and turning racks 180 degrees every 30 minutes; add 10 fresh briquettes to pile of coals.

Continue to cook (grill temperature should register 275 to 300 degrees on grill thermometer), flipping, switching, and rotating ribs every 30 minutes, until meat easily pulls away from bone, 1 1/2 to 2 hours longer. Transfer ribs to cutting board, then cut between bones to separate ribs; serve. 

BBQ Sauce

Recipe Name: BBQ Sauce

Story:
This is the same recipe I have been making since I had my own place after college.  It is taken from a 1994 cooks illustrated magazine.  I think the homemade sauce is the best part and has gotten rave reviews everywhere from Louisiana to Hawaii.

Years you've been making it: 2005+

Author / Creator: Cooks Illustrated

Submitted by: Bradley

Ingredients:
2tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4cup minced onion
1medium clove garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1 1/2teaspoons chili powder
2cups tomato juice
3/4cup distilled white vinegar
2tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2teaspoon powdered mustard mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1teaspoon minced chipotle chile in adobo
2tablespoons mild molasses or dark molasses (not blackstrap)
1 1/2teaspoons table salt
1/4teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions: 
To make the Barbecue Sauce: Heat butter in small nonreactive saucepan over medium heat until foaming; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and chili powder; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add tomato juice, 1/2 cup vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, chipotle, molasses, and salt; increase heat to high and bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to 1 1/2 cups, 30 to 40 minutes. Off heat, stir in pepper and remaining 1/4 cup vinegar. Cool to room temperature before serving. (Can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 4 days; bring to room temperature before serving.)