Hungry for More

Souper Bowl Recipes II: Coca-Cola Chicken Stew, Scottish Hunter's Soup, Chicken Chili

Last but not least, more favorite soup and stew recipes from collaborators in Lesley Kearney's Souper Bowl, featured in today's News. You don't see too many stews braising chicken in Coca-Cola - it almost reminds me of Filipino or Southern American home cooking. But these are tried and true successes, so give it a shot if that sounds good to you.

This is the second and last collection of Kearney Souper Bowl recipes on Hungry for More.

Scottish Hunter's Soup

4 quarts beef broth                                                              
3 stalks celery with leaves, diced
1 large onion, chopped                                                          
1 cup brown rice
3 carrots, diced                                                                
2 cups tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced                                                       
1 bay leaf
2 cups cooked pasta                                                              
1/2 bell pepper, diced
2 pounds turkey kielbasa cut in bite-sized pieces                         
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 pound mixed beans
Pinch each rosemary, thyme, pepper, parsley, sage

Day before serving: Clean beans and place in 2 quarts of cold water. Bring to a boil and continue to boil for 10 minutes and turn off. Allow to soak overnight.

In an 8 quart soup pot, saute onion, sausage, garlic, celery, carrots, bell pepper and herbs for 10 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil, add beans and rice. Return to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and hot sauce 10 minutes before serving.

- Sue D’Angelo, Williamsville

Chicken Chili
  
4 quarts water (approx)
1 roasting chicken
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 whole onion
1 teaspoon peppercorns

Place all ingredients in stock pot and simmer until chicken is done, skimming occasionally. Strain stock and place in refrigerator. Skim fat when cooled.   Remove meat from bones and shred.

In a large pot, saute 1 medium chopped onion and 1 clove of minced garlic in olive oil. Add stock and meat.

Stir in:
3 cans cannelloni beans, drained
3 cans white corn, drained
2 cans butter beans, drained
1 or 2 4-ounce cans green chilies  
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
 
Serve when heated through. Garnish with  chopped green onions, shredded cheese, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips etc.

- Sue D’Angelo, Williamsville

Coca-Cola Chicken Stew

1 small package of chicken thighs 
1 small package of chicken drumsticks
1 large cooking onion, sliced
1 large green pepper, cubed
1 package of sliced mushrooms (if you wish)
1 can Coca-Cola
1 15-ounce bottle low sugar ketchup
2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

You can brown chicken pieces in oil, if you wish, but it’s not necessary. I remove the skin for a lower fat recipe. Chicken wings are another choice to use.

Place sliced onions in bottom of Dutch oven. Then layer with green peppers, mushrooms and garlic, followed by chicken pieces. Pour ketchup over ingredients then pour cola over all.

Bring to boil uncovered, then lower to simmer. Cover and cook until chicken is cooked and tender. Stir occasionally. Season to taste.
 
Cook's note: This recipe is great because it’s easy and fast, doesn’t require much attention and it’s got a crazy name that surprises the taste buds. Good over rice.

- Elena Delgado, Orchard Park

Live chat with News food editor Andrew Galarneau at noon

This just in to the Food Desk:

Buffalo Bills safety George Wilson can wash away the aftertaste of a failed season by winning a cooking throwdown on the Rachael Ray show. He'll go "head-to-head" against ex-Bill Takeo Spikes of the San Diego Chargers, and the Cleveland Browns' Josh Cribbs.

He's making boneless skinless chicken breast. Predictable as the Bills' defensive schemes? You be the judge. It airs Friday, 2 p.m. on Channel 2.

Talk about your favorite food show in television, what the freakish weather is doing to your asparagus, or tell me where you can buy a couple pounds of pork belly, all coming up in my noon chat.

It's easy to sign on and participate. Maybe too easy.

Recipes: Bacon Cheddar Potato Soup, Squash Bisque, more Souper Bowl stars

Here's more favorite soup recipes from Lesley Kearney's friends and collaborators. We could only fit so many in the newspaper this morning, with the story about the Kearney Souper Bowl. More recipes coming in a second post this afternoon.

Bacon Cheddar Potato Soup
 
6 bacon strips, diced
3 cups cubed, peeled potatoes
1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth
1 small carrot, grated
½ cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
½ teaspoon each: celery seed, salt, pepper
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar
 
In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp: drain.

Add potatoes, broth, carrot, onion, parsley, celery seed, salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Combine flour and milk until smooth, add to soup. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Add cheese; stir until cheese is melted and soup is heated through.
Yields 2 quarts – 8 servings.

- Marcia Conny, Orchard Park

Winter Squash Bisque

1/4 cup canola oil  
7 to 8 pounds winter squash (butternut, Hubbard, pumpkin), peeled and cubed
4 large onions, chopped
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 pounds thin-skinned potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
3 1/2 quarts low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 pound rutabaga, peeled and diced
1 quart heavy cream
1 cup crumbled blue cheese, optional

In an 8-10 quart soup pot, combine oil, onions, thyme and ½ teaspoon nutmeg.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often until onions are soft (about 15 minutes).  Add rutabagas, potatoes and squash. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.

Add stock.  Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until squash mashes easily (about 1.5 hours). Cool slightly. Puree using food processor or immersion blender. (Note: at this point you can freeze all or part of the soup.  When you are ready to serve, thaw and proceed. The soup is also excellent without the cream, simply garnished with nutmeg.)

If you have used a food processor, return mixture to soup pot. Reheat to boiling.  Slowly add cream and continue heating just to boiling point. Serve garnished with ground nutmeg or crumbled blue cheese. Makes about 8 quarts.

- Pam Pollock, Buffalo

Crab Bisque

For stock:

¼ cup coarsely chopped carrot
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 stalk coarsely chopped celery
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
6 cups chicken broth
2 8-ounce bottles clam juice
½ cup dry white wine

For bisque:

¼ cup butter
1 cup diced onion
½ cup diced carrot
¾ cup diced celery
1 clove minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup brandy
8 ounces fresh crabmeat, picked and shell pieces discarded
½ cup fresh parsley for garnish

Prepare stock: In a large pot add all stock ingredients and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain stock through a fine mesh sieve and discard solids. Set liquid aside.
 
Prepare bisque: Melt butter in a large pot. Add onion, carrot, celery and cook until softened – about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the parsley, flour, thyme, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for another minute.

Stir in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium–low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in the crabmeat and simmer another 10 minutes. Add brandy. Garnish with parsley.

- Marcia Conny, Orchard Park

Correction: Queen City Roller Girls chili cook-off set for Feb. 4

The Out to Eat article on the Queen City Roller Girls chili cook-off had the incorrect date. It's set for Feb. 4, at 6 p.m.

The corrected article is below:

Women’s roller derby skaters thrive on competition —it’s no accident a popular bumper sticker among skaters proclaims: “I Hit Girls.”

On Saturday, Feb. 4, the battle goes from the rink to the kitchen, with a chili cook-off involving members of the Lake Effect Furies, the all-star travel team of Buffalo’s Queen City Roller Girls.

Carolyn Storms, a Brockport State College sociology professor who skates as “Stormie Weather,” says the chili smack is already being slung. “There’s already under-the- table bets taking place,” she said.

Will an all-organic or vegan chili have an edge in one of the awards categories? “Everyone is trying to figure out what everyone else is doing, what their secret chili angle is going to be,” Storms said. “It’s exciting.”

Get in on the chili action from 6 to 10 p.m. at Appliance Associates of Buffalo (200 Amherst St.). For $5 at the door, people can taste 12 chili competitors’ work —and even sample some Flying Bison beer ($2 for more). Proceeds aid the travel team’s efforts to compete nationally in Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association (WFTDA) sanctioned bouts.

agalarneau@buffnews.com

Hot ticket: Top Buffalo chefs launch farmer benefit today

A posse of chefs, led by some high-profile cheerleaders for locally raised pork, vegetables, fruit and dairy products, have planned a thanksgiving dinner of their own. Dubbed "A Big FUSS," it's Wednesday, Feb. 8, 6 to 8:30 p.m., at Artisan Kitchens & Baths, 200 Amherst St.

The night's stars include Steven Gedra of Bistro Europa, Adam Goetz of Sample, Jim Guarino of Shango Bistro, Kate Elliott of Merge, Ross Warhol of Chautauqua's Athenaeum Hotel, Bruce Wieszala of Carmelo's in Lewiston (and Coppa Artisan Cured Meat). They wanted to give back to their partners in culinary excellence, the farmers, organizer Christa Glennie Seychew said.

They'll be using donations from local vegetable and meat producers, including Promised Land CSA/Oles Family Farm, Unfinished Farm, Painted Meadows and T-Meadow Farm.

Lloyd's Chris Dorsaneo and Pete Cimino will be serving tacos, too, suggesting folks can find their high and low cuisine needs satisfied in one place. Nickel City Cheese & Mercantile, and Tuscany on Main will pitch in too.

Tickets are $30, limited to 300, and might be gone quickly. Proceeds, including the take from the cash bar, and an auction, will benefit a local farmer who's dedicated effort to supplying local restaurants, said Seychew.

The recipient isn't being named, to spare them embarassment and further harm to their business, Seychew said. Like a local Farm Aid concert, A Big FUSS is expected to be an annual event, she said.

More on Buffalo's fine coffee choices, and photo gallery

Two weeks ago I knew little about the fine coffee business in Western New York. Now I know a little more: cupping, crema, "pulling shots," Chemex and pour-over have all been added to my mental dictionary.

All those moments in coffee excellence are ably illustrated in these compelling images from Spot Coffee and Elm Street Bakery, taken with care by News photographers Sharon Cantillon and Robert Kirkham.

My education continues, with the help of coffee fiends everywhere. The list of local sources of small-batch or micro-batch roasted coffee (scroll to bottom) is not nearly an exhaustive, definitive directory. Please send additions or suggestions to agalarneau@buffnews.com, and I will be updating the list after I confirm information.

Recipes: Roasted Tomatoes with Orange and Cardamom, and Waffles, from 'Intolerant Gourmet'

Here's two recipes from Barbara Kafka's "Intolerant Gourmet," featured in today's Buffalo News. Her waffles are pretty straightforward, except for the flour substitutions to make them gluten-free. But orange and cardamom with cherry tomatoes? "An unusual set of seasonings, but the tomatoes seem to enjoy them," Kafka writes. "I do."

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Orange and Cardamom
(Serves 4 to 6)

2 pints stemmed cherry tomatoes (ample 4 cups)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
5 strips orange zest, each 1/4 inch wide and 3 inches long
5 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and each cut lengthwise into 4 pieces
10 cardamom pods, hit with the flat of a knife to liberate about 2 teaspoons seeds

Heat the oven to 500°F with a rack in the center.

Put the tomatoes into a shallow 9-×-13-inch roasting pan. Add the olive oil and roll the tomatoes in it until thoroughly coated. Sprinkle with the salt. Roast for 10 minutes.

Shake the pan to turn the tomatoes around. Add the orange zest, garlic, and cardamom pods and seeds around the tomatoes so that they are resting on the pan. Roast for 15 minutes.

Waffles
(Makes eight 5-by-6-inch waffles)

The author writes: "These are so good that my husband ate the entire batch covered in maple syrup while I was out of the kitchen fixing my computer.

They are light and elegant and could equally well serve as a dessert if topped with Raspberry Sauce (page 199) or Chocolate Sauce (page 199). If your friends love these, make double or triple the dry ingredients and store until you’re ready to make a batch.

It is true that the variety of flours may be new; but today most of them are available at markets, and in health-food stores or on the web."

1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour
1/2 cup potato starch
3/4 cup white rice flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups coconut milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon safflower oil
Turn a waffle iron to high.

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In another bowl, whisk the coconut milk, eggs, and 3/8 cup of the oil together. Then whisk the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until well combined.

Evenly brush both the top and bottom of the hot waffle iron with 1 to 2 teaspoons of the remaining oil. Pour 1/2 cup batter for each waffle (the iron we used makes two waffles at a time; if yours is much smaller, use 1/3 cup batter) and close the waffle iron. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the waffles are crisp and golden brown (the waffles are crisper when less oil is used to grease the waffle iron).

Credit: “Excerpted from The Intolerant Gourmet: Glorious Food without Gluten & Lactose by Barbara Kafka (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2011. Photographs by Johnny Miller.

NoNoo Ramen scores rave review with Japanese noodles, comfort food

Mike Andrzejewski's Cantina Loco has generated more questions and interest directed my way than any other recent Buffalo restaurant openings, but NoNoo Ramen Bar, by ex-SeaBar cook Chris Van Every, has been a close second.

It's the first dedicated Japanese-style noodle soup emporium in town, and Buffalo.com's Ben Tsujimoto has given it a rave review, with lots of pictures. Donnie Burtless and Alli Suriani at Buffalo Eats confessed to being "pretty impressed" in their review.

Besides the soup - a million times better than the cheap, artificially-flavored bricks that fuel college students - there's Japanese comfort food like okonomiyaki (savory pancakes) and crispy chicken katsu (cutlet) with Japanese curry gravy and rice.

Having worked though its "soft" opening, NoNoo is now open for lunch Thursdays and Fridays, its site says.

Full menu, liquor, bigger servings start Friday at Cantina Loco

When Cantina Loco opened with takeout in November, some of the first online customer reviews were lousy, with numerous complaints about too little food for too much money.

Chef Mike Andrzejewski took the feedback seriously, and when his Mexican-inspired place opens for real Friday, with an expanded menu, table service, and liquor, customers will see the difference, he said.

"We listened to the legitimate criticisms, and I think some of them were pretty valid," he said, "and we responded to make the food a little more value conscious, portion and pricewise."

For instance, customers get two tacos instead of one, except for the fish and Koreatown marinated steak, which are much bigger, he said. The expanded menu, starting 4 p.m. Friday, will include tamales ($6), tortas ($7), enchiladas ($7) and daily specials like mole or barbacoa.

More than 25 tequilas, and at least eight different mescals, headline the liquor selection, which will include specialty cocktails. The restaurant, at 191 Allen St., received conditional liquor license approval Wednesday, he said.

Video: Making Spanish chorizo and chickpea stew

This week's Elements column features Spanish chorizo, the cured sausage that's flavored with so much chile powder it colors every dish it's simmered in. Garbanzos con chorizo is relatively simple and rewards the beginning cook with a dish fit for dinner.

Spanish chorizo can be dulce, sweet, or picante, hot. Use whichever your palate prefers.

Here's the recipe, and the cooking video. Buen provencho.