Challenge yourself: West African Chicken Stew!

 Challenge yourself: West African Chicken Stew!

Lifevolution on YouTube!

Sofrito Lovers,

The kitchen can be an arena where you can challenge yourself to achieve culinary greatness!  It's a space to let creativity flow, for evolution to occur, and to meet the daunting task of cooking head-on.  I dare you to push yourself past your own preconceived limits and embrace the aroma and flavors of West African-inspired chicken stew.

As posted above, this recipe might seem complex and scary, but that's where the fun lies.  Give yourself permission to succeed and fail.  As Cliche as it is, you learn more from failure than you do from success.  But, damn it, success feels good, right? And, if you end up with a delectable dish, then the victory is all the more sweet-technically, savory for this dish.

Watch this video and cook the recipe.  The first time I prepared this red delicacy, it was okay, but by the second and third, it was wonderful.  I tried, learned, adapted, and tried again.  That's the secret to lip-smacking cooking: Trial and error!  It's also the secret to life; how philosophical of me, huh?

Go taste and TRY FOR YOURSELF!  ¡Buen provecho!

NYC Wine and Food Festival 2023

 NYC Wine and Food Festival 2023

Sofrito Lovers,

It's time for the NYC Wine and Food Festival, the most amazing foodie event of the year!

The NYC Wine and Food Festival is full of amazing cooking demonstrations, tantalizing tastings, and incredibly entertaining workshops.  You can meet your favorite celebrity chefs and taste their wonderful food.  You can take a workshop with your favorite lifestyle guru and learn a million and one crafts.  Are you hooked yet?  If not, then click this link and read all about this year's festival.

I intend to purchase my ticket tonight before I end up on one of those dreaded wait lists, which they never call from, by the way.  I hope to see you there!  You can find me faithfully stalking my sexy Chef Tom from Top Chef. 

Go taste for yourself!  ¡Buen Provecho!

Click here for your tickets

WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH $100?

 WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH $100?

Sofrito Lovers,

Watch me chomp on a chuleta (pork chop), ramble on about my life, and ask your input on what I should do with this $100 gift card I received.  Should I buy some fancy gourmet food?  Buy some groceries?  Buy my fiance a gift?

 

Happy Potato Month: SOUTH AMERICAN POTATO DISHES!

 Happy Potato Month: SOUTH AMERICAN POTATO DISHES!

Sofrito Lovers,

September isn't just National Chicken Month; it's also National Potato Month, and what type of foodie would I be if I ignored the impact this amazing tuber has had on the world?

I am a potato head (not the toy, silly) who thoroughly enjoys the myriad potato-based dishes from around the world.  So I feel obliged to declare this week Sofrito Potato Week (I have no creativity whatsoever) and will be sharing all the spud-based recipes and informative articles I can.

Did you know that potatoes were the first vegetables grown in space? Were you aware that the Irish potato famine gave rise to the field of plant pathology?  Fascinating, huh?  You'll learn more about this underground-growing wonder all this week.  I swear, it's more exciting than it sounds!

Take a look at the article below from tasteatlas.com and enjoy these South American potato recipes, some of which are thousands of years old.  Did you know that potatoes are originally from South America?

Go taste for yourself!  ¡Buen Provecho!

Popeyes Sweet 'N Spicy Wings Review: This Sweet And Smoky Sauce Has The Kick We Crave

 Popeyes Sweet 'N Spicy Wings Review: This Sweet And Smoky Sauce Has The Kick We Crave.

Sofrito Lovers,

I end Sofrito Chicken Week with a review from The Daily Meal of Popeye's new Sweet'N'Spicy Wings.  I haven't had the pleasure of trying this new foodie craze, but I have to admit that my curiosity is piqued!

The review link below was posted on the illustrious DailyMeal.com, a wonderful online source for all things food-related.  I hope when my blog grows up (and blows up), it will be as cool as this site!  I respect their food writers' opinions, but ultimately, my opinion will come from my own firsthand experience.  If I can, I will publish a mini-review or make a video on my YouTube channel-you should subscribe.

I encourage you to read the article and go try the wings out for yourself!  ¡Buen Provecho!

New Year/New Chicken Lo Mein

 New Year/New Chicken Lo Mein

Sofrito Lovers,  Watch me celebrate National Chicken Month with a delicious mukbang of Chicken Lo Mein from my local Chinese take out place in the Bronx.  Hear me rant and rave about my life-I'm fascinating!

Vietnamese Chicken Pho soup (Pho Ga)

Vietnamese Chicken Pho Soup

Sofrito Lovers,

I have decided that this week is Sofrito Chicken Week, which coincides with National Chicken Month.  To continue in line with the festivities, I introduce you to the delicious, the astounding, and the mouthwatering: Chicken Pho!

Pho is a Vietnamese soup consisting of noodles, beef (all types), herbs, spices, and a savory broth, often prepared for hours.  It's a common street food, household staple, and restaurant delicacy all wrapped up into one.  The Vietnamese diaspora has made this gift from the gods very popular throughout the world.  I will not get into the long and complicated (yet fascinating) history of this soup, but I do encourage you to google it.

Ordinarily, pho is made with a beef bone broth and contains pieces of beef; the recipe below is for chicken pho.  It isn't as popular as the beef version in the U.S., but it's still a beloved Vietnamese staple.  You can find the recipe here!

I haven't tried this recipe yet, but it's on my to-do list for this weekend.  I'm down; if you're down, let's do it!  Please let me know what you think.

Go taste for yourself!  ¡Buen Provecho!  

Vietnamese Chicken Pho soup (Pho Ga)

Recipe video above. Chicken Pho (Pho Ga) - the little sister of famous Beef Pho, equally delicious but much easier to make! I call it the Vietnamese version of homemade chicken noodle soup made from scratch. Except - dare I say it - so much more exciting!

You won't use all the chicken, but it's infused with lovely flavor so there's loads of uses - see Note 7.
Ingredients

Charred aromatics:

• 1 tbsp oil , vegetable or canola (or other plain oil)
• 2 onions , halved (skin on fine)
• 5cm/ 2" piece of ginger , sliced 0.75cm / 1/3" thick (unpeeled)

Pho Soup Broth:

• 2 litres / 2 quarts water
• 1.5 kg / 3lb chicken thighs, bone in skin on (Note 1)
• 1 small bunch coriander/cilantro (Note 2)
• 5 star anise pods (was short in photo & video!)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 8 tsp fish sauce
• 6 tsp white sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt (Cooking/kosher salt, or 1/2 tsp table salt)

Noodle Bowls:

• 360g / 13 oz dried rice noodles , thin flat (or 600g fresh)
• 2 green onions stems , finely sliced

Toppings - help yourself

• 3 cups bean sprouts (Note 3)
• 1 small bunch EACH Thai Basil, min, coriander/cilantro (Note 4)
• 2 limes , cut into 4 wedges
• Hoisin sauce
• Sriracha
• Red chillies , finely sliced (optional)

Instructions

BROTH:

• Char onion & ginger - Heat oil in a 6 litre / 6 quart pot (Note 5) over high heat. Place ginger and onion facedown, leave undisturbed for 2 minutes until they blacken. Turn and leave for another 2 minutes.
• Put everything in pot - Add water and remaining Broth ingredients EXCEPT salt. Bring it a simmer, then lower heat so it's simmering VERY gently with the lid on, but open a crack (Note 6).
• Simmer gently 1.5 hours. Scoop off scum (dirty foam) that rises to surface once or twice during the simmering.
• Strain & measure - Remove chicken, then strain broth into a clean pot - you should have 1.5 litres / 1.5 quarts. If you have more, simmer to reduce. If less, top it up with water.
• Salt broth - Add salt, bring broth to a gentle simmer. Broth should be slightly on the salty side - it dilutes when you add the noodles.
• Keep broth warm until ready to serve
• Shred chicken meat, discard bones and skin. (Note 6 Leftover Chicken ideas)

ASSEMBLING:

• Place Toppings out on the table.
• Reheat chicken (can briefly dunk in broth!).
• Prepare noodles per packet directions, just prior to serving. Drain very well (excess water dilutes broth).
• Place noodle in bowls. Top with chicken, ladle over 375ml / 1.5 cups broth. Sprinkle with green onion.
• Pile on Toppings of choice, add a squeeze of lime into the broth. Consume immediately!

Notes

1. Chicken - or a whole chicken. Don't reduce chicken weight, you will lack flavour in broth. If you're short, throw in a wing or drumstick etc to make up the weight.

Can't shortcut this with breast or boneless thigh - need to use skin on chicken with bone in so it can withstand the cook time, and also dark meat imparts way more flavour into broth.

2. Coriander/cilantro - small bunch quantity: if you bundled it all up, it should roughly equal 1 1/2 cups. Around 5cm/2" diameter around base, 20cm/8" tall (you can chop most leaves off to use for topping, and use stems plus some leaves for broth)

3. Bean sprouts - tend to be a bit floppy and smelly from non Asian stores. To perk them up, put in container, cover in water, refrigerate 12 hours. Drain, let dry then use per recipe. If you change water daily, beansprouts will keep for a week using this storage method.

4. Herbs - these 3 herbs are a classic combination for pho. If you have 2 of three, it's still going to seem like an authentic eating experience. If I really had to only pick one, I'd choose either coriander or Thai Basil. Thai Basil can be substituted with normal basil (but not if it's the only herb you're using).

5. Pot - don't use a cast iron pot as the base will be charred and you may need to scrub. Pot should be at least 6 litres/quarts big. If it's smaller, you can hold back some water and add it as the chicken shrinks/water evaporates (been there, done that!)

6. Clear broth - gentle simmer and scooping off scum is the path to a lovely clear broth!

7. Leftover chicken - you won't even use half the chicken for the Pho. Chicken nicely infused with Asian flavours, so use it for things like: fried rice, Chinese Chicken Salad, Vietnamese Noodle Salad, Peanut Noodle Salad, Chinese Corn Soup, or toss it into a Chicken Stir Fry or Stir Fried Noodles.

8. QUICK Pho using store bought chicken stock - follow recipe but make following changes:

• Do not use thighs, use 500g/1lb chicken breast instead
• Use 6 cups low sodium chicken stock + 1 cup water (instead of just water)
• Reduce fish sauce to 3 tsp, use NO salt
• Char onion & ginger per recipe
• Put all spices, stock and water in pot with breast. Simmer 10 min until breast cooked, remove and shred
• Simmer remaining liquid for 30 min with lid open ajar, reduce to 1.5L/1.5Qt. Strain, proceed with recipe (except NO extra salt in broth).

9. Servings - this will make 4 generous size servings (1.5 cups broth per person, makes a dinner size serving for a person with a very good appetite), 5 sensible servings, or 6 lighter servings (good for a light lunch).

10. Storage - make the broth and freeze for 3 months, or refrigerate up to 5 days. Reheat until piping hot. Do not be tempted to scoop off chicken fat that firms up in fridge - it's essential for flavor in broth and mouthfeel!

All toppings and noodles must be made fresh.

11. Nutrition is per serving, assuming 4 generous servings. I've had to make an educated estimate of the calories from the chicken, noting that while we extract the flavor and some of the fat into the broth, most of the chicken recipe is not used in the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 501cal | Carbohydrates: 87g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 1486mg | Potassium: 352mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 18IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 2mg