Quick Cock-A-Leekie Soup

Cock=A=Leekie is a Scottish Soup made of Leeks and Chicken (traditionally an old Rooster), Bacon and either Rice or Barley. I used Rice to keep it Gluten Free. And, instead of cooking a whole chicken, I made it quick by using Chicken Broth and cut up Chicken Breast. It is believed that the original recipe for this soup came from France and used Onions, but the Scots substituted the more available leeks.

Cock-A-Leekie is a soup with a lovely combination of flavors and is always served on St. Andrew's Day, which is November 30th.  I'm a little early for that celebration, but it's delicious any time.  And, since my son is living in St. Andrew's, it makes me think of him when I make it. There are two secret ingredients - one is a splash of white wine, which makes it a more sophisticated soup and the other is sliced rehydrated Prunes which adds a sweet note. With so many soups in the world, this one is relatively unknown and it's definitely one I love to make!

Quick Cock-A-Leekie Soup

1 large Leek (or 2 small), root end and darker green part cut off, quartered and sliced into thin strips

6 cups Chicken Broth (preferably homemade)

1 Tablespoon Butter

4 slices of Bacon, cut into small pieces

1 small Chicken Breast cut into small pieces (at least one cup diced)

1 ounce (2 Tablespoons) White Wine

1/2 teaspoon dried Thyme

1 Bay Leaf

1 Tablespoon minced Parsley

1/4 cup Long Grain Rice

1/2 teaspoon Salt

Black Pepper to taste

Optional:  4 Prunes, rehydrated in water, seed removed and slice thin.

Wash the Leek pieces in a colander and shake to dry.  In a soup pot, melt the Butter and add in the Bacon pieces.  Cook until the Bacon is no longer pink, but no crispy.  Add in the Leeks and cook, stirring until the Leeks soften. Add in the Wine and then the Chicken Broth and add in the Thyme and Bay Leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes. Then add in the cut up Chicken, the Parsley the Rice and the Prunes if using.Turn heat up and bring back to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, cooking for an additional 15 minutes. Serve immediately. If making ahead, cook only for the first 15 minutes. Cool and refrigerate. When ready to use, reheat to boiling and then add in the Chicken, Rice, Parsley and Prunes..Sprinkle with Black Pepper to serve.

Five Element Analysis

Soup is part of the Water Element and the Bacon adds even more Water.  The Chicken and Chicken Broth contribute the Wood Element. The Fire Element is represented by the Wine the Prunes and the Black Pepper. The Leeks, Rice, Bay Leaf, Thyme and Parsley bring in the Metal Element.  Only the Earth Element is missing so be sure to serve dessert!

Lemony Collard Greens

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Well I certainly meant to post sooner but iI was in Europe and I'm sorry to say that most of the hotels I was staying at had very poor internet service so I decided until I got home and recovered from jet lag. Before I left, I made a lovely Pork Tenderloin Roast and I was cleaning out my fridge before leaving, I cooked every vegetable that was in there. I had a bunch of Collard Greens that I was going to make into soup but I sautéed it instead and made it wonderfully tart with lemon. It was so delicious!  It's a great side to serve with a fatty meat, like Pork and it was my favorite side. Like most vegetables, you don't have to do much to make it delicious. A quick sauté with Red Onions, a pinch of salt and sugar, a small amount of Chicken Broth and a squeeze of a fresh Lemon. That's it and it is wonderful. I will be making this version of Collard Greens more often!

Lemony Collard Greens

1 bunch Collard Greens, washed

1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1/3 cup Chicken Broth

Juice of 1 small Lemon

1/4 teaspoon Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Salt

Pull the leaf part of the Collard Greens off of the stems. Roll up each leaf and slice (Chiffonade) finely into ribbons. Cut in half lengthwise if they are too long to manage 

n a large frying pan, heat the Oil and add the Red Onions. Cook until they become soft.  Add in the Collard Greens and sauté until soft. Sprinkle with the Salt and Sugar and add in the Chicken Broth. Cook, stirring until the Chicken Broth is mostly absorbed and sprinkle on the Lemon Juice. Serve immediately.

Five Element Analysis

As a leafy green. Collards belong to the Wood Element and the Chicken Broth and Lemon Juice adds even more  The only other major ingredient is the Red Onions which contribute the Metal Element so this is a good dish to serve with Pork or Fish, which are Water Foods. The meal should also have some Earth and Fire foods to create a balanced meal.  

Milk Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

I’ve been meaning to post more recipes for several weeks now, but life just got incredibly busy. I now have a backlog of recipes to start posting and today I will begin with the sweetest!

When I was a child, I rarely ate cake since I have a Chinese Mother and she didn’t like sweets. I remember her trying to bake cakes with recipes from her neighborhood friends but she never used frosting because she thought it was way too sweet.  I grew up thinking that cake was supposed to be served without frosting and my friend’s birthday cakes were strange with all that frosting on top.  That kind of frosting from a can made my teeth hurt!  That was before I had frosting made from scratch.  Whipped Cream frosting is still my favorite but a homemade Buttercream Frosting is really good too. 

Last month, it was my friend Kelly’s birthday and it occurred on the day of a class. So I made cupcakes for us all. I knew that her Mom used to make Yellow Cake with Chocolate frosting. I also know that her favorite kind of chocolate is Milk Chocolate so I made cupcakes from Gluten Free mix for Yellow Cake and surprised her with Milk Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.  It was delicious. And to satisfy the Dark Chocolate lovers, I grated Dark Chocolate over the frosted Cupcakes. I like to lightly frost cupcakes so there was plenty left to spoon into a bowl for those frosting lovers who spread it on the bottom half of their cupcakes. This recipe was a winner with Kelly and me!

Milk Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

4 – 5 ounces high quality Milk Chocolate

2 sticks unsalted Butter (8 ounces) at room temperature

2 ½ cups Powdered Sugar

¼ cup heavy Whipping Cream

½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Optional:  2 ounces Dark Chocolate grated or Chocolate Sprinkles

Place a heatproof bowl over a small pan of boiling water. Add in the Chocolate and stir with a spatula until melted.  Remove and set aside.

In a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, put in the softened Butter and Powdered Sugar. Mix until light and fluffy.  Then add in the melted Chocolate, Whipping Cream and Vanilla Extract.  Mix until thoroughly combined. Use immediately or refrigerate and bring back to room temperature to frost cupcakes.

Once frosted, use a microplane grater and grate the Dark Chocolate on top of the frosted cupcakes.

Five Element Analysis

This is a very sweet dessert topping so you know that it belongs to the Earth Element and the Powdered Sugar and Milk Chocolate are the Earthy ingredients although the Chocolate also contributes some Fire.  The Butter, Whipped Cream and Vanilla Extract all belong to the Metal Element.  The Gluten Free Cake mix is primarily made of Rice Flour, which is also Metallic.  So be sure to serve these cupcakes after a meal that is composed of some Water and Wood foods and some Fire foods too.

Riced Cauliflower Pilaf

I hesitate to call this dish Cauliflower Rice because I don't think it tastes anything like Rice, but it is a very delicious way to cook chopped up Cauliflower that looks like Rice.  And, since ricing is considered a process of making things into small pieces about the size of rice, Riced Cauliflower just seems like a more authentic name. In any case, I was at Trader Joe's this week and I saw a bag of Riced Cauliflower and had to buy it. I considered making a salad out of it (previous post) but I wanted to make a side dish for a roast, so I cooked it Pilaf style, which means that I sautéed it in butter along with Green Onion and shredded Carrots. Then I steamed it very quickly with some Chicken Broth. It cooked so fast that I was astonished - a total of 5 minutes of steaming and it was done! It was wonderful and also beautiful. I have to admit I like the convenience of buying the Cauliflower already cut up, but if you do it yourself, start with one big Cauliflower and chop it up by hand or in a food processor. It's a very tasty way of serving Cauliflower!

Riced Cauliflower

1 16oz bag of Riced Cauliflower - or about 4 cups chopped florets

4 Green Onions, chopped into small pieces

1 small Carrot, shredded

3 Tablespoons of Butter or Ghee

1/2 cup Chicken Broth

scant 1/2 teaspoon Salt if desired (I used low salt Chicken Broth so needed more)

Melt the Butter in a large frying pan (with a lid) on medium high.  Add in the Green Onions, Carrots and Cauliflower and stir until you can smell the Green Onion fragrance. Then add in the Chicken Broth and Salt. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes or until the Cauliflower is barely soft.

Five Element Analysis

Cauliflower is one of the few Metal Vegetables and the Green Onions and Butter add even more so this is a very Metallic dish. The Chicken Broth brings in the Wood Element and the Carrot contributes some Earth. So this would be good side to a meal that has Fire foods (like a salad) and perhaps a Water Element main like Fish to create a balanced Five Element meal.

Salisbury Steak

Remember TV Dinners? I used to have to eat them when my parents went out and we had a babysitter.  The only one I could stand was Salisbury Steak, usually served with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. For some reason, I really like gravy and it can clearly cover up a multitude of flaws in a dish. Then one day when I was a few years past needing a babysitter, I was reading a cookbook (I read them for fun then and now), and I discovered a recipe for Salisbury Steak that I just had to make. I remember it being so good that my Father asked me to make it again and I was so  proud of myself for making another dish that he liked!  I've made it many times after that but it's been such a long time since I made it. I was telling my son about it the other day, so we made it. He thought it was like the Hawaiian plate lunch Loco Moco, minus the Rice, the fried Egg and Macaroni Salad. Add those and it will be pretty authentic, as well as being Gluten Free! My son declared it delicious and this dish will now be back in the rotation after a very long break. It's definitely comfort food!

Salisbury Steak

1 pound Ground Beef

1 ½ teaspoons Lawry’s Seasoned Salt (or use regular Salt and Garlic Powder)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon Tamari or Soy Sauce

1 Egg

1/3 cup dry Gluten Free Bread Crumbs

1 large Onion, grated and divided 2/3 and 1/3

1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

2 Tablespoons Sweet (Sticky) Rice Flour, often called Mochi Flour

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 1/2 cups Beef Broth (you can use Water and Bouillon Cubes)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the Ground Beef, Seasoned Salt, Worcestershire and Tamari along with the Egg, Bread Crumbs and 1/3 cup of grated Onion with your hands until fully mixed.  Shape into 4 oval Salisbury Steak Patties.

Heat a large frying pan on medium high heat and add in the Oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Then place the Salisbury Steak patties on the pan and cook on one side until browned and turn over and cook until browned on the other side (they will still be very pink in the middle). Remove and place in a  8 or 9 inch square baking pan.

Turn down the heat to medium and add the Butter and put in the 2/3 cup of grated Onion. Cook until Onion gets soft and caramelized, about 5 minutes, being sure to scrape up all the browned bits. Then sprinkle on the Rice Flour and stir in - it will clump. Then add the Beef Broth smooth out the lumps and cook until the sauce has thickened and made a thin gravy.

Pour the Gravy over the Patties and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for one hour. Serve with Potatoes, Noodles or Rice a Fried Egg and Macaroni Salad if you want it to become Loco Moco.

Five Element Analysis

This recipe is very Earthy as Beef and Beef Broth are both from the Earth Element and if you serve it with Potatoes, it gets even Earthier. The Worcestershire Sauce, Tamari and Egg contribute the Water Element.  The Onion, Rice Flour (or Rice if you serve it) and the Gluten Free Bread Crumbs (made mostly out of Rice Flour) and the Butter add the Metal Element.  The Fire Element is missing so it would be good to serve this dish with a Lettuce Salad with Tomatoes and also be sure to add some the Wood Element to the meal by also serving a green vegetable like Green Beans or Broccoli too to create a Five Element balance!

Gluten Free Shortbread with Strawbery Curd

Since going totally Gluten Free, there are a few things that I really miss and one of them is a good Shortbread Cookie. I know you can buy Gluten Free Shortbread at the store, but nothing beats homemade. And, I don't know why I haven't made it before. It's one of those cookies that's not trow sweet, but oh so good with a cup of tea and when you add Lemon Curd or Raspberry Curd on top, it becomes divine!  I finally made some yesterday and it turned out so good that I had to share it with you.

I simply adapted a recipe I had for Shortbread that was for Wheat Flour and exchanged it for Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 for 1 Baking Flour. I used Powdered Sugar because I think it gives the Shortbread a lighter texture than using regular Sugar. The Shortbread came out with just enough chew to keep from being crumbly and the Strawberry Curd was so good! When I've made Curd before it was usually Raspberry, so this was a nice change and Strawberries worked so much better than I expected!  Please note that I don't strain the fruit as I like the texture of the whole fruit better although it doesn't come out as smooth as the store bought version. I like to serve the Shortbread with a dollop of Curd on top, although you could make it prettier by spreading it all over. I think this is a perfect cookie for afternoon tea!

Gluten Free Shortbread

14 ounces unsalted Butter, softened

1 ½ cups Powdered Sugar

3 cups Gluten Free Flour (I used Bob's Red Mill GF 1 to 1 Baking Flour)

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

Pinch of Salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease the bottom of an 8x8 inch square pan with Butter.

Cream the Butter and Sugar together until fluffy.  Mix in the Flour and Baking Powder and mix – the dough will be crumbly.

Pour into the pan and pat into place. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until the top is very lightly golden brown.  Cool and cut into squares. 

Strawberry Curd

8 ounces of Strawberries, washed, hulled and cut into small pieces

1 Tablespoon of Water

2 ½ Tablespoons Sugar

1 Tablespoon Salted Butter, cut into small pieces

1 Large Egg, beaten

Mash Strawberries in a bowl and add water. Then pour into a small frying pan. Heat until boiling and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 3 minutes and then add the Butter. Cook until the Butter melts. Let cool for 15 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the Egg.  Add ¼ cup of the Strawberry mixture to the Egg and stir thoroughly.  Then add the rest of the Strawberry Puree to the Egg. Then pour into a heat-proof bowl that fits on top of a saucepan.

Fill the Saucepan with about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer. Place the bowl on top and stir frequently for 10 – 12 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Be careful not to let it curdle. 

Five Element Analysis

As a dessert, there is plenty of Sugar that makes this Shortbread with Strawberry Curd an Earth food. The Gluten Free Flour is primarily made of Rice that brings in the Metal Element along with the Butter. The Fire Element is well represented but the Strawberries and the Water Element is a little deficient as only the Egg is a Water food. And, the Wood Element is missing. So, be sure to serve this after a meal where there is plenty of Water and Wood foods.  

Deviled Baked Beans

I grew up with a Father that loved the foods from his childhood - mostly Pennsylvania Dutch foods and a Mother who didn't want to cook them - she only cooked Chinese food and she was very good at it. As I was a Daddy's girl, I learned fairly early those foods to make him happy. One of the earliest ones I learned was Deviled Baked Beans. He actually taught me how to make it but there was one important difference from the kind he grew up with. My Grandmother would make Baked Beans from scratch, using dried Navy Beans or Lima Beans that would first soak and then later be cooked for hours and then put into a sweet and sour sauce that included molasses and then baked. 

So this became the compromise and has that lovely sweet and sour taste that the Pennsylvania Dutch love. I think my father found this recipe in the Los Angeles Times Cooking Section, but I really don't know where it came from exactly and it was a very long time ago. For some reason, I also memorized it!  I still cook these Baked Beans in my father's favorite Corning Ware baking dish and it makes me nostalgic every time I make it as it reminds me of him.  He loved this dish and so do I.  It's such an easy recipe and so tasty!  It is a great side dish for a barbecue and according to several of my English friends, it's quite good leftover and put on toast as they have done that when they've stayed over but that's something I haven't tried yet!

Deviled Baked Beans

2 slices thick sliced Bacon or 4 - 5 thin slices

1 16 oz can Baked Beans (I used Bush's)

1/4 cup minced Onion

1/4 cup minced Green Pepper

2 Tablespoons Ketchup

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tablespoon Yellow Mustard

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the bacon into small pieces and cook in a frying pan until the fat is rendered and the bacon pieces are crispy. Remove the bacon pieces from the fat and reserve. Add int he Onions and Green Pepper and cook until the Onions are soft.  Pour in the can of Baked Beans and then add int he Ketchup, Worcestershire Sauce and Yellow Mustard. Bring to a boil and then pour into a baking dish. 

Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges look a little dried out. Sprinkle with the Bacon Crumbles and serve.

Five Element Analysis

Beans belong to the Water Element and so does the Bacon and the Worcestershire Sauce, so this is a very Watery dish!  The Green Pepper contributes a bit of the Fire Element and the Ketchup adds even more. There's quite a bit of Brown Sugar in the canned Baked Beans so that brings in the Earth Element. And, finally the Metal Element is represented by the Onion and Mustard. Only the Wood Element is missing so be sure to serve this dish alongside some green vegetables or BBQ chicken or both to create a Five Element balance.