This soup was surprisingly good. It had a very mild flavor and was exactly what I needed tonight.
Pork and Chinese Cabbage Simmered Udon Soup 豚肉と白菜の煮込みうどん オレンジページCooking 冬レシピ２００９ (Orange Page Cooking - Winter Recipes 2009)
2 packs of precooked udon noodles 150g shaved pork (しょうが焼き用肉) 4 Chinese Cabbage leaves 2/3 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons cooking sake 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil dash of black pepper 4 cups water
Cut the chinese cabbage leaves into 3-4cm squares. Add chinese cabbage, pork, water and sake to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 10 minutes, skimming of any scum that forms on top. Add the udon noodles and simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn off heat, add sesame oil, salt and pepper. Serve.
1 cup dried mushrooms (I used dried shitakes)
2 cup boiling water
3 T olive oil (more or less, depending on your pan and whether you're using the butter)
2 tsp. butter (I used half butter and half olive oil)
1 large onion, cut into thin half-slices
12 oz. fresh mushroom, thickly sliced (I used enoki mushrooms)
4 cups chicken stock 1 tsp. dried parsley (I skipped this)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 T good quality balsamic vinegar, for drizzling over soup when you serve it
Bring 2 cups water to a boil, then put dried mushrooms into a plastic bowl and pour boiling water over. Let mushrooms soak 30 minutes, while you prep other ingredients.
Peel onion and cut in half lengthwise, then cut each half into thin slices. Wash mushrooms, drain in colander, and then cut into thick slices. Heat 2 T olive oil (plus 1 tsp. butter if you're using it) in the bottom of a heavy soup pot big enough to hold all the soup. Saute onions about about five minutes, until they're well softened but not browned. Add 1 more T olive oil if you think you need it (plus 1 tsp. more butter if you're using it). Add sliced fresh mushrooms and saute about 8 minutes, until mushrooms have released all their liquid and it has mostly been evaporated.
Add dried mushrooms, mushrooms soaking water (strained through cheesecloth or a coffee filter if it needs it), chicken stock, and dried or fresh parsley. Bring soup to a very gentle simmer and cook uncovered for about one hour. After an hour (when soup should have reduced by at least 1/4) taste for flavor, and add salt and fresh ground black pepper as needed. If the soup doesn't seem flavorful enough, cook a bit longer to reduce a little more. When soup has a good mushroom flavor, puree either by using an immersion blender to puree soup in the pot, or by carefully removing hot soup to a food processor or regular blender to puree. (Be very careful if using food processor or blender. Puree in batches, and don't overfill the container.)
Serve hot (reheat if needed after pureeing in food processor or blender). Drizzle a little good quality balsamic vinegar over each bowl of soup as you serve it.
This recipe makes enough for two. You shouldn't need to add anything to the water you cook the meatballs in. It becomes a light but flavorful broth after you add salt. I actually forgot the salt a first and added a dash of soy sauce.
200g soba noodles 150g ground chicken dash of pepper 2 tablespoons cooking sake 1 tablespoon soy sauce 15g bread crumbs (I used two tablespoons) 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1/4 bunch of spinach or other leafy green vegetable for topping salt to taste
Mix the chicken,pepper, sake, soy sauce, bread crumbs and sesame oil in a boil. Bring four cups of water to a boil over medium heat. Using a tablespoon, make meatballs and drop them into the boiling water. Simmer for ten minutes. Add salt to taste. Blanche the spinach by dipping it in the broth for a couple seconds until wilted. Chop into bite sized pieces.
Boil water and cook soba noodles as per package directions. Place noodles in a bowl and add meatballs and their broth. Top with spinach.
From the magazine オレンジページCooking - 冬レシピ2009 (Orange Page Cooking - Winter Recipes 2009). Originally published in Japanese.
This was really, really good. I made enough meatballs and broth for a second meal for one. I can't wait to eat it again.
Pork and Chinese Cabbage Simmered Udon Soup
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