Soup or Stew

Ingredients 3 lbs bone in chicken thighs 5 cups unsalted chicken stock 1 tbsp butter 1 huge russet potato, diced 3 medium carrots, diced 3 celery ribs, diced 1 humongous onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 bay leaves Pinch dried thyme 1/2 cup all purpose flour (less not more) 1 cup frozen green peas Salt and pepper to taste Dough: 2 cups all purpose flour 1 tbsp baking powder (not soda) 1 tsp salt 3/4 cup milk 2 tbsp butter 1 tbsp olive oil Optional: salt and fish sauce for table side seasoning ...

Ingredients 2 lbs chicken thighs with bone 2 tsp salt 2 tsp pepper 1 tbsp olive oil 1 huge onion, diced 4 garlic cloves, minced 3 huge carrots, thinly sliced 3 celery stalks, chopped 1/4 cup fresh parsley 1 tbsp minced thyme, or half tbsp dried/ground 1 bay leaf 7-8 cups chicken stock, use kitchen basics 6 oz egg noodles Salt and pepper to taste Garnish with grated parmesan and sriracha to taste Instructions In saute mode, saute oil, onions, garlic for few minutes. Stir in carrots, celery, herbs and spices Add chicken stock, chicken. Cover and pressure cook for 15 minutes Turn off and open pressure release nozzle Remove chicken and debone Put back on saute mode and when simmering add noodles. Cook for 6 minutes and then turn pot off Add in the parsley Serve with parmesan and sriracha at the table

Ingredients 2 lb spicy italian sausage 3 cups diced yellow onion 2.5 cups diced carrot 2 cups diced celery 6 cloves minced garlic 2, 32 oz chicken stock cartons 1, 15-oz can diced tomatoes drained 4 tsp basic sugar 3 tsp dried basil 3 tsp dried oregano 1.5 tsp dried thyme Salt and pepper to taste 2 cup dry ditalini pasta 1, 15-oz can red kidney beans drained and rinsed 1, 15-oz can great northern white beans drained and rinsed Optional 6 tbsp minced fresh parsley Parmesan to serve Instructions Brown meat in huge pot with a couple tbsp olive oil. When ~? cooked or so add all the veggies. Cook until tender or at least mostly there. Add everything through the salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer 10 minutes. Add the pasta and simmer another 15 min. Add beans and parsley and simmer one more minute. Serve in bowls with parmesan to add to taste. Notes It is easy to vary the proportions. More pasta, less. More beans or less. More veggies is what I usually do.

Ingredients Broth: 2 tbl vegetable oil 1 large onion, cut in half 1 small hand ginger (few inches at least), roughly sliced 1 bunch cilantro 3 star anise pods 1 cinnamon stick 4 cloves 1 tsp fennel seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds 8 cups of water 6-8 chicken drumsticks (or thighs) 1/4 cup fish sauce 2 tbl rock sugar For serving: 4 servings pho noodles prepared according to package directions 1 small red onion thinly sliced 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (white only) 2 cups mixed herbs Cilantro, basil mint 2 cups bean sprouts 1 jalapeño sliced Lime wedges Hoisin sauce and Siracha Instructions Heat oil in pressure cooker (on sauté mode) on high heat until smoking. Add halved onions, ginger, and cook without moving until well charred (~5 minutes). Take this step seriously, more char is good, make it smoke! Lower heat if smoking excessively. Add rest of broth ingredients to pot. Seal pressure cooker and set for high pressure and heat for 30 minutes. Note: time does not include time it takes to get to pressure/temperature. When done, release pressure valve (for electric pressure cookers) and wait until safe to open. Cook noodles according to package directions and set aside. Get ready other serving ingredients and set aside. After opening pressure cooker, remove chicken to cutting board and debone it. Rest of broth should be put through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pot. Discard anything caught in the strainer. To serve: split noodles, chicken, sliced onion, green onion into bowls. Pour broth into bowls. Serve and individuals add herbs, sprouts, peppers, lime, and sauces as desired.

Ingredients 1 lb peeled shrimp (can be frozen) 1 lb sliced andouille sausage 1 lb white fish (cod, tilapia, whatever) (can be frozen) 1 bundle of green onions, sliced small 1 bell pepper, diced 1 diced yellow onion 1-3 sticks celery, diced small 2 tbsp cajun seasoning (split usage) 1 tbsp or so tomato paste 1 can diced tomatoes drained (doesn’t have to be drained super well) 8 oz clam juice 4 cups seafood stock (kitchen basics is best, other stock can be substituted if necessary) 1-2 bay leaves 1-2 cups white rice cooked according to package directions Instructions In large pot, brown sausage with oil. After browned, remove sausage but LEAVE drippings Add more olive oil and cook all veggies until mostly soft. Add half cajun seasoning Add tomato paste and cook another minute stirring often Add diced tomatoes through bay leaves and bring to a simmer Add sausage back along with all fish. Add last half cajun seasoning. Add garlic salt and black pepper here to taste if desired (not required) Simmer for 20 minutes. Don’t overcook or the shrimp become rubbery! Serve over white rice

Ingredients 4 chicken thighs (or two breasts but thighs are better) Salt and pepper 1 tbsp butter 2 tsp vegetable oil 2 inches fresh ginger, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp mirin 4 cups good chicken stock (kitchen basics) Salt to taste 2 packs dried ramen noodles (or equivalent in rice noodles) Veggies (at least 2-3 cups of following, your choice): spinach, green onions thinly chopped, jalapeño, peeled carrot (with a potato peeler), can sweet corn (this is really good in this), diced sweet peppers (the kind that don’t need to be cooked), thinly sliced red onion Instructions With butter in medium sized soup pot, cook chicken on both sides (few minutes each) until golden. Make sure to season generously with salt and pepper. Then transfer to sheet and cook in oven another 15 minutes or so until well cooked. Slice or shred and set aside In same pot on medium heat, heat oil and saute garlic and ginger for a few minutes until soft. Add soy sauce and mirin and cook 1 more minute. Add broth and simmer for 15 minutes Cook noodles separately according to package directions Veggies: If any of them need it, saute briefly with sesame seed oil and rice vinegar. This does add a nice flavor and definitely do this if making vegetarian Assemble bowls with mix of veggies, noodles, and chicken. Pour boiling broth on it all and serve. Top with jalapeño at table as desired Notes To make vegetarian, skip the chicken and use very good veggie broth instead of chicken. In this case make sure you saute briefly any veggies with the sesame seed oil and rice vinegar (not much of each and just enough to get the flavor). This adds a nice richness in flavor Cook the noodles separate and not in the broth to conserve water of broth and stretch this to two servings

Ingredients Olive oil for cooking (just a few tbsp at most) 1.5 pounds chicken thighs cut into 0.5" chunks Salt and pepper to taste (for the chicken) 5 cloves garlic minced 1 red or orange bell pepper, diced 1 onion diced 4 tbsp red curry paste (or most of a small bottle) 2 tbsp grated or minced ginger 6 cups chicken broth 1 can coconut milk (full fat) 7 oz rice noodles 2 tbsp fish sauce 3 tsp brown sugar 6 green onions sliced small 1/2 cup chopped cilantro 1/2 cup chopped basil 2.5 tbsp lime juice Instructions In a large pot over med-high heat, heat oil and pan fry the chicken until golden. You don’t have to fully cook. Set aside but leave the drippings in pot Add garlic, pepper, and onion. Cook until tender Ginger and curry paste. Stir for <1 minute until fragrant Add chicken broth, coconut milk, and partly cooked chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes to soak in the flavors and finish cooking the chicken Add noodles, fish sauce and brown sugar. Cook until noodles are tender (~5 minutes or so, check package) Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients and stir well Serve Notes If you want to do bone-in chicken and get much better chicken broth in the process. Add 6 thighs (with salt, pepper, dash of dried basil) to a pressure cooker with 4 cup package of good chicken broth (kitchen basics is the best). Pressure cook high for 30 minutes. Then debone the chicken and add all chicken and broth to pot. This gives it all a richer flavor

Ingredients 1 yellow onion chopped 4 garlic cloves minced 3 carrots chopped 3 tsp oregano 1.5 tsp cumin 1 tsp rosemary (or more) 1 tsp red pepper flakes 2 bay leaves 1-1.5 cup crushed tomatoes from a can 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (buy the good stuff not the cheap salt variety) 1-1.5 cup red lentils Salt and pepper to taste Few tbsp lemon juice Optional toppings: Feta cheese, greek rice, crackers, bread Instructions Heat oil in big pot and saute onion, garlic and carrots for a few minutes on med-high heat Add spices and bay leaves and stir a few seconds. Quickly add tomatoes, broth and lentils before spices burn Simmer for 15-20 minutes until lentils are fully cooked Using an immersion blender (or blender) pulse until you get it as smooth as you want it Add lemon juice and serve with optional toppings available

Ingredients 4 lb tomatoes (any type) 3 tbsp olive oil divided Salt and pepper to taste when called for 1 huge yellow onion, diced 7 cloves garlic minced 1 tsp smoked paprika 1-2 tsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste 4 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth works too) 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves chopped Optional toppings: parmesan, drizzle of olive oil or cream, sour cream, basil Serve with garlic bread, grilled ham/cheese sandwiches or crackers. ...

Ingredients Oil 1 large onion diced well 4-5 garlic cloves minced 1 bell pepper diced roughly 1 tbsp minced ginger 1 tbsp lemon juice 3 tomatoes diced 1.5 lb large shrimp deveined and shelled 1 can coconut milk 0.5 cup water or chicken broth 1 bunch of cilantro (use half in dish and half at table) 1/2 lb white fish (tilapia, cod, whatever) 2 tbsp lime juice 1-2 cups steamed rice ...