Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 8ounces fresh mushrooms
• 2tablespoons onions, chopped
• 1 -2garlic clove, minced
• 2tablespoons butter
• 2 -3tablespoons flour (separated)
• 2cups chicken broth
• 1cup light cream or 1 cupevaporated milk
• 1⁄2teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4teaspoon pepper
• 1⁄4teaspoon nutmeg

  DIRECTIONS

  1. Cut the mushrooms into slices.
  2. Melt butter in large frying pan. Add in onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook until onions are soft.
  3. Blend in 2 T. flour and stir.
  4. Add in the chicken broth and heat until slightly thickened while stirring frequently.
  5. Stir cream with additional 1 T. flour and seasonings. Add in cream to soup. Heat to thicken while stirring frequently.
  6. Serve and enjoy!

Chinese Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce

INGREDIENTSNutrition

• For the Stir-Fry

• 1lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (skinless boneless breast substitution ok)
• 6tablespoons cornstarch
• 1large onion, diced
• 1cup frozen peas and carrot
• cooking oil
• hot steamed rice

• For the Sauce

• 1⁄4cup oyster sauce
• 1teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1teaspoon black pepper
• 1⁄2teaspoon white pepper
• 1teaspoon rice wine or 1 teaspoon sake

  DIRECTIONS

  1. Note: This recipe calls for boneless thigh meat, which is preferred, but I tried using breast meat and the result was fine also.
  2. Mix together sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
  3. Cut chicken into a small dice, about 1/4-inch.
  4. Heat 1-2 cups peanut or other cooking oil in your wok.
  5. Place cornstarch in a small bowl and begin to dust chicken pieces, shaking off excess.
  6. Fry in hot oil in small batches until crispy and golden, about 2-3 minutes; drain.
  7. Remove oil from wok and discard.
  8. Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok and stir-fry onion about 1 minute; add peas and carrots and cook another 30 seconds.
  9. Add sauce mixture to wok along with chicken pieces and stir to coat everything evenly.
  10. Serve at once with hot steamed rice.

Sea bass with sizzled ginger, chilli & spring onions

Ingredients

• 6 x sea bass fillets, about 140g/5oz each, skin on and scaled
• about 3 tbsp sunflower oil
  
• large knob of ginger
  
  , peeled and shredded into matchsticks
• 3 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 3 fat, fresh red chilli deseeded and thinly shredded
• bunch spring onion
  
  , shredded long-ways
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

  Method

  1. Season the fish with salt and pepper, then slash the skin 3 times. Heat a heavy-based frying pan and add 1 tbsp oil. Once hot, fry the fish, skin-side down, for 5 mins or until the skin is very crisp and golden. The fish will be almost cooked through. Turn over, cook for another 30 secs-1 min, then transfer to a serving plate and keep warm. You’ll need to fry the fish in 2 batches.
  2. Heat the remaining oil, then fry the ginger, garlic and chillies for about 2 mins until golden. Take off the heat and toss in the spring onions. Splash the fish with a little soy sauce and spoon over the contents of the pan.

Peking-style noodles

Ingredients

• 350g fresh or dried egg noodles
• 1½ tbsp sesame oil
• 1½ tbsp groundnut oil
• 1½ tbsp finely chopped garlic
  
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh root ginger
• 3 tbsp finely chopped spring onions
  
• 450g minced pork
• 3 tbsp yellow bean sauce
• 1 tbsp chilli bean sauce
• 1½ tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshy ground black pepper
  
• 2 tsp chilli
  
   oil (optional)
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 300ml chicken stock preferably homemade
• 3 tbsp coarsely chopped spring onions
  
  , to serve

  Method

  1. If you are using fresh noodles, blanch them first for 3-5 minutes in boiling water. If you are using dried noodles, cook them in boiling water according to packet instructions.
  2. Plunge them in cold water, drain thoroughly, toss them in the sesame oil and set aside until you are ready to use them. Covered with cling film, they can be kept for up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
  3. Heat a wok or large frying pan until hot. Add the groundnut oil and, when it is very hot, add the garlic, ginger and spring onions. Stir fry for 15 seconds, then add the pork. Stir well to break up and stir fry for 2 minutes or more until the pork loses its pink colour.
  4. Add the rest of the ingredients except the spring onion garnish, stirring all the time. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down low and simmer for 5 minutes.
  5. Plunge the noodles into boiling water for 30 seconds or until they are just heated through, then drain well in a colander or sieve. Quickly tip the noodles into a large bowl and pour the hot sauce over the top. Mix everything together loosely then sprinkle on the spring onions and serve.

Festive golden five-spice chicken

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thigh and 8 drumsticks, skin on
• 3 spring onion
  
  , shredded, to finish

For the marinade

• 4 tbsp groundnut oil
• 6 garlic clove, finely chopped
• finger-length piece fresh root ginger
  
  , grated
• 4 tbsp Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry
• 4 tbsp light soy sauce
  
• 4 tbsp clear honey
  
• 4 tsp five spice powder

  Method

  1. Whisk together the marinade ingredients, put the chicken into a dish, then pour over the marinade, mixing to coat. Cover, then chill for at least 20 mins, or up to a day if you have time.
  2. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4, and lift the chicken out of the marinade into a roasting tin. Roast for 40 mins, pour over the remaining marinade, then cook for a further 30 mins until golden and sticky. Sprinkle with the spring onion, then serve.