Cooking for Pickies

This is not a food blog. This is a blog about Life as an Allbritton, which is in constant flux. This week (and last week) they were grounded from computer and video games because they got in their eleventh fight of the week over the computer. Punches were thrown. My sister was bitten. But today they came home with all A's and B's on their report cards and notes from their teachers reprieving them from parent-teacher conferences, so they get ninety minutes on the computer tonight so their dad and I can watch the BCS in peace because we believe in rewarding good behavior and academic performance.

Santa brought the uniforms. Great Don and Great Clare gave the boots.

They are growing children, and despite their violent displays of brotherhood, I do have to feed them. There are lots of things they do not like. A picky eater myself, I do not encourage this habit, because their Dad will not let me (which is the right way to be, dear.) Yesterday, their dad said they were going to eat half of everything we put on their plates - vegetables included - which makes me very nervous because Landen throws up on his plate when he does not like the green items we have made him eat before. Now everybody gets veggies (when I cook them, which I do most days, but do not eat myself) and must eat half of them.

So if you have picky eaters, or you like creamy foods, you should print the recipes I post here. They are tried and true, usually altered by me from an existing recipe and tailored to suit the varying tastes of my family, and approved by at least two of the three picky eaters who live here. Corey eats pretty much whatever you serve him. He says this is because he grew up non-affluent, and you ate what you were served.

Except he does not like chicken cooked in a crock pot. Or bell peppers.

All that to say, here are two recipes that succeed in my house, and with some tweaking to your personal tastes, they will probably succeed in yours: Creamy Tomato Soup and General Tso's Chicken.

CREAMY TOMATO SOUP (which should have grilled cheeses on sourdough or Italian bread dipped into it.) Serves 6.

3 tbsp chopped or grated onion

1 tsp chopped or minced garlic

3 tbsp butter

4 tbsp flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp  Kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

3 dashes each basil, oregano,and thyme

3 cups tomato sauce (in the can)

1 roasted red bell pepper*

3 cups Half and Half

*A note about the bell pepper: I buy the kind already roasted in the jar (check your pickle aisle) and then put it in my mini food processor. You could also cut it into about six pieces and use an immersion blender. Or you can omit it altogether.*

So, you're going to make a light roux, or the start of a white sauce, by sauteing the onions and garlic in the butter over medium heat. You can chop the onion, or I grate it over the pot using a mincer. You can chop the garlic, use a garlic press, mince it like the onion or use the already-minced stuff in the jar. All turn out the same. Landen and I do not like the texture of onion, so when I cook with them, I grate them to make them almost a paste. When the onion is clear, add the flour, sugar and all seasonings and stir. You will wonder if that glob of yellow playdoh in your pot has ruined your soup. It hasn't. Keep going. Add the tomato sauce, and red pepper if you are using it and turn the heat up to medium-high. Bring the pot to a boil, stirring constantly, for one minute. Turn heat to low. If you're using an immersion blender, do that now. Otherwise, add the half and half. Stir in and TASTE. I usually have to add a pinch more salt here. Make your grilled cheese. Serve the soup in bowls with shredded parmesan or a few crumbles of goat cheese.

Tell your children it's "spaghetti sauce soup" because one of them swears he does not like tomatoes, even though he puts ketchup on almost everything and loves spaghetti and pizza.

GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Don't be scared. Asian cooking is not as scary as it seems. And you can do it without a wok.

This recipe has two parts: the chicken and the sauce. First, have all this stuff.

1 lb white meat chicken

2 tsps Sesame Oil (You can use olive oil if you want.)
2 tbsp soy sauce (I cook with regular)
1 Large Egg White
1/2 cup cornstarch
Your favorite oil, for frying
Oil for deep frying
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp minced ginger (buy the stuff in the tube if you want)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 2 tsp of the jar stuff)
4-5 dried red chiles, rinsed and deseeded*
2 stalks scallion, white-part only, cut into 1-inch lengths

5 tbsps rice vinegar
6 tbsps soy sauce
2 tsp Hoisin sauce (Japanese BBQ sauce)
1/2 cup chicken broth
5 tbsps sugar (I've made it with white, dark brown and raw)
1 tbsp sherry cooking wine
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

 

*A note about the chiles: You can use a few dashes of red pepper flakes. If you use the dried chiles, break the top off and shake out all the seeds. Wash your hands and do not touch near your eyeballs for at least an hour after doing this. Trust this advice. Don't be in pain like me.*

 

For the chicken (this part comes from Rebecca at Tasty Kitchen):

 

Stir together the sesame oil, soy sauce, egg white, and 1/2 cup cornstarch until a thick slurry forms. It will look gummy but smooth. Add the chicken pieces and stir until all are evenly coated. Set chicken aside, covered lightly with plastic wrap, at room temperature for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

 

Heat 1/2-inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed, high-sided frying pan or skillet over high heat.  When the oil is shimmering, add one piece of chicken at a time, taking care not to crowd the pan. Cook chicken for 4 minutes on each side, or until deep golden brown and crisp on both sides. Transfer the fried chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat the process until you’ve cooked all the chicken.

 

For the sauce:

 

Either in the pot you used for the chicken with the oil poured out, or a separate pot, heat the 3 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. While that heats, mix the rice vinegar, 6 tbsp soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, chicken broth, sugar, sherry cooking wine, and 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch in a mixing bowl, whisking out the cornstarch clumps. When the oil is hot, saute the ginger, garlic, red chiles and scallions until fragrant. Add the sauce mixture and boil for a minute or two, until it thickens into a glaze. Remove from heat, add the chicken and toss to coat.

 

Serve over rice. If you're a vegetable person, you can dump some steamed broccoli in when you toss the chicken.

 

Landen likes this with soy sauce on his rice, and he usually eats seconds. Jake will eat the required amount of chicken, but does not love this, unless it's served with fried rice. Which, all the trouble this is (though it's easy), who the hell wants to take MORE time to make fried rice?!

 

Every time I cook Asian food, every single time I cook any Asian food, Landen says "I did not know you could cook Chinese food" or "Who knew women could cook Chinese food?!" It just depends on how cheeky he feels that day. And I tell him if he says it again, I will elbow him in the eye. Because HE KNOWS I can cook ANY food (except spaghetti). I do it all the time.

 

He still tells me he does not think I knew what I was doing when I painted our front door turquoise, because that does not go with brown. This weekend he put a navy undershirt with a grey and black button-down shirt. I told him if it was all the same to him, I would not take decorating advice from someone who could not manage the correct color undershirt.

 

Criticism of the cooking and the decorating in this house are not tolerated by people who wipe their noses on their sleeves.