Channeling Grandma at Queer Soup Night x Nighthawk

I heard about this amazing event called Queer Soup Night, you pay a suggested donation and eat as much soup as you want. What an idea!

Queer Soup Night is a Brooklyn-born queer party with soup at its center.

Each event raises money for a community org, highlights the talent of queer chefs, and nourishes our community by gathering in an atmosphere of authentic inclusiveness.

Our mission is to strengthen local queer communities across the country through sharing space, sharing food and contributing to something bigger than ourselves.

We believe that we are strongest when we are joyful and generous, together.

I just had to be involved somehow. I immediately emailed Liz Alpern and volunteered my help. It took some scheduling but I was asked to contribute a soup to a pride weekend collaboration with Nighthawk Cinema. If you’ve never been, it’s a movie theater where you can order dinner and drinks from the bar. That night, the plan was to screen the movie But I’m a Cheerleader, one of my favorites!

The soup I decided to serve is tinola, a Filipino chicken soup with green papaya, arugula, and ginger. It’s a comforting soup when you’re feeling bad. When unripe, green papaya is boiled, it acts a lot like potato. Usually, the soup is garnished with chili leaves or moringa, but arugula is spicy enough in a pinch. I poached a dozen chickens and pulled the meat off the bones. Then I threw the carcasses back into the broth to keep releasing that wonderful flavor. I spent the day before in the Nighthawk kitchens with chef Blessing and chef Stewart. We had so much fun.

Emily helped me serve up our small bowls of tinola to a hungry crowd. Afterward, we enjoyed the screening and were treated to a surprise Q&A with director Jamie Babbit.

Want to collaborate on an event? I’m down to plan in Oakland and Brooklyn.

Pancit Molo aka Filipino Dumpling Soup

The only person I know that makes pancit molo is my Auntie Belinda. Whether I was 7 years old and finished playing the backyard or visiting her vacation house in the Philippines, she always had a pot of this soup ready for us kids. Pancit is one of the national dishes of the Philippines but it doesn’t have a consistent identity. Most people think of bihon glass noodles with shredded vegetables in a big foil pan. Others may have grown up with shrimp infused palabok with hard boiled eggs and crushed chicharron.

Pancit molo is Filipino dumpling soup. The dumplings are filled with very little meat or vegetable so that the dumpling wrapper wings flap gloriously and freely in the broth. Replace the filling with any dumpling mix or super finely shredded stir fry. I already had truffle edamame dumplings already made, so they are pictured above.

Things you'll need:
1 quart of chicken broth 20 dumpling wrappers For meat dumplings: 4 sausages For vegetarian dumplings: 1/2 cup edamame, boiled 1 tablespoon truffle oil 1 teaspoon salt	1 egg, beaten 1/4 head of green cabbage, shredded Garlic chips (recipe here!) Sesame seeds Black pepper Optional: soy sauce

For the meat filling

1. Remove the skin from the sausage and form into 20 small balls.

2. Place a ball in the center of each dumpling wrapper, wipe the edges with the beaten egg and seal closed like a half moon.

Vegetarian dumplings

1. Pulse the edamame and salt in a food processor until they are broken up into small pieces.

2. Slowly add the truffle oil to form a smooth paste. If it does not come together, add up to 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

3. Scoop 2 teaspoons of edamame filling into the center of each dumpling wrapper, wipe the edges with the beaten egg and seal closed like a half moon.

To assemble

1. Keep the finished dumplings in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes. 

2. If you’re not making the soup right away, divide the dumplings into individual serving sizes of 5 in plastic zip bags.

3. To serve the soup, bring the broth to a boil and cook the dumplings for 3 minutes.

4. Bring the heat down to low and continue to cook until the dumplings are wrinkled in the center.

5. Ladle dumplings and soup into four bowls.

6. Top with shredded cabbage, sesame seeds, and a little pepper. If you’d like more salt, add a dash of soy sauce.

Did you grow up with pancit molo? Tell me about your version!

#MadeWithLocalRoots: Soup’s on with Winter Cabbage and Root Vegetables

As part of my Local Roots CSA, I'll be sharing easy ways to use up your produce. From prep to leftover hacks, I hope you learn to love cooking at home as much as I do!

***

Get cozy with an easy winter root vegetable soup inspired by my former roommate Grace. Whenever she was coming down with a cold or maybe, a little hungover, she’d make this very simple soup with bok choy. Instead, I've subbed in crisp strings of cabbage and added garlic chips to bump up the texture.

Things you'll need:
2 cloves of garlic 1/2 cup of vegetable oil 1 large carrot 3 cups of broth or water 1 medium turnip or 2 small	1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce 1 star anise 1/2 cup shredded cabbage Optional: Pepper and sesame seeds

Slice the garlic as thin as you can into chips. Fry them in the oil on high for 2-3 minutes until the edges start to turn golden brown. Turn off the heat and move the pan away to another burner. Let it steep and continue cooking for 15 to 20 minutes until the garlic is golden brown. Drain from the oil and place on paper towels. The oil is now garlicky! You can use it to fry eggs or whatever you want.

Chop your carrots and turnip into chunks and cover with the broth. Add enough water to submerge all the vegetables. Bring it to a rolling boil on high heat.

Add a cinnamon, soy sauce, a thin slice of ginger, and star anise. Lower to a simmer until the vegetables are fork tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Fish out the star anise, top the soup with a tuft of shredded cabbage and sprinkle of garlic chips. Freshly ground pepper is optional.

Easy, warm, yay!

---

Here are more ways to prep the carrot and cabbage from this week’s share.

Sweet, sweet carrot.

When you cook these carrots, they get sweeter! Like I mentioned above, boiling one-inch chunks until they are just fork tender is very enjoyable. If you let them go longer, they get mushy, but not mash-y like a potato.

Of course, you can eat our dear carrots raw with hummus or yogurt. To roast, split them lengthwise, toss in a little olive oil and cook at 450 degrees until the edges brown and its body wrinkles.

Do the cabbage patch.

I always enjoyed my fried Japanese tonkatsu with a side of plain shredded cabbage. Fried fatty foods and bbq go really well with slaws. All you really need per cup of shredded cabbage is a teaspoon of your favorite vinegar. Toss to coat and wait a few minutes for it to wilt.

Thick slices of whole cabbage roast up in the oven nicely, too. Their edges get crispy and brown while the inside is tender and juicy. You can boil cabbage but I find that boiling for too long releases those mustardy fumes, so beware!

Finally, you can kraut it! The best part is punching it regularly.

***

Are you a member of Local Roots? Tag both @Randwiches and @LocalRootsNYC with the hashtag #MadewithLocalRoots when you use your produce. We want to see what you're making!

If you have cooking questions about anything you receive from your farm share, please ask me! I might have a few suggestions. 

Hot Ham Water Ramen: A Bizarre Lunch at Work

As seen on FeedFeed!

Having a career in tech doesn't leave me a lot of time to cook, but I do revel in the moments that I get to bring lunch to the office.  While anyone can add hot water to a cup noodle ramen, or go to a ramen restaurant where the chefs spend days making perfect tonkotsu; I found the best of both worlds.

Back in April, my roommate Jeff got me a Benton's smoked ham leg for my birthday. I was thrilled! What I didn't know about it is that you have to peel away the tough, salty and inedible skin. The instructions say to bring the leg to a butcher and ask them to slice it. I'm really stubborn and always say "I CAN DO IT MYSELF." Let me tell you, it's really hard without a machine. Now, I know not everyone will have access to a whole ham leg, but in case you do, then I implore you to try this broth.

You'll need:
1 pound of Benton's ham skin* *feel free to substitute salt pork or even bacon	1 handful of bonito flakes or 3 chopped anchovies Water to fill a slow cooker

Place the ham skin in a slow cooker and fill with water. Cook on low for 8 hours or overnight. Discard the ham. Stir in the fish and store in the fridge for 8 to 12 hours. Strain the broth and taste for saltiness. Dilute with as much water as needed. It might congeal and that is normal, it will liquify when heated again.

How do you enjoy this at the office with only a microwave?

You'll need:
1 sous vide egg, cooked at 140F* 1 cup of Hot Ham Water Dashi 2 garlic chives, chopped 1 pack of dry ramen noodles *Or a soft boiled egg	Broccoli flowers or any microgreen 1 spring onion, sliced into rings 1 slice of Benton's ham, fried & sliced into strips Crispy onions Water to dilute, if needed

Transport the broth in a leakproof container or jar. Pre-boil store-bought ramen noodles at home and drain. Bring them in a separate container. Roll up all the other ingredients in a bundle of parchment paper wrapped in plastic wrap, careful to fold the paper over where you want to separate the crispy from the moist herbs.

At the office, fill a mug with water and microwave it for 2 minutes. Take it out of the microwave and plop the egg into the water. This will warm it up without cooking it. Put the broth in a bowl and heat it up for three minutes. Put the noodles in the broth and let stand for a minute. Dress the bowl with ham, greens and onion.  When you're ready to eat, crack the egg into it and pop that glorious yolk. The office will moan in unison.

Do you have any office lunch hacks? I want to know. Tweet me @Randwiches.

Zupa Ogórkowa, an Unbelievably Cozy Polish Pickle Soup

If you hang around Greenpoint, Brooklyn long enough-- you’re bound to sample the local Polish fare. A highlight my friends have always told me to try is the pickle soup at Karczma.

Fear not! It is actually very cozy and not too vinegary. When you cook the brine long enough, the acid mellows out much like Filpino adobo or French gastrique. I’ve also read that to balance out a soup that is too sour, simply add a potato. Since we’ve already got both simmering in harmony, your pickle jar dregs will have a home this winter.

Things you will need : 1 medium carrot 1 small onion 2 medium kosher pickles 1 quart of vegetable broth 1 bay leaf 1 swig of your preferred saute oil 4 small white potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 scoop of labneh (here's how to make it!) A bit of washed dill 1 cup of vinegar slaw (optional) 1 saute pan 1 soup pot ladle Bowl(s) and spoon(s) Salt and pepper to your liking

I started this batch with matchstick'd carrots, onions and a leftover tub of vinegar slaw in a pan. Once these vegetables are sauteed and the onions a little brown, add to a pot of broth with bay leaf and chopped potatoes. Bring up to a boil and then lower to simmer.

While the soup base is coming up to a boil, chop up your pickles! You’d be surprised how well it works in soup. This is also an amazing way to clean up all those pickle jars in your fridge. If you've got other pickled things, TRY THEM. I bet beets would make this soup look really cool.

Many recipes you will find for this soup will tell you to stir in sour cream before serving. I thought I could add another texture by substituting the sour cream with yogurt—even further then, labneh smeared on the bottom of the bowl !

Once the potatoes are fork tender, finish the soup with the chopped pickles and ripped up dill.

It's not quite the same because we're not using pork or beef broth but it is hearty enough to keep the skinniest vegetarian warm this season. Try it with some toast or top it with a pierogi!

Did you try this? Let me know by tagging @Randwiches on Instagram, Twitter or Tumblr.