Category: Soups & One Dish Meals

Soups, one dish meals, casseroles

Fresh Tomato & Sausage Pasta-When Comfort Food is Required

Fresh Tomato & Sausage Pasta-When Comfort Food is Required

Our final road trip with Moosie (for context, my daughter’s Bernedoodle whom we have been sitting for the last 4 months) took us first to Lake Tahoe for a couple of days.  A pit stop before our final destination, Salt Lake City, where we were to hand off the pooch to Sam.  Moose was bound for New York, back to Jamie and Sam. 😢

It has been a while since we last spent time in Tahoe.  We took time to wander around and check out some the new eateries.  Our favorites include  Coffeebar (☕️☕️☕️☕️/5), Great Gold (🍝🍝🍝🍝+/5),and Truckee Food Stop (🥙🥙🥙🥙/5).   We also perused the shelves at a very cute bookstore Word After Word (📕📕📕📕+/5).  I LOVE bookstores.

Perfect way to start the morning, coffee and a buttery, delicious pastry.

Great Gold, its roots are from Flour + Water in San Francisco, a beautiful restaurant, with great pizza and pasta, don’t pass on the Brussels sprouts!

 

Truckee Food Shop features pre-made meals to take home.  They also have a nice curated selection of wines, pastas, spices, and cookbooks.  Don’t walk out without an order of their ceviche.

Comfort Food

We spent our last evening in the cabin cooking, sipping wine (thanks to whoever left that nice bottle of Chardonnay in the fridge), and playing with Moose.  I had brought this week’s farmers market bounty, dry-farmed tomatoes, onions, and basil from my garden (apparently the only thing I can grow) with us.  We picked up Italian Sausages and pasta and made a quick and easy dish, Fresh Tomatoes, Sausage, and Pecorino Pasta.

Used spaghettini the first night, I prefer a tube pasta like rigatoni mezze

Tomorrow we start the drive to Salt Lake City, maybe we should turn around and head home?  Guess that would be considered dog-napping though, lol.

Just what I needed a nice, big, bowl of pasta to ward off the pending “I ain’t got me a dog no more blues”.  This sauce comes together in the time it takes for you to cook the pasta.  Chop your tomatoes, thinly slice an onion, smoosh some garlic, crumble the sausage, combine, and saute for a couple of minutes.  That’s pretty much it.  Right before serving, hit it with some fresh herbs, and grated cheese. The OG version calls for Pecorino Romano, which packs a bigger punch than Parmesan so I cut it back a little.  You could also use Parmesan.

So, while you can still get wonderful fresh tomatoes (we are so spoiled in California) this is an easy, lovely meal.  Bowl food is soul food has always been my mantra.  Round it out with a glass of wine, a fresh salad, and some crusty bread.  Boom, done.

I tried this with canned tomatoes and my advice is, don’t. I doctored it with some sugar and butter but still not the same.  Unless it is the dead of winter and fresh, summer tomatoes are a distant memory…no, still don’t.  This dish is meant for fresh, sweet, tomatoes.  I’m thinking of making a batch and freezing it.  That might work.

Fresh Tomato, Sausage, and Pecorino Pasta

Ripe, summer tomatoes are juicy and delicious in this pasta dish, with no seeding or peeling necessary.
Course dinner, lunch
Cuisine Italian-American
Keyword comfort food, fresh tomatoes, italian sausage, one dish meal, quick and easy, rigatoni
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces uncooked penne or meze rigatoni, or tubular pasta of choice
  • 8 ounces sweet Italian sausage or spicy works too
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil Go crazy, use a tablespoon of oil, lol
  • 1 cup vertically sliced yellow onion
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili pepper flakes optional
  • 1 ¼ pounds tomatoes, chopped dry farmed or Romas work well, or any ripe sweet tomato, some may have more moisture
  • 6 tablespoons grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese divided. sub Parmesan if you want
  • ¼ teaspoon salt to taste
  • teaspoon black pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup torn fresh basil leaves
  • 2 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped optional

Instructions

  • Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. In the Cooking Light edition this is adapted from, the recipe omits the salt and oil when cooking. I add salt to the pasta water.
  • A carryover from when the kids were little. I drain the pasta and hit it with butter and parmesan cheese. It seems to give the dish that extra oompf. I then add sauce to the pasta. I do this with my ragus, bolognese recipes also. TOTALLY OPTIONAL
  • If using sausage links, remove casings from sausage.
  • Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage and onion to pan; cook 4 minutes, crumble sausage. by smooshing with your spatula.
  • Add garlic; cook 2 minutes.
  • Stir in tomatoes; cook 2-5 minutes depending on how you like your sauce.
  • Lower heat; stir in pasta, julienned basil, 2 tablespoons cheese, salt, and pepper. If I have Italian parsley I throw that in too.

Final Touches

  • Pour into a big serving platter or individual bowls. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese or let folks sprinkle their own. Garnish with remaining basil leaves. Enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition Facts
Per Serving: 389 calories; fat 10.7g; saturated fat 4g; mono fat 4.5g; poly fat 0.7g; protein 21.6g; carbohydrates 53.5g; fiber 4.5g; cholesterol 27mg; iron 3.3mg; sodium 595mg; calcium 159mg.
Vietnamese Meatballs In Tomato Sauce (Xiu Mai)

Vietnamese Meatballs In Tomato Sauce (Xiu Mai)

Before tomato season ends give this dish, Vietnamese Meatballs in Tomato Sauce, a try. I came across this dish on IG.  It looked scrumptious, and I’m a sucker for meatballs and fresh tomato sauce.

I did a bit of sleuthing and found that this dish is frequently served for breakfast.  Delicious, tender, succulent meatballs in a light, flavorful sweet, tomato sauce, a couple of slices of a baguette on the side to dip into the sauce-yum.  What a way to start your day.

You’ll also find these meatballs in Banh Mi, the Vietnamese version of a meatball sub-sammie.  The bread for a banh mi is a revelation. Incredibly light and fluffy with a thin crisp exterior, a riff by the Vietnamese to suit their taste.  The meatballs nestled in the roll are tender and the sauce is briny, sweet, and flavorful.  To finish, pile pickled radishes, carrots, and a garnish of cilantro, jalapenos, and cucumbers on top of the meatballs.  My kinda sammie!

Meatball Tips

I looked at quite a few recipes and a couple of things stood out.  Steaming the meatballs ensures a tender meatball.  Baking or frying them would work but the meatball won’t be as tender or moist.  The texture is much like Chinese steamed dumplings.  Instead of steaming, gently poach the meatballs in the accompanying tomato sauce. This infuses the tomato flavor into the meat, keeps the meatballs tender, and eliminates the steaming step.

I use pork, the traditional protein source, but I think ground chicken or turkey would work quite nicely in place of the pork.  Use dark meat though, the higher fat content keeps the meatballs moist and tender.

The recipe calls for fresh jicama.  No jicama?  I reach into my pantry for canned water chestnuts which work admirably.  It provides a delightful bit of crunch.  Rinse and drain the water chesnuts and then finely chop.

Try not to overmix the meatball mixture.  Mixing too much causes the protein in the meat to bind and contract leading to tough meatballs, a no-no.  Gently mix just to combine the ingredients evenly and stop.  Use your handy dandy ice cream scoop to portion out each meatball.  Easy peasy.

Sauce Tips

Make the sauce with fresh tomatoes (now, before tomato season ends). To enjoy this year around, make a big batch of sauce and freeze it for later.  A taste of summer in the middle of winter is always a good thing.

This is a very quick tomato sauce, for a chunkier sauce, cook the sauce for less time so the tomatoes don’t break down as much.  Use a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce.  You can also use stock in place of water for more flavor, or add chicken powder (Asian secret weapon in boosting flavor) if using water.

Banh Mi Me

These meatballs and sauce are ah-mazing in Banh Mi, the Vietnamese version of a sub sandwich.  A crispy light French roll filled with meatballs topped with not only the sauce but pickled radishes and carrots, cucumber slices, and herbs. This is my dream sammie, directions for the fixings for Banh Mi are here, just sub the meatballs for the chicken.  Delish.

Vietnamese Meatballs (Xiu Mai)

Delicious tender meatballs poached in a sweet tomato sauce. Comes together easily, for breakfast or dinner with sliced baguette, or as a delicious filling for a meatball bahn mi
Course Appetizer, dinner, lunch
Cuisine Vietnamese
Keyword 3jamigos.com, meatballs, Vietnamese, xiu mai
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 4 oz jicama (1 cup) finely diced, substitute water chesnuts 1-5 ounce can, drained and finely diced
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced, keep the white and green parts separate. Can substitute finely minced shallots 1 large or two small for the meatballs
  • 1 lb ground pork not too lean 80/20 is perfect
  • 1 tsp garlic minced

Seasonings

  • 1 Tbsp fish sauce I use 3 Crabs, Red Boat is a bit more concentrated, would also work well
  • 1 Tbsp corn starch
  • 1/2 Tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp chicken powder optional
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Sauce

  • 2 lbs or 4 medium tomatoes I prefer fresh tomatoes, if tomatoes are particularly juicy, reduce water to 1 cup
  • 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2 Tbsp garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups water can use low-sodium chicken broth in place of water
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Thickener

  • 2 tsp corn starch
  • 2 tsp water

Garnish

  • Green onions, the reserved thinly sliced green parts from the meatballs
  • Cilanto, loosely chopped optional
  • Fresh red chili peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced optional

Instructions

The Meatballs:

  • Remove the jicama skin using a vegetable peeler. Finely dice the jicama.
  • Cut off the white (root) portion of the green onions and finely chop. Chop the green onion stems. Transfer the green onion stems into a small bowl and set aside for later.
  • In a medium bowl, add the ground pork, jicama, green onion (white) root, garlic, fish sauce, cornstarch, and black pepper. Mix together by hand combining all of the ingredients well. Mix in one direction. Combine just until everything sticks together. Avoid over-working the meat mixture as this will make the meatballs tough.
  • Using an ice cream scoop (#40 ~2 T) scoop out some of the meat mixture and transfer to a large plate. Continue making small mounds until all the meat mixture is used. Wet your palms with water to prevent sticking. Gently roll each of the mounds into a ball. ( I use a #40 ice cream scoop to portion out meatballs and then roll each by hand into a ball).

The Sauce:

  • Chop the tomatoes.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot add vegetable oil then add the minced garlic and tomato paste. Saute for 15-20 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir together. Add the sugar, fish sauce, and water. Stir together combining the ingredients. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and cook for 5 minutes.

Cook the Meatballs

  • Make room in the center of the skillet by pushing the tomatoes to the side. Gently transfer the meatballs into the sauce. Cover and cook on medium-low for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, rotate the meatballs and cook for another 5 minutes. For a thicker sauce, leave uncovered after adding meatballs.
  • Mix the cornstarch and water until smooth and add to the sauce. Stir gently to allow sauce to thicken. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Grind ground black pepper.
  • To serve, transfer a few meatballs into a small bowl along with a generous amount of tomato sauce. Top with the chopped green onions. I like garnishing with chopped cilantro and sliced fresh chili peppers. Enjoy these scrumptious Vietnamese Meatballs with crusty bread.
Scallion Mac and Cheese from Little Fat Boy

Scallion Mac and Cheese from Little Fat Boy

I have been focused on cookbooks from the Asian Diaspora.  With the way the world is turning, on a definite lopsided tilt, I want to support my community.  Representation matters, and we need to see POCs, LGBTQ, you know, EVERYONE represented in all walks of life.  The gold standard should be human + compassion, empathy, and vision for a better, kinder, world.  A world you are proud to leave your kids.

Recently I dashed into the city for another book signing at Omnivore Books on Food.  Frankie Gaw, author of the long-awaited, First Generation:  Recipes from My Taiwanese-American Home was in town and I couldn’t pass on his book signing.

A graphic designer by trade, his evenings were spent creating the blog, Little Fat Boy.  Stories, beautiful photographs, and recipes, woven together in this mash-up of his Taiwanese roots, midwest upbringing, and Southern ties to Memphis. His recipes are fun, a fusion of his upbringing and later West Coast migration.  His recipes make me happy.  Yep, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Mochi or topped with Pepples cereal, tell me you’re not smiling right now.

It’s VEGAN, yeah baby…More, Please

I LOVE mac and cheese. Frankie’s Vegan version is a riff on this much-loved dish.  Is it Mac and Cheese? Nope.  Is it delicious? YEP.  In place of butter, milk, and cheese you’ll find scallion oil, cashews, garlic, and my own little tweak, nutritional yeast.  Pureeing cashews into a creamy, lovely sauce, is really so good, this may become my go-to mac and cheese when I am feeling a little lactose intolerant, lol.

Not gonna lie, cashews are not diet food, just like a lot of nuts.  The upside is they do supply protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.  Plus, no animal products were used in the making of this..so there is that.  To offset some of the calories in this dish I reduce the pasta and substitute roasted or steamed cauliflower florets.  Yummos.

I like my mac and cheese super saucy so I decrease the amount of pasta, add more cauliflower florets and throw in some mushroom broth to extend the sauce.  The kid in me likes the macaroni cooked beyond al dente, really who eats mac and cheese that’s not soft and squishy?  This is two very generous servings, actually, I think it serves 3-4 people…see the calories won’t be that bad!

Scallion Mac and Cheese

A delicious vegan version of mac and cheese with loads of umami from scallions, nutritional yeast and garlic adapted from Little Fat Boy
Course dinner, one bowl meal, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword Crazy good mac and cheese, scallions
Prep Time 17 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 425kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 4 scallions finely chopped white and green parts divided
  • 1/8 cup olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 11/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1/8 tsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 lemon, juice of
  • 1/2-1 cup water, or pasta water or mushroom boullion
  • 1 tsp hot sauce to taste optional

Toppings

  • 1/4 cup panko
  • 1 scallion, Thinly sliced

Noods

  • 4 ounces macaroni
  • 1 cup cauliflower florets or broccoli approx 4 oz

Instructions

Cashews

  • Before making dish, place cashews in a medium bowl and cover with water by 1 inch. Let the nuts soak for 2-3 hours.

Carbs & Veggies

  • Cook your pasta as directed on package. With about 3-4 minutes to go, add the cauliflower to the pot. Return to boil and cook until al dente (from original recipe-lol. In my book mac cheese needs pasta cooked beyond al dente). Drain and place back in pot. Set aside.

Sauce

  • In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add scallions and garlic. The oil should not be smoking but hot enough that the aromatics sizzle when added. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes. The scallions should be soft and your kitchen should smell delicious from the scallions and garlic. Transfer all of it to a blender. Set skillet aside, do not wash! You will be using this to brown the Panko Crumbs!
  • Drain the cashews and add to the blender along with the lemon juice, paprika, salt, sugar, nutritional yeast, and water or pasta water.
  • BLEND til smooth. Add additional water or pasta water to desired consistency.
  • Add sauce to macaroni, and stir to combine. Pour into a casserole dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle Panko Crumbs and diced green onions on top, and serve immediately.

The Crumbs

  • The skillet used to fry the scallion and garlic will have residual oil to brown the Panko crumbs. On medium-high heat toss the panko in the skillet until toasty brown.

Notes

This recipe can be doubled for those times you are feeding a big crowd.  In fact,  the original recipe is double this, I cut it in half cause it's a lot of pasta.
Tomato Egg Fried Rice & the Fishy Bits

Tomato Egg Fried Rice & the Fishy Bits

A couple of weeks ago I was reading a post from the Woks of Life, a lovely blog on Asian cooking. Their post was on a classic Chinese dish, Salted Fish Fried Rice.  Salted Fish is a Cantonese ingredient made from white fish like croaker, salted and air-dried.  This process concentrates the flavor of the fish, it’s salty, fish-forward, and well, kinda funky in a good way.  Their twist was to substitute anchovies for the salted fish (hom yu, 鹹魚).  My first thought was “Yum, I gotta try this, I think I have anchovies in my pantry”.

They also have a cookbook out and it’s gorgeous.  If you need (who doesn’t)  a cookbook that covers Chinese cuisine for the novice to seasoned cook, Woks of Life fits the bill. You can order it from Books, Inc. or in the Bay Area, from Omnivore Books which has signed copies.

Dad and Gung Gung 1940s

Tales of My Grandfather

As I read their post, memories of my grandfather bubbled to the surface.  He lived in an SRO (single room only) in the heart of Chinatown above Sun Tai Sam Yuen Restaurant.  It was convenient and comfortable for him.  A line cook at Original Joe’s and at the Fairmont’s Tonga Room he walked to work from Chinatown.  His neighbors, Cantonese men of similar age, had migrated to Gum San (San Francisco) looking for work.

Read More Read More

Corned Beef & Cabbage (Let’s Hash It Out)

Corned Beef & Cabbage (Let’s Hash It Out)

I feel if I am going to eat a meal that is associated with a holiday I ought to learn a little bit about that particular holiday and its significance to the culture or country of origin.  The extent of my knowledge regarding St. Patty’s Day is corned beef and cabbage.

So Friday as I was pulling my corned beef out of the fridge, I googled St. Patrick’s Day.  In a nutshell, Patrick, before he became a saint, is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland.  St. Patrick’s Day is the day of his death.  A folktale credits him with driving the snakes out of Ireland, symbolism for pagan religions as there are no snakes in Ireland.

Corned Beef and Cabbage is not the chosen celebratory meal in Ireland but rather came about here in America.  Corned beef and cabbage were both relatively cheap and out of necessity became the meal of choice for the poor Irish immigrants striving to make a new life here.  In Ireland, you are more likely to have Irish Stew and Soda Bread.

Shortcut Corned Beef

I will admit, I make this once a year.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Corned Beef, I just don’t make it at home…except on Saint Patty’s Day.  As a kid, my favorite breakfast was Corned Beef Hash by Mary’s Kitchen.  Yep, hash out of a can, I thought it was delicious.

Two things I did differently this year.  On a whim, I splurged on Wagyu Corned Beef Brisket from Costco.  Second, we pulled out the Instant Pot.  With two unknowns it’s hard to know if the Waygu or the IP was responsible for just how delicious the corned beef came out.  It was tender, moist, and delicious.  A variety of recipes found online served as my guide with a shout-out to Simply Recipes.

  • Various recipes I looked at called for a 2.5-pound chunk of corned beef. I don’t know about you, but after cooking,  it shrinks quite a bit and that wouldn’t be enough, not in my family at least. There would be little left for my fav breakfast hash (not acceptable in my book).  The piece I bought was 4 pounds and fit nicely in my 6-quart Instant Pot.  This was enough for dinner, the next day’s lunch, and a generous skillet of hash for that leisurely weekend breakfast.
  • Rinse corned beef thoroughly before placing it in the pressure cooker, helps keep the salt at bay.
  • Place the corned beef on the metal trivet that comes with the Instant Pot, makes it much easier to lift out when it is done.
  • Add 1 quartered yellow onion and a couple of cloves of garlic to the pot.  Sprinkle the seasoning packet that comes with the corned beef and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar on the surface of the meat.
  • Add 4 cups of liquid to the pot.  It may not completely cover the meat, and that’s okay.  The liquid can be all water, water, and beef stock 1:1, or a can of stout and water.  The Wagyu beef was on the salty side.  So be careful with the stock, use low sodium or homemade.

Let’s Get to the Easy Part

Seal your Instant Pot and set it to high pressure for 85 minutes and go relax, but tell everyone you are making dinner, they’ll never know.

Once the cycle is complete, turn off the Instant Pot and allow the corned beef to natural-release for 15 minutes before taking it out.  If it has not completely depressurized, vent the pot before taking off the lid.  Add your potatoes, carrots, and cabbage (that you prepped while it was cooking, oops, forgot to mention).  Place potatoes and carrots into the pot first, then the cabbage on top. Seal the pot and set a timer for 5 minutes.  Quick release when it is done.

Slice corned beef against the grain.  Serve with honey mustard and veggies on the side or if you are like the Hubster, make a sandwich…yum.  Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

But What About Breakfast?

I like corned beef, I LOVE corned beef hash.  The remaining corned beef became Sunday breakfast.  I pulled out my cast iron skillet, the remaining beef and potatoes, chopped some onion and bell pepper, bada-bing-bada-boom, hash.

Feel free to add other vegetables or change the proportions.  This can easily be a veggie-focused hash, more potatoes, throw in the leftover cabbage, add some mushrooms…it will be delightful and perfect for a weekend relaxing breakfast.

Beautiful board made by 3jamigos woodworking.

Corned Beef Hash and Eggs

What to do with leftover corned beef? Hash of course!
Course Breakfast, Brunch, lunch
Cuisine American, Irish-American
Keyword cabbage, Corned beef, corned beef hash, potatoes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • cast iron skillet

Ingredients

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 small onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1/4 green or red bell pepper or pepper of choice!, chopped
  • 2 to 3 cups cooked corned beef finely diced or chopped
  • 2 to 3 cups chopped cooked potatoes from dinner 🙂
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Chopped fresh parsley or scallions
  • Eggs one per serving

Instructions

  • Heat butter in a large skillet (preferably cast iron) on medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and cook a few minutes, until translucent.
  • Add corned beef and potatoes. Spread out evenly over the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high and press down on the mixture with a heat-proof spatula.
  • Do not stir the potatoes and corned beef, but let them brown. If you hear it sizzling, that's a good sign.
  • Use a spatula to peek underneath and see if they are browning. If nicely browned, use the spatula to flip sections over in the pan so that they brown on the other side. Press down again with the spatula.
  • If there is too much sticking, you can add a little more butter to the pan. Continue to cook in this manner until the potatoes and the corned beef are nicely browned.

Egg-a-licious: Your choice, hash is good with eggs cooked any style

  • Or cook eggs like Shashuka. When hash is close to being done, create depressions in the hash and crack an egg into each spot. Cover skillet for a couple minutes until egg is cooked to your liking.
  • Remove from heat, top with chopped parsley or scallions. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste.
Happy Chicken Pot Pi Day!

Happy Chicken Pot Pi Day!

Here in California, we have been battered by some extreme weather…more rain, snow and high winds than we have seen in a long, long time.  I hope folks are staying safe, warm and dry.

So we are having a somewhat subdued, quiet Pi Day.  Especially since we haven’t had power all day!  That’s not gonna stop me, pi golly.  I adore pies, sweet or savory, by the slice, as a potable hand pie, you get the pic. So Pi Day is just an excuse to make pie.  A day of cold, wet, blustery weather calls for comfort food so what better dish than Chicken Pot Pie?  

I LOVE Pot Pie.  As a kid, it was a special treat if mom pulled out Swanson’s Chicken or Beef Pot Pies for dinner.  Little did I know, it meant an easy meal for her.  As I got older and my taste became more refined I left behind those Swanson’s pies.

I discovered Marie Callendar’s Pot Pies!  So good, more crust, bigger pie, yum.

My love of pies logically led to making my own pies and this includes savory pies, top on the list is Chicken Pot Pie.   

The Elephant In the Room

Not everyone wants or has a compelling need to start from scratch and that’s OKAY!  It’s perfectly fine to start with cooked chicken (a Costco rotisserie chicken comes to mind), commercial low-sodium chicken stock AND a premade pie crust. Making a Chicken Pot Pie is a labor of love.  If any step, homemade PIE CRUST comes to mind, gives you anxiety, use a shortcut. There are great frozen pie crusts dough and puff pastry doughs that can be used to make a fabulous pot pie. Hate prepping veggies?  Frozen WORKS, really.  But if you want to go the whole nine yards…read on 🙂

For novice pie makes, this is a good recipe to make over a couple of days so it doesn’t seem overwhelming.  Make the pie crust and throw it in the fridge to chill. You could do this up to a couple of days before.  This also applies to poaching the chicken and making the filling too.  The chicken can be shredded, the stock reduced, and the filling made and kept in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the pie.

Pick your favorite veggies, I like mushrooms, carrots, celery, broccoli, potatoes, and peas.  Pretty classic aside from the broccoli.  Blanching the veggies ensures they will be nicely cooked in the pie.  Blanch 10 minutes, the goal is al dente + so they don’t get too soft.  The veggies should be cut roughly the same size for even cooking.  The exception to this would be mushrooms, saute’ these before adding to the sauce.

Sauce Me Up

What holds everything together is a simple bechamel sauce of butter, flour, milk,and stock.  Start by making the roux .  Sauté onions with the butter for flavor and add the flour. Cook this for a couple of minutes before adding the chicken stock and milk.  Simmer sauce until it is thick like gravy, stir constantly.  Season well with salt and pepper.  

Two Pie Camps

There are 2 kinds of pie people in my book, those who like crust (ME) and those who like filling (Can’t even imagine who that is).  So I’ve searched far and wide for a pie crust I like.

I love Dorie Greenspan’s pie crust recipe. It’s buttery and flaky, and best of all, it makes a generous amount of dough, enough for a two-crust pie and a small single-crust pie. That’s a lot of crust.  Which is exactly what I want.

Make the crust by hand or in a food processor.  Be extra vigilant that you don’t overprocess the dough.

This is what your dough should look like coming out of the food processor. 

Gather it up into a disc shape and chill.  Roll out 2 crusts one for the top and one for the bottom.  Follow my tweak below or line your baking dish with the bottom crust and chill again.

Let’s Get to the Bottom of the Pie

Bake your chicken pot pie with a top crust only.  What Deb?!  That’s less crust!  Hold on now…here is the tweak.  Roll out the pie dough for the bottom crust then cut out circles or squares from this sheet equal to a serving of your pie.  Bake them separately.  When it’s pot pie time, place one of these buttery, flaky rounds on the bottom of each plate then topped with a generous wedge of your baked pie over it.  Buttery, flaky, crispy, crust on the top and bottom. This, my friends, is chicken pot pie nirvana.

Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving!

So, Happy Pi Day, now go make some pie! Check out my IG Reel for Chicken Pot Pie!

Classic Chicken Pot Pie

Ultimate comfort food. This is the classic Chicken Pot Pie. Buttery, flaky crust with a thick, velvety Bechamel filled with chunks of chicken and veggies. A keeper!
Course comfort food, dinner, One dish meals
Cuisine American
Keyword Chicken, chicken pot pie, comfort food, food for the soul, made from scratch, pie, pot pie, savory
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 minute
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • 1 food processor

Ingredients

The chicken and stock:

  • 1 3 1/2-pound whole chicken (approximately 3 cups of cooked chicken, shredded or cubed) Shoretcut 1: Sub chicken parts for whole chicken Shortcut 2: Costco Roast Chicken Yeah, you read that right
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1 small onion halved
  • 2 teaspoons salt or 1 t salt and 1 tablepsoon Better Than Bouillion Chicken Base

Simply Irrecrustable: or Dorie's MoRe CrUsT RecipE

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup 1 stick chilled unsalted butter, diced into 1/2-inch cubes (best to chill cubes in the freezer for at least 15 minutes before using)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening chilled
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

It's All About the Filling

  • 3 med carrots sliced about 1.5 cups
  • 2 stalks celery sliced about 1 cup
  • 3/4 cup green peas frozen or fresh
  • Use any veggies you like broccoli, squash, potatoes. You want about 3 cups of vegetables sliced or chopped.

Da Sauce: This is a generous amount of sauce so you can increase your veggies if you like.

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/4 cups yellow onion (you have leeway use 1 med or large onion which yields 1 cup to 1-1/2 cups diced onions diced
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken stock reserved from cooking chicken
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
  • 2 teaspoons salt to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • For the egg wash: optional
  • 1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Da Chicken: A whole chicken in a large stockpot with water to make a chicken pot pie casserole. Yep, you read that right.

  • Combine the chicken, carrot, celery, onion and salt or chicken base into a large stock pot. Add cold water until just covered and bring to a boil over high heat.
  • Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and let cool for 15 minutes. While the chicken is cooling, continue to boil the remaining water and vegetables in the pot.
  • When the chicken is cool enough to touch, strip away as much of the meat as you can. Place the meat on a dish, set aside. Shred chicken or cube. You should have about 3 cups.
  • Return the chicken bones to the stockpot and continue to boil, on high heat, until the stock has reduced to a quart or quart and a half.
  • Set aside 2 1/2 cups of the stock for this recipe. Freeze remaining stock for a rainy day.

All About the Crust: Simply Recipe Yields only 1 crust. You will need to double it or make Dorie's omitting the sugar

  • Combine the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the chilled butter cubes and pulse 5 times to combine. Add the shortening and pulse a few more times, until the dough resembles a coarse cornmeal, with some pea-sized pieces of butter.
  • Slowly stream in ice water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until the dough sticks together when you press some between your fingers.
  • Empty the food processor onto a clean surface. Use your hands to mold into a ball, then flatten the ball into a disk. Sprinkle with a little flour, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days, before rolling.

Filling It Up

  • Blanch prepped carrots, celery, potatoes, broccoli (if using) in water for about 10-15 minutes. Veggies should be al dente but cooked through. Set aside.
  • In a large skillet, melt butter on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they're translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, one minute more.
  • Whisk in 2 1/2 cups of the chicken stock. Whisk in the milk. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often until thickened and creamy.
  • Add the chicken, thyme, sherry, peas, blanched veggies, parsley, salt and pepper and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Pour into prepared baking dish(s)

Pieformers: Assemble

    Bake: Preheat oven to 375

    • Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a little less than a quarter-inch thick.
    • Roll roughly to the shape and size of your baking dish. A little bigger so you crimp the edge. Lay pastry over filling and dish.
    • Fold the excess dough under itself and crimp edge of pie.. Cut a 1-inch vents into pie. Use a pastry brush to apply an egg wash to each pie.
    • Line a baking sheet with foil, place pie on baking sheet. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling. If the edge gets too dark, cover with foil.
    • Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
    Roasted Chicken & Croutons with Fish-Sauce Butter-Sheet Pan Magic

    Roasted Chicken & Croutons with Fish-Sauce Butter-Sheet Pan Magic

    I couldn’t help but tweak Eric Kim’s Roasted Chicken with Fish-Sauce Butter title.  I added Croutons to the title because… lets be real, the croutons are the star of this dish.  It reminds me of Roti Roti, a food truck fixture in the Bay Area.  A simple winning formula of chickens roasting on a spit, dripping all that deliciousness onto a bed of potatoes below it.  Well, that’s this dish but with bread and your own oven.

    First, roast chicken thighs on a sheet pan (the operative words for an easy meal) in a 450-degree oven.  This gives you crispy skin chicken and a pool of deliciousness aka SCHMALTZ on the pan.  Then toss flakes (yes flakes, more on that later) of bread onto the pan and smoosh it around so it soaks up the chicken fat.  Shove it back into the oven, and fifteen minutes later those bread flakes have morphed into golden, crunchy, umami bombs.

    It’s Soooo Good

    I divide the dish evenly between me and the hubsters, he gets the chicken,  I get the croutons, yep, 50-50 all the way.

    Let’s talk flakes.  You can use any bread you like, sourdough, milk bread, or my favorite, ciabatta.  The key is to tear the bread so you get shards or flakes.  Cubes don’t cut it for this dish, not enough surface area. Try to tear or split the bread to form flakes for ultimate crispness.

    The rest is easy-peasy.  Place chicken on a sheet pan, and season with salt and pepper.  Go easy with the salt as the fish sauce has salt. Drizzle olive oil on the chicken and flip each piece around to coat each piece.  Roast for approximately 25 minutes.  I prefer bigger pieces of chicken so the skin crisps without drying out the chicken.  Pull the chicken out, there should be a nice puddle of schmaltz in the pan.  Add the croutons to the pan and toss the bread in the chicken fat.  Slide the pan back into the oven to crisp the croutons and finish the chicken.  If the chicken is cooked through before the croutons, pull them out and continue to bake the croutons.

    Meanwhile…

    While the chicken and croutons are roasting, make the Fish-Sauce Butter.  The sauce is genius, easy to make, and delish with just four ingredients, fish sauce (I use 3 Crab Vietnamese Fish Sauce), lemon juice, brown sugar, and BUTTER.  Reduce the first 3 ingredients to a syrupy consistency.  When the surface of the sauce is covered with bubbles, turn the heat off and add the chunk of COLD butter to the pan and swirl to create an emulsion.

    Leave the chicken and croutons in the pan, drizzle some of the sauce on the chicken and croutons, garnish with cilantro and green onions, and bring the pan to the table.  So easy. Serve the remaining sauce on the side. If you want to be fancy, transfer chicken and croutons to a serving platter.

    Accompaniments?  Rice, double carb, is always yummy, or I like serving it with mashed cauliflower.  Another winner from Eric Kim.  Sheet pan magic happening here.

    Roasted Chicken and Croutons with Fish-Sauce Butter

    From Eric Kim via NYTCooking, roasted chicken thighs, toasty croutons, and a scrumptious, quick sauce made with Vietnamese Fish Sauce, brown sugar, lemon, and butter. The perfect weekday meal.
    Course dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine Asian-American
    Keyword brown butter, Chicken thighs, croutons, fish sauce, oven-baked
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 35 minutes
    Servings 2 servings

    Ingredients

    • 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
    • Kosher salt such as Diamond Crystal and black pepper
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • ¾ pound bread crusts removed, bread torn into bite-size pieces about 4 cups;
    • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
    • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 3 tablespoons COLD unsalted butter kept in one piece
    • Cilantro leaves with tender stems for serving
    • scallions or chives, chopped garnish for serving

    Instructions

    • Heat oven to 450 degrees. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper. (The fish-sauce butter is plenty salty, so don’t overdo the salt here.)
    • Arrange the chicken skin-side up on a sheet pan and drizzle the oil over the chicken skin, coating it evenly.
    • Roast until the chicken is light gold and the sheet pan is a pool of hot, rendered chicken fat, SCHMALTZ, about 20-25 minutes.
    • Take the sheet pan out of the oven, scatter the bread around the chicken. Using tongs toss gently to coat in the chicken fat.
    • Place the pan back in the oven and roast until the chicken is golden, crispy and sizzling (you’ll hear it), about 15 minutes.
    • While the chicken roasts, combine the brown sugar, fish sauce and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, occasionally swirling the pan or stirring the sauce with a wooden spoon, until it bubbling vigorously and the mixture has reduced by about half, 2 to 3 minutes.
    • Turn off the heat and add the butter, constantly swirling the pan or stirring with a wooden spoon, until all of the butter has melted and incorporated into the fish sauce mixture. It should be a heavy syrup consistency.
    • To serve, scatter the cilantro and scallions or chives over the chicken and croutons. Spoon some of the fish-sauce butter over each chicken thigh, reserving some to add to each plate for dipping the chicken and croutons while eating, so yummy.

    Notes

    Roasting chicken thighs in a hot oven is a hands-off way to achieve two of life’s greatest pleasures: crispy skin and golden schmaltz. And you want that chicken fat because it will crisp hand-torn bread into croutons. A bold but balanced fish-sauce butter that you whip up on the stovetop while the rest of the meal takes care of itself in the oven, takes this over the top. Be sure to start with cold butter; the gradual melting of the fat helps thicken the sauce without breaking it.
    After making this dish...go get his cookbook, Korean American, another winner.
    Chicken Wings and Daikon Nimono + TV for Rainy Days

    Chicken Wings and Daikon Nimono + TV for Rainy Days

    It’s raining once again in California.  Which is the best excuse to stay home (in sweats), watch a lot of TV, bake and cook.  I started the weekend on a carb bender.  First, I made No-Knead Focaccia from Bon Appetit, it gets a big thumbs up, pillowy, springy, and delicious.  Caveat:  You will have to start a day earlier for said focaccia, 8 hours of resting time. Then I started on Kristina Cho’s Milk Bread from Mooncakes and Milk Bread, also extremely delicious.  Think of it as the Asian version of Brioche, slightly sweet, buttery, rich, and soft.

    THEN, I needed a Bake Break

    Well, actually, my hips needed a break.  The combination of being a couch potato and baking is to say the least, lethal.  I had to pick one, couch or carbs. Couch won.  Mainly because I started watching a cute, sweet Japanese show on Netflix called Makanai:  Cooking for the Maiko House. In a nutshell, two BFFs go off to Kyoto to become geishas.  One is a total washout but a fabulous cook (thanks to her grandmother) and becomes the Makanai or resident chef for the geisha house.  A role usually held by an older woman.  In each episode, she makes something yummy, often a comforting, homestyle dish.

    Well, you can’t sit there watching without a bowl of something delicious.  The cold, wet, weather and The Makanai put me in the mood for Nimono.  Nimono, a family-style dish usually contains protein, vegetables, or tofu that are simmered in seasoned dashi (stock).  I scoured my fridge and found chicken wings and daikon (radish) perfect for nimono.

    Start by browning the wings.  I got fancy and grilled them, don’t bother, one more pan to clean. Then add your dashi, seasonings, and sliced daikon and bring to a boil. Cover the nimono with a piece of parchment.  This keeps everything submerged so it cooks evenly.  Then lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the daikon is soft.  Pierce daikon with a knife to test.  Korean radish would work well also.

    Meanwhile, as chicken and daikon are simmering, make your eggs.  Use the ramen egg recipe for a soft center yolk.  Cool the eggs and peel.  Place eggs in cold water to chill (so it doesn’t overcook when you put it in the Nimono).

    When the radish is soft, Place eggs in Nimono.  Try to submerge them so they absorb some of the flavor of the broth.  Simmer additional 5 minutes.

    Garnish with green onions, and or sesame seeds.  Serve with rice, in front of the telly, watching Makanai, or Midnight Diner, or Julie and Julia…

    Chicken Wings and Daikon Nimono and Netflix

    Simple and quick Japanese braised dish of chicken wings and radish
    Course One dish meals
    Cuisine Asian, Japanese
    Keyword Chicken, daikon, ninono, one pot meal
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes

    Ingredients

    • 6-8 Ounce Daikon radish can use Korean radish cut into 1/2 inch rounds
    • 4 Eggs boiled till the yolk is still jammy, see ramen eggs post
    • 8-12 Chickin wings
    • 1 Clove Garlic
    • 2 tsp Instant Japanese soup stock (you will need 1 cup of dashi) or make dashi with packet or Shiro dashi
    • 2 tbsp Sugar
    • 1 tbsp Soy sauce if using dashi packet, increase to 2 T
    • 4 Tbsp Sake
    • 2 Tbsp Mirin

    Options

    • Add mushrooms or sliced carrots with daikon if you like

    Instructions

    • Make dashi and set aside. You can use the powder Hondashi, or dashi bags, or Shiro Dashi concentrate. For concentrate dilute 1:12 Make 1-1.5 cups
    • Peel and cut the daikon into 1/2 inch slices. Set aside.
    • Sauté the chicken wings approximately 2 minutes a side in a 3-4 quart saucepan. They should be light brown.
    • Add dashi to pot followed by soy sauce, mirin and sake. Add daikon on top. Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer. Use an otoshibuta (dropped or parchment lid) while simmering although you can forego this step. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until radish is soft when pierced with a knife.
    • While chicken is simmering, make ramen eggs or hard boil the eggs just until the yolk is barely set. Peel and place eggs in an ice bath. When nimono is done, add peeled eggs to it and let it simmer another 5 minutes. Make sure the eggs are submerged in the broth.
    • Ladle the Nikon into bowls, garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with rice and a half or whole egg per person. It's worthwhile making nimono in advance, since it tastes better the next day. Or just make a larger quantity to keep. Reheat before eating at home, or reheat then let cool down again if using for bento. Can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days.
    Mille-Feuille Nabe Blooming Delish!

    Mille-Feuille Nabe Blooming Delish!

    I’m sure I saw this on TikTok or an IG Reel.  It looked so delicious I knew I was going to make it, if not today, definitely tomorrow.  Jackpot, making it today, why?  As most of you know I stop at grocery stores so often I should be classified as a professional food shopper.  The beauty of being a “pro”, I generally have the ingredients for any dish found on the internet, lol. This is a perfect example, a quick perusal of my kitchen and I was in business.

    Thinly sliced pork – check. From Asian Market. I always keep some in the freezer, ALWAYS.

    Napa Cabbage – check. Picked up a head at the Hankook Market last weekend, cause you never know when you might need some cabbage…

    Mushrooms – check. My fridge qualifies as a certified mushroom farm most days.

    Dashi or Broth – check. I pulled my bottle of Shiro Dashi from the fridge. Literally concentrated dashi that you dilute with water, VERY good, stupid easy. For a detailed run down check out Guide to Shiro Dashi

    OR I can make Dashi with packets from Japan that I keep squirreled away in my pantry.  Again, VERY good,  a bit more work than Shiro Dashi, still super easy.

    I won’t go into making my own Dashi cause that would defeat the dinner in a few minutes mantra.

    Korean radish – check.  You don’t need it, I just happen to have some so why not?

    Staples – check.  Green onions, sesame seeds, soy sauce S&P…Hello? Would not be caught dead without any of these.

    Pot- check. Y’all know I didn’t have to list this but I wanted to mention the tiny Donabe I bought at the MANRESA fire sale.  It gives me JOY.  I also used my gorgeous Staub pot for the family-sized version.

    So that’s it, all you need to make this scrumptious, perfect when it is cold and wet outside, quick and easy dish.

    Let’s Goooooo!

    This is super easy, TRUST ME.  Have I ever steered you wrong?  Start with your Napa Cabbage, wash and separate the leaves.  You only need 1 head of cabbage and you won’t use all of it, unless you are feeding a cast of thousands, then you’re on your own.

    Take out your thinly sliced pork, I’m sure this would work with beef also. Use any protein cut for Shabu Shabu or Hot Pot.  I know you are thinking, 🤔, can I use bacon?  My inclination is no, as much as I love bacon, the flavor may be too much and too salty for this Nabe.  But if you are feeling bold, try it.  Definitely REPORT BACK to me!

    Layer the pork on the Napa Cabbage, covering most of the leaf. Continue layering until you have a stack of 3-4 leaves.  Cut crosswise into 3-4 sections, and try to match it up with your pot.  Each section should be about 2-2.5 inches in height. Definitely not taller as you will need to cover the pot when cooking.  Continue circling the pot with the sections until you reach the center.  I finished with slices of Korean radish surrounding a bouquet of mushrooms smack dab in the middle, totally optional.  But so good.

    To finish, add dashi to barely cover the cabbage, cover, and cook.  Cook for 10-15 minutes, the beauty of thinly sliced meats and veggies.  Dinner is served! BACK to the dashi.  Dashi is a fish-based stock, used in many yummy Japanese dishes.  There are ka-zillions of ways to make dashi.  Skip the traditional and time-consuming options.  I use Shiro-dashi alot.  It is a seasoned concentrated fish stock that comes in a bottle.  Dilute Shiro-dashi 10-12 fold for soups and casseroles, EASY PEASY.  The other way is using dashi packets, kind of like tea bags.  Drop it into the water, let it sit to infuse the flavor from the packets, and presto dunzo.

    CAVEAT: The Shiro Dashi is seasoned with salt and sugar while the dashi packets just impart the fish flavor.  You will need to add salt or soy if using the dashi packets.

    That’s it!  Serve it up with bowls of hot, steaming rice, maybe fry an egg or if you have Mayak Eggs or Ramen Eggs yum. So damn delicious it is criminal.  Or use the flavorful broth on a lovely bowl of noodles, udon noodles would be delicious.

    A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words…check out my Instagram for a reel on Mille-Feuille Nabe!

    Mille-Feuille Nabe

    Japanese Hotpot with Napa Cabbage and thinly sliced pork belly arranged in layers in a donabe of casserole. Dashi serves as the cooking broth that turns this into a lovely dish perfect for cold weather.
    Course dinner, Main Course, One dish meals
    Cuisine Asian, Japanese
    Keyword Mille-feuille, napa cabbage, Pork Belly, soup
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes

    Equipment

    • 1 donabe If you have one, but any casserole type pot will do.

    Ingredients

    Main Ingredients

    • 1 napa cabbage medium size should do
    • 1-1½ lb Thinly sliced pork belly smaller the pot the less you will need
    • 1 bunch of mushrooms like enoki or shiimeji optional
    • Korean Radish or Daikon, thinly sliced optional

    Dashi

    • 1 knob ginger 1 inch, 2.5 cm
    • 5 cups dashi See post for dashi options!
    • 2 Tbsp sake cut in half or omit if using Shiro Dashi
    • 1 Tbsp soy sauce cut in half or omit if using Shiro Dashi
    • ½ tsp kosher salt Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt

    Finishing Touches

    • green onions, diced for garnish
    • Chili oil or Shichim Togarashi at the table
    • Rice to serve with hot pot or boil some noodles to have with the flavorful broth!
    • Any kind of eggs-Ramen, Mayak or raw that you crack and cook in the broth

    Instructions

    • Remove leaves carefully from the base, wash and drain well. Don’t throw away any leaves that naturally came off while rinsing. We’ll use these leaves later on. If you happen to get a ginormous cabbage cut in half or quarters lengthwise. I usually buy small ones so I use the whole leaf. Pat them dry before next step.
    • Layer the pork belly and napa cabbage by placing one slice between each of the leaves. Cover leaves with pork belly, trim if necessary to fit. Repeat 3-4 times depending on size of pot.
    • Cut each napa cabbage wedge into 3-4 pieces each about 2 to 2½ inches (5-6 cm) long. Each section should not be taller than your cooking pot. Try to keep the layers of napa cabbage and pork belly neatly stacked as you slice.
    • Next, start stacking the ingredients in a donabe, hot pot, or regular 10-inch pot. I used a shallow Staub pot with the grill top. Turn the stacks on their side as you pack them so the pink and green layers are visible. Start from the outer edges of the pot and work your way toward the center. Place the thicker cabbage leaves near the outside edge and the tender leaves in the center. Make sure that you pack the pot tightly as the layers will become loose once the ingredients start to cook.
    • If you don’t have enough layers to pack the pot tightly, consider using a smaller pot or place other ingredients in the center. I Like to stuff enoki mushrooms or shimeji mushrooms in the center. Or use slices of radish to surround the mushrooms.
    • Make you dashi. Don’t reduce the salt If you are using dashi from packets since the napa cabbage will release liquid during cooking and dilute the soup. If using Shiro Dashi that is seasoned omit half the soy sauce and sake. Taste your broth, it should not be too salty.
    • Pour the broth into the pot with the napa cabbage and pork belly. Start cooking on high heat. Once boiling, skim off the foam and fat on the surface using a fine-mesh skimmer. Then, reduce the heat to medium low and cook covered until the napa cabbage is tender and the pork belly is cooked through, roughly 8-10 minutes.

    Garnish

    • Garnish with chopped green onion/scallion, have shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) on table or sprinkle on top of dish. Serve while hot with rice or boil up some noodles to serve in the delicious broth!
      I like adding a ramen egg or a Mayak egg t round it out.