Fish Soup

This soup is delightful, and easy to make. Serves 2-3 people.

Ingredients:

4 T butter
1/2 onion, chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled & diced
thyme
water
3 c. milk (or cream)
2-3 fillets of white fish

Procedure:

Melt butter in soup pot. Saute chopped onions until transparent.
Add diced potatoes. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
Add fresh or dried thyme.* Stir.
Add water to cover, enough to completely cook the potatoes. Boil lightly for about 10 minutes.
Gently stir in milk, a little at a time, and simmer until hot enough to cook fish.
Add 2-inch pieces of fish, and cook about 3 minutes.

If you use cream this dish will be decidedly richer, and probably better as a side dish than a complete meal. (Great for an appetizer to impress dinner guests!) Otherwise, dilute soup with milk to reach the consistency that appeals to you.

Serve with toast.

*When using fresh thyme in soups, bundle twigs and tie together, then remove when the soup is ready to serve. Dried thyme can more accurately be measured in pinches, to please your palate.

I'm a big herb freak, so I use a lot of dried thyme in this delicious soup.

Why Chinese New Year?

It has replaced Halloween as my favorite holiday of the year. It has been my favorite since I decided to adopt a daughter from China. Here are the reasons that I love Chinese New Year, and why I think you should celebrate it too.

Chinese New Year (CNY), also known as the Lunar New Year, and Spring Festival, is celebrated just the right amount of time after the Christmas holidays. I've had enough time to chill out, relax, and plan for the next fun event. It doesn't require presents, just red clothes and a haircut. The decorations and rituals are simple and simply beautiful: fresh flowers, red banners, red lanterns, and oranges. It brightens a late January/early February like Christmas lights do December, except better, because at Christmas, it really is the darkest time of the year, and right now we are better able to anticipate spring.

The food is unbelievably good (see previous post), and easy to make. I downloaded traditional Chinese music and spent Sunday morning in my kitchen, in meditation as I made preparations. I felt calm, loving, and hungry when my feast was ready to serve (this is not always the case when preparing a special meal for extended family, am I right?). We finished most of the food, because it was just the right amount, and when we wanted more dumplings, daughter and grandmother headed to the kitchen to make more. That act alone made my day. I swell with pride and love knowing my daughter likes to create in the kitchen with her grandparents. Just that makes me think that everything will be all right, forever.

Also, the crafts are fun. Dragons and animals. This year we made dragon masks and bunny ears (year of the rabbit) at preschool. See our bunny ears in photo above. They can do double-duty at Easter.

The pressure is too much for me on January 1st. By the end of January, I'm ready to move forward in the new year and take seriously some spiritual renewal. Maybe the lunar calendar is more suited to the rhythm of my life.

Happy Chinese New Year!

MENU:

Appetizers -- fresh cut vegetables with peanut sauce. My mother ("Laolao") will be providing the dip, because her's is SO GOOD.

Dumplings -- everyone in the family participates in making the dumplings. In past postings, I have deprecated myself and my dumplings, but I'll tell you now, they are damn good! Reference "Joy of Cooking" for a recipe.

Noodles -- signifying long life. In China some people celebrate individual birthdays during the year, and some don't. On Chinese New Year, it's everyone's birthday. This year's noodles will be pan-fried or oven-roasted vegetarian lo mein noodles.

Mr. Chang's Chicken -- this recipe was gathered by Ruth Reichl the first time she visited China. The chicken is boiled in a broth of soy sauce, sugar, star anise, ginger, licorice root, and mandarin orange peel.

Bok Choy -- a nutritious vegetable symbolizing the coming of spring. Simmered in ginger broth, and served with oyster sauce.

Tea Eggs -- hard-boiled eggs soaked in tea, star anise, and soy sauce. Symbolizing rebirth and new things to come, tea eggs are eaten first in the feast. These always seem weird to the uninitiated, but everybody likes them. You should try them. Here is the recipe:

TEA EGGS -- A specialty for Chinese New Year

12 eggs, hard boiled
1 cup soy sauce
4 t salt
12 star anise pods
12 black tea bags

Gently crack the shells of the eggs all over by tapping them with the back of a spoon but do not remove the shells. Put them in a large nonreactive saucepan with the soy sauce, salt, star anise, and enough water to just cover the eggs, about 8 cups. Tie the tea bags together and place them in the pan with the eggs.

Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, covered, about 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and set the pan aside. Let cool to room temperature, covered. Refrigerate the eggs overnight in their cooking mixture before serving.

From: Modern Asian Flavors, A Taste of Shanghai, by Richard Wong, 2005.

Dessert? Well, those close to me know that I don't do dessert. But I will be serving the most fantastic dessert ever invented, in my opinion. I discovered it at CostCo.

I could live on noodles and sorbet.

Energy Shortage -- Learning to Cut Back

When fuel prices soar, we find ways to save money, such as wearing long underwear in the house, driving less, and spending less $ on food. It's the logical process of dealing with the economic downturn.

When our bodies are low on energy, the body economizes by getting sick. A bad cold this month has taught me, or rather reminded me, to slow down and conserve energy. January is a tough month in the Midwest. We just came off the whirlwind of holidays -- shopping, overeating, and celebrating. We feel we must keep going. We must get stuff done! For some reason, perhaps it is our American life, we find it disconcerting to be still, even when there is ANOTHER snow storm, and ANOTHER cold snap of zero degree weather. In our culture, it is hard for us to STOP.

As cliche as this sounds, listen to the body. Yes, I know, the body & mind & spirit together all are experiencing cabin fever. There are remedies for that. But if you can't go to Mexico this year, you'll have to use cheaper remedies. Here are some suggestions...

1) Put some really pumping music in your car... do car chair dancing and singing at the top of your lungs while driving.

2) Dance in the house -- arms overhead! Really go for it! With abandon!

3) Play outside even though it is really, really cold.

For obtaining seasonal balance, I suggest...

1) Read books that you can actually devour. That means entertaining books, not intellectual stuff that makes you smarter.

2) Be crafty. Do a tedious craft you would never want to do in the summer. Something using hot glue. Or perhaps drawing straight lines until you can actually draw a straight line. Repetition is key.

3) If you really need something that is creative, productive, and can be done while seated, write letters to your friends. Write letters to your congress members. Become an armchair activist.

It's all about balance.


FRENCH ONION SOUP
Saute 2-3 large sweet onions in butter & olive oil. Add beef stock.
Serve with grated gruyere cheese on top, and crusty french bread.


HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!
YEAR OF THE RABBIT BEGINS FEBRUARY 3
Shopkeepers in China hang lettuce upside-down at their entrances. When the lion dancers parade down the streets, or hutongs, they climb up to grab the lettuce, ensuring an abundant spring.