Beef Stew Cook-Off

Today at LIFE we had Patrick Gunnels, Claire's son, and Huyen Doan and Jill Vu face off for a mulitcultural beef stew cookoff. Patrick, who has Irish heritage, made a rockin' Irish Stew and Huyen and Jill did a nuanced and flavorful Vietnamese stew. A cornucopia of spices and herbs made this Vietnamese concoction delightful. Patrick added a rich cabernet wine and some extra stout Guinness beer to give his stew its Irish twist. Everyone had a taste of each recipe and both were so good, we had a statistical dead heat.

Patrick also has French roots, but once he looked at Julia Child's intricate recipe, he said, heck no, I'm making Irish stew, a recipe taught to him by his best friend, Kashan, a Pakistani.

Recipes for Irish & Vietnamese Stews (pdf)

Summer Delights

Greetings LIFEers! This week we were thrilled to have Librarians Jill Vu and Tracy Williams, and staffer Huyen Doan teach us how to make Vietnamese summer salad and lemon sorbet. We were thrilled, first, because we got to eat delicious food, and second, because these brave ladies filled in for us at the last minute when two other presenters canceled. Thank you Jill, Tracy, and Huyen. The recipe for lemon sorbet is below, and the recipe for Vietnamese chicken salad is in the power point. Enjoy!

Lemon Sorbet

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3-4 large lemons)
1 tsp lemon zest

Method:
1) Make simple syrup by heating sugar and water in saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
2) Mix lemon juice, zest and simple syrup and chill in the refrigerator or in an ice bath.
3) After mixture has chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
4) After frozen, store in an airtight container in the freezer.

Note: If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can still make sorbet. Just place the sorbet mixture in a shallow pan in the freezer and occasionally stir with a fork until the mixture is frozen. If the mixture is still chunky, you can place it in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

Goi Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Salad)

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Chicken Soup for the Bowl

Our LIFE class this week got a special treat; chicken soup! World renowned for its healing properties, chicken soup is a good remedy for many upper respiratory tract illnesses. Librarians Elise Sheppard and Jill Vu joined us to give us the Jewish and Vietnamese takes on this classic fare. Recipes below. Also below is a link explaining why chicken soup is so good for you. Our LIFE class left feeling fuller in wisdom and healthy goodness. Feel free to try one of these recipes at home with your family the next time cold and flu season comes around, or any day the week for a hearty and healthy meal.

Jewish Chicken Soup - AKA Jewish Penicillin
Rosely Himmelstein's winning recipe from Shabbat Across America's Chicken Soup Challenge
http://www.worldfamousrecipes.com/chicken-soup-winner.html
(Serves about 6)

Ingredients
•2 quarts of chicken broth (the recipe follows)
•1 chicken (about 3-4 lbs), quartered (I prefer a regular chicken to a fowl); rinsed
•1 large carrot, peeled and cup up
•1 large onion, peeled and cup up
•1 stalk celery
•1 leek, white and light green parts only; washed well
•1 parsnip, peeled and cut up
•1 parsley root, with greens attached
•1 sweet potato, peeled
•a handful of dill (about 3-4 stems)
•1 small rutabaga, peeled and cut up
•a few sprigs of cilantro (optional)
•Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
•Put chicken broth in pot; bring to boil.
•Add chicken. Return to boil; lower heat.
•Gently simmer uncovered for 1 hour.
•Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for one-half hour more; stir occasionally.
•Skim fat from top.
•Pour into bowls; into each add a slice of carrot and a sprig of cilantro.
•If storing, let soup cool before refrigerating. When cold, remove the fat that rises to the surface. Use soup within 2-3 days, or store in freezer.

Vietnamese Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
•2 tbsp tamarind powder (optional)
•1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
•1 tbsp oil
•1/2 tsp minced garlic
•1/2 tsp Asian chili paste or hot chili flakes
•5 cups fat-skimmed chicken broth
•1 lb chicken (or fish/shrimp)
•1 cup pineapple chunks
•2 tbsp Asian fish saucs (nuoc mam)
•3 tbsp sugar
•1/4 cup lime juice (6 tbsp if you don't use tamarind powder)
•2 tomatoes (6 oz. total) rinsed and cut into 1/2 inch wedges
•2 celery stalks or taro steam (sliced)
•2 cups (6 oz.) bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
•2 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
•2 tbsp chopped rice-paddy herb (ngo om) or fresh cilantro
•2 tsp finely chopped fresh chilies or chili garlic sauce

Directions:
•In a 5 to 6 quart pan over medium heat, stir shallots with oil until golden brown and crisp.
•Add garlic, chicken, and fish sauce to pan and stir until garlic is fragrant.
•Add broth, tamarind powder, sugar and bring to a boil over high heat.
•Add pineapple, tomatoes, and celery or taro steam.
•Cook uncovered just until chicken is cooked and simmered, 5-6 minutes.
•Add bean sprouts into hot broth.
•Ladle soup mixture into bowls and sprinkle with fried shallots, cilantro, basil, rice-paddy herb (ngo om) and chopped green onions. Add chilies to taste.

For more information on the therapeutic properties of chicken soup, go to http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/118/4/1150.full.html

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Chicken Soup for the Bowl

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