I cut my fingertip off this week which made me feel like I should stop putting off writing this newsletter as it is largely about mandolin safety. About eleven months ago, I had lunch with some friends at a Szechuan restaurant. Whenever possible, I like to scan the menu and order everything that sounds good. My biannual rewatch of the Gilmore Girls keeps me gluttonous. At this lunch we ate this soup. It was golden. It had shaved pork. It had goji berries. It was the most incredible soup I’ve ever had. I think about it every day. For the past eleven months, I’ve workshopped this recipe, and now it is yours.
This soup has garlic, ginger, and turmeric. You can use a knife to peel and chop but if you own one and feel comfortable, you should use a mandolin. The mandolin is a magnificent and potentially dangerous tool, but to me, it is safer than the chef knife (with which I cut my fingertip off two days ago). If your mandolin has a guard, use it.
Golden Chicken Soup
2 whole chicken legs
3 garlic cloves, peeled & sliced
2 large knobs of turmeric, peeled & sliced
4 inch knob of ginger, peeled & sliced
2 carrots, peeled & sliced
4 scallions, diced - green & white parts separated
3 quarts chicken broth
1 LB rice noodles
1 lime
Season chicken legs with salt up to twenty four hours in advance. Bring a pot of salted water or chicken broth to a simmer and add the chicken, poaching until the internal temperature reads 160 (20 minutes). Remove the chicken and set aside. Once the chicken has cooled, pull the meat into spoon sized pieces, discarding the skin and bones. In a Dutch oven, heat three tablespoons of neutral oil. Add the garlic, turmeric, ginger, carrots, and whites of the scallions. Sauté on medium low until the alliums begin to soften. Add salt and continue to sauté until the vegetables are soft but not taking on color. Add chicken broth and bring the soup to a boil. Add rice noodles, reduce the heat and simmer. When the rice noodles are nearly done, add the chicken, juice of one lime, and green part of the scallions. Salt to taste. Eat it immediately. Eat it now.
As I type this newsletter, I am in pain with every keystroke as my raw fingertip slams into the letters. However, my fondness for this soup and my desire to make it and eat it every day completely overshadows my instincts of self preservation. I make my way into the kitchen to put my body at risk once again to ultimately give it a great reward.
There are seven days until the first night of Passover. I am excited to bring back my tradition of making matzo ball soup for the occasion. Pre-sale orders are now open and available. Pick up will be on Monday April 22. If anyone would like to pick up on Sunday April 21, just message me and I will accommodate you.
The last few days and weeks have been unprecedentedly rainy. The city is a flood everywhere you turn. Everyone is displaying their most despicable driving habits. Everything is wet. Everything is green. Everything is grey and beautiful. It’s my favorite weather. It’s perfect for soup. Five days to The Tortured Poets Department.
Love you
-the BMer
But what about the goji berries, though?