Month: May 2011 (Page 2 of 2)

Hula’s Modern Tiki Fish Soup Broth

May 13, 2011 / / 0 Comments

This is certainly one of the most interesting soup recipes we’ve posted here at into the Soup.  But, then again, Hula’s Modern Tiki ain’t no slacker when it comes to ingenuity and unique flavor combinations.  Although I’ve not yet tasted this lovely little concoction, my familiarity with these  ingredients sets my taste buds on fire, kind of like a tiki torch!  Light it up : )

Ingredients:

  • 3.5 oz  KOMBU                        
  • 3.5 oz  BONITO FLAKES                                     
  • 36 oz GINGER                                                
  • 3 cups GARLIC                                                 
  • 5 each SERANO  CHILI                                     
  • 2 cups KAFFIR LIME LEAF                   
  • 5 each LEMON GRASS                           
  • 5 each ONIONS                                              
  • 6 oz TOMATO PASTE                             
  • 2 qts SAKE                                                 
  • 16 oz can COCONUT MILK                        
  • 1 cup SOY SAUCE                                                   
  • 1.5 cups FISH SAUCE                                   
  • 3/4 cup LIME JUICE* (use in place of kaffir lime leaves, if necessary)
  1. WIPE THE KOMBU WITH A WET CLOTH. BREAK IT UP INTO PIECES AND PUT INTO A POT WITH 3 GALLONS OF COLD WATER. BRING TO A BOIL AND ADD THE BONITO FLAKES. BRING BACK TO A BOIL, THEN STRAIN IMMEDIATELY.
  2. MEANWHILE, ROUGHLY CHOP serrano, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, and onions AND SAUTE IN A LARGE POT WITH garlic and ginger AND SOME OIL. COOK UNTIL THE VEGGIES BEGIN TO BREAK DOWN A BIT THEN ADD TOMATO PASTE AND SAKE. REDUCE BY 1/2; ADD THE STRAINED LIQUID from step 1. BRING TO A BOIL and REDUCE HEAT TO SIMMER FOR 20- 30 MINUTES. STRAIN, PUT BACK INTO A POT, AND ADD the remaining ingredients. BRING BACK TO A BOIL. SEASON TO TASTE!!

*Note: 1 to 1 1/2 total lbs of Crab, shrimp (coarse chop) and/or any diced, firm white fish (a combo is nice) to be added at the end of the cooking process. 

 

 Click Here for More Soups of the Week

The Weekly Whet: The Tropical Itch

May 13, 2011 / / 0 Comments

This week’s cocktail comes to you from our friends at  Hula’s Modern Tiki which describes itself as “Great modern island cuisine and tropical cocktails in a casual, hip environment.” It’s a little Hawaiian oasis in the desert…and you can stumble over there from the light rail! Step into your flip-flops and put on your most flattering grass skirt. Who knows? You might even get leied.

Tropical Itch

Serves 1

  • 1 oz Passion Fruit Puree
  • 1/2 oz Jim Beam
  • 1/2 oz Cruzan Light
  • 1/2 oz 151 Rum
  • 1/2 oz Triple Sec
  • 1/2 oz Whaler Dark (Float-Shaken)

1.) Fill with equal parts Pineapple, Orange & Cranberry Juices

2.) Shake and pour into Small Hurricane Glass

3.) Insert Back Scratcher

 

Click here for location information

Coffee 101: Could a Cup a Day Keep the Doctor Away?

May 11, 2011 / / 0 Comments

by Emily King

If you’re one of the millions of Americans who enjoys a cup of coffee or two every morning, you may be paving the way for a longer, healthier life—or maybe not.

We’re definitely not the first to report on the controversy over coffee’s effects on the human body, so if you’re looking for ground breaking findings, consult your medical journals (and make sure you have a pillow nearby. Yawn). In fact, just about any internet search on the health effects of coffee will yield thousands of articles.

Still, despite hundreds of existing studies on the subject, scientists have yet to come to a consensus: Do the benefits of coffee outweigh the risks? The unsatisfactory answer is: It depends.

Are you ready to throw your insulated mug across the room yet?  Me too.

According to a particularly fair and balanced article by the Wall Street Journal, “an analysis in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people who drink three to four cups of java a day are 25% less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than those who drink fewer than two cups.”

Additionally, cancer researchers have found that people with coffee habits are far more successful at fending off cancer than their non-coffee drinking counterparts. Men who drink six or more cups of coffee per day substantially lower their risk of developing advanced prostate cancer (by 60%). Coffee consumption has also been linked to reducing the risk of getting colon, mouth, throat, esophageal and endometrial cancers.

Outside of the cancer realm, research suggests that coffee drinkers suffer from fewer cavities and gallstones, and are less likely to develop cirrhosis of the liver, Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease. Finally, there is the correlation between coffee drinkers and suicidal tendencies. Guess what? Those who “get their caffeine buzz on regularly” are far less likely to commit suicide. As a self-proclaimed non-morning person, somehow, this last finding doesn’t surprise me at all (insert morbid chuckle).

Now that I have made coffee sound like a miracle elixir and you’re already contemplating your next cup, I think it’s important to point out that there is a difference between causation and correlation. In other words, it hasn’t been proven that coffee is the cause of all these health benefits, but it is a factor that has been correlated with the lifestyles of the healthier research subjects.

On the flipside, the caffeine that coffee contains has been linked to high-blood pressure, elevated heart rate, and elevated levels of an amino acid called homocysteine. This amino acid is associated with stroke and heart disease.

 Doctors do not recommend that pregnant women consume caffeinated coffee, as it has been linked to higher rates of miscarriage and lower birth-weight babies. Elderly women should also avoid caffeine to minimize bone loss and the development of benign breast lumps.

Finally, among the minor, but undesirable side effects of coffee-drinking for some people, are feelings of anxiousness or irritability, heartburn, and sleeplessness. Unfortunately, these side-effects can lead to more serious conditions like obesity and its accompanying complications.

The point is, we are all genetically different and enjoy different lifestyles. There are those who can drink 10 cups of coffee and take a nap, while others are ready for a power-lifting session after just one. Coffee may be a health safeguard for some, and a hazard for others if consumed in excess.

One thing that all researchers preach is moderation. While six cups of coffee per day may reduce the risk of prostate cancer, other negative effects of all that caffeine could mitigate the benefits.

Parting words for my coffee-drinking peers: Stick to 1-3 cups o’ joe per day and limit the whipped cream, half and half, sugar, and syrups. Take the stairs when you can, eat your leafy greens, and wash your hands frequently.

Click here for an informative article on coffee and health by Melinda Beck in The Wall Street Journal

For More Coffee 101, click here

Brought to you by Village Coffee Roastery, turning Science into Art

The Weekly Whet: New Orleans-Style Hurricane

May 6, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Your usual “Weekly Whet” author has hit the road to California for the weekend. While she’s gone (miss you, Emily!), we’re taking a trip east with the Whet—to New Orleans! While you’re busy making Chef Michael’s Vegetarian Creole Gumbo (see the Soup of the Week), get in the spirit with one of New Orleans’ most famous drinks. Hurricanes are the drink of choice during Mardi Gras, but we think any day can be a Hurricane day!


New Orleans Style Hurricane

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz white rum
  • 1 oz Jamaican dark rum
  • 1 oz Bacardi® 151 rum
  • 3 oz orange juice
  • 3 oz unsweetened pineapple juice
  • 1/2 oz grenadine syrup
  • Crushed ice

Combine all ingredients, mix well (shake or stir). Pour over crushed ice in hurricane glass. Best enjoyed through a small straw. Garnish with fruit wedge if desired.

Chef Michael Brown’s Vegetarian Creole Gumbo

May 6, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Direct from Jamburritos’ “Cajun Grille” and Chef Michael Brown!!! The traditional celery, onions, bell peppers, and okra make this a Creole-style vegetarian gumbo rather than Cajun gumbo. However you slice and dice it (celery, onions, Creole or Cajun), try this gumbo and bring a bit of the old South into your kitchen!

Yield: 2 quarts

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups Okra, cut 1/2″ thick
  • 1 cup Collard Greens, cooked and drained
  • 1 1/2 quarts Vegetable Broth
  • 3/4 cup Corn Kernels, roasted
  • 4 tablespoons diced Onions
  • 2 tablespoons diced Green Bell Pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Diced Celery
  • 1 tablespoon Garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped Parsley
  • 1/4 cup Flour
  • 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
  • Tabasco Sauce, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning
  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy-duty sauce pan for about 7 minutes on a medium to high flame. Whisk in flour and stir briskly making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to keep the mixture from sticking and burning.  Continue to stir until the mixture turns dark brown in color.
  2. Add dice onions, diced celery, diced green bell peppers, minced garlic. and chopped parsley and stir thoroughly. This is the Roux for your Gumbo.
  3. Add vegetable broth stirring the mixture briskly to  dissolve the roux. Then add the cut okra, roasted corn, and collard greens. Add Cajun seasoning and tabasco to taste. Reduce the temperature to low and let cook for 1 hour.  
  4. Serve under your favorite rice. 

 

 Click Here for More Soups of the Week

 

Mother of The Year

May 6, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Raise your hand if you ever penned a letter to your local paper telling them how wonderful your mom is and exactly why she should be crowned “Mother of the Year!”  You’re probably expecting me to attach a copy of the one I submitted all those years ago, but alas, we couldn’t seem to locate it.

Doesn’t matter, really, as I’m quite sure that what I comitted to paper as a child would probably have read something like this…

 

 

Dear Newspaper Person:

I think my mom should be Mother of the Year because she wakes us in the morning saying “Up and Adam!” and then makes good smells come out of the kitchen, which makes me grin even when I’m fighting my brothers for the bathroom.

My mom has the prettiest smile in the whole wide world and a laugh like some sort of bird – probably a lark or a dove, but not a crow.  She makes everyone feel warm.  Her name is Patty.

My mom has lots of rules but when my dad is gone on work she makes our special spaghetti sauce and we play games in the backyard or go swimming at the lake.  Sometimes she lets me stay up late.  We have saltines with tuna salad.  She talks with me and thinks I’m funny and smart.

My mom should be Mother of the Year because she always smells good and looks really nice when dad takes her out to dinner.  They come home laughing and then sleep in late and we get to watch cartoons instead of doing chores.

My mom is really strong and can lift really heavy stuff.  She is smart, too and knows all about how to mend broken things because she was a nurse and that means she can rip off a band-aid with almost no tears.

She makes cookies and cake for after school and helps with homework. She doesn’t take sides when all of us kids argue, she laughs a lot, reads a really good story and tucks me in.  Even when we sometimes hate it, my mom makes us all be together and then things are better.  My friends think she’s neat.

There are lots of moms out there and I’m sure they are good ones, too, but it takes an extraordinary person to be the mother that mine has chosen to be:  always with a smile, some food, some understanding; laughter, love and deep sense of family. I think my mom should be Mother of The Year because she is all that……and she hugs the best.

Thanks, Mom – Uh Vuh, 2

Newer posts »

© 2025 Into the Soup

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑