Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

I first heard of this yummy recipe about a year ago on Zorba Paster's radio show on Wisconsin Public Radio.  However, for some reason it's not on his website, so I had to do a little digging and combine a few recipes and make a few changes of my own.  For one, traditionally, raw chicken is thrown into the soup, which just sounded disgusting.  I decided to fry up the chicken first, and I liked the results.  I hope you will too.  It's extremely delicious, great for colds and cold weather, but good all year round.

Half bag of Egg Noodles
6 cups chicken broth
2-3 red dried peppers, finely chopped (jalapenos work in a pinch)
2 heaping T of minced garlic
1 T fresh grated ginger
2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp grated lime zest
1/4 c fresh lime juice (about 1 1/2 limes worth)
3 T fish sauce (Asian section of grocery)
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms (portabella or shiitake)
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can coconut milk (Asian section)
2 c baby spinach
2 T chopped cilantro (plus sprigs for garnish)
1 T olive oil
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp paprika
1 T soy sauce

Start by slicing the chicken breasts into quarter inch thick strips, about 1 to 2 inches long.  In a skillet, heat the olive oil and 1 T of minced garlic.  Add the chicken and cook, adding the paprika and garlic salt, cook til chicken is done.  Set aside.

In a stock pot, heat up the chicken broth and add the noodles.  You can use chicken bouillon cubes or powder, just use one extra measure or cube than the directions call for.  Add 1 T of minced garlic, the lemon zest, the lime zest, lime juice, ginger and bring up to heat, a nice simmer.  Add the 3 T of fish sauce.  At this point, it will smell like someone's ass, but never mind, we're not done yet.


Simmer for 5 or so minutes, then add the mushrooms.  Simmer another 5 minutes, then add the chicken and the coconut milk.  Simmer another 5 minutes, then stir in the spinach and cilantro.  Stir slowly til the spinach withers.  Season with a little more garlic salt to taste, reduce to lowest heat and cover.  Simmer another 15 minutes before serving, or longer if you like.  I like to shut it off and then re-heat it later on to serve, it gives the flavors time to blend.

Although this may not be the authentic Thai soup, it's absolutely wonderful!

Asian Pot Stickers

No, they're not little marijuana leaf stickers that you put on your notebooks next to the Led Zeppelin ZoSo stickers, kids.  We're talking Asian Pot Stickers...those yummy little stuffed turnover thingies that you dip in a yummy sauce and eat in Asian restaurants!

This is not a recipe you want to try after a busy day, but rather on a lazy afternoon with a friend or two.  One of those, "Hey, let's make something new and fun for dinner" moments.  They are not at all hard to make, but do take up some time.  You can buy the won-ton wrappers in larger grocery stores (as I did in this example, made on a Friday night after a long work week), but I think the homemade ones are about 10x better AND easier to work with.

For the Pot Stickers, you will need:

1/2 head Napa or regular cabbage, finely chopped.
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 pound ground pork
2 T grated and diced fresh ginger
1/2 of a carrot, grated and diced
1 small onion, finely diced
1 heaping T of minced garlic
1 T soy sauce
1 T fish sauce (avail. at larger supermarkets)
3 tsp Sesame oil (asian section of market)
1 egg
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1 cup Chicken Broth
Oil - Wok or Olive

Start by slicing and dicing up the cabbage very finely.  Put the cabbage in a large bowl, stir well with the salt and set aside for about an hour.  The salt leeches moisture out of the cabbage, which is important.  After an hour, put the cabbage on a clean dish towel or on cheesecloth and twist and squeeze as much moisture out of the cabbage as possible.  Next, squeeze out the moisture from the onion and ginger as well.

Now mix the rest of the ingredients together in the large bowl with the cabbage, onion and garlic.  Take a won ton sheet and cut it into 4 squares, or if using your own won tons, cut out a circle from the dough with a standard soup can with the lid removed as a 'cookie cutter'.  Place a ping-pong ball sized piece of the meat mixture on the wonton, fold over and pinch together and seal.  Having a little finger bowl of water is handy, for wetting your fingers makes this a lot easier.  Set each aside on a cookie sheet until you have used up all of the won tons and meat, or you've just decided that you've made enough.

Now heat a skillet to medium-high heat with about 2-3 T of oil in the bottom spread evenly.  Stand the potstickers up on end (flattening them on end on the counter first helps) and arrange in the skillet.  Turn a bit this way and that to brown the outsides, then pour a little (1/4 to 1/3 cup) of the chicken broth in the pan and cover, to steam them.  When the broth has been absorbed, remove with spatula and set aside, wipe out the pan and re-oil for another batch!  Keep the finished ones warm in the oven.

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For Homemade Won Tons:


1 egg
1/3 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Mix in the water.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Create a well in the center of the mixture and slowly pour in the egg and water. Mix well. If the mixture is too dry, increase the amount of water one teaspoon at a time until a pliable dough has formed.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until elastic. Split into 3 balls.  Cover the dough with a damp cloth for a minimum of 10 minutes.

Take each ball and roll it out on a floured surface about as thin as you can get it.  Then take a standard sized empty soup can and, using like a cookie cutter, cut out circles and use like you would the wonton squares above.  I like the circles better than the squares, and I like these better than the store bought ones.

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For the Dipping Sauce:

1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Rice Vinegar (or regular vinegar with 1/8 tsp sugar)
1-2 tsp Sesame Oil, to taste
1 tsp minced garlic
1 T white wine, to taste.

Camp Beans

"Camp Beans" have been a favorite around my cabin in Price County and at tailgating and family gatherings for years.  My father first taught me how to make these during a fishing trip to Canada in 1986.  He used to make them in college.  I think he had forgotten about them until we all were on that fishing trip, because we never had them around the house when I was growing up.

Since then, they're a staple in deer camp, fish camp, and sap camp (We make maple syrup in the Spring).  Hence, the name.

They're easy, and fairly quick.  Just watch toward the end with constant attention so that you do not burn them.

You'll need:

1/2 lb Bacon
1 large onion
2 heaping T minced garlic
2 27 oz canz of Baked Beans, any flavor you like
1 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup Beer, any kind
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp garlic salt

Start by slicing/dicing the bacon up small and throw into a large skillet on med heat.  Dice the onion up finely.  When the bacon is starting to turn clear, toss in the onion and the garlic.   Finish the bacon to your desired bacon doneness, then add the rest of the ingredients.  Bring to a nice simmer and stir fairly often, increasing the frequency as the beans simmer and reduce.  Towards the end, you'll pay constant attention...they're done when you can draw a spatula through them and see the bottom of the pan for a few seconds.  My father likes them when you can part them with a spatula and they stay parted, but I like them just a tad less thick.

Serve them hot or serve them cold, either way they're great.  They do thicken more as they cool, so bear that in mind.  And you don't have to have a 'Camp' to make them...they're great anytime!

BRATWURST!!! Wisconsin Style!

Not too many years ago, if you weren't from Wisconsin or Germany, odds are you thought a 'brat' was a rotten little snot nosed kid.  Wider distribution and fans of the Green Bay Packers have changed all that, but a true Wisconsin brat is only found in...Wisconsin.  Our's is a sweeter variety than the German one, and doesn't have milk or egg as an ingredient like most of the German variety recipes call for.  Standard fare at summer grill events, Brewer games at Miller Park and fall football tailgating at Lambeau Field, the Wisconsin brat is usually first simmered in beer and onions, then grilled, then returned to the beer and onion bath before serving on a brat bun (like a hot dog bun, but stiffer and heartier) with kraut, ketchup, mustard and various other condiments.

My brat recipe is a result of my own experiments and observations in trials of other's attempts at a Wisconsin brat.  I think I've hit on a pretty good recipe.

For this recipe, you may wish to acquire a meat grinder and sausage stuffer, if you don't already own one.  Often times meat grinders come with a sausage stuffing attachment, but the devices are sold separately as well.  They can be electric or manually cranked or pressed.  For well less than $100 you can usually get started in sausage-making, but of course nicer and more robust units are available and the price goes up accordingly.

However, you don't need ANY of this equipment to enjoy this recipe...just buy ground pork and season it accordingly, and have Brat Patties!  You don't want to simmer those in beer first like the sausage variety, but you can throw them in a beer and onion simmer bath after they're grilled (along with your hamburgers...another old Wisconsin trick).

I usually buy whatever cut of pork is on sale.  Most often, this amounts to Country Style Ribs - either boneless or bone-in (which will require you to remove the bones), but I've used Pork Butt and Pork Tenderloin as well.  You can have the butcher grind these cuts for you too if you do not have a grinder.

Mix thoroughly:

4 lb ground Country Style Pork Ribs
2 T Salt
2 T Sugar
2 tsp Nutmeg
2 tsp Coriander
2 tsp Celery Seed
2 tsp Black Pepper
2 tsp Ginger
2 tsp Marjoram
2 tsp Sage
4 T Real Maple Syrup
2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 cup Olive Oil (optional...most people like a bit of fattyness in their brats...this is waaaay less than the commercial variety, and they're a bit dry without it, but if you're health-conscious about the fat, skip it.)

Once mixed, you can make into patties and grill or freeze them, or run the meat through a sausage stuffer into casings.  This is fairly easy and if you have a sausage stuffer, you probably already know how to proceed.  But if you have the stuffer and have never done this, you'll need some natural casings (available at most butchers and groceries with a large meat counter).  These are packed in salt, so you'll need to pre-soak them in water first for about a half hour.  Then take one over to the sink, fit one end of the casing over the nozzle and gently run water through it for a few seconds before slipping onto the horn of your sausage stuffer.  Slide the whole casing onto the horn, tie a knot in one end, and start stuffing them into brat-lengths, spinning the casing numerous times between links to pinch each link off.  Work slowly and carefully til you've filled all the links...then make the leftovers into a patty and fry it up!

To grill them Wisconsin-style, put 2 to 3 cans of beer in a pot, enough to cover the brats.  Add 1 tsp garlic salt and a large onion, sliced into rings.  Optionally, you can add a sliced up green pepper as well.   Simmer the brats til they are firm, then remove from heat.  They can sit like this for an hour or so, or you can take them right to the grill.  Grill them on medium high heat until they are a nice carmelized brown.  Toss back in the beer bath for a few minutes, then serve on Brat Buns with Sauerkraut, a good German mustard, Ketchup and whatever other condiments you wish.

Easy Crock Pot Split Pea Soup

I love Split Pea soup.  On a cold day, nothing warms and fills one better.  Here's an easy way to make this delicious and hearty soup with very little effort.  It cooks while you're at work!  Throw the ingredients in,  turn on your crock pot and come home to a delicious meal.

1 lb ham, cubed into about 1 cm cubes
1 package of dry Split Peas (16oz)
3 carrots, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1/2 of a Rutabaga, diced like the ham
1 heaping T minced garlic
10 cups (2 1/2 quarts) water
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 bay leaves

Optional:  1 tsp cayenne pepper (if you like a little kick in your soup...I do)

Another option is to take one or two carrots out and replace with parsnips...which look like white carrots.  Parsnips will give it an earthier flavor that's delicious and hard to describe.

Put all ingredients in crock pot.  Set on low, and go to work.  When you get home, stir it well and serve.  If you like it a little thicker, take to it with a potato masher, then stir again before serving.  It will also thicken quite a bit as it cools.

Enjoy!!!!

Superior South Shore Whitefish Chowder

My favorite spot on Earth is located on the South Shore of Lake Superior...a little town called Cornucopia where everywhere is walking distance.  My friends the Halvorsons run a family fishing operation...one of the few successful ones left on the Great Lakes.   The Village Inn, a bar/supper club/B&B on the corner of US 13 and County C, serves a whitefish chowder with Halvorson's fresh catch that's out of this world.  Their recipe is a closely guarded secret.  This is not their recipe, but I've come up with one that's *almost* as delicious.

Whitefish is available on Lakes Michigan and Superior.  I really don't know about the rest of the Great Lakes as I haven't traveled them, but if you can't get Whitefish, I'm told by displaced Wisconsinites that Tilapia makes a fair substitute.   Good any time of the year, nothing soothes the soul like a bowl of Whitefish Chowder.  I would imagine that Black Bass would work well in this recipe as well.  Many of you fisherman who are grudgingly accepting the Black Bass that are displacing Walleye in Wisconsin lakes might find that many Whitefish recipes work well with Black Bass...and you may come to appreciate this maligned fish.

1 lb. Whitefish (or Tilapia, Black Bass) fillets (about 2 12-14 inch Whitefish fillets, you'll have to judge other fish for yourself)
3-4 strips of bacon, or 1/4 cup of diced salt pork
2 stalks of celery
2-3 red potatoes
1 medium onion
1 heaping T minced garlic
2 bay leaves
3 cups water
2 cups milk
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup of corn (fresh, frozen or canned)
1 1/2 tsp Salt
Old Bay (or other crab/seafood) seasoning
Black Pepper

Skin the Whitefish fillets and remove the belly fat along the bottom of the fillet with a sharp knife...discard skin and belly fat.  Simmer the fillets in a stockpot along with the 3 cups of water and the Salt for about 10 minutes, til the fish is done.  If you have trouble removing the skin and belly fat before this step, you can remove the fish and pick out the skin and belly at this time.  Break up the cooked flesh and return into the stockpot with the water and leave on a very low simmer.

Slice up the bacon or salt pork into small pieces.  Cook the bacon in a skillet til it starts to brown.  Dice the potatoes (leave the skin on), celery and onion.  Add to the bacon along with the minced garlic, 2 bay leaves and some Old Bay seaoning.  Simmer and stir til vegetables are soft.   Add the contents of the skillet to the fish and broth in the stockpot.  Add the corn and 1 cup of milk, simmer for 25 minutes on low-med heat.  DO NOT let this chowder boil at any time.  Just simmer.

After 25 minutes, prepare a roux* out of the half stick of butter and the 1/4 cup of flour and add to the chowder along with another cup of milk.  Season with black pepper and Old Bay to taste, stir slowly and constantly til it thickens to a satisfactory thickness, about 10 - 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and serve, or set aside...because like all good stews, soups and chowders, the longer they sit, the better they taste!!!   Serve with oyster crackers and cold beer, then picture yourself in a quaint little bar full of friendly and colorful people on the South Shore of the Greatest of Lakes.

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*Roux...  It's not a clever trick to fool those who might sample your Chowder early....that's a Ruse.  To prepare a Roux, prepare equal amounts of butter and flour.  Melt the butter on low heat and then slowly add in the equal amount of flour a little at a time, stirring constantly, making sure not to burn it.  When it's all melted and stirred in, remove from heat at once and add to the chowder.  This can be used to thicken any sort of chowder, stew or gravy.