Happy Friday, folks. Weekend before Thanksgiving is always a fun one, the last “free” weekend before we dip deeply into the holiday swing. I, for one, would love to spend some time outside, maybe catch a little bit of the Amelia Peabody Memorial Hunt, and start thinking about what I’m going to eat next week.
We’ll be taking Thanksgiving up North this year and Nana CWD is driving the bus — so no cooking for me. That’s okay. I’m sure, if previous years are any indication, we’ll have at least three pounds of turkey per person — so no one will starve. In anticipation of that, let’s try something a little lighter this week: “Thai-ish” chicken soup.
I say that, because I started making this “Thai-inspired” soup from the NYT the other night, and quickly realized that it was a bit overcomplicated (who has time to make meatballs?) and also that I could probably kick the flavors up a notch. So here we go!
In a large pot, heat up some olive oil over medium heat, and then add about two pounds of ground (or roughly cut) chicken. Dust with salt and pepper, and let this start to brown. In the meantime, either dice or toss in a food processor/blender: a knob of ginger, a bunch of garlic, and one or two jalapeno (or other hot) peppers. Dump this mix in with the chicken, and stir occasionally until the chicken is mostly cooked through.
To the chicken, dump in a can of coconut milk and your choice of any or all of the following: a few dashes of fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili oil, sriracha, lime juice. Let that all mellow for a bit (and adjust the flavors as you like), then dump in chicken stock until you feel like you’ve got everything covered (both literally and metaphorically).
Bring this to a boil, then dump in a bunch of mushrooms, bok choy, spinach, and any other quick cooking veggies you have on hand. Enjoy with a spoon and out of a bowl.
So there you are: a decently quick meal before you load up on turkey and carbs next week. Enjoy the weekend!