Chicken Soup & Homicide - Culinary Competition Mystery #2

Recipes

Orange and Currant Rice Porridge

Serve this warm as a breakfast porridge or chill it for a tasty rice pudding.

1 c. medium-grain rice

1 c. milk

1/4 - 1/2 c. light brown sugar

Finely grated zest from 1 orange

1/4 c. dried currants

1/4 c. chopped pecans or almonds, optional

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Fill a medium saucepan full of water and bring to a boil. Add the rice, reduce heat to medium, and boil like pasta, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender—about 15 minutes. Drain and return the rice to the saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring just to a boil over medium heat (be careful—milk can easily boil over). Reduce heat to low then simmer, stirring occasionally, until the milk is absorbed and the porridge is creamy—about 5 minutes. Serve warm or chilled. Makes 2-4 servings.

Country Captain Soup

This soup was Amy and Sophie's entry for the Chicken Soup Showdown.

1 tbsp. butter

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 sweet red bell pepper, diced

2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced

1 1/2 - 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 c. chicken broth

1 – 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

2 tbsp. mild curry powder

1 tbsp. garam masala

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 c. cooked rice

1/2 c. raisins

1/4 c. sliced almonds

1 – 14 oz. can coconut milk

3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Melt butter in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onions, pepper, and celery. Sauté for 2 minutes until just beginning to soften, then add the chicken. Sauté until chicken is lightly browned. Add broth, tomatoes, curry powder, garam masala, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer for about 30 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked and vegetables are tender. Add the rice, raisins, almonds, coconut milk, and bacon. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves and serve. Makes 6-8 servings.

Tomato Cobbler

Amy serves this to Carla for brunch. It also makes a great side dish for other meals.

2 – 14 oz. cans of fire-roasted, diced tomatoes, drained

1 2/3 c. flour

1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

4 tbsp. cold butter, cubed

1 egg, beaten

3/4 c. milk

Topping:

2 tbsp. melted butter

1/2 c. panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread drained tomatoes in the bottom of a greased, 8x8-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, cheese, baking powder, baking soda, black pepper, and garlic powder. Add the cold butter. Cut butter into the flour using a pastry cutter, a fork or your hands until coarse crumbs form. Add the egg and milk. Stir just until a wet dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls on top of the tomatoes. Leave some space in between the mounds of dough for steam to escape (you may not use all of the dough). Combine the bread crumbs and melted butter for the topping in a small bowl. Sprinkle on top. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the biscuit dough is cooked through. Makes 4-6 servings.

Oatmeal and Apple Cake

Amy serves this as a coffee cake for breakfast. It's also tasty as a snack cake or dessert later in the day.

1 c. old-fashioned oats

1 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 c. light brown sugar

6 tbsp. butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. finely diced apple

1/2 c. raisins or dried currants

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring a medium saucepan full of water to a boil. Add oatmeal and immediately reduce heat to a simmer. Be careful, it can boil over easily, so be prepared to remove the pan from the heat for a few seconds if needed. Simmer oatmeal, like pasta, for 5 minutes or until oats are tender. When oats are cooked, drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, and set aside to drain. To make the batter whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Stir in melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined. Fold in oats, apple, and currants. Spread batter into a greased, 8x8 inch baking pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Makes 6-8 servings.