A rich, creamy, lemony soup that I quite enjoyed! This one’s from a cookbook that’s all recipes from different mystery writers, and this recipe was submitted by J. T. Ellison, who I’m not actually familiar with!
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed to brown the chicken
- 1/2 medium onion, diced small
- 2 stalks celery, diced small
- 2 large carrots, diced small
- 2 large chicken breasts, cut into 2-3” pieces, seasoned generously with salt and pepper
- 2 quarts chicken stock
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 3 eggs, whisked
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice from 2 lemons
- 1-2 teaspoons black pepper
- fresh parsley or dill
In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the vegetables and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the chicken and about 1 tablespoon of additional olive oil if needed. Brown the chicken on both sides, stirring so vegetables don’t over-brown.
Add the stock, rice, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce to low and simmer 30 minutes.
Transfer 1 1/2 cups of broth to a small bowl to cool slightly. Remove the chicken with tongs and shred with a fork, then set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the lemon juice. Whisk about 1/2 cup of the cooled chicken broth into the egg mixture to temper the eggs, then repeat, gradually adding all the broth while continuing to whisk.
Once all the reserved broth has been added, slowly whisk the mixture back into the soup.
Return the shredded chicken to the soup and heat on low. Add the black pepper and remaining salt, then top with fresh parsley or dill and serve hot.
Avgolemono
From The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed to brown the chicken
- 1/2 medium onion, diced small
- 2 stalks celery, diced small
- 2 large carrots, diced small
- 2 large chicken breasts, cut into 2-3” pieces, seasoned generously with salt and pepper
- 2 quarts chicken stock
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 3 eggs, whisked
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice from 2 lemons
- 1-2 teaspoons black pepper
- fresh parsley or dill
In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the vegetables and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and about 1 tablespoon of additional olive oil if needed. Brown the chicken on both sides, stirring so vegetables don’t over-brown.
Add the stock, rice, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce to low and simmer 30 minutes.
Transfer 1 1/2 cups of broth to a small bowl to cool slightly. Remove the chicken with tongs and shred with a fork, then set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the lemon juice. Whisk about 1/2 cup of the cooled chicken broth into the egg mixture to temper the eggs, then repeat, gradually adding all the broth while continuing to whisk. Once all the reserved broth has been added, slowly whisk the mixture back into the soup.
Return the shredded chicken to the soup and heat on low. Add the black pepper and remaining salt, then top with fresh parsley or dill and serve hot.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9″ cake pan.
In a medium bowl, melt 8 tablespoons of the butter. Whisk in the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.
Transfer to the prepared cake pan.
Bake 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let cool in the cake pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a plate/platter.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and stir together with the honey.
Spread evenly over the top of the cornbread, then serve either warm or at room temperature.
Ingredients:
Combine the gochugaru, gochujang, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of the oil, the pepper, sugar, garlic, ginger, salt, and water in a bowl or large ziplock, and mix together well.
Add the chicken, turn to coat, and set aside. I actually did this part before work this most recent time I cooked this, to make things faster in the evening, but a long marinating time isn’t necessary.
In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the rice cakes and cook until all the rice cakes are soft and chewy, 3-4 minutes, then remove from the pan to a bowl and set aside.
Add the chicken mixture to the now-empty pan. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes. Meanwhile, move a rack to the center position in the oven and preheat the broiler on high.
Add the rice cakes to the chicken mixture and stir in. Reduce the heat to low, cover again, and cook another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of the chicken mixture, then transfer into the oven.
Broil until cheese is melted completely and starting to brown – check at 2 minutes, and every minute after to prevent burning, but only 2 or 3 should be necessary.
Remove from the oven and let sit 5 minutes for the cheese to set some, then serve still hot.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Saute the green onions and garlic over medium heat for 1 minute until softened, not browned.
Add the stock, corn, prawns, and the chili paste/sauce if using.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Season to taste, then serve at once, sprinkled with coriander leaves.
Ingredients:
Add the brown sugar to the melted butter remaining in the pan and continue to cook until the sugar is dissolved into the butter, then remove from the heat.
Unroll one of the prepared pie crusts into the pan over the melted butter.
Fill with the canned pie filling, then sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon sugar over the pie filling.
Top with the second pie crust, then brush the top crust with the reserved butter, and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of cinnamon sugar. Cut vents in the middle of the top crust.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbling. Serve still hot, with ice cream!
Ingredients:
In a large bowl, stir together the flours. Add the yeast mixture and stir until mostly sticking together, then turn out onto a floured board and knead for 5 minutes, adding extra wheat flour if needed. I did need a fair bit more to reduce stickiness.
Spread the dough into a 1/2″ thick oval on a parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet and let rise 40-50 minutes until doubled. 
Pour the remaining olive oil over the surface and sprinkle with the garlic, salt, and herbs.
Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the bread is lightly golden. Let cool a few minutes, then serve.
I had this one around 4 or 5 days (I made A LOT of food that day, and was eating it alone) and it got mold when kept in a big ziplock, so this might be moist enough that it’s better to eat, with company, in a day or two.
Ingredients:
Add the yolk mixture gradually to the dry ingredients, beating while you pour it in. Add enough of the yolk mixture until the dry goods form a paste, then stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl, before continuing to add the remaining yolk mixture. Beat another 2 minutes on medium speed.
Gently blend 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture, then fold in the remaining whites.
Fill each cupcake paper 2/3-3/4 full. If you also feel like you’ll have too much, bake it separately too!
Bake for 20 minutes (checking any extra in a cake pan sooner if it is a thin layer), until the top springs back when gently touched. Let cool in the pans several minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool, or at least turn on their sides to let steam out from the bottoms. Cool before continuing.
To make the meringue buttercream, combine the egg whites and sugar in a clean bowl that can be used as the top of a double boiler. Stir until blended
Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmer water, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches 140 degrees. I didn’t have a candy thermometer, so just kept an eye on the sugar and guessed. Transfer the bowl to your stand mixer or a hotplate on the counter and beat on high speed until the meringue is thick, glossy, and reaches the stiff peak stage.
Using a piping bag full of lemon curd with a large plain tip (or a ziplock with the corner cut off and a funnel wedged through – we’re improvising!) insert the tip into the center of the cupcake and squeeze gently until you can just see a bit of curd around the tip. Repeat, filling each cupcake, and if needed stabbing curd into your separate cake as well.
Top with meringue, also using the piping bag, or just using a spoon as desired.
Toast lightly with a kitchen torch or under the broiler until golden brown to finish.
Boil the potatoes in a pot filled with salted water for 15 minutes, or until fork-tender. When done, drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, cut each chicken breast into 6 pieces by cutting in half lengthwise, then into thirds the other way.
Heat an ovenproof sauté pan (or skillet – the difference is that a sauté pan has straight vertical sides so it holds more vs a skillet, which has slanted sides – I had to google it) over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Cook the chicken until it is lightly golden on all sides, 8-10 minutes.
Add the onion and smashed garlic to the chicken and cook several additional minutes until the onion starts to become translucent, then add the potatoes, tomatoes, olives, and parsley as well.
Transfer the pan to the middle rack of the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
Ingredients:
Add the egg and beat together.
Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly mixed.
Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough (should’ve used my medium sized dough scoop, but did it with a spoon) and roll into balls. I got 30!
Arrange on the lined sheets, then gently press each dough ball to partially flatten.
Bake 6 minutes, rotate, and bake another 5-6 minutes, until just slightly golden at the base.
Cool 10 minutes on the pans, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Ingredients:
Add the cabbage and water, adding by handfuls rather than all at once.
Increase heat to medium-high and cook 15-20 minutes, until cabbage is tender, then stir in the sugar and vinegar. Add salt, pepper, and butter, stir until the butter is melted and mixed in, then serve still hot. Simple!
sparecake 