House of Usher
Sometime back, before you were born, my wife and I lived in a room while we were attending graduate school and law school. We called the place the House of Usher. It was spooky and drafty – our butter on the kitchen table was always solid as a brick as the snow drifted in from the window over the table that never could completely close. We had a sky light. Romantic? No. Birds somehow got into that space and we could hear the hapless flapping of wings as we tried to create a beginning to our married life together. Our marriage somehow survived. The birds weren’t so lucky.
In the midst of all this, we began our exploration of cooking. Nothing elaborate. Classes, studying (and fighting off the chill of this dank place) kept us busy enough. But we did learn. What I learned was that there is more to meal time than Hamburger Helper.
Around the corner from us was our intrepid precinct worker: Jan Longone. It took us a long time to figure out she was the internationally noted collector and archivist of historic cookbooks.
Once in San Francisco we were bouncing around looking for an interesting luncheon spot. And did we find one! We happened upon Barbara Tropp’s China Moon. Barbara, as it happened, was there and decided to sit with us for a while.
As our short conversation unfolded she revealed her friendship with Jan Longone and her reverence for her work. This fact enamored us to her instantly. But no need. When the food arrived we were completely smitten. She had a clever way with food in her charming, small, highly-acclaimed restaurant.
Her secrets are made known in the China Moon cookbook, one I have referred to often and copied copiously in developing this Asian offering. If you should decide to include this book in your kitchen library, you will not be disappointed.
We had no idea at the time we had lunch at “her place” of Barbara’s close associations and friendships with Julia Child, Wolfgang Puck and James Beard among other luminaries of the cooking world. James Beard proclaimed her initial cookbook the magnum opus in its field.
This meal will include at the beginning what Barbara calls her “simple soup of chicken, water chestnuts and fried ginger.” Take note: nothing Barbara does is altogether simple. A complete reading of this recipe will alert you to the advance preparations involved. Nevermind. They are so worth it.
Fried Ginger Threads
2 1/2 to 3 ounces fresh ginger in long rectangular pieces
4 cups corn or peanut oil for deep frying
Barbara calls this ingredient “startling.” It is indeed unusual and a welcome addition to chicken soup, sometimes called “frizzled ginger.”
Peel and julienne the ginger into fine strips and place the strips in 375 degree oil for 10 seconds. (If the ginger gets too brown it will be bitter.) Drain on paper toweling.
Stock
I am constantly amazed at the quality of the boxed stocks now available. Get a box of your favorite chicken stock and add a thinly sliced small white onion, a few quarter sized fresh ginger rounds, smashed, a stalk of fresh lemon grass, pounded and slivered, and some Szechwan Pepper salt – cook until all ingredients are sufficiently infused. Taste. You’ll know.
Soup trimmings:
1 packed cup of finely slivered Napa cabbage
6 large fresh water chestnuts, cut into thin half-moons
1/3 cup finely shredded carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced green and white scallion rings
1/4 cup finely chopped Chinese chives
1/3 cup toasted and sliced almonds
1/4 cup fried ginger threads
Marinade:
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon corn starch
Whisk together the marinade ingredients. Into that goes the chicken: 3/4 pound fresh chicken breast, skinned, boned and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding. Re-toss to loosen the cubes of chicken.
Just before serving the soup, partially cook the cubes in a small saucepan with gently boiling water. This will take 30-40 seconds. Drain the chicken. It will be white on the outside and rare in the center. It will finish its cooking in the soup.
In a non-aluminum, heavy pot heat the stock to a simmer and season with enough salt to bring out the garlic flavor and enough of the pepper to “excite the tongue.”
In heated soup bowls, place the chicken, cabbage, water chestnuts and carrots. Ladle the steaming stock over the top and finish with the scallions, chives, almonds and a small mound of fried ginger.
A warm baguette with room temperature butter (not the temperature of our butter in the House of Usher) would be a great accompaniment. (Or, if you are lucky enough to live near a Chinese market, some steamed Chinese buns would also work perfectly.)
This makes soup for 3-4 good sized bowls.
Post script. Barbara and her restaurant, sadly, are no longer with us. Her legend survives valiantly.
Judge Kirkendall is a retired Probate Judge. He presently serves on the Elder Law Advisory Board of the Stetson University College of Law. He has taught cooking classes for more than 25 years at various cooking schools in the Ann Arbor area and has himself attended classes at Cordon Bleu and La Varenne in Paris, as well as schools in New York, New Orleans and San Francisco. I am (thankfully) past president of the National College of Probate Judges. He can be reached at Judgejnk@yahoo.com
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