Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 15

This is an exciting week for the NFC East as Philly and Dallas meet again for a rematch that might decide which of them enters the playoffs. At 8:30 PM, it's also our first real cold-weather game of the season, and so no tailgate food is better for braving the elements than a hearty, steamy pot of soup. . . .

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"Souper Bowl"

RAGING RAMEN NOODLE SOUP

Well, it's Final's Week here at West Virginia University, and many students are hunkering down for the final stretch of exams before Winter Break.  In doing so, many of them have run out of meal plan money, so it's back to the Ramen and hot cocoa diet! While Kap and I are not fans of the styrofoam bowls of this noodle soup (it always tastes like styrofoam) the traditional Japanese version is easy to pull off, and full of fresh, vibrant flavors that will definitely keep you warm on these cold December nights. My take on the recipe includes chicken, so it becomes a real meal as well.

- Mina

• 1 TBSP Sesame Oil
• 3  tsp. fresh Ginger, grated
• 4 tsp. fresh Garlic, grated
• 4 cups Broth (I used chicken, but vegetable would also work, and if you remove the chicken, you still have a really solid vegetarian recipe!)
• 4 cups Water
• 1 1/2 oz. Shiitake Mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 1/2  Roasted Chicken, shredded  (buy a rotisserie chicken to make things easier for yourself, and the meat will be very tender) 
• 2 packages Instant Ramen (noodles only--you can buy packages of noodles dry, or moistened in the refrigerator section of your supermarket or international market)
• ½ c. Scallions, chopped
• 2 c. Kale, chopped
• 1 c. Carrots, shredded
• 1 Egg, hard boiled
• Sriracha, to taste
• Crunchy Golden Panko Crumbs, for topping (These are easy too: heat a few tablespoons of sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the panko, stir for one minute or less, or until golden brown. Remove and place on paper towels to drain.) 

Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet, or saucepan over medium low heat. 

Add the garlic and ginger; stir fry for 2 minutes or until soft and fragrant. Add the broth and the water. Bring to a simmer; add the mushrooms  and chicken and simmer for 10 minutes or until the mushrooms have softened and the broth is flavorful.

Add the noodles to the hot liquid and simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until the noodles have softened to desired consistency. Add the scallions and stir to combine. 

Stir in the kale and carrots, remove soup from heat after the vegetables are softened but still firm, and top with sliced egg, and crunchy panko crumbs (see the notes above), and hot sauce to taste.

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NAN'S OXTAIL BARLEY SOUP

My grandmother made a lot of incredible dishes, and she didn't leave a ton of recipes behind. Mostly, she cooked from experience.

One of the things Nan was known for was her soups--especially her oxtail barley soup, a favorite. Some people are squeamish about using oxtail, but imagine the silkiest, tenderest cut of beef you can and you still won't really capture what makes this dish so exceptional. I've been sharing Nan's soup for years, and I've yet to hear a complaint from anyone who's tried it.

Because I don't have a recipe, this is my closest approximation of what she did. It's my first time trying it, so hopefully I do it justice.

- Kap

• 1 large Oxtail (about 2 1/2 lbs.)
• 1 c. Barley (not quick cooking)
• Flour, for dredging
• 1-2 TBSP Oil
• 3 quarts cold Water
• 1/2 to 1 TBSP Season Salt
• 1/8 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 sprigs Parsley
• 1/2 c. Onion, chopped
• 1/2 c. Celery, chopped
• 1/2 c. Carrots, diced
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce (optional)

Dredge the oxtail in flour and brown in a little bit of oil.

Add water, salt, pepper, bay leaf, parsley, and vegetables. Bring to a boil. Boil for 10 min.

Skim foam off the top.

Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Add barley and bring the soup back up to a boil. Then simmer for another hour until meat is tender.

Stir in Worcestershire sauce. Remove bay leaf. Serve hot.

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EARL GREY TEA ROLLS

Welcome, sports fans, to Mina's first foray into yeast-rolls! While my mother has been making a version of this roll recipe with our family's vegetarian minestrone since I was in middle school, I have never attempted it on my own.  But as long as you can keep your yeast alive, this recipe is easy peasy lemon-squeezy. My father loves to eat these rolls the next morning with butter, as he enjoys his coffee. Give it a shot!

- Mina

• 4 Earl Grey Tea Bags
• 1 c. Boiling Water
• 1 1/4 oz. Packet Dry Active Yeast
• 2 TBSP Butter, melted (and maybe some extra for brushing on rolls before serving) 
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 2 Lemons, rinds only, zested
• 1/4 tsp Lemon Juice
• 3 1/4 c. White Baking Flour

Place tea in boiling water, and steep for 15 minutes. Strain and cool to lukewarm.

Place yeast and in a large bowl and stir tea in. You should see small bubbles forming in the tea water.  That's how you know your yeast is alive, and you can continue with the recipe.  

When yeast has dissolved, stir in butter, salt, lemon rind, juice and enough of the flour to form a dough that is hard to stir. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead 5 to 8 minutes, adding only as much flour as needed to produce a dough that is smooth, elastic and just past the point of being sticky.

Put in a large oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in volume (about 1 hour).

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Punch dough down, and divide into 30 small or 20 large dinner rolls. Place 2" apart on greased baking sheets, cover with kitchen towels, and let rise until doubled in volume (about 30 minutes).

Bake rolls in the center of the oven for 13-15 minutes.

Brush hot rolls with butter if desired. Remove from baking sheets and serve immediately. 

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DRINK RECOMMENDATION: LONG ISLAND ICED TEA

We've done a number of classic cocktails this season, and this week's recommendation is no exception. With 5 types of liquor in it, the Long Island Iced Tea packs a wallop if you aren't careful. So drink slowly, and eat lots!

We're making it the very traditional way this week, using a gomme syrup (that's 2 parts sugar to 1 part water) to give the drink an even silkier texture than normal.

- Kap

All out of long glasses, so we're serving this one in an untraditional short glass.

• 1/2 oz. Tequila
• 1/2 oz. Vodka
• 1/2 oz. White Rum
• 1/2 oz. Triple Sec
• 1/2 oz. Gin
• 3/4 oz. Lemon Juice
• 1 oz. Gomme Syrup (2 parts sugar dissolved in 1 part water under heat)
• 1 dash of Cola

Shake or stir ingredients to mix. Serve in a high glass with ice.

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EAGLES PREDICTION

Win! -- This marks another difficult week of predicting. As much as I wanted to be wrong last week, Seattle came in and clipped the Eagles' wings. This week, it's a rematch against Dallas. After beating Dallas badly two weeks ago in big D, the Cowboys are going to be hungry for revenge. Can they do it during Prime Time on Sunday Night, on the road? We'll see. They bounced back with a decisive win over the Bears while the Eagles floundered last week. But at this point, with the playoffs on the line, I can't vote against my Eagles. Fly, Eagles, Fly!


MY RECORD -- 10-3

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PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

AFC

Patriots

Broncos

Colts

Ravens

Chiefs*

Steelers


No real change here from two weeks ago, but the Chiefs could easily be bumped by the surging Chargers if they don't take care of the head-to-head match up in week 17.

NFC

Packers

Seahawks

Eagles

Saints

Cardinals

Lions


Again, no big changes, though the Seahawks now look like they are primed to take one of the Wild Card byes if they can finish out the season strong. The undeserving Saints will probably take a spot. And the winner of the Cowboys Eagles game will be in good position heading into the last two weeks of the regular season.

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All recipes listed above come from our own imaginations unless otherwise indicated. If you try one of these recipes in your own kitchen, leave a comment below and tell us how it goes. And, of course, share your modifications, enhancements, improvements, etc.