This is another recipe adapted from Cuisine magazine. If you’re not yet a subscriber and if you love cooking, you should remedy that. It is the one magazine that I get – and keep every, single issue of.

This Miso Soup was awesome. Light yet filling. And healthy. A perfect thing for a winter afternoon. Miso is heat sensitive, so be sure and refrain from boiling the soup – keep it at a simmer.

The recipe makes 9 cups or six servings and prep time is about 30 minutes.

Ingredients

2 Tbs Sesame Oil

1 Bunch Scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated

2 Tbs Minced Fresh Ginger

1 Tbs Minced Garlic

6 Cups Low Sodium Vegetable Broth

1/3 Cup Red or White Miso

8 oz Shredded Rotisserie Chicken (about 2 cups)

1 Cup Canned Sliced Bamboo Shoots, drained

1 Cup Canned Baby Corn, drained

½ Cup Shredded Carrot

1 Pkg. Ramen Noodles, seasoning packet discarded

2 Cups Baby Spinach

Heat sesame oil in large saucepan, over medium high heat. Add scallion whites, ginger and garlic. Cook until mixture begins to brown, about three minutes. 

Add broth and simmer 10 minutes. Pour 1 cup broth into small bowl, whisk in miso until dissolved, stir broth-miso mixture back into saucepan, reduce heat to low and simmer. Do not boil!

Add chicken, bamboo shoots, carrot, corn and noodles and cook until heated through and noodles are tender, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add spinach. Garnish each serving with scallion greens.

 

 

 

 

This dish is a staple around our house - for holidays and for any occasion. And if you don't feel like making the chutney, if you have a great supermarket, you can probably find a jar of fig spread that will also be delicious here. I did that long before I made my own chutney, and it was terrific. But the chutney is super easy to make and fills up the house with a delicious aroma, which makes it even more fun to make and enjoy.

1 Tsb unsalted butter

1 small shallot

½ Cup sugar

½ Cup dry red wine

½ Cup fresh orange juice

1 cinnamon stick

1 whole star anise

1 t yellow mustard seeds

1/8 tsp ground allspice

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 ½ lb. firm, ripe figs, stemmed and cut into 8ths

 

1 baguette, sliced thinly on the diagonal

Olive oil

1 package goat cheese

Fig Chutney

Melt butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot; stir to coat. Cook until translucent,about 5 minutes. Add sugar; stir until dissolved. Add red wine and next 6 ingredients. Increase heat to medium-high; simmer until syrupy, about 15 minutes. Add figs; stir to coat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, stirring occasionally, until figs are soft, 10-15 minutes, depending on ripeness of figs.

Bruschetta

Preheat oven to 350. Put sliced baguette on cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 5-10 minutes until crisp. Remove from oven, spread with goat cheese, then top with fig chutney. Devour. Repeat.