When is the last time you had to carve soup with a knife?
Sometimes, you make the best tasting concoctions purely by accident.
Seriously, I have known culinary masterpieces to come out of nowhere.
Dinner last Thursday is an example.
My husband is a fantastic baker, a truly amazing baker, but he is not known for his other culinary abilities.
Let’s put it this way: his cakes are AMAZING!
His soup is not.
So, I was on my way home from work last week when I got a call from him.
“You on our way?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Weeeeeeeeell, I was cleaning out the fridge…” he started.
“What did you throw out?” I chimed.
“That lettuce was looking a little old.”
“I just bought it on Monday.”
“Which Monday, Mr. Pandemic Hoarder? Because, not only was it brown but it was turning to liquid.”, he said.
“Maybe it was the Monday before…” I offered.
“The Monday before what? Memorial Day? Anyway, I threw it out.”
“Okay, then why are you calling?”
“Well, you know that cabbage that was in there?”
“That is getting kinda old.”
“I decided to make cabbage soup with it.”
“Okay and why are you calling me about it?” I asked even though I already knew where this was headed.
“Bluntly, it is completely tasteless.”
“What did you put in it?”
“Cabbage.”
“And?”
“Water?” he added.
“And?” I again asked.
“Just cabbage and water. Think you can fix it up?”
“I am just passing Aldi’s so let me see what I can pick up to add. Talk to you later.”
Cabbage and water? What is this? A scene from “Oliver!”? “Food, Glorious Food!!!!”
Aldi’s can be culinary heaven – except during a pandemic. I mean the shelves were thinner than a teenage model. I mean to the point of pretty damn bare. And the line was out the door.
So, I had the choice of waiting two hours and finding nothing or trying to remember what was in the fridge in the basement that I could use.
So, I chose waiting at Aldi’s for two hours in the rain to buy whatever they might have…just kidding…I drove home.
The cabbage soup was, um, cabbagey all right. It had all of the depth of flavor of a glass of water.
Yeah, it was pretty nasty.
Well, let’s add some chopped mushrooms!
The cabbage swallowed the flavor and it just disappeared.
Chicken broth? Sure!
I have to admit it made a courageous attempt to make it edible but it dissolved into the cabbage palate as well.
Garlic? Nope…disappeared as well.
Even my old standby, balsamic vinegar, struggled then gave up the ghost.
That is when I saw them…won ton noodles.
Won Ton soup? Why not, right? Worth a try at least.
I added the noodles and starting to boil away. But, then I realized that what I thought were shrimp wontons hiding at the back of the freezer were actually something else.
Pork Gyoza…love me some gyoza!
Why not? I popped them in and started to boil away.
Slowly, the flavor rose then POP!
At that moment the gyoza wrappers started to dissolve and the rice flour caused the soup to thicken quickly.
Very Quickly!
BUT…IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!
The soup started to turn quickly to a brick but that was the best tasting Won Ton Goop that I have ever hard. I would not dishonor Chinese cooking by claiming it was WonTon Soup.
I have never had to carve soup with a knife before but that was fucking delicious!!!
NOW, LET’S DO IT RIGHT!!!
Won Ton Soup
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb. pork, boneless
- 4 large shrimp
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tbsp brown sugar or 1 tbsp molasses
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 2 dozen won ton wrappers (if you want to make them yourself)
And the secret ingredient is:
1 cup rice wine
- Chop pork and shrimp and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Add 1/2 of the green onion.
- Chop the ginger root and add to the mixing bowl with the sugar, soy and wine.
- Roll out wonton wrappers.
- Add approximately 1 tbsp of stuffing to each wrapper.
- Wet your fingers and fold over the wrappers. Make sure to pinch the edges.
- Bring the chicken stock to a low boil.
- Add noodles if you wish and drop in the stuffed wontons. Boil for 8-10 minutes.
- Add remaining green onion and serve.
- Serves four.
- ENJOY!!!
Copyright 2020 M.J. Hobbs
My Life In Bad Food 