January 1, 2025

Chicken Souse

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Chicken Souse

January: National Soup Month

Drank too much champagne or Bahama Mamas on New Year’s Eve? Then try a comforting bowl of chicken souse. This citrusy soup from the Bahamas is often recommended as a hangover cure as well as the common cold remedy.  What makes this chicken soup taste unique are the whole allspice berries. The tender chicken meat provides protein to give strength when one’s immune system is weakened. Sick or not, have this healthy soup as a delicious way to start off the new year as well as celebrate National Soup Month.

Recipe

(Adapted from Sparks People)

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds chicken wings
  • Dried red pepper
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons whole allspice (no substitutions)
  • 2 limes, divided use

Directions

In a large pot, place the chicken wingettes and drummettes (discard the wingtips). Cover with water an inch above the chicken parts. Add dried pepper pieces (as much heat as desired; we prefer our souse mild). Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, cover the pot and lower heat to simmer for about 20 minutes. Par-boil the chicken but not cook all the way. Then drain and discard the broth and debris, retaining the chicken. Rinse the pot and return the chicken in it.

While the chicken is par-boiling, slice the onions, mince the garlic (we used jarred minced cloves), cut up the potatoes and chop the celery. Cut one lime in half to juice into the chicken broth but reserve the other lime to slice and garnish the souse. In the pot with the par-boiled chicken, add the onion and potatoes. Cover with water an inch above everything. Salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil again, cover the pot and lower heat to simmer for around 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are almost done. Stir in the minced garlic, whole allspice and celery. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the broth. Cover and simmer for another 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Remove from heat. Ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with sliced limes and serve hot.

Notes

  • We halved the original recipe to feed just the two of us.
  • Do not eat the whole allspice!!! It is only used to flavor this dish!!!
  • Chicken souse is traditionally served with johnny cakes in the Bahamas. But it can be eaten with other types of bread, such as Bimini coconut bread.
  • Search our blog for more soup recipes.

 

December 4, 2024

Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies

Posted by HI Cookery under 12 December | Tags: , , , , |
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Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies

December 4: National Cookie Day

Before our sudden move back to Hawaii, we had to get rid of a lot of ingredients in our pantry (we donated them all to Islander’s culinary club friends). Like a good island girl, she already had the tropical staples she needed to bake her last cookie in our mainland kitchen. She packaged the chewy coconut macadamia nut cookies and gave the treats away and said a sad aloha to her friends. These cookies are chewy and sweet; her farewells were bittersweet. But like the lyrics in the song “Aloha ‘Oe’,” composed by the deposed Queen Lili’uokalani in 1878, they end on a positive note:

Aloha ‘oe, aloha ‘oe…
One fond embrace…
Until we meet again.

We have slowly settled down in our new and much smaller kitchen in Hawaii. But mainland and international friends already want to meet again and visit, reunite and cook together like we used to do in each other’s kitchens. Perhaps they can bake this recipe and take some as snacks on the long flight back to the mainland or home countries. Make memories with alohaand lovingly bake up some coconut macadamia nut cookies together, especially on National Cookie Day.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut flakes, toasted
  • ½ cup butter, unsalted and softened
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ¼ cup flour, all purpose
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt]
  • 1 cup macadamia nuts, roasted and chopped

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with brown sugar. Beat in the egg. Add the coconut and vanilla extracts. 

In a small pan, toast the coconut flakes over medium low heat until slightly brown. Remove from heat and cool. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to wet ingredients. Stir in the coconut and macadamia nuts (by hand). Mix well until a dough comes together. 

Scoop 1-inch balls and roll into rounds. Place onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are browned. Remove from the oven and let set for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • Mahalo (thank you) to the B. ‘Ohana in Hawaii for sharing a version of this cookie recipe which we tweaked to make use of the last pantry items in our mainland home.
  • We moved back to Oahu to be closer to Islander’s elderly parents. It is important to take care of kūpuna.
  • Search our blog for other cookie recipes.
 

November 26, 2024

Basbousa

Posted by HI Cookery under 11 November | Tags: , , , |
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Basbousa (Semolina Cake)

November 26: National Cake Day

It was a dream come true to travel to Egypt for Islander’s 50th birthday a couple of years before the pandemic shut the world down. We stayed at a nice hotel in Cairo and cruised on a small ship along the Nile River. At both places there were buffets featuring the best Egyptian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean foods. Basbousa, a syrupy semolina cake, was always on the dessert menu.

Back in Texas, we celebrated her real birthday at an Egyptian restaurant. We ordered basbousa for dessert and put a little candle on it as a remembrance of Islander’s milestone birthday trip. For National Cake Day, she made basbousa to share with her food club friends while also sharing memories and photos of the land where this sweet and simple cake originated.

Recipe
(Adapted from Food.com)

For the semolina cake

  • 1 stick (½ cup) butter, softened (plus extra to grease baking dish)
  • 1 cup sugar, granulated white
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups semolina flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 1 cup milk

For the syrup topping

  • 2 ¼ cups sugar
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)

Directions

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Stir in the vanilla. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients (semolina, baking powder and baking soda). 

Gradually add to the egg mixture. Stir in milk and mix until smooth. Pour batter into a greased baking dish (10×10 inches or 9×13 inches). Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

While the cake is baking, make the syrup. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and stir to dissolve. Add the lemon juice then bring to a boil. Stir in honey and orange blossom water (if using) and reduce the heat. Boil for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the stovetop and cool slightly. When the cake is done baking, remove from the oven. Pour the syrup all over the hot cake until the syrup is absorbed. Cool for 20-30 minutes. Cut and serve.

Notes

  • Islander served for five years as president of her local cake club. Two years didn’t really count as members did not meet in person during the pandemic. Although they tried to Zoom, it just wasn’t the same as we could not taste each other’s cakes. However, sharing recipes and socializing online kept everyone’s spirits up!
  • Other basbousa are decorated with almond or pistachio pieces and cut into diamond shapes. We kept ours simply square.
  • Search our blog for other cake recipes.
 

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