Lori Lynn, Author at Taste With The Eyes

Tuscan Kale Soup with Artichoke & Chicken Sausage

Tuscan Kale Soup
Artichoke Hearts & Chicken Sausage
Chicken Broth with Flavored with Fennel Seed & Red Chile Flakes
Served with Toasted Ciabatta

Back in January, a recipe for “Italian Chicken Sausage and Artichoke Soup with Chard” in Sunset magazine caught my interest. Over the past months I’ve added onion, garlic, fennel seed, and red chile flake to the original recipe. And sometimes substitute kale for chard. My procedure is quick and easy, and the synergistic result far exceeds the expectation of boxed chicken broth and canned artichoke hearts.

In less than a half hour, this soup is on the table. I’ve served it as an everyday meal, as a starter to a rustic dinner topped with ricotta salata, and as an elegant first course. This year my Thanksgiving menu has a lighter aura, so this Tuscan Kale Soup will replace the heavier puréed soups of the past.

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Sweet Spicy Eggplant & Shishito

Japanese Eggplant & Shishito Peppers
Sweet Spicy Soy Glaze
Crispy Garlic & Chopped Peanut Topping
Chinese Chive Blossom Garnish

Back in August we had a most memorable meal at Wolfgang Puck’s Chinese Restaurant WP24. One of the many noteworthy side dishes was called “Hunan Spicy Eggplant, Roasted Shishito Peppers, Chili, Crisp Garlic.” Wanting to serve something similar at a recent dinner party but having no recipe, I decided to create my own interpretation of Wolfgang’s excellent side dish. It was a hit.

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Poached Salmon, Lobster Mash, Lentil Gumbo “Gravy”

Court Bouillon Poached Fresh Salmon
Lobster Mashed Potatoes with Butter and Chives
Gumbo “Gravy” with French Lentils

A piece of fish, mashed potatoes & gravy. On steroids. Inspired by the extraordinary marriage of Lobster Fettuccine with Gumbo Sauce, this dish features buttery lobster mashed potatoes paired with a flavorful seafood-based gumbo “gravy” flecked with earthy French lentils. Fresh salmon filets are poached in a court bouillon, imbuing the fish with subtle lemony herbaceous qualities and a silky texture. The robust flavors and extravagant ingredients remake the everyday combination of fish & potatoes into a voluptuous meal.

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What makes this the best Chicken Noodle Soup?

Homemade Chicken Soup with Herbed Matzoh Balls
Garlic-Scented Lima Beans, Micro-Thin Carrot Slices
Fine Egg Noodles, Hand-Shredded Roasted Chicken Breast
Fresh Parsley and Dill Garnish

This soup is dedicated to my Nana. I thank her for inspiring me with a life-long passion to explore the cuisine of our heritage. Year after year, I tweak her original chicken soup recipe. This one, prepared in celebration of the High Holy Days (5772 on the Hebrew calendar) resulted in one of the best versions ever. The matzoh balls were light and fluffy, the garlic-scented lima beans added heft, the flavorful broth was beautifully clear and just barely rich. Delicate fine egg noodles and colorful carrots balanced out the dish.

My paternal Grandparents – Irving and Fanny Hirsch (front center)

Careful attention to each component is what makes it special. This soup uses two birds, one for making the broth, the other is roasted – the breast meat shredded and added just before serving. From the double-strained flavorful broth with the tiniest amount of schmaltz droplets providing a hint of richness, to the elegantly sliced carrots (I was never of fan of a floating carrot log), to the garlicky-creamy beans – I am certain my Nana would have approved.

Chicken Soup Recipe

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Hitting The Las Vegas Culinary Jackpot

tagliatelle con il primo tartufo bianco @ sirio
tagliatelle pasta with fresh shaved first of the season white truffles

We’ve been hitting The Las Vegas Culinary Jackpot, big time! A week ago I shared what is now our absolute favorite spot for Brunch in Vegas – Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill @ Caesar’s. Among many other items, the Yucatan Style Grouper with Blue Crab Succotash Sauce is brilliant. Our epicurean bonanza did not stop at Mesa Grill, though.

Thanks to my brother’s edict that we try new restaurants, on this trip we hit the mother lode. To our immense delight, we re-discovered Las Vegas’ first celebrity chef, the charming André Rochat. It was with fond memories of escargots and duck à l’orange enjoyed at André’s in Downtown Vegas decades ago that we made our dinner reservations.

“In the 1980s, it was a whole different city. We were the only freestanding gourmet restaurant in town. We were very busy, very busy, sometimes with a line at the door,” said Rochat, who was raised in a small town outside Lyon, France. (Read more about our favorite Las Vegas legend here).

André’s @ Monte Carlo reflects the original old-world Downtown Vegas charm and combines it with new-world breathtaking aqua décor and warm, personalized service plus the Chef’s years of talent and hospitality. We were so blown-away by our experience we are certain that foodies coming to Vegas to meet the hottest new Chefs will be even more impressed to meet the town’s hottest old Chef!

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