Ancient Chinese Secret for Silky Soup

It’s Foodie Friday again and I thought I’d share two modest, but tasty discoveries I made this week. The first is a recipe for a simple, but delicious Chinese Egg Drop Soup. I found a recipe in the latest February issue of Cooking Light and did some further research online to come up with my own variation. The main thing is, this is so quick and simple, but it adds nice variety to your menu. You could serve it with fried rice, Chinese leftovers, or the way I did, with whole wheat rolls and aged Gouda and steamed Brussels sprouts with chestnuts on the side.

To serve two generously, bring 4 cups of broth (chicken or vegetable) to a simmer. Beat two eggs with a whisk for about 30 seconds. When the broth is ready, turn off the heat. Pour the eggs into a wire strainer. Hold the strainer about a foot over the pan with your right hand and stir the broth with a large spoon with your left. The egg will drop in fine ribbons and turn into silky, tender “flowers” in the hot broth. When you’ve used up all the egg, add 2 chopped scallions and a dash or two of sesame oil. You can add 1/2 cup of cooked green peas as well.

Another tasty recipe I found this week was from February’s Bon Appetit issue in “Eat Your Veggies.” I also adapted this for my own lower-fat tastes—I usually cut the cooking fat by 2/3 with fine results. Take 1 1/2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts and trip the ends, pull off as many leaves as you can and quarter the remaining core. Heat 1 Tablespoon grapeseed oil in a sauté pan. Add 1 minced shallot, then the Brussels sprouts and 1/2 cup unsalted natural pistachios. Saute about a minute, cover and steam about 2-3 minutes, until tender but still bright green. Sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. This will make a Brussels sprouts lover out of anyone. Honest.