Can You Guess What It Is?

What starts out looking like this?

And ends up looking like this:

One of Kent's take-out favorites--Hot and Sour Soup! This is a Cook's Illustrated recipe, and they almost never steer a cook in the wrong direction. I do have to admit to some doubt, though, when I first tasted the soup. The white pepper, which combines with chile oil to put the "hot" in the hot and sour, was the dominant flavor. It had a "raw" pepper taste. I set the soup aside, though, as I prepared dinner, then tasted it again. Ah...much better. I would say this rivals take-out (as any home-cooked meal should, I suppose). One variation I would make, however, is the technique given for "wisping" the eggs. I find it works much better to start with the soup at a rolling boil, then slowly pour in the beaten egg in a steady stream, stirring the soup with a fork as you pour. The eggs truly do end up as feathery wisps with that technique.

Also on tonight's menu was Soy-Ginger Ahi Fillets. Ahi is one of a very limited selection of fish that I can eat. I think it's a texture thing; the Ahi is very meaty. I picked up this wild-caught Ahi at Trader Joe's today. It was perfect; no fish smell when I opened the package, and the meat was almost satiny. I let it marinate for a few hours, then just a few minutes on the grill and it was done. The side dish is broccoli rabe steam-sauteed with garlic chips. Just can't get enough of those garlic chips! Enough for today. Some idiot scheduled my hair appointment for 8:00 tomorrow morning. Oops--that idiot would be me. What was I thinking?

Hot and Sour Soup

Copyright: Cook's Illustrated, January, 2006

Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer
7 ounces extra-firm tofu , drained
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons cornstarch , plus an additional 1 1/2 teaspoons
1 boneless, center-cut, pork loin chop (1/2 inch thick, about 6 ounces), trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch by 1/8-inch matchsticks
3 tablespoons cold water , plus 1 additional teaspoon
1 large egg
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup bamboo shoots (from one 5-ounce can), sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick strips
4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms , stems removed, caps sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 1 cup)
5 tablespoons black Chinese vinegar or 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar plus 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (see note above)
2 teaspoons chili oil (see note above)
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
3 medium scallions , sliced thin

1. Place tofu in pie plate and set heavy plate on top. Weight with 2 heavy cans; let stand at least 15 minutes (tofu should release about 1/2 cup liquid). Whisk 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch in medium bowl; toss pork with marinade and set aside for at least 10 minutes (but no more than 30 minutes).

2. Combine 3 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water in small bowl and mix thoroughly; set aside, leaving spoon in bowl. Mix remaining 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch with remaining 1 teaspoon water in small bowl; add egg and beat with fork until combined. Set aside.

3. Bring broth to boil in large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; add bamboo shoots and mushrooms and simmer until mushrooms are just tender, about 5 minutes. While broth simmers, dice tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. Add tofu and pork, including marinade, to soup, stirring to separate any pieces of pork that stick together. Continue to simmer until pork is no longer pink, about 2 minutes.

4. Stir cornstarch mixture to recombine. Add to soup and increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring occasionally, until soup thickens and turns translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar, chili oil, pepper, and remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce; turn off heat.

5. Without stirring soup, use soupspoon to slowly drizzle very thin streams of egg mixture into pot in circular motion. Let soup sit 1 minute, then return saucepan to medium-high heat. Bring soup to gentle boil, then immediately remove from heat. Gently stir soup once to evenly distribute egg; ladle into bowls and top with scallions.

STEP BY STEP: Getting the Wisped Egg Just Right

1. Turn off heat so surface of soup is calm, then use spoon to drizzle egg onto surface in thin streams.

2. Let sit for 1 minute. Turn heat back on and stir gently to finish cooking egg and break into ribbons.