Hunger Games - Lamb Chops with Carrot Soup

My second Hunger Games inspired recipe is Katniss's first meal after volunteering as tribute. She never got the chance to eat her fish stew with greens. Tearful goodbyes and nerves of steel must take a lot of energy because Katniss was able to chow down a big meal of thick carrot soup, green salad and lamb chops on board the Panem-bound train. 

After teetering on the edge of starvation most of her life, this was her first 'Capitol' meal and the sheer volume of it had her mind whirling. Hunger Games, the movie, is actually working with non-profit organizations - Feeding America & World Food Programme - to bring attention to issues of food shortage and those who don't have enough to eat on a daily basis.  

This meal is actually not that difficult to make. In order to minimize cost and effort, each component of the meal is 5 ingredients or less (water, oil, salt & pepper not included).

 Ingredients:

Carrot Soup - 
1 lb baby carrots
1 can (14 oz) diced carrots
1 small onion
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 bay leaf
3 cups of water
salt & pepper


Lamb Chops - 
1 lb lamb chops
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
salt & pepper


Kale Salad - 
2 cups kale, chopped
1 tablespoon shallots
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper

Directions:

Mix garlic, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place lamb chops into the mix and make sure each one is coated in the marinade. Set aside while you prepare the carrot soup.

Heat a pot with 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add onions into the pot and season with salt. Sweat the onions for a few minutes and add the carrots and tomatoes. Cook for another 10 minutes. Add water to the vegetables; season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes.


Mix the shallots, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and olive oil into the vinaigrette for the kale salad. Rinse and chop the kale into small pieces. Since kale is a tough green, it can withstand being dressed a little early. You can toss vinaigrette into the kale now or later if you prefer.


Heat a skillet or grill to a high temperature. Dry off excess moisture off each lamb chop and place onto the grill. Cook for 5 minutes before flipping and give the second side another 4-5 minutes for a medium rare chop. If you prefer it more well done, adjust time accordingly. Give the lamb chops 5 minutes of resting time before serving.

Turn off heat under the carrot soup. Pour contents into a food processor or blender. Puree the soup until smooth. If the soup seems a little chunky, add a bit more water until the contents reaches desired consistency. Taste and season one last time. 

Serve the soup with the lamp chops and green salad & enjoy Katniss's first 'Capitol' meal!

Hunger Games - Fish Stew with Greens

Like a growing percentage of the country, I am a Hunger Games fan. No surprise either, USA Today just gave the top three spots for February 2012's best-sellers to the Hunger Games trilogy. The action, the drama, the love triangle, and of course the kick-ass female protagonist Katniss Everdeen.

Another part of the story that caught my attention was the food. The dish descriptions were so detailed it made me hungry. So naturally I began to make plans to attempt some of these dishes. I will be making some creations inspired by the Hunger Games, but these recipes will be MY interpretations. Since I'm the one who has to eat the product, I want it to be tasty... here we go!

With the movie coming out in less than 3 weeks (WOOHOO!!!!!!)  I thought I should try my recipes in chronological order from the novel. The first scenes of the book is Gale and Katniss hunting in the woods past the fence of District 12. After collecting their bounty and trading in the hob, she uses the remainder of their fish and greens to make a stew. Here is my version of that.


Ingredients:

1 lb white fleshed fish (cod/halibut/sole)
1 lb spicy Italian sausage
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 potatoes, diced
2 cans low sodium chicken stock
6 cups water
1 cup cream
4 cups kale, chopped
salt & pepper

Directions:

Heat a pot over medium heat.  Put the vegetable oil into the pot and add the spicy Italian sausage. Brown the sausage for 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes into the pot with the vegetable oil. Cook for another 5 minutes until the onions become translucent.

Add the chicken stock and water to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes into the boiling broth and adjust stove to medium-low temperature. Simmer for 15 minutes.

While the broth is simmering away, get the kale and fish ready. Take the kale off the stem and chop into bite-size pieces. Take skin off the fish (if there is any) so you are only left with the flesh of the filet. Cut the fish filet into one inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the fish and kale into the soup. Simmer for another 5-7 minutes until the fish is cook all the way through.

Turn the heat off and pour in the cream. Taste and season one last time and serve immediately.