老外厨房

The temperature dropped again and we were shivering. So, I decided to find a soup that would help keep us warm. After searching through recipes for beef soups, I discovered that I either didn’t want to cook those soups or I didn’t have enough of the ingredients in the house. As usual, I took some ideas from the recipes and adapted them. Unfortunately, I had to brave the freezing temperatures to pick up a few things from the local grocery store–we were out of celery, basil, and rosemary (three things that I thought would go well in my soup).

又开始降温了，冻得让人打抖.所以我决定熬一些适合冬天喝的汤来帮助我们保暖。把关于做牛肉汤的菜谱全部翻了一遍后，我发现我要不就是不想做他们写的汤，要不就是家里缺少相应的原料。所以和往常一样，我从原有的菜谱中汲取一些灵感然后做出相应的调整。可是不幸的是，就算这样改了菜谱，我也还是要鼓起勇气在冰天雪地里跑一趟，去小杂货铺买一些坐汤用的原料。因为我家没有了芹菜，罗勒（台湾叫“九层塔”），迷迭香。（这三样东西，我认为放在我的汤里的话，一定很对味。）

I wanted to use basil and rosemary because the sweet aroma of the herbs reminds me of spring, and I wanted everything I could find to help me think of the warm weather I miss so much. For those who are unfamiliar with rosemary, it’s generally used in poultry dishes–it has a stronger flavor than thyme and mixes well with chicken. I also like to add some rosemary to mashed potatoes.

迷迭香 Rosemary

我之所以在汤里想用罗勒和迷迭香是因为这些香草有种甜美的香味，让我想到了春天。此外我在我的汤里还采用了所有可以让我想到温暖天气的材料，因为我真的非常怀念温暖的天气。对于那些不太熟悉迷迭香的朋友，这里介绍一下，这种香料常常用在家禽肉类的菜式中，因为它的味道很重，和鸡肉是绝佳的搭配。我有时候也喜欢在土豆泥里面加一点这个。

What I ended up with is a hearty winter soup that is also healthy. And there were plenty of leftovers for us to have it again the next night.

我做成之后的这道汤不但内容丰富而且还很健康。我们吃完后最后还剩了很多留着第二天晚上吃。

There are a few things that can be changed in this recipe. I would have liked to add mushrooms to the soup, but they were expensive for a small package. It also doesn’t make much of a difference if you leave out the pasta or chili peppers–I only added the chili peppers because my wife always adds hot sauce to my meals.

在这个汤的菜谱里，有些原料是可以被替换的。我喜欢在我的汤里加些蘑菇，但是一小盒通常都很贵。在汤里如果不放意大利面或者是辣椒的话，汤也不会有很大的差别，一般只放辣椒，因为我的太太总是喜欢在我的饭里给我加辣椒酱。

Ingredients: 原料：

1 lb. beef, cubed 1磅牛肉，切小块
6 celery stalks, chopped 6根芹菜，切碎
2 green bell peppers, chopped 2个绿柿子椒，切碎
3 carrots, chopped 3根胡萝卜，切碎
1 medium onion, chopped or sliced 1个中型洋葱，切碎
1/2 cup pasta (fusili or other corkscrew-shaped pasta) 1/2杯意大利面（螺丝面）
4 cups of water 4杯水
16 oz diced tomatoes (I used canned tomatoes) 16盎司的切碎的西红柿（我用的是罐装西红柿）
4 cloves of garlic, crushed 4瓣大蒜
3-6 small spicy chili peppers 3-6个小的辣椒
Salt, pepper, rosemary, basil 盐，胡椒，迷迭香，新鲜罗勒

1. In a large pot, boil the water with the cubed beef. Let it boil for 5 minutes or so.
1. 在一个大锅里，将水烧开，加切好的牛肉块。煮大约有5分钟。

2. Add carrots, peppers, celery, and onion and bring back to a boil.
2. 加入胡萝卜，辣椒，芹菜和洋葱，接着继续煮，煮到开为止。

3. Add tomatoes, chili peppers, and garlic. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes.
3. 加入西红柿，小辣椒和大蒜，再文火煮5-10分钟。

4. Add pasta and let cook for 10 minutes.
4. 加入意大利面，再文火煮10分钟。

5. Add salt, pepper, rosemary, and basil.
5. 加盐，胡椒粉，迷迭香和罗勒。

The omelet has been a breakfast staple in the US for a long time. It can be a very simple breakfast, or more complex depending on the chef. We have a variety of omelets like the Spanish, Western, and Mexican. You can do just about anything with an omelet–they all taste different, but they look the same.

在美国很久以来，煎蛋饼都是早餐的主食之一。早餐煎蛋饼制作可简可繁，关键看厨师。我们有很多种类的煎蛋饼，比如西班牙煎蛋饼，西式煎蛋饼和墨西哥煎蛋饼。你可以在煎蛋饼中放各种东西，虽然它们吃起来口味不同但是看起来外观却都很相似。

Making the Basic Omelet for one person:

制作简单的单人份的煎蛋饼：

You will need to beat at least two eggs in a bowl (more if the eggs are small) and add a little bit of milk to make your omelet fluffy.

你需要至少两个鸡蛋，在碗里打散（如果鸡蛋小可以多放一个），然后加一点点的牛奶，这样可以让煎蛋饼煎出来后松软。

Grease the pan with butter or a little cooking oil (don’t use too much), and pour the eggs into the pan.

在平底煎锅里抹一些黄油或者放一点点食用油，然后将打散的蛋液倒入锅中。

Let the eggs cook for a minute or two or until the bottom is fully cooked. Make sure that the egg does not stick to the bottom of the pan. When the eggs are almost fully cooked, fold it in half.

（蛋液在锅中自然会散开，会形成类似圆饼状），这时等1-2分钟，直到蛋液凝固，底部完全煎熟，然后将整个蛋饼小心的折成一半。

Let the eggs cook for another half minute and flip to ensure that the middle of the omelet gets cooked.把鸡蛋再煎大约半分钟，翻个儿以确保鸡蛋饼的中间完全的熟了。

The most difficult part of cooking an omelet is folding the eggs in half and flipping it. The first few times I tried this, my omelets did not look very good (they turned out more like scrambled eggs). As you keep practicing, it will get easier. When it gets easier to make, you can add more ingredients.

做鸡蛋饼最难的是将鸡蛋折成一半，然后翻个儿。我刚开始做的几次，我的鸡蛋饼看起来都不怎么好看（因为蛋饼被弄碎了，看起来像是炒鸡蛋）。当然熟能生巧，如果你做的多了，也就会越来越容易。当你觉得容易做的时候，可以开始在蛋饼里面多加一些别的原料。

For my omelets, I usually use three chopped mushrooms, one green onion, chopped pickled banana peppers (or any semi-spicy or sweet pickled peppers), and a little cheese (cheddar and Monterrey Jack are the preferred cheeses).

我的蛋饼，通常会放三个切碎的蘑菇，一根青葱，一些腌的甜辣椒（或者是半辣或者是腌甜椒）还有一点点奶酪。（切达干酪或者是蒙特里杰克干酪都是做蛋饼的上选）

As it is winter here, it’s more expensive to buy green vegetables that I’d normally like to eat. The alternative this time of year is to eat more potatoes and yams. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to cook potatoes so they don’t get boring at the dinner table. If you’ve already had your fill of mashed and baked potatoes, you can try oven-roasted potatoes.

我通常很喜欢吃绿色蔬菜，不过冬天来了，蔬菜的价格也变得贵了。因此每年的这个季节都会吃很多的土豆和红薯来替代蔬菜。幸好有很多方法可以拿来做土豆，这样的话也不至于吃腻。如果你已经试过了土豆泥和烘土豆，那么这次你可以试着做一下烤箱做一下烤土豆。

This side dish can be made in a wok or large pan, but I don’t recommend it as the potatoes don’t cook as well unless you put them in a microwave for about three minutes. I prefer to not peel the potatoes as the skin adds a texture to this dish that most people enjoy–plus potato skin contains more nutrients and fiber.

这道菜可以用炒锅做，也可以用平底煎锅做。但是我并不主张用这些。因为这样的话土豆很难做熟，除非你在做以前把土豆放在微波炉里微三分钟。我做这道菜的时候也不喜欢削土豆皮，因为土豆皮可以为这道菜增加口感，很多人都喜欢这样吃，而且土豆皮里也含有很多食物纤维。

These potatoes go great with fish, especially salmon and tuna, and roasted chicken dishes. It’s also good with many vegetarian main courses.

这个烤土豆和鱼是绝佳的搭配，特别是三文鱼和吞拿鱼,还有就是烤鸡肉。当然这道菜和其他很多素菜也是很好的搭配。

Ingredients:食材：
4 medium potatoes 4个中型土豆
Half a medium onion 半个中型洋葱一个
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 4瓣儿大蒜，切碎
2 tablespoons olive oil 两勺橄榄油
salt, pepper 盐，胡椒粉
optional: oregano, basil, dill, rosemary 也可以根据个人口味加牛至，罗勒，小茴香，迷迭香等调料

1. Put the potatoes in the microwave for a minute or two to cut down on cooking time. Be sure to pierce each with a fork so they don’t explode in the microwave.
1.将土豆放入微波炉里一到两分钟，这样可以减少做饭的时间。当然放在微波炉之前要记住用叉子在土豆上面叉一些孔，要不然微波炉微的时候就会爆开。

2. Cut the potatoes into cubes (don’t cut them too large or they’ll take longer to cook).
2.将土豆切成块儿（ 不要切太大，要不要花很长时间才能做好）

3. Slice the onion into thin strips.
3.将洋葱切成细丝

4. Place the potatoes, onion, and garlic in a bowl. Add the olive oil, salt, pepper, and any other spices you want. Stir the potatoes in the bowl so all the pieces are covered evenly with olive oil and spices.
4.将土豆，洋葱和大蒜放入碗里，加橄榄油，盐，胡椒，和其它你所喜欢的一些调味料。把土豆倒入这个有调味料的大碗里拌匀，每个土豆块上基本都均匀的沾上了橄榄油和调料。

5. Place in a pan and cover with aluminum foil. Cook them in the oven at 215C for about 20 minutes.
5.将所有准备好的土豆倒入托盘里，然后用铝箔包严。之后就可以放入烤箱中，在215度的设定温度下，烤大约20分钟。

6. After 20 minutes, uncover the potatoes and turn the oven to broil for another 10 minutes or until the potatoes get slightly crispy on the outside.
6. 20分钟后，将铝箔打开，把土豆翻一下, 继续用铝箔包严后再烤10分钟。或者是至到土豆皮有一点点儿脆为止。

The liquor stores near my home have a great selection of beer from breweries around the US. Sometimes it’s difficult to choose which one to try–there are the ones I’ve had before and enjoyed, but there are always new ones that intrigue me.

我家附近的一家酒行,他们有很多很好的美国酿造啤酒。有时候很难决定选哪一种尝试一下，虽然有很多啤酒是我曾经喝过，而且也很喜欢，但是总有一些新的啤酒种类，让我跃跃欲试的想要尝试一番。

I found this beer interesting for a number of reasons. The River Horse brewery is in my home state of New Jersey, and there aren’t a lot of beers made here. I laughed a little when I saw the name River Horse and thought of the Chinese translation being hippopotamus, which leads me to believe that the owners of the brewery know Chinese. And this particular beer from the brewery is something that they don’t usually sell–it’s a special beer for the winter.

我要介绍以下这个啤酒，有几个比较有趣的原因。首先，河马啤酒厂就在我家所在的新泽西州，而新泽西出产的啤酒是很少的。当我刚看到河马这个牌子的时候，我还觉得很搞笑，因为我以为是中式英文对河马的翻译，凭这一点让我认为这个啤酒厂的老板一定懂中文。除此之外，这种特别的啤酒他们平时很少卖，尤其是在冬天的时候。

This variety of beer is an oatmeal milk stout. Unlike beers like Tsingtao and Budweiser, this is a dark and smooth beer with a slightly bitter flavor. It’s a great beer to drink in winter because it’s more filling than light beers and the higher alcohol content makes you feel warmer. It’s a great beer to sip and enjoy while watching TV on a cold night.

这种啤酒是一种燕麦牛奶制作的烈性啤黑酒。这种啤酒和青岛还有百威啤酒完全不同，它是黑色的，口感很醇厚的啤酒，而且略带一些苦味。这种啤酒在冬天喝是一种享受，因为它比淡啤酒要口感更厚实一些，而且它的酒精含量也比较高，这会让你在寒冷的冬日觉得非常的暖和。这种啤酒很适合在寒冷的冬夜，一边看电视一边慢酌。

One of my favorite pasta sauces is pesto. It’s surprisingly easy to make, but most people would rather buy a jar of it at the grocery store. I’d rather make it because it’s easy and a lot healthier (the pre-made sauces add preservatives and contain a lot more sodium).

我最喜欢的一种配意大利面的酱是香蒜酱（又称”青酱“）。这种酱出人意料的好做，但是很多人还是宁可去超市买现成瓶装的。我喜欢自己做，因为很简单，而且也更健康（很多这种超市销售的半成品酱料，都含有防腐剂而且钠含量很高）。

I was never able to make pesto in China because I could never find fresh basil, which surprised me because Thailand and Vietnam both use a lot of basil in their food. Of course, the Thai and Vietnamese variety of basil is not the same as the European variety, but they taste about the same. Even though I couldn’t make pesto in China, I was able to find some pre-made jars, but those small jars of pesto usually cost more than 40 Yuan (the same jar would cost about $3 in the US).

在中国的时候，我从未做过香蒜酱，因为我没有办法找到新鲜的罗勒叶，不过让我吃惊的是，中国的邻邦泰国和越南菜中却使用大量的新鲜罗勒。不过，泰国菜和越南菜中使用的罗勒叶和欧洲菜系中使用的不太一样，但是吃起来味道差不多。尽管我不能在中国做新鲜的香蒜酱，但是我可以买到半成品，不过小小的一瓶通常价格在四十多块人民币（但是同样的东西在美国却一般只要3美元左右）

The only ingredients you need for pesto are basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. The last ingredient is optional, but really improves the flavor with the sharp taste of the cheese. You cannot substitute Parmesan with other cheeses because it has a very distinct taste. You also will want to use extra-virgin olive oil–the darker the oil, the better the taste. You can use almost any kind of pasta with pesto. I usually use spaghetti because it’s what I have, but I prefer to use fusili or rotelle because the pesto sticks to it better.

香蒜酱的主要原料是新鲜的罗勒叶，松仁，橄榄油和Parmesan干酪。当然干酪也不一定必须放，可以根据个人喜好添加，但是如果加了干酪后，干酪浓重的味道可以给香蒜酱很好的提味儿。但是如果你找不到Parmesan干酪，那么是不可以用其他干酪来代替的，因为不同的干酪的味道是截然不同的。在橄榄油的选用上，你会想用初榨橄榄油，颜色越深味道越好。香蒜酱可以配各式意大利面。我通常用那种意大利长面（即大家所熟知的”意粉”)，因为我家只有这种，但是我更倾向于用螺丝面或者车轮面，因为这两种面更容易使青酱附着在上面。

Ingredients: 原料：

Bunch of basil (leaves only) 一小把新鲜罗勒（只用叶子）

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2杯初榨橄榄油

2 cloves of garlic 2瓣大蒜

2 tbsp. pine nuts 2勺松仁

1/2 cup of fresh Parmesan cheese1/2杯新鲜的Parmesan干酪

Combine the basil, garlic, pine nuts, and 1/4 cup of olive oil in a food processor or blender. Add the remaining olive oil evenly as you blend the ingredients. You should occasionally stop and scrape the sides of the food processor or blender so that everything is blended evenly.

将罗勒叶，松仁和1/4杯的橄榄油混合后放到食物搅拌机中搅拌，然后在慢慢均匀的加入剩余的橄榄油。在食物搅拌机搅拌的过程中，你要时不时的停下来，然后把搅拌机边上的酱汁刮一下，这样的话，食物在搅拌机中才能充分而又均匀的混合。

Mix in the Parmesan cheese before adding the pesto to your pasta.

在把香蒜酱浇到意大利面上之前加入Parmesan干酪。

As a variation to this recipe, you can add some steamed broccoli. Be sure to cut the broccoli into smaller pieces so it mixes in better with the pasta.

这个菜谱还有别的一些版本，比如你可以加一些蒸过的西兰花，但是这些西兰花一定要切成很小的块儿，只有这样，才能和意大利面很好的混合。

My wife introduced me to a new recipe. We tried it before at a Korean restaurant in Shenzhen, but never thought about making it ourselves. But we had to figure out what to do with the almost 10 pounds of kimchi that a friend gave my wife. We both like kimchi, but it’s difficult to eat that much.

我的太太给我介绍了一个新的菜谱。我们曾经在深圳的一家韩国餐馆尝试过，但是却从来没有想过要自己动手做。不过这次做泡菜饼事出有因，我太太的朋友给了她一个差不多有十磅重的一整颗辣白菜，我们虽然喜欢吃韩国泡菜，但是这么多的泡菜，确实吃完有困难。

While I was at work the other night, my wife found a recipe for these kimchi pancakes. Though not as good as the ones we had the restaurant (I think the restaurant used a lot more oil to fry the pancakes), I was impressed.

有一天当我晚上上班，我的太太找到了韩国泡菜饼的菜谱，并做了给我吃。尽管没有我们在韩国餐馆吃到的好吃，但是我还是觉得印象很深刻。

We made one change to eating the kimchi pancakes: we had a dipping sauce. The best way to balance the sour and spicy flavor of the kimchi is to dip it in a Thai sweet chili sauce. The pancakes taste good on their own, but the sweet chili sauce makes it even better.

我们在泡菜饼的吃法上做了一点小的改进，我们用了一些蘸的酱料。我们用的是泰国的甜辣酱，这样可以很好的中和泡菜的酸辣味。泡菜饼本身已经很好吃了，但是甜辣酱让泡菜饼更加好吃。

Ingredients: 原料:

1/4 lb. of kimchi (more or less depending on your taste) 1/4磅的韩国泡菜（可以根据个人口味酌情增减）
2 cups flour 2杯面粉
1 cup water 1杯水（根据面粉的分量，可以自行调整，关键是面糊不要调的很稠，这样烙出的饼口感不好）
5 Mushrooms 五个蘑菇
1 small onion 一个小洋葱
1 egg 一个鸡蛋
Cooking oil 烹饪用油
Chili powder, salt, pepper, sugar 辣椒粉，盐，胡椒粉，糖

1. If you’re using larger pieces of kimchi, chop it into small pieces. Place it in a bowl and be sure to include the sauce.

1.假如你要用一大块泡菜的话，那么首先要将它切成小块，切好后放在一个碗里，泡菜的汁儿要留着，为泡菜饼增加味道。

2. Mix the flour, water, and egg with the kimchi. Stir the mixture until it is smooth and there are no chunks of flour remaining. Add the chili powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Add a dash of sugar and mix.

2.将面粉，水和鸡蛋还有切好的泡菜混合，然后不停的搅动，直到面糊被搅的很均匀，这样面糊里就不会有面疙瘩。加一些辣椒粉，盐和胡椒粉提味，再最后加一小撮糖。

3. Heat the oil in a large pan. Pour in 1/4 of the kimchi mixture and spread it out in a circle. Be sure that it isn’t too thick or thin.

3.在平底煎锅中将油加热，然后将刚准备好的面糊倒入锅里（大约1/4的分量），然后轻轻的将面糊摊成圆饼状。记得在摊饼时，不要摊的太厚或者太薄。

4. When the mixture looks solid in the pan, flip it. If you make smaller pancakes, this is much easier. Let the pancake cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until slightly burnt.

4，当泡菜饼的一面在煎锅里差不多感觉煎好的时候，把它翻过来继续再煎另一面大概3-5分钟或者是到另一面煎的微微有一点糊。（如果你做的泡菜饼比较小的话，那么在翻的时候会比较容易）

5. Continue this process until you use the entire mixture. It should make four large pancakes.

5.继续同样的步骤直到你用完所有调好的面糊。我准备的这些大约可以烙四个大的泡菜饼。

There are many ways of cooking sausage. The easiest is to cook them on the grill, which is what I used to always do. But that got boring and I found new ways of cooking sausages (such as using them in frittatas).

做香肠的方法有很多种，其中最简单的一种就是用烤炉烤，这也是我常用的一种方法。但是如果总是用一种方法做香肠的话，有时候也会觉得很无聊，所以呢我又发现了一些新的方法来做香肠（比如可以用香肠来做简单的意大利蛋饼。）

In the last year I started adding cut-up sausage to pasta sauce rather than making meatballs. That gave me the idea to make something similar without adding any pasta. I ended up with a dish that is a tomato-based sausage stew. This meal goes well with rice, but every now and then I still like eating it with pasta.

去年我尝试将香肠切片后加到意大利面酱里，用香肠取代丸子。这种做法给了我灵感，我认为我可以用这种方法做一些类似的菜但是里面不加意大利面。因此，后来我就创新了一种西红柿炖香肠。这道菜和米饭搭配是再好不过了，但是有时我也会和意大利面搭配。

The first step to creating this meal is to choose your sausage–I prefer any variety of spicy sausage. The last few times I made this I used spicy turkey sausage. There’s less fat in turkey sausage and thus less grease when cooking, but the flavor is more mild than that of pork sausage like chorizo and Italian sausage. But, because I add vegetables and spices to the mix, it doesn’t make that much of a difference.

做这道菜的第一步是，选择香肠，我喜欢用各式辣香肠。前几次我是用的辣火鸡肉香肠。在采用火鸡肉香肠做饭时，这种香肠的脂肪比较少，而且不那么油腻，

If you prefer a sweeter sausage stew, you can use red bell peppers and cherry tomatoes and add basil and oregano.

如果你不喜欢吃辣，喜欢稍微甜一点儿的口味，那么你可以用柿子椒和樱桃西红柿，然后加一些罗勒和肉豆蔻。

Ingredients:原料

3 sausages (about 1/2 lb.) 3根香肠（半磅左右）
2 tomatoes两个西红柿
1 medium onion 一个中型洋葱
1 large green bell pepper 一个大的绿柿子椒
3 cloves of garlic 三瓣大蒜
1 tablespoon olive oil 一茶勺橄榄油
Salt, pepper, chili powder 盐，胡椒粉，辣椒粉

1. Slice the sausage so that the pieces are about 1/2 inch thick. It’s easier to cut sausage if it is almost frozen.

1.把香肠切块儿，大约在1/2英寸厚，在香肠冷冻的时候比较好切。

2. Heat olive oil in a deep pan and cook the sausage slices until they are mostly brown.

2.在深口煎锅中将橄榄油加热，把切好的香肠倒入，然后将香肠炒熟

3. Slice the onion and green bell pepper into strips and cook with the sausage until the onion becomes almost translucent.

3.把洋葱和绿柿子椒切成条状，然后和香肠一切翻炒，直到洋葱炒软变透明。

4. Chop the tomatoes and garlic and add to the pan. Crush the tomatoes as they cook.

4.把切好的西红柿还有大蒜加到锅里，然后西红柿在锅里一边煮一边压

5. Add salt, pepper, and chili powder to suit your taste.

5.根据个人口味加盐，胡椒粉和辣椒粉。

There aren’t many foods that can be described as uniquely American, but the people of Louisiana did create some food that can fit into this category.

很多菜式很难将它定义为真正意义上的美国菜，但是来自路易斯安那的人们创造的一些菜肴可以归到真正美国菜的范围中。

I’ve been a fan of Cajun and Creole food for a long time. Unfortunately, I have never been to Louisiana nor have I been to any particularly impressive Cajun or Creole restaurants. But I know I like the spices that are used in a lot of the food.

我有很长一段时间很喜欢凯郡菜和克利欧菜。但是很遗憾，我却从未真正的去过路易斯安那州或者尝试过正宗的凯郡菜和克利欧菜。但是我知道我非常喜欢这些菜系里面使用的很多调料。

注解：凯郡人，美国路易斯安那州人，原系阿卡地亚法国移民后裔；克利欧人，生于西印度群岛、中美洲、热带南美洲或墨西哥湾沿岸各州的欧洲人后裔；凯郡菜是法国移民凯郡人所吃的食物，是法国的南方菜配上路易思安那的美食。

One common dish from Louisiana is gumbo. Surprisingly, I didn’t try it until just two years ago–and it was great. Gumbo is a thick soup that originated in New Orleans. Gumbo is usually made with shellfish such as clams and shrimp, but I make it with chicken because I find it’s easier to cook. Supposedly there is a difference between a Creole gumbo and a Cajun gumbo–the former uses tomatoes in the soup while the latter does not. I like the tomato version of gumbo, so I’ll give you my recipe for the Creole version. This is probably the most complicated recipe I’ve ever tried, but it isn’t too difficult.

路易斯安那的凯郡菜和克利欧菜都有一个相通的菜式就是“秋葵汤”。我第一次尝秋葵汤是在两年前，口味真的很不错。秋葵汤是一种很稠的汤，它最初起源于新奥尔良。秋葵汤通常是采用贝类海鲜例如蛤蜊和鲜虾，但是我用的是鸡肉，因为我觉得这样更方便做。一般看来，克利欧秋葵汤和凯郡秋葵汤还是有一定差别的。前者在汤料中会用到西红柿，但是后者则不会。我个人比较喜欢放西红柿的秋葵汤，所以今天我要给大家介绍的就是克利欧版本的秋葵汤。这可能是到目前为止我试过最难的菜谱，当然，也不是难得无法完成，还是值得一试的。

North American Okra

One of the most important ingredients in gumbo is okra. There is a Chinese okra, but it is not the same as the American kind–the American okra is a very small vegetable, while the Chinese okra is quite large (I often mistook it for a variety of cucumber). Because American okra is almost impossible to find in China, you can use Chinese okra. However, I have found that the soup still tastes great without any okra.

Chinese Okra

制作秋葵汤的一个最重要的原料就是秋葵。中国也有一种类似秋葵的植物（那就是丝瓜），但是和美国的秋葵不太一样，美国的秋葵非常的小，而中国的秋葵却很大（我有好几次都把中国的秋葵当成了黄瓜）。因为在中国很难找到美国的秋葵，所以你可以用中国的丝瓜代替。但是经过实践我发现这个汤如果不放丝瓜的话，也一样很好喝。

The other important part of making any gumbo is the roux. The roux is whatever ingredients you use to thicken the soup. The easiest way to make a roux is by adding flour to the oil.

另一样制作秋葵汤的重要原料就是掺油面粉糊，把放了这个在汤里可以使汤增稠，顾名思义，制作roux的方法就是把面粉加在油里，然后搅匀。

Ingredients: 原料：

2 lbs. of chicken, cut into large pieces (a whole small chicken will work well) 2磅鸡肉，切成大块儿（或者用一整个小一点的鸡也可以）

6 tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or a can of whole peeled tomatoes) 6个西红柿，去皮然后切碎（或者一罐去皮西红柿）

3 cups of water 3杯水

8 pieces of okra, sliced about 3cm thick (much less okra if you’re using the Chinese variety) 8个美式秋葵，切成大约三厘米左右的小段（如果用中国丝瓜，那么数量就要少一些，因为中国丝瓜很大）

1 medium onion, chopped 1个半大不小的洋葱，切碎

1 large green bell pepper, chopped 1个大的绿圆椒，切碎

4 stalks of celery, cut into 1-inch pieces 4根芹菜，切成一英寸左右的小段儿

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 3瓣大蒜，切的很碎

2 tbsp. flour 2勺面粉

6 oz. butter or 4 tbsp. olive oil 6盎司的黄油或者4勺橄榄油

1/4 cup of rice 1/4杯的大米

Small spicy peppers to taste 一些新鲜的小朝天椒，用来提味

Salt and chili powder to taste 盐和辣椒粉，用来提味

1. Heat the butter or olive oil in a large pot. Place the chicken in the pot and stir until all the chicken is mostly cooked.

将黄油或者橄榄油放在大汤锅里加热，然后将切好的鸡块放在融化的黄油或者加热的橄榄油里翻炒，炒到肉差不多熟了即可。

2. Remove the chicken from the pot, but leave all the oil and fat in. Turn the heat to low and add the flour. Continuously stir the flour so it doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pot. When the flour is a golden brown, add the okra, onion and bell pepper and continue to stir. Turn the stove to high heat.

将炒好的鸡块盛出来，但是油还继续留在锅里。然后把火开小，在剩在锅里的油里加入面粉，不停的翻炒，这样面粉就不会炒糊或者是粘在锅底。当面粉炒至金黄，将准备好的秋葵（或者丝瓜），洋葱和圆椒加入到锅里，继续翻炒，这时把火开大。

3. When the onion and pepper become soft, add water, tomatoes and celery. Bring to a boil.

当洋葱和圆椒炒软后，往锅里加水，西红柿还有芹菜，煮开。

4. Add rice, garlic, spicy peppers, salt and chili powder. Bring back to a boil. Stir occasionally.

加大米，大蒜，朝天椒，盐和辣椒粉，再次煮开，煮的时候要时不时的搅一下，这样可以防止粘锅底。

5. Add the chicken. Cover and simmer until the rice is cooked (20 to 30 minutes).

加刚炒的鸡块，然后盖上锅盖，继续小火炖，直到锅里的米熟了为止。（估计在20到30分钟左右）

If you want more flavor in your gumbo, add a little chicken flavoring or substitute homemade chicken stock for the water.

如果你想让你的秋葵汤口味更香浓的话，可以加一些鸡精或者其他一些可以增加鸡汤鲜味的东西在水里。

When it’s cold like it has been here, there’s no better meal than soup. And the easiest soup to make is chicken soup. The time spent preparing the soup isn’t much, but it does take a long time to cook.

当天气开始变得像我这里这么冷的时候，再没什么比一碗热腾腾的汤更好的了。而最容易做的汤就是鸡汤，因为不需要花很多时间准备，也不需要花很长的时间去熬。

I had chicken soup quite a few times in China. It

tasted quite good, but it wasn’t the same as I was used to. Though I couldn’t find all the ingredients I like to use for chicken soup, I was able to find make due with what was available at most of the larger grocery stores in China. My way of making chicken soup, which I learned from my mother, was one of the few meals my mother-in-law allowed me to cook regularly (she enjoyed being in charge of the kitchen). Unlike Chinese chicken soup, you don’t drink this one–you eat it.

我在中国喝过几次鸡汤，很好喝，但还是和我在美国喝的还是不太一样。我在中国的时候，因为很难找齐我的鸡汤需要的所有食材，所以我通常就地取材，用我所能在超市找到的材料来做鸡汤。我做鸡汤的方法是从我妈妈那里学来的，很受我丈母娘的欢迎。因为在中国的时候，我的丈母娘负责做饭，她一般不让我下厨，但是如果是我做鸡汤的话，她会破例让我下厨。和中国鸡汤不同的是，你不能喝鸡汤，而是吃鸡汤。

The first step to good chicken soup is the stock. The chicken needs to boil in water for a long time to get all the flavor in the soup. To get a stronger flavor in the soup we usually add a can of chicken broth (I try to buy the low sodium variety), but you can also use chicken bullion, which is more widely available in China. The rest of the soup depends on the vegetables and herbs that get added (unfortunately, I’ve never seen fresh herbs for soup in China).

做好鸡汤的第一步是上好的高汤。鸡肉要在水里炖很久才能炖出味道来，但是如果想要鸡汤的味道更浓郁一些的话，我们通常可以加一罐买来的高汤（我一般是买低钠的，除此之外，你也可以用鸡精，这个在中国使用的比较普遍一些。剩下就要靠汤里加的蔬菜和香草料来提味啦。（不过很不幸运的是，我在中国的时候从未见过新鲜的香草料。）

When making chicken and rice soup, I find it’s better to use brown rice. Brown rice is healthier and doesn’t stick together. I also prefer the texture of brown rice in soup. If you use white rice, the soup will still taste great.

当做鸡汤的时候，我觉得放糙米更好吃。糙米比较健康，而且不会像白米那样黏在一起。而且我也喜欢糙米在汤里煮过之后的口感。当然假如你用白米，鸡汤也会一样好喝。

Ingredients: 原料

1 whole chicken or equal amount of chicken parts

一整只鸡或者和整只鸡同等份量的鸡的其它部分（比如鸡腿或者鸡翅）

1 medium onion 1个中型洋葱
2-3 carrots 2-3根胡萝卜
4 stalks of celery 4根芹菜（西芹）
1/4 cup of rice 1/4杯大米
3-4 cloves of garlic 3-4瓣大蒜
Dill 莳萝(有的大型超市的外国商品货架上可以买到干的莳萝调味料）
Salt and pepper 盐和黑胡椒粉

1. Cut the chicken into small pieces and trim any excess fat, but leave the skin on. Place the chicken in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

1.把鸡切成小块，剔除鸡油部分，但是鸡皮要保留。然后把切好的鸡块放在汤锅里，放水，水要盖过鸡肉，开火煮到水开，并不时的搅动。

2. Cut the onion in half, chop the carrots and celery. Add the vegetables to the soup and reduce the heat. Let it cook for about 15 minutes.

2.洋葱切两半，胡萝卜切块儿，芹菜切段。将这些菜加入到鸡汤里，这时候火关小。慢慢煮上大约15分钟。

3. Add chopped garlic and dill (fresh dill is always best, but dried will work if you add a little more). Add salt and pepper to taste.

3，加切成片儿的大蒜和莳萝（新鲜的莳萝最好，可是如果实在找不到，用一点点干的，也可以），然后加盐和一点黑胡椒粉。

4. Add the rice and let cook for another 20 minutes.

4.将准备好的米加入到锅里，然后继续再煮大约20分钟。

If you are dieting and want a healthier version of this soup, place the pot in the refrigerator overnight and skim the fat before re-boiling the soup. You can also add more vegetables.

如果你正在减肥，想要更健康一点的汤，那么你可以在鸡汤做好后，先不要喝，让它自然冷却后，放在冰箱里，那么鸡汤里的油会因为温度的降低，凝结在汤的表面，然后第二天你可以把凝固的鸡油撇掉后，然后重新加热，这样鸡汤就没有任何油星。当然你也可以再多加一些蔬菜。

A simple Italian classic that goes great with almost any meal is garlic bread–it’s wonderful with pasta, fish, or chicken. I was disappointed when I found it for sale at the bakeries in China–it was always hard as a rock and didn’t have enough garlic. There really is no substitute for fresh, homemade garlic bread. It makes a great appetizer, side dish, or snack.

一道简单的意大利经典，基本上可以百搭任何菜，这就是大蒜面包。打算面包和意大利面，鱼或者鸡肉都是绝佳的搭配。我在中国的时候，在一家面包店发现大蒜面包在做促销，但是买了后很让我失望，因为硬的就像石头，而且也没有放足够的大蒜。我觉得自己制作的新鲜的大蒜面包是无法替代的。它是很好的开胃头盘和零食。

All you need is Italian or French bread (it’s actually better if the bread is a day old), which you can always find at Carrefour or any of the better bakeries in China, butter, and a lot of fresh garlic.

做大蒜面包，你需要的就是意式或者法式面包。（如果面包买来后能放一天再用，那么会更好），这种面包通常可以在家乐福超市买到，或者一些好一点的面包店都可以买到，黄油，还有就是很多很多的新鲜大蒜。

Slice the bread in half lengthwise (you can also cut it into smaller pieces so it will fit in the oven more easily) and spread ample butter on the inside of the bread (try to cover the entire piece). This is much easier if you leave the butter out of the refrigerator for a while so it softens.

将一根长面包，切成等长的两段（当然你也可以切成更小的块，只要方便你放在烤箱里），把黄油在面包瓤抹匀（试着将整个面包瓤上都抹上）。黄油从冰箱里拿出来放一会儿，这样黄油变得稍微比较软了，然后再往面包瓤上抹会容易一些，而且容易被抹匀。

Crush and chop the garlic into very fine pieces (the amount needed depends on your taste and how much garlic bread you’re making). Spread the garlic evenly on top of the butter.

把大蒜拍碎然后切成蒜蓉（大蒜的用量要根据个人的口味和面包的份量），然后把蒜蓉均匀的放在黄油上。

Put the bread halves back together and wrap them in aluminum foil. Place it in the oven at 400 F (C) for about 15 minutes. Open the foil, separate the halves again and spread them out so the garlic side faces up. Put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes or until the edges start to brown (don’t let the garlic burn). If you don’t plan to eat it for a while, put the halves back together and wrap them in the foil again–you can put it in the refrigerator and reheat it later.

再把切开的那一半面包放回去和另一半合起来，然后用铝箔纸把它包起来。放入烤箱在400华氏度下烤15分钟。烤完后打开铝箔，将面包再打开，有大蒜的那面朝上放置，然后这样分开的两半，放回烤箱再烤5分钟，知道面包的边变得有些焦黄（但是大蒜不能烤焦哦），

如果做好的大蒜面包你不打算马上吃，那么你需要把切开的这两半面包再合起来，重新用铝箔包起来，放到冰箱里，等要吃的时候，再次加热。

Eat it while it’s hot. And don’t forget to brush your teeth after you finish eating.

大蒜面包最好可以趁热吃，还有最重要的就是吃完一定要记得刷牙。