Wider Horizons

As Lethbridge College nears the conclusion of its 60th anniversary celebration, Wider Horizons looked to update one last recipe that would have been taught to students in the early days of the Culinary program. Chef Doug Overes (Professional Cooking 1987, Distinguished Alumnus 1992) suggested wonton soup, which would have been taught as part of the curriculum in the 1960s as an example of “foreign” food, and then modified it so that it is simple to make and delicious to eat any time of year.

The recipe that follows is for “wor” wonton soup – which takes the basic broth and meat of a traditional wonton soup and adds loads of fresh vegetables. Chef Doug’s recipe then directs the cook to cut wonton wrappers into strips rather than taking the time to form them into the small dumplings – saving time but maintaining the delicious flavour and texture of traditional wonton soup. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork
1 green onion, minced
5 water chestnuts, minced
1 small carrot, grated
1 egg
to taste salt and pepper
1 litre chicken broth
1/2 cup Japanese soya sauce
2 tbsp. fish sauce
3 tbsp. sesame oil
1 small crown broccoli florets
1 small onion, sliced
1 small carrot, sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
6 button mushrooms, sliced
2 leaves cabbage or bok choy or suey choy, sliced
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 wonton wrappers, cut into strip

 

Method

  1. Mix the first six ingredients together and roll into meatballs. Refrigerate while you complete the next steps.

  2. Mix the next three ingredients into a stock pot and bring to a boil.

  3. Add the meatballs to the hot broth and cook until they are done – usually between five and seven minutes.

  4. In a shallow skillet, heat up the sesame oil.

  5. Add vegetables and give a quick stir.

  6. Add 1 cup of the hot broth to the vegetables and cover with a tight fitting lid, allowing them to steam for one minute.

  7. Add wonton wrappers to hot broth and cook until they have the consistency of cooked pasta – usually about a minute or two.

  8. Pour vegetables into broth.

  9. Serve immediately.

To sample some of the delicious creations from student chefs at Lethbridge College, book a table in the Garden Court Dining Room, by calling 403-382-3230.

Wider Horizons
Recipe by Chef Doug Overes / Photo by Gregory Thiessen
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