Tag Archives: Pasta

Asian Fusion Soba Noodles

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The fact that I haven’t shared a recipe in so long should really highlight that: this recipe is worth sharing.

No surprise, America’s Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook blasted us away with another awesome number. After realizing my life wouldn’t be complete until I shared it with you all, I made it a second time just for the purpose of blogging.

Think: amazing pork. Amazing mushrooms. Amazing texture. Amazing and I love it.

Okay, wow. Obviously I haven’t blogged about food in way too long, because I can’t think of a single adjective beyond “amazing,” which is such a subjective evaluation that it means nothing to anyone . . . so let’s try again.

Umm . . . it’s got umami! That magical salty/sweet/savory thingamaging that I barely understand but know that I love. It tastes fresh and light but also has depth. The pork is so flavorful and juicy it makes me want to become a vacuum cleaner just so that I could inhale it.

The recipe is a little more involved than some, but still nothing crazy. And it’s so darn good that the very first chopstick-full of crunchy green onion and delicate noodle dripping with the sweet/savory sauce makes up for any extra knife work involved. It’s good with noodles as the recipe has it, but the pork sauce itself would be great over rice too.

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Even Alice endorses it!

Right, sweetie?

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(Sorry, but without a gratuitous picture of Alice my mom is sure to speak up . . . so here you go, Mom! This one’s for you.)

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

¼ cup soy sauce
3 TBS sugar
2 TBS oyster sauce
2 TBS chili garlic sauce
1 TBS sesame oil
4 tsp mirin OR sake (different—but both work)
1 lb boneless country-style pork ribs, sliced crosswise thinly
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS minced ginger
4 tsp peanut oil
6 baby bok choy, sliced crosswise
8 oz white button mushrooms, sliced
4-8 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
8 oz dried soba noodles
1 bunch scallions, sliced on the bias

1. Whisk together first 6 ingredients.

2. Combine 3 TBS of the mixture with the sliced pork and marinate in the fridge for 5 minutes. Reserve the rest of the sauce.

3. Combine garlic, ginger and 1 tsp of the oil in a small bowl.

4. Start to boil some water in a large pot for the noodles.

By the way, I’d never cooked with soba noodles before. So in case this is helpful to anyone, here’s what my package of noodles looked like:

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5. In a large 12’’ nonstick skillet, heat 1 tsp oil. When shimmering, add half the pork in one layer. Let it sit for 1 minute, then stir for 2 more minutes until browned. Remove, and repeat with the remaining pork.

6.  Heat the last teaspoon of oil in the now-empty skillet. When hot, add the mushrooms and bok choy; cook 5-7 minutes, until browned.

7. Clear a space in the center of the skillet and add the garlic/ginger/oil             mixture. Smash it around with your spatula and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.

8. Add the pork and sauce to the skillet; stir it all around and simmer for             about 1 minute, until the sauce has thickened. Cover and set aside.

9.  When the pot of water is boiling, add the noodles and cook for a couple minutes, stirring often. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, and when the noodles are tender, drain them immediately.

10. Put the noodles back in the pot and add the pork, tossing them together. Add the ½ cup cooking water if you need to loosen up the mixture. Sprinkle on the green onions and serve!

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Skillet Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe is yet another winner from America’s Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook. And no, I am not their covert sales agent, and I’m not getting some kind of commission off the sales of this cookbook (though if they want an Overt Sales Agent I’d be happy to consider their offer)–I just happen to be on a kick with this awesome volume of deliciousness. And given that I just returned this marvelous tome to the library bookmobile after renewing it the maximum number of times allowed, a little trip to amazon.com has ensured that my kick need not end–ever.

So! This mac and cheese. My husband pronounced it perfect and proceeded to consume 100% of the leftovers over the next 2 days. Crispy on top, firm (but not too firm) and creamy inside, great flavor, using only one skillet–YES. This is only the third recipe that he has ever pronounced perfect, so it’s no small thing that Perfect Mac and Cheese is now joining the ranks alongside Perfect Pork and Perfect Fish.

I sneaked a bite off his plate to see how it reheated the next day, and it was great, unlike a lot of stovetop macaroni recipes, which tend to reheat into a greasy mess regardless of how awesome they were on day #1.

And since I seem incapable of posting about anything these days without including pictures of my tiny bundle of baby, let’s check in with Alice and see if she endorses this recipe.

So Alice, what do you think?

Is this recipe finger-licking good or what?

Well, she doesn’t exactly know how to use her words yet, but . . .

. . . aaargh.

I’ll take that violent hand-eating as a signal that she wishes she could have some.

All in due time, Oh Tiny One. And by the way, have you been dribbling food all over yourself? Because your chin is quite dirty.

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

3 ½ cups water
1-12 oz can evaporated milk
12 oz (3 cups) uncooked elbow macaroni
Salt and pepper
1 tsp cornstarch
½ tsp dry mustard
¼ tsp Tabasco sauce
2 slices white sandwich bread
2 TBS unsalted butter
8 oz (2 cups) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz (2 cups) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1. Heat oven to 475 F with the rack in the middle.

2. In a 12’’ nonstick oven-safe skillet, bring the water, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, ½ tsp salt and the macaroni to a simmer over high heat. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the noodles are tender.

3. While noodles are cooking, tear the bread into large pieces and melt the butter; pulse the bread and butter along with ¼ tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper in a food processor to make bread crumbs.

4. Whisk remaining ½ cup evaporated milk, mustard, cornstarch and Tabasco together, and (once the macaroni is tender) add the mixture to the skillet.

5. Simmer for 1 minute, until slightly thickened.

6. Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the shredded cheese. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. If the mixture seems too thick, stir in a little extra water.

7.  Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the macaroni and bake for about 10 minutes, until the top is brown and bubbly.

Serve it with buttery peas . . .

. . . and you have perfection on a plate.

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