Asian/Italian Fusion Noodle Bowl-Dinner for One!

Robert has been flying up a storm lately and so I've been on my own for dinner.  This crazy--but delicious!--dish was tossed together from what I had in the vegetable bin and pantry.  I wasn't expecting much from it, but was absolutely delighted by the flavors.  Even the rigatoni, which I decided to use instead of some rice noodles, long pasta, or rice, made a nice chewy contrast to the broccoli and roasted mushrooms, if I do say so myself.  Maybe my low expectations of the dish helped me to enjoy it more than it deserves.  I'll make this again--and maybe next time when Robert is around!

Asian/Italian Fusion Noodle Bowl Dinner for One
4 oz. white mushrooms (about 6 medium), stemmed, cleaned and cut in half
2 large cloves of garlic (not peeled)
olive oil
1 cup (or so) of broccoli florets
1/2 cup dried cut pasta (I used rigatoni--penne or fusilli or orzo would do--as would any long pasta)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce (or red pepper flakes)--optional

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  In a small bowl, toss the cut mushrooms and unpeeled garlic with about a tablespoon of olive oil--making sure that all of the mushrooms are covered with oil.  Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the cookie sheet and place the mushrooms cut side down, and add the garlic.  Roast for about 10 minutes, then turn the mushrooms and garlic and roast for about 10 minutes more--until the mushrooms are nicely browned and the garlic is very soft.

While the mushrooms and garlic are roasting, bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.  About 4 minutes before the pasta is done, add the broccoli florets so that they blanch and become a nice, pretty green. Drain the pasta and broccoli.

When the mushrooms and garlic are done, as soon as you can handle the garlic squeeze the roasted cloves into a small bowl and mash.  Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, and sriracha sauce and whisk to combine well.  Toss the roasted mushrooms, pasta, and broccoli with the sauce and enjoy your meal! 

Pak Choy & Mushrooms with Spicy Noodles

Thanks to Robert's green thumb and regular tending, we have a beautiful crop of pak choy this year--bok choy's miniature cousin. This is a wonderful vegetable for stir frying or sauteing.  The petioles (the stalks of the plant) are white and crunchy like celery while the top leaves are nearly like spinach. It is a member of the cabbage family, though it has a very mild flavor that lends itself well to spicy sauces.  For this recipe, I've sauteed it with mushrooms and garlic and used the veggies to top of a bowl of spicy peanut noodles.  You can eat this dish hot or cool (like a salad).  Sauteed or fried tofu would be a nice addition.

Pak choy needs to be carefully cleaned as the stalks tend to harbor a lot of dirt while the plant grows (like leeks).  For that reason, I usually cut the pak choy stalks into the size I want for the recipe and then place them in a large bowl of water, swishing them a bit to dislodge the dirt.  I then scoop up the floating stalk pieces and drain (the dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl).

Pak Choy & Mushrooms with Spicy Noodles
Serves 2 generously as a main dish and 4 as a side dish

6-8 pak choy plants
8 oz. button (or any other kind, truthfully) mushrooms, cleaned and sliced into 1/4 in slices
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil or canola oil (to coat bottom of pan)
1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb long, flat rice pasta  or use regular spaghetti or linguine

For the sauce:
3 tablespoons peanut butter
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sriracha (or other chili sauce, or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes)

Cut the stalks from the leaves of the pak choy plants.  Slice the stalks into 1/2 inch slices and place in a large bowl of water to get rid of the dirt, and drain. (See directions above.)  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.  Wash leaves in a bowl of water and drain.  Chop leaves and keep separate.

While pasta cooks, heat a large skillet and coat bottom with oil.  Add the garlic to the pan, stirring to prevent browning and saute for a few minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant.  Add the pak choy stalks to the pan and stir, cooking for about 3 to 4 minutes until the stalks soften a bit and stirring occasionally.  Add the mushrooms and stir, cooking for 3 to 4 minutes or so until mushrooms (and pak choy) begin to give up their juices.  Add leaves to the pan--no need to stir--and cover so that the leaves, stalks and mushrooms steam a bit.  This should take no more than 3 or 4 minutes.  Remove cover, stir around and check that the vegetables are done to your liking.  Add salt and pepper to taste and drizzle the sesame oil over the veggies.

In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.  Drain the pasta (if using rice pasta, rinse with cold water and drain well again).  Return pasta to pot and stir in sauce, being sure to coat all of the noodles.  Divide the noodles among individual bowls and top each with a portion of the vegetables.  Serve with more sriracha sauce, soy sauce and/or a drizzle of sesame oil.

Got Summer Squash? Make Pasta Salad!

The zucchini and summer squash are coming in fast and furious in the garden, despite the fact that the wretched squash vine borer has had its way with a few of our plants. Grrrr.  This is a delightful pasta salad that you can serve immediately or put in the fridge and eat later.  The origins of the recipe come from the July 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Living, but my adaptation is below.  It's a nice change from a traditional pasta salad dressed with a vinaigrette.

Summer Squash Pasta Salad with Honey
Serves 4

1/2 pound gemelli (or other short, tubular pasta)
about 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
1/4 cup raw almonds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound summer squashes (about two smallish yellow squash and zucchini), cut into 1/2 inch circles
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons cooking sherry
1 Hungarian hot pepper, ribs and seeds removed and minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente.  Drain, place in a bowl and stir in two tablespoons of olive oil.  While pasta is cooking, toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, shaking or stirring occasionally until fragrant--about 3 minutes.  Remove from skillet, roughly chop and set aside.  Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and, over medium-high heat, saute the garlic for a few minutes.  Add the squash, with a sprinkling of salt and saute, turning occasionally, until squash is thoroughly cooked.  Add the toasted almonds and the squash to the pasta and toss.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the honey, bringing to a simmer while stirring.  Add the sherry and Hungarian hot pepper and cook until the mixture reduces a bit but is still runny--about 1 minute.  Pour over the pasta mixture and toss.  Add the minced basil and thyme and taste, adding salt and pepper as needed. Drizzle with a little olive oil.  You can serve this right away or refrigerate and serve later.  Bring it to room temperature before serving.

Honey-as-Seasoning for Fall Harvest Bounty!

Back-to-school means were slacking on our blog posts, folks.  My apologies to those who have a hankering for honey recipes and need more ideas!

In these two recipes, the honey acts almost like a seasoning, rather than a main ingredient.

Peaches, Figs, Maytag Blue Cheese & Honey
Our dear friends, Jeff and Laurie, made time in the midst of canning tomatoes to feed me dinner last week. They asked me to bring a seasonal fruit side dish or dessert, and this is what I made.  I would work as a nice "first course," side dish, or--as we used it--dessert. It received rave reviews from Jeff, Laurie and bonus guests, Beth and Steve, who stopped by on their way home from a trip to Chicago.

Two, large-ish fresh peaches, peeled. (McConnell's Farm peaches are amazing!)
Four fresh figs, washed
4 oz Maytag blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
2-4 tablespoons summer honey
Just before serving, slice the peaches into 1/2 inch wedges and place in a bowl.  Cut off the stem of the figs, and quarter or "sixth," and add to bowl, and gently toss.  Crumble blue cheese over the fruit.  Add almonds and drizzle honey over top.  Gently toss and serve.  Serves 5-6 (but you might want to add another peach if you're serving six).

Baked Tomato & Cheddar Cheese Pasta
Jeff and Laurie roast their tomatoes before canning them, and gave me the idea for this casserole.  I'll confess that it doesn't look very pretty--it's definitely for a week-night family meal.  Yet it has a pleasing, comfort-food flavor and is a great use of end-of-the-season plum tomatoes.
6-8 medium fresh plum tomatoes, peeled and diced (you could use a 14-oz can of whole tomatoes)
1/2 cup diced sweet onion (like Vidalia)
4 oz sharp yellow cheddar cheese, diced in 1/2 inch dice
2 oz sharp yellow cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 pound dry pasta  (I used medium shells, you could use any smaller size cut pasta)
2 tablespoons summer honey
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped (you could substitute fresh oregano or basil)
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly oil a casserole or 8x8 square baking pan.  Boil pasta in salted water for about 4 or 5 minutes less than the package directs.  The pasta should be pliable, but not quite al dente, so it will soak up the tomato juices.  Place the tomatoes, onions, diced cheese & pasta in casserole and toss to combine.  Stir in honey, thyme, salt & pepper. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.  Sprinkle grated cheese on top and bake for about 30 minutes. The cheese should be thoroughly melted in to the dish and it should be bubbling. Let sit for 10 minutes so that the pasta absorbs the cheesy-tomato-y juices.  Serves 4.