My dad has a saying that has profoundly informed the way I live: “There is always time for food.” Had the world actually ended this past Saturday, I probably would’ve died mid-bite while the Earth crumbled around me. An old friend of mine once legendarily missed a flight to his sister’s wedding because he was stewing lentils. I would be lying if I said that I don’t understand why anyone would do that.
Thankfully, I came up with this easy-to-make jumble of rice noodles, fresh herbs and vegetables, and other crunchy things about 30 minutes before I was supposed to leave the house to attend a wedding (congrats Chris & Valentina!). We arrived on time and no one had to listen to my stomach growl. I’ve made these noodles three times now, most recently as a welcome-home dinner after I returned from a quick trip to L.A. to attend another wedding (congrats Chris & Valerie!). The key is to take mise en place seriously so that nothing gets accidentally overcooked. These noodles are also a perfect vehicle for leftover shredded meat or sliced tofu.
serves 1
a few ounces of dried rice noodles
about 1/4 of a small head of cabbage, shredded
1/2 medium carrot, cut into strips
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small shallot clove/bulb/segment/whatever, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons palm sugar or brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce or fish sauce (or a combination of both)
almost all the juice from half of a lime
a handful of peanuts, lightly toasted and coarsely ground, crushed, or chopped
garnish: cilantro, scallions, fried shallots, Sriracha chili sauce
Soak rice noodles in warm water while you prepare all the vegetables. Combine sugar, soy/fish sauce, and lime juice. Set aside.
Heat some oil in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds, making sure they don’t burn. Add remaining vegetables. Cook until vegetables are slightly softened but still crunchy. Drain noodles and add them. Stir them around and add a splash of water to soften them up more. When water has evaporated (should be after only a few minutes) add lime juice sauce. Toss noodles around to coat evenly. Garnish with peanuts and everything else.
I may never buy packaged granola bars at a grocery store ever again. (Unless you count the plastic-wrapped ones priced by weight in the Whole Foods bakery section.) These do not taste like cardboard. Or pure sugar. And they don’t contain any freaky ingredients like soy protein isolate. The other best thing about homemade granola bars is that you can have exactly the types of mix-ins you like, in exactly the right proportion. I added dried cranberries, dried apples, sliced almonds, wheat germ, and flax seeds. They are so good that they’ve crossed over into “healthy dessert”/hungry daydream territory. Recipe and inspiration here (I’ve had this bookmarked for a long, long time).
Another recipe from the Momofuku cookbook (remember when I made spicy rice cakes with pork?). Sadly, this one fell a little flat after floppy execution by yours truly. I took a few liberties with the recipe, omitting the pickled sunchokes and enoki mushrooms and adding a fistful of arugula instead of a few dainty microgreens. I wanted to make this salad all pretty with bright and flashy watermelon radishes, but they ended up being under-pink and too old and tough (they are supposed to look like this). And finally, we cannot ignore the pistachio puree, which bears an eerie resemblance to the feces of a small infant (that’s right, I said “feces” on a food blog). Blame it on my unsophisticated food processor.
The best part of this whole vegetable ensemble was the crazy delicious pan-roasted oyster mushrooms, which were seared in oil then coated in butter, garlic, and sherry vinegar. I know no better way to prepare mushrooms.
Are people still complaining about all the snow? I, for one, don’t really mind it (especially now that I finally have a sturdy and reliable pair of tall rubber boots). And when it’s in the 30s or 20s or teens outside, I like to cozy up with baked, buttery, meaty and cheesy things (not necessarily all at once) but also crunchy vegetably things. Like cauliflower dressed up with fruit and nuts and herbs. The recipe is from famous chef Andrew Carmellini and isn’t too much of a pain in the ass to make, especially if you’re all into brown butter and sage like I am right now (remember when I made another famous NYC chef’s gnudi?). Also good mixed with pasta and grated cheese.
Apples apples apples, all through fall and winter. That’s all the fruit I’m getting. Honey-sweet gold supreme apples, loudly crisp Macoun apples, and my personal favorite: the winesap. New York Magazine has a feature on locally grown apple varieties found at the greenmarket (John and I are huge fans of visual aids like this… I think I squealed a little when I saw it). Though the descriptions probably won’t help you figure out which among these varieties you like, eating them will. And I’ve seen prices drop to something like $1 a pound in mid-winter.
My new thing this season is grain salads with apples and warm spices. Make a vinaigrette with shallots or red onion, whatever vinegar you’d like (I used apple cider vinegar), and oil. Spike it with a little bit of cinnamon (or garam masala even). Add cooked quinoa, chopped apples, dried cherries (or cranberries or raisins), toasted walnuts and/or pecans, and chopped parsley. Also good with a little yogurt in the dressing, and/or with wheatberries instead of quinoa.
This happens every fall: we start a collection of winter squash of all colors, shapes, and sizes. I try not to discriminate, but I am particularly fond of delicata squash because they’re easy to work with. They have a thin and edible skin, so peeling isn’t necessary. Just cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs (I had sage, thyme, and savory), and roast in a 425-degree oven for 20 minutes or so. While that was happening, I sauteed some chard with garlic. In went the roasted squash with some hazelnuts and a tiny drizzle of apple cider vinegar. Tasty and really good for you.
Meet PB & J’s less popular cousin: AB & J. I haven’t bought peanut butter in something like a year, but suddenly I’m smitten with salted almond butter. I’ve had this sandwich almost daily (sometimes for breakfast, sometimes for lunch, sometimes for a snack) for the past two weeks. I’ve been using apricot jam, but I think I’m going to switch to seedy strawberry preserves soon. A double layer of almond butter (one on each slice of bread) keeps the preserves/jam from soaking through the bread in cases of extended storage (i.e. morning until lunch). Ah, simple pleasures.
Full disclosure: I had a brownie and a glass of milk for dinner tonight, around 8pm. I’ve gone mad, I know. Thankfully, I also had a salad and some leftover rice and beans for dessert.
To make the salad the way I make my salad: Put baby arugula and thinly sliced shallot in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Add a drizzle of pomegranate molasses (or a mixture of vinegar and honey? I just thought of that) and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss gently with your hand. This is my favorite way to mix baby greens. Add chopped hazelnuts and crumbles of fresh goat cheese.
Ah, my first real snow day here in New York. I narrowly missed previous two major storms of the season by escaping to the warmer climes. Classes have been canceled today, and the exam I was ready to take this morning has been postponed until next week. It’s too bad I have an assload of studying left to do for another exam next week, because this is a perfect day to curl up on the couch with a big pint of chocolate stout and burn through my dusty batch of Netflix DVDs.
I have also resisted the urge to make a batch of cookies and/or (most likely would’ve been “and”) a huge pan of something else baked and gooey but cheesy (like macaroni and cheese, or lasagna, or a deep-dish pizza). Instead, I had a sandwich and a light and crunchy celery salad. There is still one more meal left in the day though…
5 celery stalks, thinly sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 very small shallot bulb, finely minced
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon olive or vegetable oil
salt
black pepper
cayenne pepper (optional)
water (just enough to thin the peanut butter out a tiny bit)
raisins
Combine everything except the celery and raisins to make the dressing. Then toss with the celery and raisins.
