Tian Tian Chao Mian (Everyday Fried Noodles)

Serves 4

Before I get into these noodles I have to confess that I’ve really been mulling over the purpose of this blog for the last few days. In my attempt to cook my way through my collected magazine recipes, I’ve made a few this week that just really didn’t make the grade. “Should I put them on the blog?” I wondered. I mean, I did say that I was going to make all of the recipes that I’d cut out…but does that mean that I have to share them if they’re sub-par? At first I thought maybe I would, thinking that other people might have an idea how to improve them, or that maybe I could share how to improve them…but now I’ve reached my conclusion: no matter how many recipes I try, I’m only going to post the excellent ones. Therefore, forget the Shrimp and Pancetta on Polenta (the shrimp overpowered the pancetta and the whole thing was bland) and the Chicken in Garlic Vinegar Sauce (also bland, and it gave my baby wicked, wicked nocturnal gas). On to more inspiring and delicious things, like Tian Tian Chao Mian, which sounds like the start of a nursery rhyme or a jump rope game. This is from a recent issue of Saveur—have I mentioned how much I am in love with this magazine? I got it to replace Gourmet when it tanked, and I like it so much more than any other cooking magazine I’ve ever had. It doesn’t overwhelm me with more recipes than I could ever cook in a lifetime (like, cough, Cooking Light, my evil nemesis), nor does it recycle the same 10 recipes over and over in each issue (CL and the accursed flank steak dish!) and what’s more, it has breathtaking photos and outstanding writing with lots of touching ruminations about the meaning of food in our lives. It’s just awesome. Period. So, back to Tian Tian. It needed a little extra flavor, which I detailed in the directions below, but it was quick to prepare and truly delightful. And any food that helps make memories as sweet as the ones in the pictures below is a winner in my book. Turns out toddlers will eat anything with chopsticks, including broccoli.

 

 

1/2 small seedless cucumber, peeled and julienned

pinch of salt

3 tbsp. canola oil

1 medium carrot, julienned

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/4 lb. ground pork

4 cloves garlic, minced

1  1" piece ginger, minced

6 scallions, minced

1 1/2 tbsp. dark soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp. rice cooking wine (mirin)

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

2 cups bean sprouts (I used broccoli instead)

6 oz. dried flat noodles, boiled and rinsed under cold water (I used chop suey noodles, which are like ramen, but not as cheap and gross)

1 tbsp. Asian sesame oil

Toss cucumbers and a pinch of salt together in a small bowl; let sit 5 minutes. Heat a 14" wok (or stainless-steel skillet) over high heat until it begins to smoke. Add 1 tbsp. oil around edge of wok; swirl to coat bottom and sides. Add carrots and onions; cook until softened, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate; set aside.

Return wok to high heat and add remaining oil. Add pork, garlic, ginger, and half the scallions; cook, breaking pork into small pieces, until browned, 3–4 minutes.

Add soy sauce, wine, sugar, bean sprouts, and carrots and onions. Cook, stirring, until hot, about 30 seconds.

Add cucumbers, remaining scallions, noodles, and sesame oil; cook, tossing, until hot, about 1 minute. Season with salt. At this point I found it pretty bland, so I added about an extra tablespoon of soy sauce and maybe 1 tsp of memmi, which is Japanese and has no place in this dish, but it’s full of umami and ended up being just the thing. Oh, and then I squirted sriracha all over the noodles and it was perfect!

Pasta with Sausage and Butternut Squash

Serves 4

Another recipe from the collection down…about 800,000 to go. Only slight exaggeration. Once again I did quite a lot of adapting with this one, primarily for the (to me) hilarious reason that the grocery stores don’t carry canned pumpkin until just before Thanksgiving (I guess I should mention that the recipe was originally Sausage and Pumpkin Pasta). Not only do they not carry it now—they can’t! Because of the great pumpkin blight of 2009! Global warming be damned, you ruined the pumpkin crop and now I have to improvise. Although, as my MIL pointed out, the grocery stores have been selling pumpkin pies and pumpkin bread all year. So either they have access to some top secret supply or, “They’ve been cheating.” Long story short, I used roasted pureed butternut squash in this recipe, to no real detriment. I think pumpkin is a little more pungent and earthy, while the squash is a little sweeter, but in the end it’s just a tasty bowl of pasta.

2 cups uncooked multigrain bow tie pasta (we used angel hair)

1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed

1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms (whoops, didn’t have those either—we added green pepper instead)

1 medium onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup canned pumpkin (or butternut squash)

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook the sausage, mushrooms, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the broth, pumpkin, wine, sage, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes or until slightly thickened. Drain pasta; add to the skillet and heat through. Just before serving, sprinkle with cheese and parsley.

Spaghetti with Swiss Chard and Brown Butter

Serves 4

     

Great success tonight: got the toddler to eat chard again, this time with minimal prodding, baiting, bribing and threatening. I think there were two factors that brought this about: 1) we served the pasta with fruit salad, so he got a break in between each bite, and 2) the pasta was REALLY good. I’ve seen recipes with brown butter but have never tried it until tonight. All I have to say is: ethereal. One of the last issues of Gourmet magazine before the publication’s demise devoted a spread to brown butter, most of which was about using it in desserts (pound cake, shortbread cookies, etc). I cut all of them out, but only now feel entirely committed to trying them. It may not be the most economical use of butter, but it is certainly the most transcendent. In fact it’s like putting caramelized gold on your pasta.

1/3 cup brown butter (recipe follows)

1/3 C golden raisins (I only had regular)

1 bunch chard

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti (use brown rice spaghetti for gluten-free version

1/3 cup walnut pieces, toasted

Freshly ground pepper and grated Parmesan cheese

Get the brown butter started first: melt 1/2 C (1 cube) butter in a small saucepan over low heat. As the butter gently simmers, the butter fat and milk solids will separate from each other. The solids will settle to the bottom of the pan, coloring the butter as it cooks.

When it turns a rich amber color, in about 8 to 10 minute, remove from the heat. Line a fine-mesh strainer with a paper towel, cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel, and strain out the solids. You should have about exactly 1/3 C of brown butter left behind. Now, take a sniff. Ahhhhh…c’est le paradis laitier!!

While the brown butter is going, set a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Plump the currants and golden raisins in a small bowl covered with 1/3 cup hot water. Trim the stems from the chard and slice across the leaves to make 2-inch wide ribbons. Look at this magnificent bounty! PS: I saved the stems from this batch to make chard stem hummus, coming in a day or two.

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan; add the onion, sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the onion softens and begins to release its juices. Add the garlic, chard, and the salt. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until the chard is just barely tender, then reduce the heat to low.

When the water boils, add the spaghetti and some salt (if desired) to the boiling water, timing it to finish cooking with the chard. (The chard should be very tender but not overcooked when the pasta is done.) When the pasta is just tender, drain it immediately in a colander, shake off excess water, and add it to the onions and chard, along with the plumped fruit, walnuts, and brown butter.

Toss together and season with pepper to taste. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

Gnocchi with Walnut Sauce

Serves 4-6

Another classic dish for the Italian-themed cooking club tonight, gnocchi with walnut sauce is one of my all-time favorite indulgent but so speedy weeknight dinners. I’m putting my favorite gnocchi recipe below, but feel free to use boxed gnocchi—I did tonight, and once it’s drenched in the walnut sauce they’re really not much different from the homemade version of these clouds of potato dumpling ecstasy. You can make the walnut sauce in about 90 seconds in the food processor, so once the pasta is boiling this is about the quickest meal I can think of.

Gnocchi

2 waxy potatoes

1 Tbs salt

2-2 1/2 C flour

1 egg

pinch grated nutmeg

2 Tbs butter

Bring the unpeeled potatoes to boil in a large pot of salted water. Cook until potatoes are tender but not falling apart. Drain and peel as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Mash potatoes with food mill (it’s important to get all of the lumps out). Turn potatoes out onto floured surface, and pour about half of the flour over the top, mixing lightly. Crack the egg over the potatoes, add nutmeg, and knead gently, drawing in more flour as necessary. When the dough is light to the touch and no longer sticky it is ready to be rolled. Divide the dough into four parts and roll each into a 3/4-in strand. Cut the rolls crosswise into 3/4-in pieces. Roll the gnocchi along the tines of a fork if you like them to look authentic. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the gnocchi in batches until they float (3-4 minutes). Drain in a serving bowl. When all gnocchi are cooked, toss with walnut sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Walnut Sauce

1 C walnut pieces or halves

1 Tbs bread crumbs (I used Italian-style)

3 Tbl olive or walnut oil

3 Tbl fresh chopped Italian parsley

1/4 C butter, melted

2 Tbs cream (I used milk and didn’t notice a difference)

Place all ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth (3-4 minutes).