Spicey Yakisoba

Yakisoba means “fried noodles” and is commonly found all over Japan at festivals, sporting events, and shops that specialize in okonomiyaki (a type of Japanese pancake). Despite having “soba” in the name, yakisoba is actually made with thin Chinese egg noodles, not buckwheat soba. My hunch is that this is the Japanese descendant of the ubiquitous Chinese dish, chow mein.It’s very simple to make and is a great way to use up odds and ends in your refrigerator. By adding your choice of meat, seafood and veggies, you can customize it to your tastes as well as what you have available. The sweet, tangy tonkatsu sauce imbues the noodles with a deep mahogany color and gives the dish its unique caramelized flavour.I made this as part of my meal for the Korea v. Japan WBC championship game, so I wanted to give this dish a Korean kick. Some garlic and gochujang, really took this to a new place, adding more depth and plenty of heat, but if you’re looking for the authentic Japanese classic, omit these two ingredients.Once the noodles are done, they are topped with aonori, which are dried green seaweed flakes that are a bit different from the sheets of nori used for wrapping sushi. For added color and a briny zing, benishoga (red pickled ginger) is usually added to top the pile of noodles off.

Yield:

Serves 2

Ingredients

1. 2 Tbs oil
2. 1/4 lb thinly sliced meat or seafood such as shrimp, squid or octopus
3. 1 C roughly chopped cabbage
4. 1 C bean spouts
5. 1/2 C yellow onion sliced
6. 1/4 C shredded carrot
7. 10 ounces cooked thin Asian egg noodles
8. 2 scallions sliced thin on the bias
9. 1 clove garlic minced
10. 3 Tbs tonkatsu sauce (Worcestershire sauce will do in a pinch)
11. 1 Tbs gochujang
12. white pepper
13. aonori (green nori flakes) optional
14. benishoga (red pickled ginger) optional

Directions

1. If you are using meat or seafood, sprinkle with salt and pepper then heat 1 Tbs of oil in a pan or wok and fry until just barely cooked. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
2. Saute the cabbage, bean sprouts, onions, and carrot until they are mostly tender. Add the noodles, scallions and garlic, then cover with the remaining oil (1 Tbs). If the noodles have clumped together, add a few tablespoons of water to the pan to help separate them. Stir fry the noodles until they are completely separated and there is no water remaining. Add the meat/seafood back into the pan along with the tonkatsu sauce, gochujang and white pepper and stir fry until the sauce is evenly coated around the noodles.
3. To serve, plate the noodles and top with with a sprinkle of aonori flakes and benishoga.

Notes

Spinach Lasagna

“Many people don’t know that the crock inside a slow cooker is ovenproof and you can transfer a dish like lasagna into the oven (up to 400°F) for 10 minutes to brown the top,” says Golino. Just be sure the pot is hot, to avoid drastic temperature changes that can cause it to crack.

Yield:

Serves 8

Ingredients

1. 1 medium onion, quartered
2. 1 cup fresh basil leaves
3. 1 Tbs. dried oregano
4. 2 cloves garlic, peeled, plus 1 clove minced (1 tsp.), divided
5. 1 8-oz. pkg. tempeh, cut into chunks
6. 1 28-oz. can chopped fire-roasted tomatoes
7. 2 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for oiling slow cooker
8. 1 tsp. salt
9. 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
10. 2 10-oz. pkgs. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
11. 8 oven-ready lasagna noodles
12. 1 16-oz. jar roasted red peppers, rinsed and drained
13. 1 16-oz. container low-fat ricotta cheese, divided
14. 1 cup grated Swiss cheese, divided

Directions

1. Place onion, basil, oregano, and 2 whole garlic cloves in food processor; pulse 6 times, or until onion and garlic are chopped. Add tempeh, and pulse until tempeh is ground. Add tomatoes, oil, salt, and pepper; pulse until chunky sauce forms.
2. Combine spinach and minced garlic in bowl, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Coat bottom and sides of 4-quart slow cooker with oil. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce over bottom, and cover with layer of lasagna noodles, breaking them in pieces to fit around edges. Spread 3/4 cup spinach mixture over top. Place 1 layer roasted red peppers over spinach, and top with 3/4 cup ricotta. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce over ricotta. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup Swiss cheese. Repeat, layering noodles, spinach, peppers, ricotta, Swiss cheese, and tomato sauce. Top with 1 more layer noodles and remaining spinach, tomato sauce, ricotta, and Swiss cheese.
4. Cook 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Let stand uncovered 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Ravioli with Sweet Potato Sauce

This mellow sauce served over a hearty pasta combines comfort and elegance in one easy meal. Serve with some steamed broccoli florets, baby carrots and red and green bell pepper strips. Round out the meal with slices of fresh Italian bread.

Yield:

4 Servings

Ingredients

1. 1 large sweet potato (about 8 oz.)
2. 16-oz. pkg. frozen vegetable-filled ravioli or tortellini
3. 1 Tbs. butter or soy margarine
4. 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
5. 1 cup low-fat milk or soy milk or as needed
6. Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
7. 1 cup frozen green petite peas, thawed
8. Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Pierce several holes in skin of sweet potato with a fork. Microwave sweet potato on high power about 8 minutes or until tender. Plunge potato into a bowl of cold water (or, if you microwaved an extra sweet potato from the previous night’s dinner, simply use it as is).
2. Meanwhile, cook frozen pasta in a large pot of rapidly boiling water according to package directions. Drain well and return to the pot.
3. In small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
4. Peel sweet potato and mash it well in a medium bowl. Stir in garlic and enough milk to achieve the consistency of a thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add sauce to cooked pasta in the pot. Stir in green peas and heat through. Garnish with parsley and serve right away.

Notes

Mushroom Ravioli with Green Pea Purée

Homemade ravioli is a great make-ahead dish when you use won ton wrappers for the pasta. Place filled ravioli on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until hard. Store in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer.

Yield:

Serves 4

Ingredients

1. Mushroom Ravioli
2. ====================
3. 2 Tbs. olive oil
4. 1/2 small onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
5. 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
6. 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
7. 8 oz. wild mushroom mix or assorted mushrooms, chopped (3 cups)
8. 2 Tbs. sherry
9. 24 won ton wrappers
10. .
11. Green Pea Purée
12. ===================
13. 2 cups frozen peas, thawed
14. 3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
15. 2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish, if desired

Directions

1. To make Mushroom Ravioli: Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until translucent and starting to brown. Stir in garlic and thyme, and cook 1 minute more. Add mushrooms, and increase heat to high. Sauté mushrooms 7 minutes, or until all liquid has evaporated. Add sherry to pan and cook 1 minute, or until sherry has evaporated. Transfer to bowl, and cool 20 minutes.
2. Place 1 won ton wrapper on work surface. Brush edges with water. Spoon 1 tsp. mushroom mixture in center of wrapper and fold into triangle, pressing edges to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and mushroom mixture.
3. To make Green Pea Purée: Blend peas, broth, and cheese in blender until smooth. Transfer to saucepan, and warm over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
4. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add ravioli and cook 2 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain. Spoon Pea Purée onto plates, and top with ravioli. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes

Japanese Noodles with Shimeji Mushroom

 

Yield:

serves 4

Ingredients

1. 7 ounces dried Japanese style noodles (udon or soba)
2. 1/2 cup olive oil (or other cooking oil)
3. 2 garlic cloves, minced
4. 6 ounces shimeji mushrooms, base discarded, mushrooms separated
5. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
6. 2 teaspoons miso paste
7. salt and pepper
8. 2 tablespoons finely minced parsley

Directions

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package instructions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over a low heat and add the garlic cloves. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Turn up the heat and add the shimeji mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are soft. Lower the heat and add a ladleful of cooking water from the noodles, the soy sauce, and the miso paste. Stir until the miso is dissolved well. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and seave the sauce to simmer.
3. Drain the noodles and add them to the sauce. Stir well to coat every noodle and serve with chopped parsley

Notes