Saturday, January 21, 2012

Warm Soba Noddle Salad


This is another odds and ends type of recipe. The remainders of a package of tofu were combined with the only veggies I had in my fridge and some parsley from the patio. Sometimes good things are born out of a seemingly empty fridge and necessity  in the form of  pressing hunger, and thus I found myself with a surprisingly tasty bowl of noodles for dinner, after setting out on my wander into the kitchen with very little dreams or aspirations. May these always be our surprises!

Soba Noodle Salad

about 1/3 package of Soba noodles ( around 80 grms)
two celery stalks, sliced
1 carrot,halved and sliced
about 4 little radishes, quartered
1/3 package firm tofu, patted dry and cut into cubes
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cup chopped parsley and mint leaves
about 1 tsp grated lemon zest
juice from 1/2 a lemon
olive oil
salt
pepper
chili flake

Oh, well, it's quite easy from here on.  Cook the noodles in boiling water till soft, about 4 minutes. at the same time, warm a little olive oil in skillet, when very hot add tofu and a little salt and  fry till golden on all sides. add garlic, chili and pepper and stir for a minute, then herbs and remove immediately form heat. combine vegetables, noodles, and tofu in a bowl. Dress with lemon juice and zest and  a nice splash of olive oil. check seasoning, the salad should tangy from plenty of lemon, and the chili and pepper noticeable, unless you prefer otherwise. serve while warm.

 


Tuesday, January 3, 2012

I burned the beans

I burned the beans. I'm sure you gathered that much from the title. I sat the beans to boil in plenty of water when I got home, and proceeded to carry on with the medley of things that cluttered my brain. Much later, while relaxing on the sofa with my flat mate and a bowl of delicious pasta she had made, we noticed a strange smell. Popcorn, my wise mate ominously suggested. I dismissed it. Twice. then I jumped up snake bitten and ran to the kitchen to find my lovely beans had indeed cooked themselves silly.
The damage was not as bad as I feared. Only the bottom layer was scorched black, and the majority of the beanies were still white, but smoked. I overcame the urge to throw them out in anger, seeing as they were an annoying reminder to my negligence and hopeless irresponsibility, instead moving them to a new pot with a little water and leaving them till tomorrow.





Tomorrow came. I once more overcame the impulse of tossing them. I decided to try and make something out of them, despite their lack of perfection. And also a soup, Broccoli soup with no Dairy. It worked. There must be lessons to be learned here, of accepting imperfection and overcoming childish foot-stomping tantrums. I shall do my best.








                                               Bean Salad with Tomato and Red Onion

2 cups of small white beans, preferably organic, soaked (at least) overnight
1 large, ripe Tomato, cut into tiny cubs
1 small red onion, chopped very fine
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
tiny sprig of rosemary, chopped
2 tbsps olive oil
juice from 1/2 a lemon
salt
pepper
chili flakes


If you are soaking your beans for more than a night be sure to change the water every 12 hours or so. When ready to cook, rinse beans and place in a pan with plenty of water. No Salt! salt at this point keeps legumes from cooking well. bring to boil and cook till beans are tender. If there is still much water in the pot, drain most of it.  While beans are still hot add tomato, onion, lemon juice, olive oil, salt-pepper-chili. let cool, then add fresh herbs. Check seasoning and serve, or you can let this sit in the fridge- the beans will absorb the flavor. in fact, you could let the beans sit overnight without the fresh herbs and then add them the next day, to get the best of both worlds.



                                      
                                      




 


Broccoli Soup with Lemon and Mint

1 large broccoli, divided into florets, peel removed from stems
1 large leek, rinsed well and diced
4 cloves of garlic, halved
3 celery stalk, chopped
2 zucchinis, roughly chopped
small bunch of parsley
salt
pepper
olive oil
lemon juice
ribbon of lemon rind
a few tbsps mint leaves, cut into thin strips








warm about 5 tbsp olive oil in a large pot. Saute leek and garlic for about 2 mins, stirring occasionally. add celery, and zucchini, saute for about 2 more mins. add broccoli, cover with lid and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, till broccoli turns a deep emerald green. add parsley, lemon rind, salt and pepper, cover with on liter of water ( or enough water to cover vegetables), cover with lid and bring to boil, cook only till broccoli is just cooked, and still green, and remover from heat. Blend soup with a hand blender. add lemon juice and mint, check seasoning and serve.
This would probably be good with a spoonful of yogurt of yogurt and some fresh mint and parsley as a garnish. I had it plain, and it was lovely. Enough lemon is important, it gives the soup an interesting twist.










 Happy 2012!