Grains (including pasta)

SOBA, FIVE WAYS

You can throw almost anything into a soba, but what gives it it’s taste personality is really the sort of sauce that you use. Below are five different sauces to prepare your soba with and at the bottom is a non-exhaustive list of suggested ingredients to add to your noodles. The possibilities are infinite, so have some fun with it!
NB: The measurements for most of these sauces are approximate; you should feel free to experiment based on your own taste preferences—some like their soba very hot; others like it on the sweeter side.
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1. COLD SOBA with DIPPING SAUCE
This is a classic way to eat soba, although it requires a few “specialty” ingredients. Delicious, though.
To make the dipping sauce, you have to make both the kaeshi (sweet soy sauce) and the dashi (basically a fish broth).
KAESHI: Bring ¾ c. mirin (or rice wine vinegar) to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. Then add about 1 c. sugar and stir until dissolved. Add about 4 ¼ c. soy sauce and let it warm up, but don’t boil. Store it in an airtight container for several months in the refrigerator.
DASHI: A generous handful (or two) of bonito flakes (dried fish flakes, available in most Asian markets) in 3 cups cold water. Bring it to a boil; then sieve out the flakes to make the broth.
DIPPING SAUCE: The dipping sauce is essentially a 1:3 ratio of kaeshi: dashi. Serve it in a little bowl next to your cold noodles and dunk away.
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2. BASIC SOY-MIRIN SAUCE (for 1)
Combine: ¼ t. honey, 2 t. soy sauce, 1-2 t. mirin, ¼ – ½ t. sesame oil
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3. HOT-SOUR SAUCE
Combine: 2 T. soy sauce, 1 t. sriracha*, 1 t. sesame or olive oil, ½ T. mirin, ½ T. agave, 1 T. lime juice, 1 small clove garlic, minced, ½ t. minced ginger
*sriracha is a hot sauce that is billed as Vietnamese, but actually originates from California. It’s available in most standard grocery stores—has a lot of heat but is so, so good. Pick up a bottle because it goes anywhere, from soba to pizza. If you don’t have it, you can also substitute hot pepper oil or hot pepper flakes or a little tobasco sauce (although sriracha’s flavor profile is a little more substantial than tobasco, in my opinion)
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4. GINGER-CITRUS SAUCE
Combine: 2 T. soy sauce, ½ T. mirin, 1 t. sesame oil, 1 t. minced ginger, 1 t. lemon zest, and ¼ t. honey. You may wish to add a dash of orange juice to the mix.
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5. PEANUT SAUCE
Combine: 2 T. mirin, 1 T. smooth peanut butter, ½ T. soy sauce, ½ t. agave nectar, ½ t. sesame oil, ¼ t. chili oil, 1 clove garlic, minced
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THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO ADD TO YOUR SOBA (NOT LIMITED TO): bok choy, spinach, egg, tofu, seitan, broccoli, edamame, snow peas, grapefruit or oranges (more for cold soba), carrots, bamboo shoots, pea shoots, mushrooms, bell pepper, radishes (daikon), green onions, leeks, tofu, cilantro, chicken, pork, fish, beef, eggplant, peas, asparagus, chopped nuts, sesame seeds…

MAKESHIFT PIZZA: ROASTED GARLIC & TOMATOES…ON TOAST

1 roll (I recommend ciabatta)
ROASTED GARLIC
1 head of garlic
olive oil
ROASTED TOMATOES
1/2 – 1 cup plum or cherry tomatoes
olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
a pinch of dried: basil, oregano, marjoram (whatever you have)
a pinch of fresh parsley (if you have it)
s+p, to taste
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Preheat the oven to 400.
To roast your garlic, peel the outer laters of the garlic skin off, but don’t expose the cloves completely and leave the head intact. Then cut the top off the garlic head so that the tops of the cloves are exposed. Drizzle some olive oil over the heads to coat, wrap them in aluminum foil, and roast them in the oven on a baking sheet for about 35 minutes. The cloves should be browned and soft when you pull the head out.
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While the garlic is cooking, chop the tomatoes and coat them with some olive oil. Season them with the minced garlic, dried/fresh herbs, and s+p. Add them to the baking sheet and roast for about 15-20 minutes.
Toast your roll in the meantime.
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Remove the garlic and tomatoes and using a fork, pluck out 1-2 cloves of the roasted garlic and mash them up, spreading them onto your bread. Then spoon the roasted tomatoes on top. Adjust the seasonings and enjoy!

SPAGHETTI WITH GARLIC, THREE WAYS

1 head roasted garlic
8 cloves garlic
4 T olive oil
1 lb. farro spaghetti (if you don’t have farro, any other whole grain pasta is nice, or you can just use regular)
3/4 c dry white wine
1 c loosely packed chopped parsley
1 t pepper flakes
A good amount of grated parmesan (to taste)
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Cook the spaghetti according to package directions.
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Squeeze out the cloves from your roasted garlic and set aside. Thinly slice 5 out of the 8 fresh cloves of garlic; mince the other 3. Heat 2 T of oli in a large skillet (big enough to accomodate a pound of cooked spaghetti!) and add the sliced garlic and toast until golden brown and crisp. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add minced garlic to the oil and saute until translucent. Add the roasted garlic and white wine and simmer about 3 minutes. Add pasta, parsley, and red pepper and season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic slices back in with your parmesan and toss to combine.
Serves 4
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(From Martha Stewart, God love her)

BASIC POLENTA

You can do almost anything to polenta (broil, fry, bake etc.) and can also serve it with just about anything. The firmness of the polenta depends on how much water you use to make it. I like a 4:1 ratio water:cornmeal which yields soft polenta you can use like rice or couscous. If you want to roll out the polenta and cut up or otherwise need it to be a little stiffer, use maybe a 3:1 ratio.
Serves about 6
4 c. water
1 c. medium-ground yellow cornmeal
1-2 t. salt
2-4 T. butter
Bring the water to a boil. Then, using a whisk or wooden spoon in one hand, stir the water, and with your other hand, add the cornmeal into the water in a thin, gradual stream, a little at a time, whisking the whole time. Keep stirring until all the cornmeal is incorporated. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When you stir the polenta, do try to scrape the bottom of the pan because the polenta can accumulate.
This will make you a good basic polenta that provides the same sort of backdrop that rice does. You can spoon stew or chicken in sauces, or just think of it like pasta and add your favorite sauce or roasted tomatoes and some parmesan.

If you want to make polenta that’s a bit more flavorful to eat on its own, you can try adding 1/4-1/2 a cup of blue cheese, or 1/2 a cup of grated parmesan, or 1/2-1 cup of cream cheese after you are done cooking it. Stir the cheese in to combine.

SESAME TAHINI COOKIES

1 cup tahini, stirred well
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat tahini, sugar, egg, baking soda and salt together to combine well. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls. Dampen your hands with water to prevent sticking. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten slightly by making cross-hatches on top with the tines of a fork. Sprinkle tops with sesame seeds. Bake cookies until golden on bottom but still soft in the center, about 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool completely.
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From Whole Foods recipe email service

COTTAGE CHEESE GREEN APPLE PANCAKES

I love, love, love cottage cheese pancakes in any derivation, but the tartness of green apples makes these particularly good. You can also make the batter ahead of time and store refrigerated for a couple days for those occasional midnight stealth snacks.
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4 eggs, separated (yolks are optional)
1 c. cottage cheese
1 c. packed grated tart apple
3/4 c. flour
1-2 t. lemon juice
1 T. honey (optional)
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
oil or butter or spray for frying
Beat the egg whites until stiff. Combine all other ingredients (except frying oil) in a medium-sized bowl and mix well. Fold in the egg whites. Heat the skillet and melt the oil/butter or spray it. When it’s hot enough that a drop of water sizzles on contact, add spoonfuls of batter. Fry on both sides until firm and lightly broned. Serve right away topped with maple syrup, sour cream or yogurt, or (my favorite) berries.
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Serves 4
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From Mollie Katzen’s The Moosewood Cookbook

T’s ITALIAN-INSPIRED QUINOA

My sister uses this recipe to cook flavorful, Italian-inspired quinoa.
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1 c. uncooked quinoa
2 c. canned chicken broth
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 c. tomatoes (diced)
1 T. basil
s+p
Bring the chicken broth to a boil. While you’re waiting, Wash & rinse your quinoa by running it under cold water at least 3x. Add the quinoa to the broth and bring it down to a simmer. You can also smash the garlic and put it into the quinoa as well (or you can mince it up or press it and put it in after the quinoa has finished cooking). Simmer the quinoa, covered, for about 15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Pick out the garlic and either discard or mince up and add back in (if you really like garlic). Add everything else in, stir, and serve. You can also use sundried tomatoes if you like. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4

RED ONION & OLIVE PASTA

J. and I threw this pasta together one night so it’s not a formal recipe and the amounts are approximate. But it’s a really good waya to enjoy pasta when you don’t have much in the refrigerator.

2 c. whole wheat linguine
1 sm. red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
8-10 olives, minced
1/3-1/2 c. dry cooking sherry or good white wine
1-2 c. shredded manchego cheese (or other creamy-nutty flavored cheese–a mellow parmesan could work)
s+p
1/4-1/2 c. chopped fresh basil or Italian parsley
Start the water boiling, salt it heavily, and cook the linguine according to package directions. We thought the nuttiness of the linguine was a nice compliment to the red onion, but if you hate whole wheat pasta, you could use regular semolina. As the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large pan and add the the onions with a little salt and pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the garlic and enough sherry so that it coats the bottom of the pan–maybe a couple tablespoons after the initial evaporation (don’t go crazy–you can always add more). Stir everything around. Then add your olives. Turn the heat down as you wait for your pasta to finish.

Just before the pasta is done, so it is very al dente, drain it, saving about a T or two of the pasta water and add the pasta and reserved water to the pan. Stir everything around and sprinkle in the manchengo cheese. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add the chopped herbs last and serve immediately.

Serves 2

SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

And here it is:
5 oz guanciale (unsmoked cured hog jowl) or pancetta
1 med. onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 lb spaghetti
3 lg. eggs
1 1/2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (3/4 cup)
3/4 oz Pecorino Romano, finely grated (1/3 cup)
1 t. coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 t. salt

Cut guanciale or pancetta into 1/3-inch dice, then cook in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fat begins to render, 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, about 10 minutes. Add wine and boil until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes.

Cook spaghetti in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente.

While pasta is cooking, whisk together eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano , Pecorino Romano (1/3 cup), 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.

Drain spaghetti in a colander and add to onion mixture, then toss with tongs over moderate heat until coated. Remove from heat and add egg mixture, tossing to combine. Serve immediately.

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PS: The egg in the dish will not be fully cooked. If there’s a salmonella warning in your area, you might want to skip it.
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Serves 4

From Gourmet Magazine, RIP

SAVORY & SWEET BROWN RICE RECIPES

Brown rice comes in either short or long grain. You cook them the same but short will have a slightly chewier texture and long is a little fluffier. Whichever your pleasure.
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SAVORY: BROWN RICE SALAD
2 c. brown rice: cook according to package directions or combine with 3 c. water, bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer until tender, 35-45 minutes. Try not to peek as it’s simmering, lest you lose the steam!
While the rice cooks, combine in a large bowl:
1/3 c. peanut oil
3 T. sesame oil
1/2 c. orange juice
1-2 med. garlic cloves, minced
1 t. salt
2 T soy sauce
1/2 t. crushed red pepper (to taste)
2 T. rice or cider vinegar
1 c. chopped fresh pineapple (can also use unsweetened canned-in-juice crushed pineapple)
Add the hot rice to the bowl with the dressing. Mix well. When it has cooled to room temperature, cover tightly and refrigerate until cold. Shortly before serving, stir in:
3 scallions, finely minced (whites and greens)
1 stalk celery, minced
1 med. red or green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1  8oz. can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
1/2 lb. fresh bean sprouts
1/2 c. (packed) raisins or currants
1 c. coarsley chopped peanuts and/or cashews
2 T. sesame seeds
optional: fresh snow peas
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Serves 4-6

SWEET: BROWN RICE PUDDING*
1 c. short-grain brown rice
3-3 1/2 c. milk (low or nonfat)
1/2-3/4 t. salt
3-5 T sugar or honey
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. cinnamon
a dash of nutmeg
Optional: a handful of raisins, 2-3 t lemon juice, extra cinnamon or nutmeg
Rinse the rice in a strainer. Drain well and place in a saucepan with 3 cups milk. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower heat as much as possible. Simmer until the rice is very tender. This will take up to 1 1/2 hours.
About 1 hour into the cooking, stir in salt, sweetening, vanilla, spices, and optional raisins (when adding the sugar, start with about 3 T. This dish is naturally sweet and it’s easy to overdo it)
Optional: if you want your pudding extra creamy and thick, puree about 1 c. of the rice in a blender with 1/2 c. additional milk. Return the puree to the rest of the rice; mix well.
Stir in lemon juice to taste and adjust the sweetness and seasonings. Serve at room temperature or cold
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*you can make this vegan by substituting rice or soy milk and maple syrup for the sugar/honey
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Serves 4-6
Both recipes from Mollie Katzen’s The Moosewood Cookbook

NOODLES with BEEF & ASIAN PEAR

1/4 lb cellophane noodles
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 c. soy sauce
2 T. sugar
1 T. sesame oil
1 t. red pepper flakes
1/2 c. + 1 t. rice vinegar 
1 lb filet mignon, cut into 1/4-inch-thick julienne strips
2 (14 1/2-oz) cans beef broth
1/4 c. water
1 Asian pear, julienned
2 scallions (green parts only), thinly sliced
Soak noodles in a bowl of cold water until pliable, about 15 minutes, and drain. Cut into 2-inch lengths. While noodles are soaking, stir together garlic, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 cup vinegar. Add beef and marinate at room temperature, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Bring broth and water to a boil. Add beef and marinade and cook 2 minutes. Stir in noodles and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes.

Toss pear and scallions with remaining teaspoon vinegar. Spoon noodles and broth into bowls and top with pear and scallions.
Serves 4
From Gourmet, November 1999