Pasta & Grains « (y)our food choices™

Soba noodles, mushrooms, prosciutto and carrots.

Buckwheat soba noodles are a terrific departure from the standard semolina pasta most of us have on hand. These Japanese noodles are relatively easy to find in your local markets. They’re nutritious, fast cooking and good hot or cold. We love them in soup and in salads. Their nutty flavor pairs equally well with ingredients from the east and west. In this version, the noodles are treated like Italian pasta, perfect with prosciutto, Parmesan cheese, garlic and olive oil. The epicurious.com version of this recipe includes a fried egg atop each serving of noodles.

We eat mushrooms regularly, but we rarely stray from the very common white button or brown crimini mushrooms so readily available in every market. It’s a shame given how easy it is to find exotic “wild” mushrooms in these parts. We’re mesmerized by the variety available at Far West Fungi’s Ferry Building Marketplace stand (visit their website to get the low down on your favorite fungus). The trumpet mushrooms used here in place of the fried egg came from the 22^nd and Irving produce market in our neighborhood. I happened upon them on my way to the checkout counter and couldn’t resist their beauty. They were unblemished and seemed to be begging to go home with me. I saw this impulse buy as an opportunity to experiment with a mushroom variety that seems to be increasingly available in the market and on menus everywhere.

I can’t take credit for the idea to lightly batter and pan fry these mushrooms, so all due credit to Cook Almost Anything guest blogger Huan who does a terrific job of describing the pan-fried mushroom dish. Huan gives inspiration credit to the good folks of Church Street Enoteca in Sydney.

Breading and pan-frying mushrooms can’t possibly be “new” but this beautiful preparation was certainly new to us. Like so many spur-of-the-moment weeknight dishes, what follows is a simple improvisation that combines two of our favorite foods. Give it a try and make it your own!

Herb-Crusted King Trumpet Mushrooms

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp whole milk

½ cup fine dry breadcrumbs

¼ cup parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese

8 to 10 oz. King Trumpet mushrooms

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp unsalted butter

Beat the egg with the milk in a shallow, flat-bottomed bowl and set aside.

Combine breadcrumbs and parsley in the bowl of a small food processor and process until parsley and crumbs are just blended. Add the grated cheese and process again just until well mixed. Turn the breadcrumb mixture out onto a plate and set aside.

Cut the mushrooms lengthwise into 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick slices. Place the mushroom slices into the egg mixture and coat well. Shake off excess egg and dredge or coat the slices in the breadcrumb mixture and set on a clean plate or baking sheet in a single layer. The crumbed slices can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for several hours.

To cook, heat oil and butter in a non-stick skilled over medium high. Working quickly and in batches, cook the mushroom slices for two or three minutes on each side or until they’re a golden brown. Remove them from the pan and set them on paper towels to remove any excess oil.

If you’re enjoying these mushrooms as a side dish on their own, grate additional cheese over them while still hot and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Soba Noodles with Carrots and Prosciutto

1 9.5-ounce package of soba noodles

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

3 ounces prosciutto, cut crosswise into thin strips

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks, approximately 2 to 3 inches long

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese

Cook soba noodles as suggested on the packaging. Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid, drain noodles and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

In a large, non-stick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir, cooking just until fragrant. Add prosciutto strips and cook until slightly crisp. Remove and set aside on paper towels to drain.

Return non-stick skillet to the heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add carrots and cook just until they start to get a little bit of a sear. Add noodles and a tablespoon of the reserved cooking liquid to deglaze the pan and steam the carrots a bit. Add prosciutto and garlic to the noodles and cook over medium heat until heated through.

Remove the skillet from the heat and add the grated cheese and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat. Plate and serve topped with the herb-crusted trumpet mushrooms and a sprinkle of cheese. Serve it hot!

Top (Left to Right) Spinach Fettucini, red peppers and shiitake mushrooms. Asian Noodles with bok choy and mushrooms. Bottom (Left to Right) Fettucini with summer squash, basil and tomato. Asian soup with rice noodles and shredded Napa cabbage.

How many times have you come home from grocery shopping feeling hungry, looked at what you just purchased and asked yourself “What is there to eat?” If you purchase bulk items – vegetables, beans, rice – you know, the staples, you always need to factor in some time to prepare your meals from these basic ingredients. Making dishes in large batches and then storing them in meal-sized portions makes a lot of sense and takes the guess work out of weeknight meals. We used to keep soup and other items stored in the freezer for just this occasion, but since going plastic free we have had some difficulty finding a substitution for Zip-loc bags. If anyone has a non-plastic freezer-safe suggestion please let us know.

There is always one go-to item that’s easy to prepare, can be made in a variety of ways, and takes less time than heading to the nearest fast-food joint (unless of course you live just above one). I’m talking about pasta! That wonderful, versatile, shape-shifting, flour, water (and sometimes egg) concoction with names like ziti, penne, and spaghetti. With a range of flours and grains used to make this unique and tasty food, everyone can enjoy what has been a staple in so many food traditions around the world for centuries. The invention of pasta is often credited to the Italians but cultures around the world have been making their own version for thousands of years. While debated, the noodle likely made its way to Italy via trade with Arabs in the Middle East. Recent archeology suggests the Chinese were first to the noodle making craft. The Japanese have soba and ramen noodles. The Chinese have chow fun noodles. The Vietnamese have bun (rice vermicelli). In Europe, the Italians aren’t alone in their adoration of the noodle. The Germans have Spätzle which is very pasta-like and takes to a myriad of sauces.

With some dried pasta and a few items from your cupboard a wonderful meal can be prepared in the time it takes to cook the pasta. Olive oil, anchovies, olives, capers, lemon zest, and parmesan cheese make a wonderful and salty sauce. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan, add the anchovies, olives and capers. Mix in the cooked pasta with a little pasta water add the lemon zest and grated parmesan cheese and Voila! You’re eating like an Italian.

Want a quick hearty soup? Heat up some broth, add soy sauce, throw in a mixture of equally sized cut vegetables (carrots, broccoli, zucchini, squash, celery, etc.), and heat until the vegetables are cooked. Throw in some left-over chicken or beef, or even a raw egg or two that will scramble in the broth, then add some cooked soba or ramen noodles, and a handful or two of green leafy vegetable, such as spinach, or watercress. Top with a drizzle of sesame oil and enjoy.

If you want soup but don’t want to go the soy route, add savory herbs like oregano, thyme or sage and a bay leaf to the broth instead (dry herbs work just fine here) and toss in a handful of orzo, pan fried broken spaghetti or any short shaped pasta and you’ve got yourself a bowl of something reminiscent of the Mediterranean. With a dusting of fresh chopped parsley and a little extra-virgin olive oil drizzled on top, you’ll think you’ve just plated something special from your favorite Italian trattoria.

These aren’t really recipes. It’s called making do with what you have in your kitchen. Be creative and try new things. Read recipes for inspiration and then break the rules. Be fearless! It’s only food after all. Just make sure you eat what you make and don’t be wasteful.

A good rule of thumb is that almost anything goes well with pasta, even peanut butter! The peanut noodle recipe that follows is a household favorite around here. The sauce is so simple to prepare but the flavors of the finished dish are rich and complex. We’d take this Asian inspired comfort dish over microwave dinners any night of the week.

Peanut Noodles

Spaghetti or Rice Vermicelli

¼ cup peanut butter (best to use a non-sweetened, organic variety)

3 tbsp soy sauce

Hot water

1 clove fresh garlic, mashed

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp rice vinegar

Dash of cayenne pepper

1 cup diced or julienned cucumber, seeds removed

While pasta is cooking, heat water and add all sauce ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir until sauce is thick but fluid enough to coat pasta. Once pasta is cooked, be sure to reserve some of the water and then drain. Place pasta back into the pan and toss with peanut sauce. Place in bowls and top with cucumber.