Spaghetti Squash "Noodles" with Peanut Sauce

Spaghetti squash is fun. Unlike other winter squashes, when you cook it you get noodle like strands of flesh. They retain a bit of crunch even when well roasted, and they don't shed a ton of liquid like zucchini or summer squash noodles. I served this as a side with grilled steak, but you could also grill or roast vegetables to add to it (peppers would be nice), or chicken.

1 medium spaghetti squash
Peanut Sauce or Spinach Peanut Sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the spaghetti squash open the long way and scoop out the seeds. Brush the flesh with olive or canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about an hour, until the flesh is tender and separates easily into strands with a fork.

Let the squash cool enough to handle, then use a fork to scrape out the flesh and separate it into its noodle-y strands.

Toss with enough Peanut Sauce or Spinach Peanut sauce to coat generously, and serve warm. You'll probably have leftover sauce to use for something else.

Squash Noodles

Another squash for pasta nutrition boosting substitution. The squash has more of a slight crunch instead of chewiness, but it works well here. I served these with Peanut Sauce and we all loved it, even my skeptical seven-year-old. I think they would work well on their own with just the olive oil, salt, and pepper, or you could try tomato sauce, pesto, Alfredo sauce, or toss with some fresh herbs.

3 medium summer squash or zucchinis
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Use a vegetable peeler to cut the squash into long ribbons. Work your way around each squash lengthwise until you start to get to the seeds in the middle; discard the core. Toss the noodles in a colander with a sprinkle of salt and let sit for 15-20 minutes to release excess liquid.

After the squash has sat, press down gently to drain off the liquid it has released.

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet. Add the drained squash. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Saute, stirring gently, for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Remove from heat and drain again if needed. Serve warm or room temperature.

Serves 3-4.

Asian Noodle Bowl with Bok Choy, Bacon, and Scapes

A chance of pace from stir fries, and easy to assemble. Some shiitake mushrooms would not go amiss here, but I didn't happen to have any when I made this.

1 lb linguine or spaghetti (or Asian noodles if you have them)
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 lb bacon, diced
3-4 Tbsp minced ginger root
1-1 1/2 cups chopped garlic scapes
1 lb bok choy, sliced
1/4 cup soy sauce
Asian hot sauce (optional)

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain, toss with the sesame oil, and set aside.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet or wok until chewy. Remove and drain on paper towels. Pour off most of the bacon fat, leaving 1-2 Tbsp.

Add the ginger and scapes to the skillet or wok and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the bok choy and stir fry until tender. Stir in the soy sauce and mix well to coat.

Assemble each bowl by placing a serving of noodles in the bottom, then adding the bok choy mixture and the bacon on top. Serve with additional soy sauce or hot sauce if desired.

Serves 4-5.

Ginger Beef Noodle Soup

Don't be shy with the ginger here - use the full amount. And feel free to substitute other vegetables (peppers, celeriac, broccoli, even greens) depending on what you have on hand. You could also skip the beef shanks and make this with leftover pot roast if the seasonings are compatible.

2 lbs beef shanks
Canola oil
Salt and pepper
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
2 large onions diced
1/4 cup grated ginger root
2-3 large carrots, sliced into rounds
2-3 cups shelled edamame (frozen is fine)
Beef stock
2 cups egg noodles, rombi, or similar

Preheat the broiler of your oven. Lightly oil the beef shanks all over, then liberally sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Broil for 3-5 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Set aside.

Heat a little canola oil in a soup pot, then add the garlic and onion and saute for 3-5 minutes. Add the ginger and saute for another minute or two. Add the vegetables, then the browned shanks. Pour in enough beef stock to almost cover the shanks. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours, until the beef is very tender.

Remove the shanks from the pot. Discard the bones and connective tissue and shred the meat, then return to the meat to the pot. Bring the soup back to a boil and add the noodles, then simmer vigorously until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.  Taste the soup and adjust seasonings as needed.

Serves about 6.

Vietnamese Vermicelli Bowls with Shiitakes and Bacon

Back in our California days, my husband and I ate a lot of Vietnamese food, especially these wonderful cool vermicelli bowls in hot weather.  If you get the noodles, veggies, and sauce right, you can put pretty much anything on top.  Here I've used flavorful shiitake mushrooms and bacon because I had them on hand, but you could just as soon use grilled chicken or steak (some nice marinated flank steak would be excellent), leftover roast pork, marinated tofu grilled or broiled...etc.

If you like, you can double or triple the Nuoc Cham recipe - it keeps well in the fridge for weeks at a time.

Nuoc Cham
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chili paste
2 Tbsp lime juice (ideally fresh)
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt

Make the Nuoc Cham first (unless you have some from a previous batch in the fridge already) so the flavors can meld while you prepare the bowls.  Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or jar and let sit.


Vermicelli Bowls
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1/2 lb bacon, chopped
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 lb Asian rice vermicelli
1 large cucumber, shredded
A few carrots, shredded
2-3 cups shredded lettuce
1-2 cups chopped fresh mint, cilantro, and/or Thai basil

Start by preparing the shiitake-bacon topping. Heat the olive oil in a wok or large skillet.  Add the mushrooms and saute for 3-5 minutes, until mostly tender.  Add the bacon and stir-fry until cooked but not crispy.  Add the soy sauce and cook for another minute or so.  Pour off excess bacon fat (or remove with a baster) and set aside.

Cook the noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water for about 6 minutes, until al dente.  Drain and rinse under cold water until cool.

To assemble the bowls, place a generous quantity of noodles in the bottom of each bowl. Top with tidy mounds off cucumber, carrot, lettuce, and herbs, then add a spoonful of the shiitake-bacon mixture.  Top with Nuoc Cham at the table.

Serves about 4.

Tangy Shredded Beef and Shiitakes Over Noodles

I don't generally think of June as the prime season for pot roast, but it's good when you get a chilly, rainy weekend.  Then, you can use the leftovers to make this excellent, satisfying ragout.  Be sure to save some of the braising liquid.  You can use a different pot roast recipe than the two suggested, but these are both extra flavorful and work well with the shiitakes.

Canola oil
1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 medium onion, sliced lengthwise (optional)
About 1 lb leftover Spicy Latin-Style Vinegar-Braised Beef or Asian Style Pot Roast, shredded with a fork
About 1 cup leftover braising liquid (or substitute beef stock)
1/2 lb egg noodles

Heat a little canola oil in a braising pan or other wide bottomed pan.  Saute the shiitakes and onions, if using, until tender, then add the shredded beef and braising liquid and simmer until sauce-y.

While you simmer the beef and mushrooms, cook the egg noodles in a pot of salted boiling water.  Drain and toss with a bit of canola oil.

Serve the beef and mushrooms over a bed of noodles, spooning a bit of extra sauce over the top if there is any.

Serves about 4.

Gingery Asian Vegetable Soup

Good for lunch or a light supper, this veggie-heavy soup has a wonderful savory, gingery broth.  It's vegetarian as presented here, but you could substitute shredded cooked chicken for the tofu if you like. I pulled snap peas and red peppers from the freezer to combine with storage carrots, but substitute other vegetables if you like.

1 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 large shallot or small onion, finely chopped
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp grated ginger root
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 1/2 cups diced red pepper (frozen is fine)
1 cups snap peas or edamame (frozen is fine)
Vegetable stock
1/2 cup soy sauce
14 oz. firm tofu, cubed
4 oz. noodles, in roughly 2-inch lengths (lo mein, vermicelli, whatever you like)
Hot sauce (optional)

Heat the sesame oil in a soup pot.  Add the shallot, garlic, and ginger, and saute for about 2 minutes.  Add the vegetables and 4-5 cups of stock and bring to a boil.  Add the soy sauce, tofu, and noodles and reduce heat to moderate.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until noodles are done and veggies are tender.  Pass hot sauce at the table if desired.

Serves 4-6.

Cold Sesame Noodles with Garden Vegetables

You can serve these noodles warm or room temperature, but they are really great served cold on a hot night. At this time of year, I like to make them with snap peas and shredded carrots, but you can use other vegetables if you like. Later in the summer, sweet red peppers are delicious here.

1 lb linguine or other pasta
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp minced ginger root
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2-3 tsp chili paste or sriracha sauce (or to taste)
1-2 Tbsp honey or brown sugar
1 pint snap peas, stemmed
1-2 cups shredded carrots
Chopped fresh mint, cilantro, and/or Thai basil for topping (optional)

Cook the noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water. When done, drain and rinse with cold water until thoroughly cooled. Toss with canola oil and refrigerate until the sauce is ready.

Combine the garlic, ginger, tahini, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili paste or sriracha, and honey or sugar in the blender. Blend until smooth, adding water 1-2 Tbsp at a time until it reaches the desired consistency (it should be creamy and pourable but not runny).

Toss the pasta with the sauce, adding the snap peas and carrots until everything is coated. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (If you make these more than a few hours in advance, the sauce may thicken more than desired; in this case, drizzle the noodles with a small amount of water and toss until the sauce regains a good consistency.)

Serve cold, topped with chopped herbs if desired.

Serves about 6.

Variations: Add chopped scallions; add or substitute diced cucumber or halved cherry tomatoes.

Miso Soup with Soba Noodles and Kale

Apparently I was on sort of an Asian kick this weekend. Here's a tasty soup I put together in an attempt to use some of the items in our CSA box.

4 cups water
4 cups chicken or veggie stock (or more water)
5-6 cups chopped kale (I used lacinato)
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced daikon
12-16 oz. firm tofu, in 1/2-inch cubes
8 oz. uncooked soba noodles
4-6 Tbsp miso paste
Salt to taste

Heat the water and stock to boiling in a large soup pot, then add the kale, carrots, daikon, and tofu and reduce heat to a simmer.

While the veggies simmer, cook the soba noodles separately according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. When the vegetables are tender, add the noodles to the soup pot.

Scoop 1 cup or so of broth out of the soup pot. Stir the miso paste into it, then return to the pot. Taste soup and add salt as desired.

Serves about 6.

Vietnamese Noodles with Chicken, Red Pepper, and Peach

One of the things I miss about living in California is the ready access to Vietnamese food, especially vermicelli bowls on hot nights. This is one attempt at an approximation, using in-season local produce. It wasn't perfect, but it was quite good. And it made a fine use for the first red bell pepper from our garden! The sauce is a variation on nuoc cham, so if you have some of that in the fridge already, you can just add some more water and sugar.

1 1/2 cups shredded carrot
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 peach or nectarine, pitted and diced (a little underripe is okay)
1-1 1/2 cups chopped fresh Thai basil, mint, cilantro, or combination
1/2 tsp lime juice
Salt to taste
1/2 lb rice vermicelli, cooked and cooled according to package directions
4 cups cooked shredded chicken (warm or room temperature)
1/4 cup chopped peanuts, lightly toasted

Sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chili paste
2 Tbsp lime juice (ideally fresh)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt

Combine the carrot, pepper, peach or nectarine, herbs, lime juice, and salt in a bowl.

Place generous servings of vermicelli in a bowl for each person. Top with some of the veggie mixture, then the chicken.

At the table, top generously with the sauce and a spoonful of peanuts.

Serves about 4.