Pasta + Noodles + Rice – Page 10 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Angel-Hair Pasta Salad with Mustard Dressing

Ingredients:
angel-hair pasta
Perdue Shortcuts honey-roasted chicken, sliced diagonally
4 small radishes, julienned
half an apple, julienned
2 scallion stalks, chopped
handful of baby spinach, finely chopped
half a cup of olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsps whole-grain mustard
salt, pepper

1. Add pasta in salted boiling water. Remove and drain after 10 minutes. Set aside.
2. In a screw-top jar, combine oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and shake well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. In a big glass bowl, combine all the rest of the ingredients. Pour some of the dressing and toss lightly. Add the pasta and toss again. Add remaining dressing if necessary.

Related post/s:
I love my Perdue chicken

Tabbouleh

I loved reading Diana Abu-Jaber’s The Language of Baklava. Not only did I read about how it was like to grow up with a Jordanian father and an American mother, I also learned how to cook some of her family’s dishes.

Ingredients:
1 cup of fine bulgur wheat, soaked in water for about an hour and drained
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 medium cucumbers, peeled and diced
3 medium tomatoes, diced
juice of 1 small lemon
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. In a large bowl, mix everything together and let sit in the fridge for an hour or two to marinate.

Cold Sesame Noodles

A staple of Chinese takeouts, sesame noodles is an easy, protein-rich dish that can be both spicy and sweet. The key is using Skippy’s smooth peanut butter so as not to complicate the recipe and not use any more sugar since peanut butter off the supermarket shelves is already too sweet. I used soba noodles here because I already have them, but use Chinese egg noodles for more authenticity.

Ingredients:
soba noodles
a handful of string beans, julienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 cup Skippy’s smooth peanut butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsps sesame oil
salt

1. Cook soba noodles in boiling water for about 5 minutes. When done, drain and fluff with a fork to keep the noodles from sticking together. Toss noodles with the vegetables.
2. In a blender, purÃ©e the rest of the ingredients. Stir in some warm water to liquify the dressing. Pour dressing over noodles and vegetables. Toss to coat.

Related post/s:
Where to buy egg or soba noodles

Tortellini with Butter Sage Sauce

Ingredients:
1 package of tortellini
5 sage leaves
half a stick of butter
light cream

1. Add tortellini in salted boiling water. Remove and drain after 10 minutes. Set aside.
2. In a skillet, sautÃ© the sage leaves in butter until fragrant. Add the cooked tortellini in the pan with enough light cream to coat. Toss and cook for less than two minutes.

Related post/s:
Another pasta I like is ravioli

Pumpkin Ravioli with Maitake

Di Palo’s in New York City sells different kinds of pasta. In the fall, I like to pick up their pumpkin ravioli and buy mushrooms from the farmers’ market to match. Maitake mushrooms, also called hen of the woods mushrooms, are capless and look more like a cluster of wings. They’re very fragrant and can get expensive when they’re in season. You can substitute shiitake mushrooms if you don’t have access to them.

Ingredients:
1 package of pumpkin ravioli
a few ounces of maitake mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, minced
half a stick of butter
salt, ground white pepper

1. Add ravioli in salted boiling water. Remove and drain after 10 minutes. Set aside.
2. In a skillet, sautÃ© garlic in butter until light brown. Add mushrooms until tender. Serve along with the ravioli.