Cold Sesame Noodles

Every now and again I get a craving for cold sesame noodles.I remember the first time I had this dish, I didn't think I was going to like it at all, but with every bite I fell in love. The creamy sauce with all the crunchy veggies makes it for an amazing meal. These have a distinctive sesame flavor. I love these with bean sprouts. green onions, shredded carrots and cucumbers. I hope you'll give it a try. This recipe comes from Tyler Florence and like all the others I've tried from him, was spectacular!



* 12 ounces angel hair pasta ( I used udon noodles)
* 3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
* 2 tablespoons peanut oil
* 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon red chili paste, such as sambal
* 1 lime, juiced
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
* 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 6 tablespoons hot water
* 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
* 2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
* Fresh chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions



Cook the noodles in large pot of boiling unsalted water over medium heat until barely tender and still firm. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water until cold. Drain the noodles really well and transfer to a wide bowl; toss with the sesame oil so they don't stick together. Chill.

In a blender combine the peanut oil, ginger, garlic, chili paste, lime juice, brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, and hot water. Blend. Toss the noodles with the peanut sauce until well coated. Serve at room temperature or chilled; garnish with the sesame seeds, green onions, and cilantro.

Shrimp Scampi

Few months ago, my foodie buddy Heather from Heather is at home had a garage sale and was selling whole bunch of her cookbooks...She was kind enough to send me some. This recipe is from one of the books, I've gotten from Heather. "Stirring the Pot" by Tyler Florence. We love shrimp scampi and addition of tomatoes to the classic recipe, was absolutely the right way to go. It is a keeper for us!



* 1 pound linguini
* 4 tablespoons butter
* 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
* 1 large shallot, finely diced
* 5 cloves garlic, sliced
* Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
* 20 large shrimp, about 1 pound, peeled and deveined, tail on
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes
* 1 lemon, juiced
* 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

Directions

For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir to make sure the pasta separates; cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of water.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine,tomatoes and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta and reserved pasta water. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and serve immediately.

Griled Brie and Tomato on a crusty bread...

I first saw this recipe on Heather's Blog and had to try it. Heather has a great way of describing food in a way that makes my mouth water.I was not dissapointed. I ended up making basil pesto instead of Arugula, but other than that pretty much followed the directions as posted. Original recipe was from Tyler Florence. You should check out Heather's Blog if you need some inspiration.



Pesto (Gourmet, September 1996)

* 4 cups packed fresh basil leaves, washed well
* 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted until golden, cooled, and chopped fine
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 1 1/2 ounces)
* 2 large garlic cloves, minced
* 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Have ready a bowl of ice and cold water. In a saucepan of boiling salted water blanch basil, a handful at a time, 2 seconds, transferring with a slotted spoon to bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain basil in a sieve and pat dry.

In a food processor purée basil with remaining ingredients until smooth and season with salt and pepper. Pesto may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap.

1 baguette, thick bias-cut slices
Extra-virgin olive oil
4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
1/2 pound Brie, sliced thin

Preheat grill to medium. Drizzle the bread slices with oil, then grill about 1 minute per side. Remove bread from grill. Spread each slice with some of the pesto. Add a layer of sliced tomato and a piece of Brie. Grill about 1 minute more, until cheese melts and the bread is nicely toasted.

Moussaka

I'm officially a blogging slacker! I can't believe that I didn't post anything for a week, it's not like I wasn't cooking! Well, enough procrastinating... As I mentioned in previous post, I love fall. I am so excited to be able to cook more soups and casseroles. One of my favorites is Greek Moussaka. Moussaka is a casserole of eggplant and ground lamb with onion and tomatoes bound with white sauce and beaten eggs. I've made some changes to the classic recipe, first I left out the white sauce and second I did not use lamb. Leaving out the white sauce made it much lighter and since we are not lamb eaters I've used ground beef. The base recipe is by Tyler Florence.



* 3 large eggplants
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/2 lemon, sliced in thin circles
* 1 handful fresh oregano leaves, chopped
* 2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
* 2 pounds ground lamb (I used ground beef)
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 3 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
* 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
* 1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Directions

To prepare the eggplants: Cut off the stems, remove the skin with a vegetable peeler, and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Season all the pieces of eggplant with salt and pepper on both sides. Coat a large skillet with oil and heat over medium flame. Fry the eggplant in a single layer, turning once, until brown on both sides- you will need to do this in batches, adding more oil, as necessary. Drain the eggplant as they cook on a paper towel-lined platter.

Add a little more oil to the pan and toss in the onion, garlic, lemon slices, oregano, and parsley. Cook and stir until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the ground lamb, stirring to break up the meat; season with salt and pepper, and toss in the cinnamon stick. Stir in the tomato paste and hand-crushed tomatoes. Simmer until the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with 1/3 of the eggplant slices; they should completely cover the bottom with no gaps. Spread 1/2 of the meat sauce over the eggplant, evening it out with a spatula. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the feta and Parmesan. Repeat the layers again, ending with a final layer of eggplant. Cover the top with a nice even layer of bread crumbs. Bake the moussaka for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.