Monday, October 29, 2007

From TV to Table: Hot and Sour Soup & Chicken Stir Fry with Crispy Noodle Cake



Have I mentioned what die-hard fans we are of America's Test Kitchen? This weekend they featured their take on these Asian standards and it all looked so nummy and yummy that we had to run out and give them a try. The recipes can be found here: http://www.americastestkitchen.com/login.asp?did=3222&LoginForm=recipe&iSeason=7

And here: http://www.americastestkitchen.com/login.asp?did=3799&LoginForm=recipe&iSeason=7

Notes: The stir-fry was fantastic. Definitely do the corn starch coating on the chicken before cooking. We had a hard time finding fresh udon noodles for the cake, so we used fresh egg noodle pasta instead. Don't rinse the noodles after they boil- just drain and toss them straight into the pan. Lastly, we used a very low-sodium chicken broth for the soup, that was almost flavorless, so we ended up having to add a little extra soy and actual salt. It held up great overnight and was much more complex, heady, and nummy on day two.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Celeriac and Apple Soup



This soup starts with chopped onion, potato, and a medium celeriac (peeled and chopped), sauteéd in 1/2 a stick of butter and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. After 10 minutes, add 1 chopped garlic clove, 1 chopped apple, and 2 teaspoons of thyme and ground nutmeg each. Cook another 5 minutes, then add enough vegetable or chicken stock to cover and bring to a simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes. Lastly add 1/2 cup of grated parmesan and turn heat off. Purée and adjust seasonings.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Farfalle with Tomato Cream Sauce




It seems that we can't get enough butter and cream in our diet these days! Yay! We had this tasty tripoline pasta dish at Madison's Sardine* recently that involved pancetta and squash and loosely inspired this imitation. In our version, we sautéed onion and acorn squash in butter and a little olive oil until soft. Then we added 1 cup of chicken stock, 1/2 cup of red wine, and 1 tbsp. of tomato paste and simmered another 10 minutes to reduce. Next came the fresh chopped tomato and peas along with a handful of chopped fresh herbs (I pulled them randomly from the garden box outside in the dark, I'm not sure, but I think there was basil, Italian parsley, oregano, and sage). We turned down the heat and added 3/4 cup of half-n-half and some chopped Greenbush Italian sausage that we buy from a local vendor at the farmer's market. Lastly we tossed in the cooked pasta, (reserving a little cooking juice to thin out at the end). We recommend letting this sit for 10 minutes or so before serving so the sauce has a chance soak in. This also held up well to reheating and increased in complexity the following day. In the coming weeks, stay tuned for NUMNUMNUM spinoff, TUBTUBTUB!

* http://www.sardinemadison.com

Monday, October 15, 2007

PB, Honey, and Arugula


This sandwich combo of savory, sweet and bitter is just downright scrumptious. I recommend unsweetened and unsalted PB, and just sprinkle a little sea or Kosher salt on the greens. NUM!

Monday, October 8, 2007

Harvest the Pearl


Amazing grain, how sweet thou art. We cannot get enough of this fluffy, flexible, crowning gem of the cousous family. I think we crave it every week here at Numnumnum, and why deprive ourselves? Why, why, why?! Here we created a somewhat hearty repast with savory herbs and root veggies. We started with shallot, carrot, and parsnip chopped into small cubes and cooked in a bit of olive oil. Then we added dried thyme, oregano, salt and pepper, and the chopped yellow bell pepper, and continued cooking until everything was soft. Next came about about 1 and 1/2 cups of the cous-cous that we tossed with the veggie mixture and cooked over low heat for 1 minute. We then added enough chicken stock to cover the entire mixture and turned the heat down to a very low simmer. We stirred every few minutes, as the stock gets absorbed, then turned heat off and covered for about 10 minutes. After it had time to rest, we added 1 tablespoon of butter, fluffed with a fork and adjusted seasonings.