Time passes but there are still noodles

I could eat these everyday

I may not be so good with posting lately but people, I am still cooking and I am definitely still eating. So what's the deal? Well sometimes a girl just goes through phases. After 3 years writing this blog I guess you just have to go with the flow a little bit. What surprised me most was how often G kept nudging me with the constant question "Did you post today?". Until he finally just up and said "I miss your blog."
If that doesn't surprise a girl, I don't know what will.

So I figured it was time to get my butt in gear. Thankfully I had this picture I had taken of some peanuty noodles that I seem to make on a regular basis these days. I give all the credit to Heidi--this recipe is so easy to throw together and is now on constant rotation in our household. The beauty of it is that you can adapt it with whatever leftover vegetables you have in the fridge--and you can throw in some tofu or chicken or whatever strikes you. Of course, hers looks much prettier than mine but my tastebuds were quite content. And G lapped up a good 3 bowls full the first time that I made it for him. This is the man who instead of admitting that he is a picky eater declares himself a "supertaster". (insert eye roll here)

So listen. Without much fanfare the 3 year anniversary of my blog went by. Three years! In that time I have posted from apartments in 4 countries. I certainly don't feel like the same person I was when I started this blog and I keep thinking that I need this blog to catch up with me a little bit. It served it's purpose as a bit of a food/travelogue and a way to keep in touch with family and friends back home but now that I am back in Canada it needs to serve a new purpose in my life. Perhaps I've ignored it a bit these last few weeks because I'm still working out it's identity crisis.
But I think I've got it figured out now people.
And it won't be so long until the next post. I promise.

Until then, you've got some noodles to make.



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Heidi's noodle recipe

More Food Love.

Soba noodles with crispy tofu, avocado and microgreens

I took a little trip to the new Whole Foods on Kensington High Street the other day with Clotilde and came home with 2 bags full of happiness. We spent 2 hours wandering around that store and if it wasn't for our overflowing baskets and our need for a caffeine fix, we probably could have kept on going. Seriously people, it was 3 floors of magic. You have never seen two gals reading peanut butter labels so closely while discussing the merits of smooth (my preference) versus crunchy (her preference).
By the time I got home I was exhausted but my weary bones did not keep me from digging into my new stash and whipping up a soba noodle salad with some crispy tofu and the cutest little microgreens a girl ever did see. They are a micro combination of Red Mustard, Broccoli, Mizuna, Rocket and Coriander called Ed's Wild Mix from Secrett's Farm in West Sussex.

The next morning I couldn't resist using those little microgreens again for my first ever homemade breakfast burrito. It was a momentous occasion. The burrito idea was inspired by another Whole Foods find: super thin wholewheat flatbreads (almost as thin as filo) called Mountain bread. I scrambled some eggs, and wrapped them up with greens inside the flatbread and oy!
Who knew I could be so thrilled by a breakfast burrito?



There are still some other exciting ingredients that I bought that I have yet to dig into, but just knowing they are there waiting to be discovered has me all giddy. I haven't felt this thrilled by a grocery store since my days in Paris, exploring the Grande Epicerie. There were no unicorns to be found, but it was pretty magical nonetheless.


Whole Foods
The Barkers Building
63–97 Kensington High Street
London W8 5SE



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The Soba Salad

I tossed the noodles, some shredded carrots, and sliced green onions with a dressing of sesame oil, rice vinegar and soy sauce. Then I tossed in the microgreens. I pan fried some tofu strips in peanut oil and added this to the noodles. (I fry the tofu strips so that they are crunchy on the outside with still a bit of softness in the middle--you can fry them more or less to your taste.)
Finally, I added some chopped avocado and sprinkled some sesame seeds on top for good measure.

Life is just a bowl of salad.

Pasta salad with Feta, Yellow Pepper and Snow Peas

The other day G innocently asked me what I would be posting about next.
Here's what he heard:
"Blah blah blah blah salad."
"You always talk about salads." he said.
What I heard, between the lines, was: "Yawn."
Problem is, everything I eat on a regular basis these days falls under the category of a salad.
Whether it has a base of leafy greens, bulghur, couscous, lentils or pasta, in my mind, if its loaded with vegetables, and it's not saucy, it constitutes a salad.

Men.
So difficult.

I mean, sometimes life just IS a bowl of salad.
It's not always about complicated and unusual recipes. Is it?
So here I am, talking about salad because that's what makes me happy.


The story starts something like this: I spotted Martha's recipe for Pasta Salad with Feta and Snow Peas and I could tell it had everything a girl like me could want.
It had pasta for one thing, the all-important feta cheese, and a miscellaneous array of vegetables in attractive and complimentary colours. And, to top it all off, a generous dose of fresh coriander. How could it get any better?

I enjoyed it. I did. There was nary a noodle or vegetable left in that bowl once I had finished with it.
But something about that raw yellow pepper didn't sit right with me. It was like putting an outfit together that is just close to perfect--you are seriously looking your sassiest self-- and then you go and throw on your mother's pearls and suddenly your fab is nothing but drab.

I wanted to love that pasta salad. I really did.

So I tried again.
This time, I swapped the yellow pepper for some sautéed zucchini, tweaked the vinaigrette a bit, and bingo, we had lift off.
I admit, it looks prettier with the yellow pepper, but sometimes a great personality is more important than being pretty. Right?


Pasta salad with Snow Peas, Zucchini and Feta

Pasta Salad with Snow Peas, Zucchini and Feta inspired by Martha

This serves one very hungry person as a main dish. I added alot of vegetables so the salad could actually serve 2 as a side dish, despite the small amount of pasta in there. It's up to you.

60g orriechette pasta (which is about 1/2 cup of dried pasta)
1 zucchini, chopped (feel free to only use half if you want).
a small handful of snow peas, sliced on the diagonal into 1 cm strips
1 or 2 teaspoons of thinly sliced scallion a.k.a green onion (I used the green part)
a tablespoon or two of chopped fresh coriander (or to taste)
A tablespoon or two of crumbled feta cheese (or more to taste)

Vinaigrette
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 of a small clove of garlic, finely chopped (this part is optional, Martha's recipe does not contain garlic, but it adds a slight kick)
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta. Add the snow peas to the pasta water at the last minute or two just to blanch them but keep them slightly crunchy. Drain and rinse pasta and snow peas in cold water. (You can blanch the snow peas in a separate pot of water if you prefer)
Saute the zucchini in one teaspoon of olive oil over a medium high heat until browned.
Add to the pasta with the snow peas.
Mix the vinaigrette ingredients together and add to the pasta.
Finally add the scallion, coriander and feta to the pasta and mix altogether.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Make ahead and serve cold or eat it right away while it's still slightly warm, whichever you prefer.
If you make it ahead, put the coriander in just before serving.

There is no such thing as too much bacon

Pasta Carbonara

There is nothing to joke about when it comes to bacon.
Bacon is very serious business.
Let's start with this one simple and often forgotten fact: bacon = pork.

Shocking I know, but this is a truth that cannot be disputed or denied. There is something magical about bacon. It seems as though it is its own entity, its own food group. Perhaps even its own religion. (Zen Baconism?)

So it seems that today has been declared pork blogging Sunday, which is a sacred day for a bacon lover such as I am. I decided to go old school and indulge in an old favourite. When it comes to bacon, there is no need to complicate things. I mean who cares what you put under it, you're really only interested in the bacon anyway, right?
Don't deny it, you can't hide the bacon love.

Pasta Carbonara is very easy to make, and you can find recipes everywhere. More than likely, you already have your own favourite. This recipe uses raw egg yolks, which is of course not recommended for children or pregnant women. So JA, you big-bellied mama-to-be, never you mind about this pasta carbonara. Shoo!

Pasta Carbonara
This recipe makes enough carbonara sauce for 2 small portions or 1 large portion of pasta, depending on how saucy you like it. You can easily double the recipe if you want.

Tagliatelle (or linguine or any pasta you like for that matter) for one or two people.
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup of heavy cream
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
as much bacon or pancetta as you wish to have, a good handful of bits per person is how I like it
chopped parsley (optional)
additional grated parmesan
salt and pepper

Dice your bacon and cook according to desired crispness. (or dice after cooking if you prefer)
Drain on paper towel. Reserve the bacon grease.
Mix 2 egg yolks with 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cook your noodles and strain, reserving some of the starchy water.
Put the noodles back in your saucepan and add a teaspoon or two of the bacon grease to coat the noodles (this prevents the cream sauce from soaking right into the noodles).
Add your egg mixture to the noodles and combine well. If the sauce is too thick add a bit of your reserved starchy water. This is all dependent on how you like it.
Mix in your bacon bits right into the sauce and noodles or pile them on top as I did.
Serve it up in a bowl or two and sprinkle with additional parmesan, chopped parsley and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Spring has sprung and I ate it for dinner..

I stumbled upon an Asian market yesterday afternoon and I am not exaggerating when I say that I went on a mini-shopping spree of sorts. I found the first coriander that I have seen since living in Heidelberg. The urge to skip down the aisles and sing a happy song was difficult to resist. Yes, I was very happy. So, of course, I HAD to buy some. I couldn’t be sure that they kept it in constant supply, so I had to play it safe. And the same was true with the Thai Basil, Kaffir Lime leaves, and Galangal that I bought as well. Our apartment only has a tiny fridge (below waist height and requires a lot of bending) and currently, for the first time in the 2 months that we have lived here, it is jammed full. The problem is, my life and eating partner, is away again on business all week long. It’s just me and this fridge full of goodies until Saturday, when he returns. Needless to say that once I took stock of everything, I had a bit of a panic attack. So many fresh herbs and produce and so little time. I knew I would need to set out a plan to make sure it all got eaten before their freshness was compromised. And compromised freshness makes me an unhappy girl. And did I forget to mention that in the herb department alone, I had already purchased fresh dill, italian parsley and ‘regular’ basil on Wednesday at the farmer’s market? I’m addicted to fresh herbs. I really need a garden.

But first on my list was my asparagus, which was clearly telling me it didn’t want to wait one more single day. I was tempted to defy it, because now I had far more exciting things to tempt me. But I stayed the course and, in so doing, enjoyed a lovely meal.

So, here’s how I managed to get the asparagus out of the fridge and into my belly last night. And please note that I was so determined that there still be enough light for me to take a picture that I made sure the dish was ready much earlier than I would normally eat in the evening. I suffered for the cause, and for my readers. (mom and dad)

I got the idea for this recipe from Epicurious.com, although true to form I just read the list of ingredients and went about doing my own thing. I didn’t add the salmon, I used onion instead of shallots, fresh pasta instead of dried, I roasted the asparagus instead of boiling it, and I added a sprinkling of parmesan to top it off. And I didn’t measure anything. Their recipe was serving 4 as a main course, I definitely had to make my own adjustments, since I am but one person. And sometimes it’s much more satisfying to just take an idea and run with it. It doesn’t always work, but it most definitely helps you to learn and to make it your own. I was actually very pleased with the dish as it seemed very fitting of spring. And though it calls for heavy cream (I substituted whipping cream) the dish still seemed light.

Although I will say that using the starchy pasta water from cooking dried pasta, as the original recipe indicates, would have added something to the sauce. But I prefer fresh pasta so I was willing to suffer the consequence.

Here’s the link to the recipe at Epicurious.Com, it’s called Pappardelle in Lemon Cream Sauce with Asparagus and Smoked Salmon.