Teriyaki Noodles with Asparagus and Lima Beans

I made this for dinner on Monday, from The Food Matters Cookbook.

Teriyaki Noodles with Asparagus and Edamame

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 lb asparagus, [thick woody stems broken off], cut into 2-inch lengths
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
1 Tbsp ginger, minced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
8 oz any rice, buckwheat (soba) or wheat noodles, preferably whole grain [I used whole wheat spaghetti]
2 cups shelled edamame, fresh or frozen (thaw them while you assemble the dish) [I used frozen baby lima beans, because I couldn't find any edamame at the grocery]
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin, or 2 Tbsp honey mixed with 2 Tbsp water [I chose the latter]

Cook the noodles, reserving some of the cooking water.
While the water's coming to a boil, heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat.  When hot, add the asparagus and the scallions.  Cook, stirring, for a minute, then stir in the ginger and garlic.  Cook until the asparagus is dry, hot, and beginning to brown and get tender, 5 to 10 minutes; if the noodles aren't done by now, remove pan from heat.

When the noodles are done, and when the asparagus is ready, turn the heat under the asparagus to medium.  Add the noodles, beans, soy sauce, mirin, and ~1/2 cup of the reserved water.  Cook, stirring, until heated through, about five minutes.  Serve hot.

Wednesday night I made Beans 'n Greens Burritos, along with the recommended side of Pico de Gallo, from Mark Bittman's (The Minimalist RIP) The Food Matters Cookbook.

So because it is obviously not tomato season, and because we did have oranges, I decided to go the orange route with the pico de gallo (other options, according to Bittman, include tangerines, grapefruit, avocados, or grated raw butternut squash.  Really.  Or drained canned tomatoes, if you want to be boring.)

I'm unlikely to make the pico de gallo again, because (in a shock to no one) I don't really like raw garlic, and I really dislike raw onion.  (Also, chopping the oranges was really frustrating, so I'm definitely skipping any orange salads in the future.)  But other salsa options, like the Peach Salsa and Green Apple-Cucumber Salsa, don't require garlic, so I'd like to try those in the future.  (Besides, chopping peaches, apples, and cucumbers all sound preferable to chopping oranges.)

Contrariwise, the burritos were a hit.  Not too difficult, pretty healthy, and very tasty.  Morgan declared them to be an instant classic, to go into the repertoire along with Rachael Ray's You-Won't-Be-Single-For-Long vodka sauce and aglio e oglio.


Pico de Gallo

2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped [as I said above, other fruits are acceptable: I ended up using four oranges, not because they seemed like they produced the same amount as two chopped tomatoes, but because by that point I was not about to chop any more oranges]
1/2 large white or red onion or 2 medium scallions, chopped [I used a shallot, because that's what I had; plus, I didn't want too much raw onion flavor]
1 tsp minced garlic, or to taste
1 fresh hot chile, seeded and minced, or to taste [as I've said before, I have a strict no-chile policy (until I invest in some nitrile gloves for the kitchen), so I used ~1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper]
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro [I didn't have any, and both Morgan and I have that cilantro polymorphism, anyway]
2 tbsp lime juice [I squeezed two very sad and desiccated limes and produced maybe half a tablespoon of juice (maybe you're starting to get the idea why this recipe wasn't a hit): on the other hand, the oranges were very juicy]

1.  Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, taste, and adjust the seasoning.
2.  Let the mixture rest for 15 to 30 minutes if possible to allow the flavors to meld.


Beans 'n Greens Burritos

Tortillas [he says four but I made six: maybe he likes his burritos fuller than I do]
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp chili powder
1 bunch kale (about 1 lb), roughly chopped
2 cups cooked or canned black beans, drained (I used one can)
1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese, optional [Morgan very bravely used some Salvadoran cheese we had picked up a very, very long time ago; I used sour cream]
Pico de gallo

1.  Heat the oven to 300F.  Stack the tortillas and roll them up in a sheet of foil.  Put them in the oven to warm while you cook the filling.  [I found that the bottom tortilla got very crisp, and considering how hot the filling is, I am not convinced this step is necessary and will probably skip it next time.]
2.  Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  When hot, add onion and garlic, and cook until soft and beginning to color.  Sprinkle with the chili powder.  Add the kale and cook until it cooks and releases its liquid (and turns bright green: very fast).  Stir in the black beans and mash them up a bit.
3.  To roll each burrito, lay a tortilla on a flat surface and scoop some filling on the third closest to you.  Scoop on the sour cream.  Fold the tortilla over from the bottom to cover the beans and greens, then fold in the two sides to fully enclose them; finish rolling and put the burrito seam side down on a plate.  Serve with pico de gallo on the side.

Saturday I made Super-Simple Mixed Rice, a Zillion Ways, from The Food Matters Cookbook.  Definitely a keeper.

1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms [available in bulk at the cheese counter at Whole Foods]
hot water as needed
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup short-grain brown rice
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (canned are fine; include their juices) [I used a can of diced tomatoes]
2 cups cooked or canned cannellini beans, drained [I used a can of small white beans]
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Soak the porcini in hot water to cover.

Put the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  When it's hot, add the rice and cook, stirring, until it's shiny and a little translucent, about 1 minute.  Add the onion and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened. 

Add enough water to cover by about 1/2 inch.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so that it bubbles gently.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice starts to become tender, about 10 minutes. 

Pour the mushrooms' soaking liquid (but not the sediment) into the rice.  Chop the mushrooms roughly.  Add the mushrooms and tomatoes to the rice.  Cook another 10 minutes, until the tomatoes break down.  Add more water if needed to keep the mixture soupy.

When the rice is tender but still al dente, add the beans.  Continue to cook until no longer soupy but not yet dry.  Stir in the basil and cheese if you're using it.  Serve garnished with basil.