Poached Egg Soba

This recipe has been such a life saver to me this week.

I’ve started to do something I have wanted for so long. It’s small. It isn’t really all that big of a deal. Yet, after working a few too many years as a waitress, it feels pretty darn cool to go to work wearing what I want (no more referee t-shirt!), to pace my day around myself (not fussy people with low-blood-sugar), and to experience what that ordinary nine to five life is all about. Adulthood! Oh the things that excite you as you age.

Don’t get me wrong, I will always love restaurants. They sparked my love of cooking, taught me a lifetime’s worth of lessons about being humble, and developed a heart in me to see the worth and love in serving another human being. It has good roots. But many years later, the thank-less nature of it can just be too tiresome. Restaurant work is a place to start, a great place really.

I’ve wanted this ordinary type of work for a long time. No more late nights, no more restless mornings (since what else can you do but laundry while you wait to go to work at 3:30)– just a whole mess of ordinary grown up stability. For now!

So now that I’ve hopped the fence, I’ve noticed something I never knew before. My deepest sympathies go out to all of you who have navigated these waters for so long.

Coming home around 5 and having to start dinner is an awful lot of work.

You’ve already worked all day, you’re hungry, your mind is tired, and yet you have more tasks ahead. How have I never understood what a trial this is?

I’ve been writing recipes and sharing my cooking ideas on this site for almost a year now, and in all that time I’ve never actually understood how challenging it is to find the motivation to work on dinner after you’ve already devoted most of the day to work. It is tough! In times like these, it seems as though fast food options are the only thing on your side to make dinner happen. Not so, my friends.

I love a good Japanese dish. The flavors are so savory, yet light. Noodles can always be involved. A delicate, yet salty broth is usually accompanying. And any dish that can be finished by plopping a fresh, steamy egg on top is just what I had in mind.

Poached Egg Soba is my own version of Japanese comfort food, in honestly little more than 15 minutes. Even with my zombie-like “five o’clock” mind, I can still boil noodles and poach a pretty little egg. You can too. And once you’re slurping salty little buckwheat noodles off your chopsticks, it will have been well worth it.

Poached Egg Soba

• 1 package thin buckwheat soba noodles (10 oz bag will serve 4+ people)
• 4 fresh, farm-raised eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 3 Tbs sesame oil
• 1 cup vegetable broth (or dashi granules and water, if you have it)
• 3-4 Tbs soy sauce (I use Braggs Liquid Aminos)
• Dash red pepper flake
• Chopped green onions, for garnish

In a salted, boiling pot of water, drop your buckwheat noodles and cook according to package directions. Strain and set aside when just al dente. Pour your cooked soba noodles back into the pot they were poured from, and let the heat from the pot meld the flavors of the sesame oil, spinach, and soy sauce together. In another pot or high-sided cast iron, fill with 3-4 inches of water, and warm until just before boiling. Stir water into a whirlpool circular motion, and drop in your cracked egg. Let cook through until desired doneness is reached. I like a mostly firm white, and a completely soft yolk. place eggs on top of piled noodles, sprinkle with chopped green onion, and enjoy!

Veggie & Tortellini Soup

March has finally begun, and as hopeful as I am for springtime weather, Chicago has other ideas. We’re still trudging through mini-mountains of snow around these parts.

Snow and winter and cold are all things Jake loves a lot. He gets excited to wear his cute little snow boots, and mittens and such. It’s adorable… while I’m complaining and begrudgingly dragging myself outside to take out the garbage. Winter takes on a whole new me– a hibernating version of myself, that just aims to survive till the thaw. It’s sad really.

One thing we do both love about the cold? Soup.

Soup! That one pot miracle that feeds hungry folks and doesn’t make a mess. Sounds perfect. And what makes this soup great? Tortellinis of course!

If you read often, you know it’s my thing to cook healthy recipes– and if you do that sort of thing, you may have realized the same thing I have: average eaters find your cooking strange (even if they are polite.) Typical Americans eat carbs and meat, toppled with melted cheese– and so leafy greens and unusual grains aren’t things they are comfortable with. That’s why I think this soup is great for guests.

Veggie Tortellini Soup is packed with veggies, then deceptively sprinkled with a few rich, cheesy little tortellinis– making it a great soup for those surprise house guests. It is filling, tomatoey, and delicious– chock full of healthy veggies, and just a little indulgence to bridge the gap for average eaters. (And you healthy eaters, on the days you just need something cheesy.)

 

Veggie & Tortellini Soup

• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, washed and chopped
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 small potatoes, diced
• 2 ears of sweet corn, cut from the cob
• 1/2 cup peas
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup dried cheese tortellinis
• 2 Tbs basil, oregano, parsley
• 2 Tbs olive oil

Sautee carrots, onions, and celery over medium heat for a few minutes, until fragrant and onions are translucent.  Add all remaining ingredients, including stock, tomatoes, and herbs, and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until pasta is tender and vegetables are cooked. (If using fresh pasta, wait until soup has been cooked, then add tortellinis into the pot in the last 3-5 minutes, to warm through.)

Pasta Salad

Culinary inspiration comes from many places.

I go to the grocery every couple of days, and unless Jake is with me, I spend at least two hours there. He’s all about accomplishing the mission. I’m all about overturning each nook and cranny of the place for my own fun. We become opposing forces.

The two hours I spend there are always about as much fun for me as browsing the Mall of America would be to a shop-aholic. Every little bag of bean sprouts has to be combed over, each apple or peach sniffed until the perfect sweetness is found, and every flavor of granola sampled (when possible.) I take my time and choose what I’m buying wisely because they are the future ingredients in all I’ll be eating that week, so it must be great. The time I invest in choosing the ingredients is the beginning of my scheming; just as the perfect head of cauliflower is found, and nestles itself in the bottom of my basket, the ways it can be prepared are rolling through my mind.

This slow time is important to the cooking process. We can’t simply buy the same foods week after week. If we move slowly about, passing boxes and barrels of produce, crates of eggs, slabs of butter, we can take the time to let our senses develop. Perfectly ripe apples must be gently squeezed and sniffed, for a firm feel and sweet scent. Avocados must have a buttery give when pressed. Eggs must be gently tapped for a firm shell, and rich color (or bought from a reliable chicken farmer.) Bread must have a firm crust, soft interior, and the deep scent of warm wheat. By only grabbing and pressing on you will miss these first steps in putting a meal together.

There are times when an off-beat ingredient is what sparks a recipe. At larger specialty groceries you’ll find rare oddities like albino eggplants or heirloom tomatoes– these foods beg to be bought and fooled with. If ever you stumble upon some ingredient you don’t know, do the polite thing. Get to know it. Buy a strange vegetable or herb, and learn about it by tasting it. Let a hearty looking loaf of rye be the inspiration for your meal.

This time I was struck hard by a beautiful bag of colorful conchiglie, or seashell pasta. The flours were tinted with carrots, beets, spinach, and red peppers. Their look had to be preserved, and so they had to become a warm pasta salad.

Pasta salad is an easy dish. It comes together with whatever leftovers you have lying about the fridge, especially cooked vegetables, a handful of herbs and cheese, and a light vinaigrette. With or without pasta, leftover veggies can still be dressed with vinaigrette, mixed with beans, and served as a warm salad. We should use the foods we have already cooked as an extension of one another, so that the act of cooking is ongoing, as hunger is ongoing. Prepare a large batch of this salad, and serve it cold the next day for a hearty lunch.

Pasta Salad

You will need:

• 1 1/2 cups pasta, uncooked (small spoon friendly shapes)
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, washed and sliced
• 1 ear sweet corn, chopped from the cob
• 1 15oz can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 large handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 large handful of parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 1/3 cup italian vinaigrette (recipe below)

Directions: Boil pasta in well salted water, according to package directions. Drain, toss with a quick turn of olive oil, and set aside. Save pasta water, and blanch veggies in the salted water. (Blanch corn on the cob, then cut from cob after it cools. Don’t blanch green pepper, serve raw.) Toss the pasta, cheese, herbs, beans, and veggies together with the vinaigrette. Salt and pepper, if needed. Let the dish rest for as long as possible, a day even, to let the flavors marry. Serve warm or cold. Makes 4 or more servings.

Italian Vinaigrette

You will need:

• ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• ½ tsp minced garlic
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp red pepper flake
• 1 Tbsp chopped parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Mix well, let rest for flavors to develop.

Baked Pasta in Spinach Pesto

Lately my house has been very quiet.

While the peaceful trickle of rain and pitter-patter of kitty paws are sounds I love, my house is minus a very important human being this week, and its a strange transition for me.

Growing up my house was a lively place, always a sibling or parent home bustling about somewhere– faucets ran, stairs creaked, televisions hummed. We were quite a lively bunch, and try as we might, none of us were really ever able to speak with inside voices (Sorry Mom!). Every inch of the place was filled with the presence of other people, and I’ve really grown to appreciate how that feels. There is something unspeakably soothing about coming home and seeing the sweater or book of someone I love displaced around the room, as if I could be with them just by being among their things. At all times there were signs of vibrant life, and reminders that there were other beating hearts around to fend off loneliness. Big, loud, happy houses are great places to grow up.

Though I’m working hard to appreciate the silence lately, I am reminded of just how important it is to be among other people.

Friends and family sharpen one another, no matter how difficult it can be to put up with each other’s nuances. We are not creatures meant to be alone. And even though it may seem like a dream to have your own place, without all those crazies who make piles of laundry for you to wash or keep their televisions blaring till 2 am, the reality is less serene. You see, the idea is very reminiscent of one of my favorite childhood moves… Home Alone!

This house is so full of people it makes me sick. When I grow up and get married, I’m living alone. Did you hear me? I’m living alone! (Remember this? Don’t be like Kevin.)

Home Alone! This timeless and epic movie perfectly illustrates how we feel when sassy-ness creeps in and steals all our civility. Kevin finds out, after suffering the horrid torture that is a ‘I-can-hear-a-pin-drop-‘ silent home (and an untalented duo of robbers I suppose) that life is a lot less worth living when you don’t have those wonderful people around after all. The sweet cannot exist without the occasional bitter.

Cooking is just like all these things mentioned above, especially the part about needing community. Having mouths that constantly need fed can be cumbersome, I know– but just think about how cold and lonely your kitchen would be if those mouths weren’t around. And when they do come around, needy and famished, you have the great honor of doing something really nice for them, because you love them– and that’s baking them some spinach-y pasta.

This baked pasta dish was SO easy, and the sauce was a nothing but pure healthy. Whole wheat pasta gives you some hearty grains, and sliced carrots add even more veggie power. Jake would really love this dish; I will be looking forward to all the things that come with having him back from his travels– his hungry little stomach included.

Baked Pasta in Spinach Pesto

You will need:

• 1 1/2 cups cooked whole wheat pasta
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 cups raw spinach
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 Tbs parmesan cheese (plus some extra for sprinkling on top)
• 2 Tbs bread crumbs (omit for a healthier recipe. I indulged, what can I say.)

Directions: Boil pasta according to boxed directions (salt that water!). Boil carrots with the pasta to maximize pan usage. In a food processor or blender puree spinach, nuts, oil, herbs, and cheese.

Toss sauce with pasta and carrots, and pour into an oiled baking dish (or cast iron!). Top with a little bit of extra cheese, and breadcrumbs tossed in a dab of oil. (You can make/buy whole wheat bread crumbs– I wish I would have, but I just used the panko ones I had around the house.) Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Simple Pad Thai

If I have learned anything valuable in my short life, it is the dang truth of this little cliche: variety is the spice of life.

All those things people have uttered over the years, those worn out sayings about life, they are all so true. There is a point in youth where you believe none of them apply; I’ve found the place now that laughs at the idea of defeating the cliches of life, because I know how futile it is. The sayings wouldn’t be so worn, like an awesome old leather jacket, if they didn’t fit the lives of most people. So friends, if the shoe fits, buy it–fake it till you make it– and then make pad thai at home.

Making a dish that is completely outside your realm of flavor understanding is a good thing. Being comfortable all the time, after all, never makes for anything spectacular. Lewis and Clark could not revel in exploring the west by staying at home. Sometimes we have to stick a toe out, then a whole foot, and by that time we realize how un-scary trying a new thing really is, and we are running for more. This is true for all you home cooks! The usual is great–it is fantastic to have to go recipes and flavors that let you exhale, as you sink into the comfort of your familiar couch. But not all the time! We have to throw some variety into our cooking, something that whacks your tastebuds across the face with awesomeness. (If a tastebud had a face…this could get interesting..)

I found this recipe on another blog, tweaked it a little to what I had available (and I always double the amount of veggies in most recipes) and it is so EASY. Whipped it up in like twenty minutes tops. And it was DELICIOUS. Having the exact ingredients on hand is one thing that I believe stops a lot of us from trying recipes–I must confess that Google has been my best friend sometimes (I search substitutes for things I don’t have all the time.) Don’t have sesame oil? Try peanut! No peanuts? Use slivered almonds (I did, and it was darn tasty!) No rice noodles? Use another noodle, it will be fine! You won’t end up having a perfectly authentic dish, but that is okay. Perfection of authenticity is so much less important than making something that tastes good, and feeds your family.

Today, lets all promise to mix it up a little. Go and start doing one of the things you’ve always dreamed of doing– buy that dress that you love, but looks a little too daring– try something new. Shake it up a little, friends! It will renew your love for life, and at the same time, remind you of why you love what you already have in this world.

Easy Pad Thai:

You will need:

• 8 ounces dried rice noodles (wide, flat noodles are typical of pad thai but I used what I had lying around)
• 2 tbs. brown sugar
• 2 tbs. lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/3 cup corn (I use frozen)
• 2 large eggs, light beaten
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts (I used slivered almonds because I didn’t have peanuts on hand; worked fine.)

Directions:

1. Soak noodles according to package instructions. Drain noodles and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lemon juice, and soy sauce.

3. Heat sesame oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Add peppers and cook 3-5 minutes, until tender. Add garlic and corn cook 1 minute. Add eggs and cook, constantly stirring and scraping skillet with spatula until eggs are almost set (about 30 seconds). Transfer to a plate and set aside.

4. Add soaked noodles and prepared sauce to skillet. Cook while frequently tossing until noodles are tender, about 1 minutes. Add eggs to mixture and toss together. Serve, top with cilantro and peanuts.

OTHER NEWS!

Wise & Wonderful Cookery will now be featured on my dear friend’s fantastic blog, Young Mary’s Record, every Sunday! Sometimes it will be the same current recipe I post here, other times it will be something entirely new, and only for Young Mary. And the only way YOU will know is to go check it out, every Sunday! And aside from my food, she has so many interesting tid-bits of awesome on that site, it will keep you coming back.

And lastly! My dear husband, Jake, is on the road again with his bandmates. They are The Bears of Blue River. I will miss him so much, they are gone for a week to tour the Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska area. Please go check out their tour dates, listen to the fabulous tunes, and send them some love along the road. (And then have patience with me if I’m calling you every day because my house is too quiet.)

Easy Peasy Veggie Soup

I have been addicted to soup from an early age.

The love affair began when I first started making food for myself. After a long, rigorous day in elementary school (hand-turkeys were pretty difficult but someone had to do it) I would be so excited to come home and have a big, steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup (sometimes two.) Not only was it easy (nothing easier than popping food out of a can!) but it was salty, noodle-y, and sort of like eating and drinking at the same time.

Though my memories sometimes exaggerate, I’m fairly sure I ate chicken noodle soup every day for like two years, and loved every second of it. Hindsight– I was probably addicted to the sodium in the canned soups, but no harm was done, I have survived to adulthood. Plus, I avoided the Ramen Noodle years of college (balances things out a bit.) To this day I could still eat soup for every meal, every single day. (I could eat them in a box,  I could eat them with a fox…)

Now that I’m grown and no longer prowling the cabinets for canned soups, I’ve learned that making my own is basically the most awesome skill I’ve acquired. Having a basic soup recipe stored somewhere up in that melon is so helpful to the everyday cook; it’s quick, nutritious, and helps to clean out an ambitious looking refrigerator (I tend to over purchase.)

In writing this, it has been difficult for me to give the soup a name. Cleanin’ out ma ‘fridge soup? No (If I’d like to declare yourself a cook/rapper then yes). Basic Vegetable Soup? No. (Unless you’re the most boring blogger ever). So finally, I have settled with Easy Peasy Veggie Soup (Get it? Baha I KILL myself..)

Easy Peasy veggie soup is my catch-all, go-to vegetable soup recipe, that has evolved over a number of years of trial and error. It’s warm, salty, buttery, and packed full of just about every vegetable I could possibly add. When those cool fall nights sweep in, buy a snuggie and whip up a pot of this:

Easy Peasy Veggie Soup:

You will need (a lot of things…)

• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 2 Tbs butter
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 C. dry white wine
• 1 small can diced tomatoes
• 6 C. good mushroom stock
• 1 medium sized onion, diced
• 4 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 6 small red potatoes, diced
• 1 cup kale, chopped
• 2 small squash/zucchini, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh thyme, rosemary, parsley
• 1 can lima beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 C.  ww shell pasta

Directions: Heat olive oil and butter together in the bottom of a large pot.

(Why both? Olive oil heightens the cooking temperature, butter adds extra flavor.) Sometimes while you cook, your pets will come to help. I say indulge them, and maybe give them a little treat of their own! (Mubs is such a chef…)

Back to cooking…

Add onions, carrots, and celery. Salt the trio. Let the veggies cook for 5-8 minutes on medium high heat, letting the salt draw out the liquid from the onions. Add white wine, and let cook for 3-4 minutes.

Once onions become translucent, add mushroom stock, tomatoes, bay leaves, potatoes, pasta, thyme, and rosemary (if you like, tie your fresh herbs together with a string, and submerge in the soup like I have. It’s easy to remove and looks cool. Tie the other end to the pot handle, so it doesn’t go catching on fire.)

Simmer for about 25 minutes, or until all the veggies and pasta are tender.

Add kale, squash, and beans, and let cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Turn off heat, and… here’s my secret! (It’s not really that secret.) Add a tablespoon or two of butter after the cooking is all finished. It adds some pseudo creaminess from the starch of the pasta and the butter, plus what doesn’t taste good with butter you ask!? I would be hard-pressed to figure it out.

On pasta in soup:

A little reminder for those who get pasta zealous (like myself…) Pasta nearly doubles in size when cooked. Be sure when adding pasta to soup that you don’t add too much, it doesn’t look like a lot when added but it will grow, and completely take over your broth if you over-do it. This picture hopefully emphasizes just how much it grows.

Adding whole wheat pasta to soup is a great idea because it helps give hunger-stricken family members that extra-full feeling they seek, while still being good for you. Also, choose shapes that make sense. It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the possibilities, but I have found that a shape that fits well on a spoon is your best bet. Pasta in my soups definitely curbs my old yearnings for salty, noodle-y soup.

I think I’ll go take my bowl and read now.