Thursday, September 25, 2014

Late Night Ramen!

Happy Fall !!!! We have created a wonderful and easy weeknight recipe that any busy student/mom/dad/babysitter/tired person can make. Remember that good ‘old instant ramen that we all loved because it is so easy and fast to make. Well we have appropriated that with a home made broth and fresh ingredients to make a superb vegetarian weeknight ramen.

The reason we are using instant ramen is because Momofuku Ando invented cup of noodle in 1971 by creating a noodle which has already been cooked and can just be re-cooked! The noodles are so fabulously starchy and absorb so much flavor!!  

Enjoy!

Ingredients:  serves 2-4
2 packs instant ramen (doesn’t matter which flavor!)
2 eggs
6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
½ cup bean sprouts
4 cloves garlic
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
4 dehydrated shitake mushrooms
1 cup button mushrooms
¼ cup enoki mushrooms
1 bunch green onions
1 serrano pepper
1 oz can chestnuts (only need ½ of the can)
1 oz canned bamboo shoots



This wonderful dish is mostly just creating your prep work, letting a broth cook for about 30 minutes, and soft boiling two eggs.  

Start by rehydrating your shitake mushrooms in a small bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes.

Next create your mise en place by mincing your garlic, and by slicing your button mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, Serrano pepper, chestnuts, and on a bias slicing your green onion only up until the green turns white. Set aside half of the onions, and half of the Serrano pepper.

Start making your broth by combining your vegetable broth, water, and soy sauce and bring to a hard boil. Once you boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and add half the onions, half the Serrano pepper, half the bean sprouts, all the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, garlic, and water chestnuts. Let simmer for 30 minutes.

At about 20 minutes in, boil water in a small pot. Once the water starts to boil, add to eggs. Put heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and let cook for 6 minutes.

This is about the time when you can add the noodles to the broth. It doesn’t matter which instant ramen you get, because we won’t be using the flavor packet that comes with it. Add the noodles in and let absorb the broth.

Once the timer for the eggs goes off, take eggs from water, and run under cool water.

While the eggs are cooling, we may now plate our noodles. In two (or four) bowls, place noodles and broth in bowl. Top with raw bean sprouts, green onions, and Serrano pepper. Lightly crack the egg shell, peel it off, and slice in half. Put your gorgeous egg on your ramen, serve with chopsticks and enjoy!

Fall 2014


Dear Fall,

            Please show yourself! It is far too hot in Los Angeles right now. We will buy fake leaves and throw them on the floor if we need to (I may have in the apartment already)!

       Aside from that, we look forward to all the delicious wonders you will present us!

xoxo

F+M

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Stone Fruit Summer Roast


Summer is about to end, though here in Los Angeles it feels as if it never will. If I could get some rain we will be happy campers, so will LA! The end of summer brings some amazing stone fruits, especially at this time when it is so warm, they get so juicy and delicious. There is no better way to honor the summer than creating a simple roasted fruit dessert.

We roasted some wonderful pluots, peaches, and nectarines, topped it with some sweet goodness and sprinkled some fresh mint! If you don’t want to use these specific fruits, you can use whatever large stone fruit you like. Delish!!!

Ingredients: Serves 3-4

2 peaches
2 pluots
2 nectarines
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
5 -7 mint leaves
1 cup sugar
1 cup water



Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and cut fruit in half, removing the center stone. Place fruit cut side down. Bake in oven for 20 minutes, flipping fruit oven half way through.

While in the oven, make simple syrup, boil water and sugar for 5 -7 minutes. You want the syrup to start to become sticky and a bit gel like, not super gooey though.

Next make whip cream by combining heavy cream and almond extract and whipping with an electric mixer until it starts to form peaks.

Lastly chiffonade mint by rinsing the leaves, then roll up and slicing in small strips.

To create the beauty that is this dish, loosely arrange fruit cut side up, pour some simple syrup over but not too much! Plop some dollops of whip cream on, and then sprinkle the mint.  This is a guaranteed dish to wow anyone, and is so simple to make.

Cheers to the end of summer!