In fact I don't know nothin' bout cookin' most food - but I wing it and get lucky pretty often.
My friend JoAnn (yes this post is for you dear!) and I joined a CSA (community supported agriculture). We split one full veggie share and we each get our own fruit share. Neither of us has ever done a CSA. So far it's been fun - and adventurous and new and fresh and cool. So far, we have eaten a mountain of lettuce! It's really awesome to be trying this with a friend. Today JoAnn gave me some funny looks when I told her to take her share of certain CSA items and I instead came home with all of the beets and all of the swiss chard. We also got a bunch of stuff I'd never eaten: fennel, radicchio, escarole. AND... I had never cooked my own beets.
Because we are trying so many new things, I often suggest to JoAnn things that she can try to cook with the items that are new to us. Today, I came home and experimented with all the food we got and tasted everything and decided I would make some sort of an Asian inspired dish. Now, as I said before, I don't know nothin' bout cookin' Asian food - and that is the truth!
But, I do know that I like fresh veggies and I do know that I like pan fried (crispy) noodles. So I decided to do that. Here is what I came up with and it was REALLY - seriously like I was some kinda cooking pro - REALLY good. Give it a try JoAnn - I think you have all the ingredients!
Oh yeah, did I mention that I had the beet greens because I roasted my own beets? I put the beets in a little foil packet with some olive oil and put them in the toaster oven at 375F and then promptly forgot about them for 40 mins which as it turned out was the perfect amount of roasting time. When I took them out of the foil and ran them under cold water, the skins came right off. I then sliced them up and stored them in the fridge to add to salads - YUM.
Once the noodles are almost crisped enough, I toss all the separate veggies (and shrimp) back into the pan and let them warm and blend together on medium heat for just a bit. At that time, I dump in any sauce I have made for the dish.
Now, when it comes to the sauce, you can simply buy a sauce you like at an Asian market but I usually make my own. I have no idea what I'm doing when I make it - I simply take every Asian inspired ingredient from my fridge and mix them til it tastes right to me. Today I used: ginger/garlic paste, chili sauce (Siracha would work here as well), sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, peanut sauce and a bit of brown sugar. I just kept mixing until it tasted the way I wanted it to. So - good luck. Mine was delish by the way.
As soon as I add the sauce and give it all a stir, I turn off the heat and get ready to serve.
Put some crispy noodles on the plate and top with the veggie/sauce mixture. Whether you eat it with a fork or chop sticks, ENJOY!
