Spring

Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Sesame-Lime Dressing

July 1, 2013

Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Sesame-Lime Dressing

It’s been more than a while since I’ve written in this space. So much time has passed that I’ve had something like nerves about putting pen to paper, as it were.

But here I am. And hopefully, there some of you are.

I’ve been incredibly excited about food and cooking over the past couple of months and I began brimming with excitement and inspiration about a return to blogging in this space again.

As you may well have noticed, Eating for England also has a rather wonderful fresh new look. I’m incredibly lucky to have had my good friend Holly working on this redesign. Holly and I have been friends for four years now and she knows me well enough to understand my style and aesthetic perfectly. Didn’t she do a beautiful job?! A new layout, logo, and lots of other design features – it’s all new and I feel doubly inspired to share in this space again after the wonderful work she’s done. Check out her blog to see how multitalented this lady is; I’m pretty amazed by all she does.

So, here we are and here is a new recipe for you.

Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Sesame-Lime Dressing

I recently discovered a lovely blog called Farmhouse Delivery, authored by the farm-to-table company of the same name based in Austin, TX. The blog is full of inspiration for making the most of a CSA box overflowing with a wealth of vegetables and features stunning step-by-step photos of most dishes too.

Farmhouse Delivery is where I first stumbled upon the idea for a buckwheat soba noodle salad and it seemed that from then on I kept seeing similar inspiration all over.

Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Sesame-Lime Dressing

The great thing about a dish like this is that you can really easily adapt it to suit whatever you have in your fridge. Snap peas were abundant when I made it and I happened to have some asparagus and green onions but you could easily go with green beans, if you have those around or maybe lima beans or edamame. Throw some cucumber in if you like – add lots of crunch.

The two things I love most about this dish are the gingery-sesame dressing with a real zing from the lime juice, and the crunch factor. Don’t miss out on that by eschewing peanuts and some crunchy vegetable, as both make it such a pleasure to eat. The added bonus to this dish is that it’s ready in the time it takes you to boil some noodles so weeknight staple, here you come.

Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Sesame-Lime Dressing

Ingredients

For the noodles

  • 8 ounce package buckwheat soba noodles
  • 6 ounces asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces, tough ends discarded
  • 4 ounces raw snap peas, sliced into halves
  • 1-2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • small handful cilantro leaves
  • small handful roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
  • sesame seeds, to garnish

For the dressing

  • Freshly squeezed lime juice from 2-3 limes (you want about 5-6 tablespoons)
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp tamari sauce
  • 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • Salt

Directions

  1. Cook the noodles to al dente per package instructions. Drain, rinse in cool water, and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath. Place asparagus in boiling water and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and immediately transfer asparagus to ice-water bath until cool; drain and set aside.
  3. Make dressing: Place lime juice, ginger, garlic, sugar, and tamari in a large bowl. Whisk in sesame oil until well blended. Taste and season with salt.
  4. Add noodles and other salad ingredients to the dressing, toss well, garnish with cilantro, peanuts, and sesame seeds, and serve. Serves four.

Asparagus Risotto

April 25, 2012

All of a sudden the price of a bunch of asparagus plummets from its mind-boggling heights of $7/pound and I am *there* in a flash, hoarding it for dishes like this glorious beast. Oh and this too. The emergence of fresh seasonal vegetables also excites me for more off the cuff cooking. Random salads – and ditching the recipes in favour of just enjoying how flavours work together.

That said, there’s also space in my heart (and belly) for this asparagus risotto. Might I suggest you make some room too? Dan and I made this together on a sunny, chilly spring afternoon, methodically adding warmed chicken stock to the crisp rice, watching it bubble and soak up the moisture until we added more.

I can’t tell you how much I love the process of risotto: the smell of white wine de-glazing and that final glorious flourish of butter and a huge double-handful of Parmesan cheese just about sends me over the edge.

Some of the asparagus here is boiled and pureed, then added towards the end of the cooking process, giving the whole dish a spring-like green tint and really infusing the asparagus flavour. Texture isn’t ignored though and the remaining pieces and tips of asparagus are added whole for a wonderful crunch against the risotto’s creaminess. Utter perfection with a chilled glass of white wine.

Asparagus Risotto
adapted from The New York Times

Ingredients

  • 1 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed and cut into one-inch-long pieces, tips reserved
  • 4 to 6 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • bulb of one spring onion, diced
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Directions

  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add half the asparagus stalks and cook until quite soft, at least 5 minutes. Transfer cooked asparagus to a food processor and add just a touch of water – enough only to allow the machine to puree until smooth; set aside.
  2. Put stock in a medium saucepan over low heat. Put oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, add onion, stirring occasionally until it softens, 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add white wine, stir, and let liquid bubble away. Add a large pinch of salt. Add warmed stock, 1/2 cup or so at a time, stirring occasionally. Each time the stock has just about evaporated, add more.
  4. After about 15 minutes, add the remaining asparagus pieces and tips, continuing to add stock when necessary. In 5 minutes, begin tasting rice. You want it to be tender but with a bit of crunch; it could take as long as 30 minutes total to reach this stage. When it does, stir in 1/4 cup asparagus puree. Remove skillet from heat, add remaining butter and stir briskly. Add Parmesan and stir briskly, then taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.

buckwheat waffles with rhubarb strawberry compote

April 23, 2012

I’m one of those slightly irritating people that gets pretty darn excited around this time of year because all of a sudden my beloved citrus is fading and – oh! look! asparagus! rhubarb! spring! Yep, that’s me. Mostly I keep this excitement inside because really, I don’t want to annoy everyone, but seeing all these things pop up means only one thing: soon I can wear sandals, bare my legs, sit in the sun, go swimming, and make summer pies. And that, friends, is happiness to me.

Rhubarb feels really English to me – Rhubarb and Custard anyone?! – although living in the States my inkling is to put it in a pie before I make rhubarb and custard or a crumble. The first thing I did with this bunch – my very first of the season – was simply to stew it into a compote with a mix of spices, sugar, and lemon juice. Oh and some strawberries! Which smelled too good not to buy even though I’m well aware it’s not strawberry season yet. Look, nobody’s perfect.

The oh-so sweet compote went beautifully on these buckwheat/wholewheat flour waffles which aren’t too sweet. A dollop of crème fraîche adds a lovely tang. Clearly, bacon is a must on the side. Brits, I know it’s hard to wrap your head around bacon with a sweet breakfast but I urge you to give it a try. If you like sweet-salty combos otherwise (think chocolate sea salt cookies or salted caramel) then you’ll love it. Really, I couldn’t think of anything I’d rather have with waffles or pancakes than bacon.

Oh and lastly, any leftover compote can be refrigerated for several days and gores wonderfully with yoghurt and granola in a parfait.

Buckwheat Waffles with Rhubarb Strawberry Compote
adapted from my buckwheat pancakes and rhubarb compote

Ingredients

For the waffles

  • 1 cup buckwheat flour
  • 1 cup wholewheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 3/4 cups buttermilk or milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • canola oil, to grease waffle maker

For the compote

  • 8oz medium rhubarb stalks leaves removed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 8oz strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions

  1. Make the compote: In a medium saucepan, mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and spices, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the rhubarb is tender but not falling apart, about 8 minutes. Transfer the rhubarb to a small bowl and let cool or cover and refrigerate until thick, at least 1 hour. (Can be made up to a day in advance.)
  2. Melt two tablespoons unsalted butter in a small pan and set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Combine buckwheat flour, wholewheat flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a medium sized bowl and whisk together.
  4. In a separate, larger bowl combine buttermilk, eggs, honey, and melted butter. Whisk til the mixture is smooth and completely blended.
  5. Grease waffle iron with canola oil using a pastry brush and heat. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and use a spatula to mix until just combined. Pour some the mixture into heated waffle maker. Cook to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately with compote and crème fraîche. Makes 2 or 3 large waffles.

  « OLDER