Soba Noodles with Broccoli and Ginger-Peanut Sauce

I've recently harvested some broccoli and it looks really good!  I'm excited because, although I've grown broccoli before, it is usually tiny and sprouts before it is big enough to pick.  My favourite way to eat broccoli is in this dish so I thought I'd make and share the recipe.  The photos of the dish were taken in a brightly lit area so it doesn't show the true green of the veggie, but they really were the best specimens I've grown to date.

You can pretty much use any veggies you want but I like to include broccoli, red pepper, snow peas, carrots (neither of which I had today but I included the carrots in the recipe since I would normally have them), lots of options.  The sauce can be adjusted to suit your tastes ... this is a pretty standard version but you could add more hot sauce for a spicier version.  This should serve 4.  Leftover noodles can be changed up a bit to include ginger-sauteed shrimp or leftover chicken, etc.

Start with the sauce as it needs some time for the flavours to blend - I usually make it several hours or even a day ahead of time.

Ginger-Peanut Sauce

Mix all of the following ingredients together into a smooth sauce - if it's too stiff (like a paste), add 1-2 Tbsp of water or more lime juice to thin it out (it should be the consistency of thick ketchup).

• 2 limes
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 5 Tbsp smooth or crunchy peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sriracha sauce

The Noodle Dish

10 ounces buckwheat (soba) noodles
2 limes
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 lb broccoli, cut into florets and slice the stalk if tender enough
1 carrot, julienned
Cilantro for garnish

Cook the noodles according to the package - it usually says 5-6 minutes but I find they are ready to my liking around 3 1/2 minutes.  When cooked, immediately drain and toss in cold water.  When fully drained, drizzle 1-2 tsp of sesame oil over the noodles and toss again.

Lightly saute the garlic, ginger, onion, pepper and carrots with a small amount of olive oil.  After 3-4 minutes, add the broccoli and the juice of 1 lime.  Turn the heat to low and cover with a lid to steam the broccoli.

While the broccoli steams, get back to the noodles.  Toss them in a large bowl with 2 Tbsp of the ginger-peanut sauce.  I prefer to mix the sauce with the noodles and the veggies separately to ensure I get the right balance of flavours throughout the dish.

When the veggies are tender, turn off the heat and stir in 2 heaping Tbsp of the ginger-peanut sauce - add more to taste.  This amount is enough for me which usually leaves another few Tbsp of sauce to use for dipping fresh veggies.

There are two options for serving:

1) If you are sure your noodles are not overcooked and they can take a bit more heat, just mix the veggies and noodles together at this point and toss to mix.  Squeeze on a bit more lime juice, garnish with cilantro (which I totally forgot for the pictures) and serve immediately.

2) If you want to make sure your noodles don't get too mushy, serve the noodles in bowls first, and spoon some of the veggies over top (or let guests do this themselves).  Serve with slices of lime (and fresh cilantro).

Pasta with Borlotti Beans and Broccoli

I'm sure this can be made with some canned beans such as cannellini.  But I still have a couple of bags of borlotti beans from my harvest last fall.  Once the beans are soaked, this is very easy to toss together and super healthy!

Dried Borlotti Beans

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:
1/2 dried borlotti beans, soaked overnight
Pasta, your choice (I used penne)
1 medium white onion, sliced
2-3 cups broccoli florets
Chicken Stock
Cream



Drain the beans from their soaking liquid and rinse.  Cook in boiling water about 20-30 minutes; remove when they are "al dente" or just before.  Just remove them before they are fully cooked!

Prepare pasta.  It can be ready ahead of time; drain and set aside pasta when cooked.

Place the beans into a saute pan along with the sliced onion and about a 1/2 cup of the chicken stock.  The beans will complete their cooking in this liquid.  When beans are tender, add the broccoli and about 2 Tbsp of heavy cream.  Season to taste with S&P.  Cook until broccoli is tender.

Toss with pasta and serve with parmesan or aged cheddar.

Broccoli Soup with Blue Cheese Toasts

 

I decided that I would make a small pot of soup each week to keep on hand for lunches or a healthy snack; this is officially week two following last week's Ginger Carrot Soup with Coconut and Miso.  I wish I could say this was made with broccoli from my own garden but I had a failure earlier in the year and my fall crop is still struggling along after an early bout of worms.

I'll be the first to say how much I love a gooey, cheesy broccoli soup.  But it can be a little heavy.  This soup is made without any cheese, but gets a huge flavour boost from a small amount of blue cheese on toast to go with the soup.

When chopping up the broccoli, don't waste the stems ... they might need to have the tough outer skin shaved down a bit but are tender underneath.






Ingredients:
1 large white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
6-7 cups broccoli florets and stems
1/2 - 3/4 cup potato, diced small
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Evaporated milk
Nutmeg

In a large saucepan, heat a small amount of olive oil and saute the onion and garlic.  After about 8-10 minutes, the onion will be softened (but don't allow it to brown).  Add broccoli, potato and stock.  Bring to boil, then simmer (covered) for about 10 minutes until broccoli and potato are tender (make sure potatoes are diced small so they cook as quickly as the broccoli).  Whiz with an immersion blender to puree.  Add evaporated milk for a bit of creaminess - I used less than a full can, probably about 1 cup.  Add S&P to taste and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.

For the toast, use thinly sliced pieces of any bread (I used a buttermilk round).  Spread a small amount of butter on top and toast lightly (or just toast dry if you prefer).  Then spread a thin layer of blue cheese on each piece and toast a second time to melt the cheese and crisp the toast.

Broccoli Fail

I have not grown broccoli before, but I was aware that it was a cool-season plant and was expecting it to bolt.  So I was keeping a close eye for a nice tightly formed head of broccoli so that it could be harvested before it began to flower.  Well ... I waited and waited and next think I know the darn plants had gone too far.


The weather is just too hot to be growing broccoli at this time; I should have waited for a later planting with a fall harvest.  That firm head of broccoli just never happened. 






Out of 5 plants, I was able to salvage a nibble at best - one actually had a good head, small as it was.  I still have 8 or 9 smaller plants, but I'm not expecting much from them in this heat.





 

However, I was anxious to taste what little I had, and ate a couple of teeny pieces raw.  After a quick cleaning of the leaves, I nuked the remaining broccoli spears for a minute, and topped them with a bit of butter. 




After another bite or two, I looked down and noticed the worms in the bowl, two of them still attached to pieces of broccoli.  I know it's not necessary to point this out, but I will anyway ... GROSS!