combustication

After browsing through Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything” at a friends apartment while job hunting in September, I fell in love with the man. Oh, I’ve been a fan of the Minimalist NYT’s column, but How to Cook Everything was thick tome full of delicious, yet easy, sounding recipes. Bittman recently came out with “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” and after much deliberation (do I really need another cookbook), I bought it and I am really glad. The book is full of clever tips, excellent flavor combinations and a great section on legumes and grains. Last night I made potstickers using Bittman’s dumpling dough recipe and my own filling and they were fantastic. I also made the Green Tea Broth with Udon Noodles recipe and really enjoyed the interesting flavor combo of green tea and starchy noodles. Very simple, very easy and very very good. I highly recommend giving this one a shot.

Green Tea Broth with Udon Noodles (adopted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian)

Ingredients:
water
1/4 cup green tea leaves (I used Japanese Sencha Green Tea - very hearty flavor)
8 oz. udon noodles
salt
freshly ground pepper
mirin, soy sauce or sugar (to taste)

To Do
Put 7 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil. Let sit for a few minutes and then add 1/4 cup of the green tea leaves. Let steep for 5-10 minutes, until you have a golden and fragrant (broth) (I did it for about 12 minutes) and then strain the tea, throwing away the leaves. Bring to a rolling boil and throw in a couple of pinches of salt. Add the udon noodles and bring to a boil, then add 2 cups cold water and bring to a boil again. Cover and simmer until noodles are done, about 7-8 minutes. Grind some pepper, taste for salt and add the mirin, sugar or soy sauce if you want.

Bittman then goes on with a list of things you can add to the soup (just one example of how versatile this book is). I added some chopped up local tofu and scallions to the soup during the last 2 minutes of simmering and a couple of dashes of tamari and then a squirt of red chili paste for heat. Once again, a very simple and delicious recipe.