DRIVE BY udon soup for one for lunch, better than instant and if you have broth from a pressure cooked chicken, you're even healthier... so delicious too!

I haven't been the happiest lately.  I'm feeling pretty lonely and thinking about what I need to do to change all that.  Well, I know what to do but it's actually doing it.  That being said, I needed to find something comforting to eat.  I had the broth from a chicken I pressure cooked so that's a good start.  I searched in the pantry and found some 'fresh' udon noodles I'd bought as an experiment.  .50/each can't go wrong there! This is the package.  They're soft and mostly vacuum packed.  The instructions say boil 3 minutes, how hard can that be?  But, I thought, I can do better that.

**IF you don't have these fresh udon noodles, use leftover spaghetti if you have it, 
cook some udon noodles and use those, use dry rice noodles, there's a million options.
don't NOT make this for want of this one packet of udon noodles 

I decided that a big hot steaming rich bowl of udon soup is exactly what I needed to make me feel the love.

DRIVE BY RECIPE:  TRACY'S UDON SOUP

INGREDIENTS

1 packet udon noodles, check out the ones that I buy now, they'e .50/each and easily enough for two for lunch
1 spring/green onion, chopped and split into whites and greens
2-3 inches of the tops of celery stalk
Small handful of greens or shredded cabbage or slaw, whatever you have in the fridge
1 tsp grated ginger
2 1/2 cups stock or water or combination
plain oil
light soy sauce
oyster sauce
sesame oil
hot chili oil (optional)

METHOD AND PLAY BY PLAY PICS 

 In a saucepan, over medium high heat, add some oil to heat up, add the grated ginger and white part of the spring onion, add a small handful of greens or slaw and shush around a bit.  The veggies will look a little softer but not limp, no one wants limp vegetables.  Total time so far? about a minute.

    

Add the packet of fresh udon.  I dump them in and stir them around in the hot oil and veggies for just a moment.  When they're all combined in the veggies, add the chicken stock, about 2+ cups.  This is my 'jelly' stock from the pressure cooked chicken.  So rich, man I love this stuff.  You can use stock from a can or a bottle or jar.  

    

Stir the noodles into the broth, add about a tablespoon of oyster sauce and a little bit of light soy. Bring to a boil pretty quickly, I set a mental timer for 3 minutes. After about 3 minutes, take it off the heat and add the onion greens and a few DROPS of sesame oil.

    

Stir, oh look at this saucepan of love.  I scoop out some noodles to each bowl (or just into mine!) and then pour the soup over.  You can eat the noodles with chopsticks or a fork or use a spoon for both. Oh and slurp, you must slurp loudly.

    

NOW, in the spirit of full disclosure, I do have a ice cream sundae glass that I keep filled with hot chili oil.  I take some Sambal (or garlic chili paste) and put it in the bottom, I then cover with plain oil and stir, every day or so or every time I walk by, I stir it and then, in a day or so you get this brilliant, neon red oil that packs a loving punch of chili without the tear causing sambal straight from the jar.  So, I added a drizzle, oh look at those little neon oil floaters of delight.   

 

I'd love to wax poetic but I'm going to sit and eat this now, all of it. x 

/enjoy

Lentils with cauliflower steak, yeah, it's much more delicious than the sum of it's parts. You can do it all in the pressure cooker ahead then assemble and eat as desired

I saw a picture of lentils with a cauliflower steak on it, online.  I was intrigued and delighted at the same time.  Yeah, I had a bag of lentils and you bet I had a whole cauliflower.  I grabbed the pressure cooker and got started.  The total cook time, once at pressure, is 9 for the lentils and 10 for the cauliflower.  I made them ahead and shoved them in the fridge so that when I had a hankering, it could be satisfied within minutes and THAT is the way I like a hankering to be satisfied.

TRACY'S LENTILS AND CAULIFLOWER STEAK

OK, I cooked the cauliflower, whole, in the pressure cooker... link here:

http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2016/07/whole-cauliflower-in-pressure-cooker.html

THEN I made the lentils in the pressure cooker... link here:

http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2016/07/pressure-cooked-lentils-as-side-not-as.html

I happened to make both the day ahead but you can certainly do this at the last minute.  Cook the cauliflower first so it can set while you make the lentils.

This is an assembly job, ready?  You're going to love this: 

METHOD

Slice the cauliflower into one inch steaks.  Heat some butter and a little oil in a pan over medium high.  Salt and pepper the cauliflower steak and place it in the butter.  Leave it alone.

    

 You'll notice the butter browns slightly around the edge of the cauliflower, that's your notice to flip it, add a little water around the edge to stop the butter from browning and to help heat the cauliflower through if you're using it from the fridge like I did.

     

Put some lentils in a bowl/plate and heat them up, I nuked mine :) Place the cauliflower on top and drizzle with any of the pan juices.

EAT

  

 I hope you like this I saw a pic online of this and had to make my own version immediately.  I'm sort of weak like that.

I devoured this and am eyeing the cauliflower thinking I might secretly make myself another one, you know, for science.  I hoe you try this, it's really quite delicious and you feel great eating it, it's filling but light at the same time,  A big crusty roll would go nicely here too.

Let me know what you think!

/enjoy


tracy

PRESSURE COOKED LENTILS, as a side, not as a soup, that's another post

I had a hankering for lentils, for dinner, with a fried cauliflower steak on it.  I saw a picture online and my committee immediately started to harass me till I made it :)

I pressure cooked the whole cauliflower and threw it in the fridge till I needed it, the link here:

http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2016/07/whole-cauliflower-in-pressure-cooker.html

I made these lentils and put them in containers, two in the freezer, one in the fridge for me for lunch today, this is going to be good.

TRACY'S PRESSURE COOKER LENTILS 

(as a side, not a soup)

INGREDIENTS

1 lb bag lentils, picked over
1 Tb bacon fat or oil
1 carrot, chopped small
1 onion, chopped small
1 rib of celery, chopped small
2 bay leaves (I use fresh because my mom brings them to me, dry is fine)
salt, pepper, whatever herbs you love
water

METHOD

Melt the bacon oil in the pressure cooker pot, set to BROWN, put in the chopped veggies and fry them around till they get little kisses of brown on the edges, yeah, I did just say that.

Add the picked lentils and bay leaves, stir around to coat the lentils with the veggie bacony juices.  Add salt, pepper, whatever herbs you love.  I add sage because I think lentils and sage work well together.

Cover with water, by one inch, I use the fingertip method of measuring.  I stick my finger in the pot to the settled lentils, the water should come up to the first knuckle it's an inch I think.

LOCK AND LOAD, HIGH PRESSURE, 9 MINUTES

Release immediately or leave to come down out of pressure on it's own, it doesn't matter.  Give the lentils a stir and either eat or package and store in the fridge or the freezer.

I love these as a side, they have a little juice but it's not soup or stew, it's just beautifully cooked lentils that hold their shape but are cooked through and tender.

Here's the pics:

Melt the bacon fat and shush the veggies around in it till they lightly color

    

Pick through the lentils and toss them in and shush them around in the veggies to coat them lightly in the bacon fat or the oil.  Add water to cover by about an inch or so and lock and load, high pressure, for 9 minutes

    

LOOK at these beauties.  Individual lentils, not mush, absolutely perfectly cooked.  Give them a stir, eat them right away (my favorite way) or put them in containers and store in the fridge or freezer.  

   

I'm going to make my lunch now, reheat these lentils and fry a cauliflower steak and yeah, it's about to be good to be me (pics to follow, well, after I eat)

/enjoy