Making Ramen Noodles

It took the new year and several days off to chill for motivation to spike for an all out ramen fest. We used the recipes from the Ivan Ramen cookbook (they work great!) and enjoyed the feast.

Ramen refers to the noodles and soup which in our case was a triple broth mixture including chicken stock, pork stock, and dashi. We purchased back up frozen noodles from the nearby Asian store. My honey bunny did most of the work as he made the roast pork, stocks, menma (bamboo), and sofrito. I made the noodles, steam buns, and assisted with the dashi.

The ramen noodles were made using my kitchen aid mixer with a pasta attachment. These were the first try of Ivan's Toasted Rye Noodles.

Ivan's Toasted Rye Noodles

75 grams of Rye Flour
620 grams high protein bread flour
300 grams cake flour
10 grams Kansui powder (bake baking soda at 275ºF x 1 hour)
430 milliliters cool water
13 grams salt
Cornstarch as needed

1. Bake the baking soda x 275ºF x 1 hour. Cool.

2. Toast the Rye flour in pan over medium heat about 4 minutes, until you can smell the aroma. Use 70 GRAMS in the recipe.

3. Mix water, salt, and kansui until fully dissolved.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine flours and add water mix. Mix for 10 minutes-- add a spoonful of water if it isn't coming together. It will be on the dry side. Dough should form into a ball of sorts. Cover the dough and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

5. Flatten dough into pieces and cover with a damp cloth.

6. Set up your pasta machine and adjust for largest size. Pass piece of dough through, fold onto self making a double sheet, run through thinner setting, and repeat for the thinnest setting. Run through 4th time without double sheeting for the thinnest you can get them. Set aside and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

7. Pass thin dough sheets through a cutter or cut by hand. As you work, toss the noodles with a little cornstarch to keep them from sticking together, shake off excess before cooking. Store the noodles in a container wrapped tightly with plastic (or individual portions in ziplock bags) for up to a day.

8. Cook in boiling water for about 50 seconds (varies with water and flour used). Drain. Place into bowl of hot soup broth. Garnish.

Making ramen noodles

Suan La Tang Chinese Hot & Sour Soup

Cravings for Chinese food hit randomly. We go on egg roll making sprees and stash them in the freezer. Egg rolls taste almost as good heated in the oven as they do fresh out of the fry oil . This is a favorite with egg rolls at my house. There is a stash of lilly buds and wood-ear ever ready in the pantry. Fresh tofu and ginger are often in our fridge so the ingredients are easy to gather together. Increase the heat by adding more black pepper. I go for middle of the road heat.

Suan la Tang Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients

Tiger Lilly Buds, 20 buds

Cloud Ear Fungus/Wood-Ear/Ki-kurage, 2 Tbsp dried

Chicken stock, 3 cups

Garlic, 1 clove peeled & smashed

Fresh Ginger, 1 knob peeled & smashed

Soy Sauce, 1 Tbsp

Salt, 1/2 tsp

Black pepper, 2 grinds

Rice Vinegar, 1 Tbsp

Corn starch, 2 Tbsp + 2Tbsp Water (more for thicker soup)

Firm Tofu, 1/4 block finely cubed

Scallions, garnish, chopped 1 tsp per serving

Sesame oil, garnish with a splash

Directions

1. Rehydrate Tiger Lilly Buds and Cloud Ear in hot water until softened, about 5 to 10 minutes.  
2. Over medium heat, bring chicken stock to a boil with smashed garlic and ginger.
3. Add soy sauce, salt, black pepper, and vinegar to stock.
4. Mix the corn starch with water and slowly add to the soup stirring vigorously until you have the consistency you want.
5. Dice tofu and scallions. Add tofu to stock and simmer 1 to 2 minutes until heated throughly.
6. Turn off the heat. Garnish with scallions and a splash of sesame oil. Serve with egg rolls if you have them.

Suan La Tang Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

Food Porn: Sausage, Cannellini, & Kale Soup

My current winter favorite is Sausage, Cannellini, & Kale Soup. This recipe is just because at long last, I can get cannellini beans locally, the pig man sells loose Italian sausage, and kale is at its wintery finest. I feel pretty fancy when I eat it. It looks like I should be eating it in Tuscany or something. This is easy to make compared to my Country Loaf recipe. (-_^) Use canned beans if you must, but it takes only an extra thought to make them from scratch-- the night before soak a cup of beans in some water. In the morning, before coffee, turn the pot on a low simmer. They'll be ready before you.

Sausage, Cannellini, & Kale Soup

Followed closely behind is my new favorite bread, Cinnamon Raisin Swirl, which I will be eating for breakfast. My husband has accused me of making food porn. He's is quite sure that the food police will come and confiscate my cookbooks if I continue to bake because of the current disgrace the grain based diet is in now that everyone else is going paleo or whatever the diet du jour is in these days. Hey, if it works for you and you feel great, awesome. I just happen to love soup and bread and soup and rice and soup and salad and sticky buns and dessert, and I feel great too.  The recipe is from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Bread Bible which is on loan momentarily from the Public Library, that warehouse of evil temptations. Here's some food porn for you to enjoy.

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

Still warm when cut so it's oozing cinnamon sugar

Sausage, Cannellini & Kale Soup

Serves 4 to 6

I first made this with loose Italian sausage, but eventually switched to using ground pork so I could adjust the spices to my tastes. Omit or adjust the spices if using sausage. Soak the dried beans the night before, rinse them in the morning and simmer them in fresh water or quicker yet, pressure cook them, while making your morning cup. Leave them covered on the stove until dinner or cool and store in the fridge for the next day. Rinse before adding to the soup pot. Add the kale just before serving and it will glow summer green in the heart of winter. This is a lovely soup in fall and winter.

Ingredients

Cannellini beans, 1 1/2 cups dry, soaked overnight, rinsed, & cook until tender

Olive Oil, 1 to 2 Tbsp

Fennel Seeds, 1 tsp

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, ⅛ tsp or pinch (vary as you like heat)

Rosemary, ½ tsp dried or 1 sprig

Greek Oregano, ½ tsp (1 tsp dried)

Salt, ½ tsp

Pepper, 3 to 4 cranks

Onion, 1 medium, diced (sweet)

Carrot, 1, peeled & diced

Celery, 1 stalk, diced

Garlic, 2 cloves smashed

Ground Pork, 1lb (~450 gm)

White Wine, ¼ cup

Chicken Stock, 8 cups

Kale, 2 cups chopped (remove thick stems)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Parmesan Cheese, 2 Tbsp for garnish

What to do

Prepare dried beans or drain a can. Soak the beans overnight. Rinse and drain. Pressure cook soaked beans in fresh water for 6 minutes and allow to cool down with the lid on OR simmer until tender, about 40 minutes. Set aside.

Dice onion, carrot, and celery. Smash the  garlic, ideally, in a mortar and pestle. Wash and chop kale. Grate the cheese.

In a pot over medium low heat, warm the olive oil. Add fennel, crushed red pepper flakes, rosemary, Greek oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook until spices begin to pop, about 2 minutes. Add diced onion and sauté until aromatic, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, & garlic and continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes. 

Add the pork and break into pieces with a spatula or wooden spoon. Cook until the pork is browned and cooked thoroughly, about 10 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the white wine, stirring to get the brown bits loose.

Add the chicken stock and drained beans. Bring to a boil over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Add the kale and simmer until bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately and garnish with parmesan cheese.