Cold Asian Noodle Salad Dressing

Cold Asian Noodle Salad Dressing

1/4 C Soy
4-6 TBS Lime Juice
4 TBS Olive Oil
4 TBS Laxmi Garlic Ginger Paste
2 TBS Brown Sugar

2 TBS Sesame Oil

1/2 - 1 tsp Siracha

Whisk an serve over cold noodles

Add:

sesame seeds

sunflower seeds

raisins

mandarin oranges

peanuts

cashews

bean sprouts

cilantro 

basil

shredded cabbage

shredded broccoli

red peppers

grated carrots

radishes

Noodles, Dumplings, Spaetzle und Knoedel

I haven't made any of these yet, but I remember the first time Rich showed me how to crack an egg in a cup of flour and roll it into home  made noodles.  I was amazed.  Was that all there was to it?  Apparently so.

These are a few recipes I am putting on file for future reference...

Apparently Dumplings have baking soda... or you can use Bisquick.

• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup milk or water

Preparation:
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together; add liquid and mix to make a batter that can be dropped from a spoon. Drop onto boiling stew, being careful there is plenty of liquid. Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on size of dumplings.
http://southernfood.about.com/od/biscuitrecipes/r/bl30727f.htm

Noodles1 Egg, 1 C flour and 1 pinch salt

Mix all ingredients. Roll thin with flour, then roll like a jelly roll. Cut into 1/2 inch strips. Let dry.
Drop into hot chicken broth. Boil for 15 minutes.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/homemade-noodles/

Spaetzel

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Dash white pepper
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4 quarts chicken broth or water
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

• In a bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Add eggs and milk; stir to mix well (batter will be thick). In a Dutch oven or large kettle, bring chicken broth to a boil. 
• I think they are supposed to be squeezed through a collander with large holes... which I lack.
• Drop batter by 1/2 teaspoonfuls into boiling liquid. Boil until spaetzle rise to the surface; remove to ice water. Drain well. In a skillet, heat spaetzle in butter until lightly browned. Serve with schnitzel and gravy or with Parmesan cheese. Yield: 2 servings.

And then there's Knoedel, leftover bread, formed into balls and cooked:

• 6 oz. day-old bread (3 rolls)
• 1/3 - 2/3 c. milk (75 ml)
• 2 tsp. butter
• 1/4 c. onion, minced
• 2 T. parsley, minced or 1 T. dried
• 1/4 tsp. dried marjoram
• 1 egg
• Freshly grated nutmeg (1/4 tsp. ground)

Preparation:

Making Semmelknödel

Cut or tear the rolls into small bits. Pour 1/3 cup milk over the bread and let it sit 5 minutes. Test it and see if it needs more milk. The bread should be softened but not dripping wet. Add enough milk to achieve this consistency.

Sauté the onion, parsley and marjoram in one or two teaspoons of butter.

Stir the egg and nutmeg with the bread crumbs, then add the onions and mix. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes, then mix again briefly, taste and add more spices if necessary. The dough should be firm, with pieces of the crust still visible.

With wet hands, form 4 Knödel (round dumplings) and cook 15 - 20 minutes in simmering water. Do not let the water boil. You can make Knödel in any size, just adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Note: The amount of milk you need depends on how dry the bread or rolls are and how big they are. Normal sized rolls weigh about 2 ounces.

If the dough is too wet to hold together, add some bread crumbs, either from the package, or day-old.

Chicken Carcass Soup with Noodles or Rice

A roasted chicken carcass, be it from your own oven or a rotisserie chicken from the super market still has flavor and possibilities left in it. It's also a good way to utilize the older vegetables at the bottom of the drawer, that have lost their plate appeal. You should use the oldest vegetables in the drawer for the "stock," though it's not really stock, because you will be cooking the flavor out of them and into the base, and then discarding them with the carcass.

"Stock"
1 picked chicken carcass, set meat aside.
2-3 carrots
1 onion
1-2 stalks of celery
1-2 cloves garlic
peppercorns
rosemary sprigs
a bay leaf or two
Whatever you may have roasted in the chicken, we usually use apples and/or oranges
Other miscellaneous vegetables of dubious age: radishes, turnips, chives, mushrooms

Coarsely chop the vegetables, break up the chicken carcass and place the above ingredients in a stock pot and cover with Water.

Bring to a boil then simmer for at least one hour

Soup
2-4 carrots
1-2 stalks of celery
1-2 garlic cloves sliced
1-2 cups prepared noodles or rice
1-2 cups leftover chicken meat
2 TSP Chicken stock base, or 1 can chicken broth
salt an pepper to taste.

spices and herbs: There are a couple of options here, depending on what you have available and what flavor you are looking for:
a) 1-2 tsp Szeged Chicken rub - Garlicy and compliments chicken nicely
b) rosemary, sage, thyme. Add in that order a pinch at a time.
if I ever figure out measurements I will post them
c) 1 tsp Penzey's Bouquet Garni* - this is a magnificent & flavorful blend of herbs

Dice up fresh vegetables into bite size pieces

Using a collander strain the "stock" into a large bowl or another pot

Pick off any usable chicken meat and set aside, discard the boiled vegetables and bones.

Return stock to pot, add fresh vegetables. Alternatively, if you are throwing in last night's leftover vegetables, add them after 25 minutes with the rice/ noodles / meat, because they are already cooked.

Stir in chicken base

Add seasonings to taste.

Simmer 20-30 minutes until the vegetables have the desired crunchiness. This really is a personal preference. We like ours al-dente, not mushy like canned soup.

When the vegetables are "done", add the rice or noodles and chicken meat.

Give kids dinner warning, it will be ready in 5-10 minutes.



* Penzey's Bouquet Garni: Hand-mixed from: savory, rosemary, thyme, Turkish oregano, basil, dill weed, marjoram, sage and tarragon. http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysbouquet.html