The Food Matters Project: Sesame Noodles with Kale, Crab & Salmon

The Food Matters Project challenge for this week was Mark Bittman's Sesame Noodles with Spinach and Salmon, chosen by Sara of Pidge's Pantry. Click here to see what everyone else made. Look in the comments section.

This was an easy dinner on a Sunday night. Well, easy for me. My husband had to pick the crabs clean...which I really, really appreciated. I did pour him an oatmeal stout while he cracked and pulled.

And I especially loved that the crab was pulled from the bay this afternoon. I am so grateful to have friends who fish and crab. Or, in this case, friends of friends.

3 C baby kale leaves
1 C thinly sliced shitake mushrooms
1 T minced garlic
enough whole wheat spaghetti noodles for everyone you're serving
olive oil
sesame oil
soy sauce
sesame seeds for garnish
2 handfuls haricots verts, blanched
crab meat
smoked salmon

Cook the pasta. In the meantime, brown the garlic in a large flat-bottom pan. Add the shitake mushrooms and baby kale. Cook until the greens are wilted and the mushrooms are softened. Drain the pasta and stir into the kale-mushroom mix. Toss to coat with olive oil. Season with sesame oil and soy sauce. To plate: spoon your pasta as the base, lay blanched green beans on top, layer smoked salmon and fresh crab meat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an...

Ki Ngombo = Okra

In honor of Mardi Gras, I searched for traditional recipes for gumbo...only to discover that there is no canonical recipe for gumbo. It seems there are as many recipes for gumbo as there are cooks! The only two constants in a gumbo: variety and okra. The term 'gumbo' likely comes from an African dialect whose word for okra is ki ngombo . Gumbos can have meat, seafood, just about anything. In Mark Huntsman's "The History of Gumbo" he refers to written mentions of using muskrat and owl in gumbo recipes. I embraced the unlimited potential of ingredients and opted for a combination of fish, chicken, pancetta, oysters, mussels, octopus, shrimp, and squid...and lots of okra!

A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige #ItalianFWT on CulinaryCam.Com

I am in the process of migrating over to my new domain. Come on over to read " A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige " for December's #ItalianFWT.

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

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