Rice Noodles & Coconut-Matcha Broth with Delicata Squash, Baby Bok Choy & Cilantro

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Adapted from Blue Apron November  2020

 
Now, here is a dish that brings sunshine to your soul. This recipe is harnessing its complex flavor and gorgeous color of matcha powder to bring an extra-special touch to the rice noodles and vegetables. Matcha, a powder made from finely milled whole green tea leaves, has been used in Japanese tea ceremonies for nearly a millennium. In the broth, sweet coconut milk and palm sugar perfectly balance the matcha’s earthiness. Layered with herbaceous cilantro and other savory aromatics, like Thai Red Bird Chilies, this dish is a modern take on some of my favorite East Asian flavors.
 
Serves 2
 
Ingredients:
  • ½ pound wide rice noodles
  • 1¾ cups coconut milk
  • 3  cloves garlic
  • 2 scallions
  • 1 delicata squash
  • 1 Lime
  • ½ pound baby bok choy
  • 1 bunch Thai basil
  • One  1-Inch piece ginger
  • 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar or light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Matcha Powder
  • Thai Red Bird Chilies, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475°F.

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high.

Using a sturdy knife, cut off and discard both ends of the squash. Slice the squash crosswise into ½-inch-thick rounds; cut out and discard the pulp and seeds.

Using a peeler, remove the rind of the lime, avoiding the white pith; mince the rind to get 2 teaspoons of zest (or use a zester). Quarter the lime. Peel and mince the garlic and ginger. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions; thinly slice, separating the white bottoms and green tops. Trim off and discard the root ends of the bok choy; roughly chop the leaves and stems. Pick the basil leaves off the stems; discard the stems.

In a small bowl, combine the matcha powder and 2 tablespoons of warm water.

Place the squash on a sheet pan. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper; toss to thoroughly coat. Arrange in a single, even layer and roast 20 to 22 minutes, or until golden brown and tender when pierced with a knife. Remove from the oven and top with the juice of 2 lime wedges.

Once the squash has roasted for about 10 minutes, add the noodles to the pot of boiling water. Cook 4 to 6 minutes, or until al dente (still slightly firm to the bite). Drain thoroughly and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Rinse and wipe out the pot.

While the squash continues to roast, in the pot used to cook the noodles, heat 2 teaspoons of oil on medium-high until hot. Add the garlic, ginger, bok choy and white bottoms of the scallions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened and the bok choy leaves have wilted.

To make the broth, add to the pot of vegetables, the coconut milk (shaking the can just before opening), matcha-water mixture, lime zest, palm sugar and the juice of the remaining lime wedges; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until well combined and heated through. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, rinse the cooked noodles under warm water to loosen them; drain thoroughly. Divide between 2 bowls. Top with the broth and roasted squash. Garnish with the green tops of the scallions, basil and chilies. Enjoy!  

Wine Pairing Notes:

Rancho la Viña Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014

Tea notes in this Pinot reinforce the noodles’ matcha tea broth. The squash’s earthy sweetness balances the medium body and acidity.

San Simeon Pinot Noir 2014
Matcha’s green herbal note and the noodles’ nuttiness marry well with the the strawberry and cinnamon aromas of this Pinot Noir.

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Shiitake Mushroom and Pesto Linguine with Spinach

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I love mushrooms so much, that this recipe uses two kinds in this dish: your workaday standard creminis and somewhat-exotic shiitakes. These umami vessels are joined by healthy spinach, savory sun-dried tomatoes, and herbaceous, flavor-eous pesto. It’s all twirled together with pasta that makes for an easy-peasy, maximum flavor meal just when you need it.

 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 oz. Cremini Mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch
  • 3 oz. Shiitake Mushrooms, stemmed and sliced 1/4 inch
  • 1 Shallot, peeled and thinly sliced.
  • 4 oz. Baby Spinach
  • 5 oz. Linguine
  • 1 oz. Julienned Sun-Dried Tomatoes
  • ¼ cup Basil Pesto (See Cook’s Notes. Recipe Follows Below.)
  • 1 small plum or Roma tomato, sliced
  • 1 oz. Shredded Asiago Cheese
  • Salt  and Ground Black Pepper, to taste

 

Directions:

Bring 8 cups water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil in a medium pot. Once water is boiling, add pasta and cook until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup pasta cooking water. Drain pasta in a colander. DO NOT RINSE THE PASTA. Set aside.

While pasta cooks, brown mushrooms. Place a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, cremini mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms to the hot pan. Stir occasionally until well-browned, 4-5 minutes.

Add shallot to pan. Stir occasionally until tender, 1-2 minutes. Stir in the spinach reserved pasta cooking water, sun-dried tomatoes, a pinch of salt salt, and ¼ teaspoons black pepper. Cook until spinach wilts, 2-3 minutes.

Add the pasta and pesto to pan and stir to combine.

To serve, add the finished pasta to a large bowl, garnishing with Asiago and sliced tomatoes.

 

Bon appétit!

 

 

 

Cook’s Notes:

Pesto is a mouthful of bright brightness. You can buy it in a jar , found in  the refrigerator section of your grocery story, but there is nothing better than making it yourself. Fresh basil can be found in abundance at farmers’ markets in the summer. Just clean, take the stems off and throw the leaves in a food processor with nuts and garlic. Dribble in the oil and you’ve got a versatile sauce for pasta, chicken or fish.

Yields 2 cups

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves (no stems)
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts
  • 2 large cloves garlic
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

 

Directions:

  1. Combine basil leaves, pine nuts or walnuts and garlic in a food processor and process until very finely minced.
  2. With the machine running slowly dribble in the oil and process until the mixture is smooth.
  3. Add the cheese and process very briefly, just long enough to combine. Store in refrigerator or freezer.

 

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Feta Stuffed Pork Chops

 

This recipe makes for pork chops that a are flavorful, juicy, and tender. This oven-baked technique will ensure that your pork has a delicious crust and a perfectly cooked interior. Just follow these simple tips below and prepare yourself to reconsider everything you know about this weeknight-friendly cut. The recipe follows.

Tips on Cooking the Perfect Pork Chops

1. Buy the pork chops bone-in and thick.
Typically, bone-in pork chops are thicker than those with the bone removed. A thin pork chop is difficult to cook perfectly with this method, because of the hard sear you give both sides before it goes in the oven. If a chop is too thin, by the time you’ve seared both sides, the thing is practically overcooked! Choosing a thick chop allows you to get a nice golden sear on both sides and a perfectly cooked tender center.

2. Get your skillet HOT.
The goal of this initial sear is to get a golden, crisp crust on your chop without really cooking the center. I find that using a cast iron skillet is the best for cooking pork chops. A hot skillet is so CRUCIAL. Let your pork chops cook a couple minutes undisturbed, then take a peek and see how that golden crust is forming. When you are pleased with the desired golden sear, flip the chops over and brown them again, to get golden on the other side.

3. Brush with butter.
This classic restaurant trick—basting with butter while cooking—makes a great dish worthy f five stars. However, if you are trying to keep it healthy and watch the cholesterol, this step isn’t required, but it will definitely make the pork chops extremely delicious though. For the recipe below, you will be brushing a garlicky rosemary butter on the chops.

4. Use a meat thermometer.
Yes, many parofessional and home cooks will say that you will known the meat is done by instinct, but let’s be real, that takes years of experience by being the kitchen. But if you are not familiar with the “doneness” of your proteins, using a meat thermometer will make your life just a tad bit easier. I know, I know. This is the extra step that often seems fussy, but trust me, it’s worth it. Using a meat thermometer takes the guess work out of cooking pork chops, and that’s “a good thing.” The temperature you pull your chops at is totally up to you, but here’s a quick guide to choosing the right temperature for your taste. As always, give the meat some time to rest before digging in. Five to ten minutes should do the trick.

  1. 120°-130° F: This is comfortably at medium rare. Warning! You will see pink, and that’s is perfectly fine (See the USDA tips for cooking pork). The pork chop will be rosy-pink on the inside and super juicy.
  2. 130°-140° F: For those who are not comfortable with pink pork, this might be the right temperature zone for you. There will be a touch of pink in the center, but for the most part the flesh will be white. The meat will still be nice and juicy.
  3. 140°-145° F: No pink here! The meat will be completely white all the way through. Pork chops at this temperature will still have the potential to be juicy, just be sure to pull them from the oven on the lower end of this spectrum, as the chops will continue to cook even after they’re out of the oven. Anything past 145° F is the danger DRY zone, so keep a close watch.

Other than that, good luck and happy eating!

Serves 4

Ingredients:
For the Feta Cheese Filling:
3 tablespoons feta cheese (crumbled)
2/3 cup diced sun dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, taste

For the Pork Chops:
4 bone-in pork loin chops
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, taste

For the Glaze:
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375° F.

Mix feta cheese, tomatoes, parsley and olive oil in a bowl. Use the tip of a sharp boning or paring knife to cut a 3-inch slit in the side of each pork chop, 2 inches deep and 1/4-inch away from the bone, to make a pocket for stuffing. Stuff pork chops with feta cheese filling and secure with toothpicks.

Season pork chops with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl mix together butter, rosemary, and garlic. Set aside.

In cast iron or oven safe skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil then add pork chops. Sear until golden, 4 minutes, flip and cook 4 minutes more. Brush pork chops generously with garlic butter.

Place the skillet in oven and cook until cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Serve with more garlic butter, if desired.

pork-chop-verticalPhoto Credit: Ethan Calabrese, 2018.

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All photographs and content, excepted where noted, are copyright protected. Please do not use these photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this photograph and all other contents, then we kindly ask that you link back to this site. We are eternally grateful and we appreciate your support of this blog.

Thank you so much!

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