Cinnamon Beef Noodles

I have a terrific cookbook called “Asian Noodles” by Nina Simonds that has a lot of great recipes accompanied by tantalizing photographs. There is a recipe in the Noodle Soups chapter for Cinnamon Beef Noodles which is delicious. It might sound a little odd to use cinnamon and aniseed in a beef dish but it creates a warm, intense flavor that beautifully complements the green-ness of the spinach. I found however, that the soup didn’t work very well for leftovers because the noodles would disintegrate after the first day. I thought I’d try recreating the recipe as a noodle dish rather than a soup. My version has exactly the same flavors, just a slightly different format. And the leftovers are fantastic!

Cinnamon Beef Noodles (6 servings)

• 1 tbsp. canola oil
• 6 scallions, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. minced or grated fresh ginger
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. aniseed
• 1 tbsp. corn starch
• 1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. fish sauce
• ½ cup beef broth
• 1 ½ - 2 lbs. beef chuck boneless short rib, cut into strips
• 6 oz. baby spinach
• 1 lb. udon or similar noodles (you could also substitute fettucini), cooked

1. Heat oil in a large wok or skillet. Add the scallions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and aniseed and stir fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beef and sauté until cooked through.
2. Add the cornstarch and mix. Add the beef stock, soy sauce, and fish sauce and cook until thickened, about 1 minute.
3. Add the spinach and mix until it wilts. Add the noodles and stir to combine.

Doro Wat (Ethiopian Chicken Stew)

I was recently given a big container of berbere, an Ethiopian spice mixture. It smelled heavenly and I wanted to use it so I decided to make doro wat. I scoured the Internet for recipes and found quite a few variations and I then came up with my own version. This aromatic and spicy dish is simple to make – provided you have the berbere – and the flavors are fantastic. You can make your own berbere or you can buy it from a specialty store; either way, there is plenty of information – recipes and sources – online.

Doro Wat (6 servings)

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp. berbere
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken stock
• juice of 1 lime

1. Heat oil in a large pan and brown the chicken.
2. Remove the chicken and add the butter, onion, garlic, ginger, and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the berbere and sauté until it brown, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, chicken stock, and lime juice and simmer 3-4 minutes.
3. Return chicken to the pan, cover, and simmer slowly for 30 minutes, turning chicken from time to time.
4. Serve with basmati rice or couscous.

Boston Baked Bean Soup

And just like that, the summer is over. Saturday was so rainy and chilly that I wanted something warming and comfortable. This soup is my reinvention of the classic New England dish Boston baked beans. Using canned beans – rinsed and drained to remove excess sodium – means the soup doesn’t need hours to cook like the original baked dish does. If you have the time, by all means use dried beans (soak them overnight then simmer the soup for a couple of hours) but the canned are certainly good enough for a great chilly New England autumn meal.

Boston Baked Bean Soup (6 servings)

• 4 strips bacon, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• ½ tsp. dry mustard
• ¼ tsp. paprika
• ¼ cup molasses
• 3 15-oz. cans of navy beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups chicken stock

1. Sauté the bacon in a soup pot for 4-5 minutes. Add the onion and sauté until softened cooked, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar, mustard, paprika, and molasses and cook for 1 minute more.
2. Mash the beans from one can with a fork or potato masher. Add all the beans and the stock to the soup pot. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 45-60 minutes.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Spinach Polenta

A recent issue of Cooking Light had a recipe for chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese, caramelized spring onions, and thyme which sounded appealing. They recommended serving it with polenta and broccolini. Now, polenta is not my favorite side dish; I find it somewhat bland. But I wondered if I could jazz it up by combining a green vegetable – in this case spinach – with the polenta along with a couple of other flavorful ingredients, including garlic and Parmesan cheese. Success! The result is almost like a creamed spinach but with that wonderful polenta texture, which I love. The chicken was good, the spinach polenta turned out to be my favorite part of the dish.
Spinach Polenta (serves 6)

• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• ½ cup instant polenta
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• 1 10-oz. box frozen spinach, heated

1. Add the garlic to the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Slowly add the polenta, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and continue stirring for 5 minutes or until desired consistency.
2. Remove from heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and spinach.

Pasta Puttanesca

Pasta Puttanesca – which has a colorful and somewhat debated history – is a terrific dish that is incredibly flavorful but is also fast and easy. It’s a little bit spicy, a little bit salty, and very, very satisfying. Pasta Puttanesca (serves 6)

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 3-4 anchovy fillets
• crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• ¼ cup capers, drained
• ¼ cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
• 10-12 fresh basil leaves, torn
• 1 lb. bucatini (you can use spaghetti, linguini, or capellini), cooked and drained, reserving ¼ cup of the pasta water
• Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oil in a large pan. Add the anchovy fillets and cook, stirring, until they break apart.
2. Add the crushed red pepper flakes (exact amount depends on how spicy you want it) and the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the capers and olives and cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
5. Add the basil and the reserved pasta water. Stiff and toss sauce with the pasta. Serve with Parmesan cheese.