Chilli Noodles

Chilli Noodles
(UK Homes & Gardens May 1999 p.134)

500g (1 ¼ lb) Chinese egg noodles (dry weight)
4 T peanut oil
2 T chilli oil
1 small red chilli, de-seeded and finely shredded
1 bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped
2 T light soy sauce
juice and shredded zest of 2 limes
50g (2oz) sesame seeds, toasted
s & p

Cook the noodles . Mix all other ingredients together, adding plenty of salt and black pepper, and toss into the cooked noodles. The noodles can be served hot or cold, and will keep for 5 hours in the fridge. Serves 6.

Something's Fishy Pasta

When I first invited Lakshmi over for dinner, before we started dating, I tried pretty hard to impress her. Did I give myself away with the smoked salmon and goat cheese pasta? Maybe she thought something fishy was going on.

If you're trying to woo someone, here's how to make it:
Cook some pasta. If you're really going for it (which you should be), use fresh pasta.
Fry an onion and a few cloves of garlic.
Break the salmon into small chunks and add it to the pan with a handful of capers.
Turn the heat off and add the goat cheese so it warms but doesn't melt.
Put it on your pasta and eat right away!

Courtship Bolognese

Last January, when my buddy Judson and I went on the inaugural Bros In Snow ski trip, he asked me whether Shmi and I were dating. I told him we were. "I thought something was up when you brought home-made spaghetti sauce," he said, recalling an after-winter league dinner we had at Shmi's house. It's a recipe from my maternal grandma, and it's actually a super easy to make. And it's delicious! It lasts for days (or indefinitely in the freezer). In fact, it gets a bit better after a day or two--the flavors start to really come out. Here's how she made it:

Use a really big pot to do the cooking.
Fry 2 yellow onions in a couple lugs of olive oil.
After 5m or so, add half a head of chopped garlic.
Add 1 lb ground pork and 1 lb ground beef and cook until browned.
Add salt, basil (fresh and roughly chopped), pepper, oregano, marjoram, rosemary (a few branches from outside Stanley hall do the trick) and cook for a few more minutes.
Add 6 oz tomato paste and 1 quart of diced tomatoes, give it a stir, and allow to simmer for about 45m.