This weekend I got to play with my food. Unfortunately, in my excitement to eat the results, I forgot to take pictures of the beautiful goat cheese, tomato and garlic ravioli I made from scratch. This means I'll just have to make some more!
I also had a day trip to the not-so-local Findlay Market, where farmers sell their fresh produce at absurdly low prices and immigrants living their own American dream sell their amazing goods- be it perfectly crafted sausages or delectable gyros that can satisfy anyone's "oh crap i'm in a food store and forgot to eat breakfast" hunger. Andrew & I bought 3 of these gyros, thinking we'd have the third as a back-up if once of us was still hungry. Neither of us finished our first gyros.
At the meat counter (Kroeger & Son's Meats) I settled on 6 different sausages to sample. This included creative varieties, (such as the "Reubenwurst" which is made with corned beef and saurkraut and bound with 1000 island dressing and "Chicken Shiitake Mushroom") as well as a few traditional recipes (i.e. Bratwurst & Mettwurst). These little beauties are currently snuggly nestled in my refrigerator basket, just waiting for the day when I can enjoy them with mashed potatoes (recipe to come) or pasta.
We also enjoyed a few hours in the largest international market I have ever had the pleasure of setting my feet in! Jungle Jim's is a treat for me, as again, it is not nearby. This particular trip was in celebration of reaching a few goals I've been workign toward for the past 2 months. I was able to purchase almost everything I could dream of.... which I might add, is similar to the amount of food that it takes to feed a fully grown panda for a month.
I found myself nearly skipping down the aisles of honey, prancing around the arena of fresh produce, and oogling at the displays of every cut of every farm animal imaginable. Truly, I have found a little peice of foodie Heaven on Earth. I managed to keep myself under a reasonable level of control, given the deafening rejoicing in my head. I settled with fresh smoked salmon, imported prosciutto, and the most amazing salami I have ever tasted. I found lemongrass and nectarines, and stocked up on antipasti treats like whole Roman artichokes, caperberries, teriyaki marinated mushrooms, and a whole host of olives.
In the Asian section of the store, a young man was givign a demo on japanese noodles with vegetarian oyster sauce & sesame oil. I had a sample and decided I had to make it at home, adding vegetables to up the nutritional content. As I type, I am contentedly slurping up my experiment.
Japanese Stirfry with Noodles...
Water, for boiling
4 oz uncooked "Fusheng Dried Noodle" (a small handful)
2 Carrots, sliced thin
1/4 onion, diced
1/2 baby bok choy, stalks & leaves separated & sliced
4 green onions, chopped
3 Tbsp Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
Bring water to a rolling boil, drop in pasta and cook until your preferred texture. I like mine al dente, but these are one of the few noodles that I will eat when very soft. Drain & set aside.
Heat 1 to 2 Tbsp oil in a fry pan & add all vegetables except for the bok choy leaves. Cook until tender, but still crisp- about 3 minutes. Add bok choy leaves and cook until wilted.
Put a serving of noodles in a bowl & add 1 Tbsp oyster sauce & 1 Tbsp sesame oil. Top with about 1/2 of the vegetables and mix until everything is evenly coated with the sauce. :)
