Asian-Style Pasta with Peas, Peanuts and Cucumbers

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'll be on my own for dinner much of this week, so I'm going to try making dishes that will feed one person without having leftovers to deal with. I'll be able to do that for most of the week, but I had to make an exception tonight. I had a quantity of snow peas that simply had to be used before they became fodder for the compost heap. I didn't want to waste them and couldn't bear the thought of another stir-fry, so I did a quick search for recipes where they might be used. I finally settled on this one for peanut noodles. It appears everywhere, but I think it was originally developed for Food and Wine magazine, and they should be the ones credited for its creation. While I have several excellent recipes for noodles of this type, they don't use snow peas and would not easily adapt to their addition. Because this recipe was an ideal solution to my "pea" problem I've ended up adding yet another recipe for peanut noodles to my repertoire. I can honestly report that this dish is fast, easy and delicious. I will make it again, although it presents some problems. Unlike most dishes of this sort, these noodles are served hot. The vegetables are added just before serving to keep them crisp-tender. Herein lies the problem. When the dish is reheated it becomes goopy and the vegetables become limp. That means leftovers will leave much to be desired. As written, the recipe makes four very generous servings. Try to manipulate ingredients so you have no leftovers to deal with. Barring that, have an impromptu pot luck and invite the neighbors to eat with you. Despite problems with re-heating,  those of you who make this dish will be pleased with the results. Here's the recipe.


Pasta with Peas, Peanuts and Cucumbers...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Food and Wine

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
2/3 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1-1/2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound linguine
1/2 pound snow peas, cut diagonally into thin slices
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
2 scallions including green tops, chopped
1 English cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced thin
1/2 cup chopped salted peanuts, divided use

Directions:
1) Combine garlic, soy sauce, peanut butter, chicken broth, lime juice, red-pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in jar of a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth.
2) Cook linguine in a large pot of salted boiling water until almost done, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add snow peas and bean sprouts to same pot and cook until just done, about 3 minutes longer. Drain and toss with peanut sauce,  remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt,  scallions, cucumber, and 1/3 cup peanuts. Serve with  remaining peanuts sprinkled over top. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

                    

                                  Older Posts

             One Year Ago Today:                                                               Two Years Ago Today:

   Menu for Week of 5-25-2014                                                Honey Glazed Chinese Drumsticks

            Three Years Ago Today:                                                          Four Years Ago Today:

    Rhubarb Cheesecake Squares                                  Stir-Fried Asparagus with Ginger and Peanuts