Bits and Pieces
We went to Cooper's Furnace for the picnic, I have never been there or even heard of it, and it is beautiful! We arrived later than other people so some of the group had already left, but we enjoyed the time with the others. We had on and off showers but nothing to ruin the day, we had a covered pavilion.
After we ate our sandwiches and pizzelles, some rabbit stew and some lemonade, we went down to the river and looked at the furnace. I have a hard time staying out of water, so had to wade some. The water is pretty cold! It was gorgeous and if you look in the one picture, you might be able to see the crane who was fishing.
When I was taking the pictures at the picnic I found a picture I had taken of dinner one night. It was a beef and broccoli dish that was a good, basic dish. It went together pretty easily and I used linguine noodles since I had no soba noodles and didn't remember that the store hadn't had any when I shopped for this recipe. I also only had crunchy peanut butter so used that.
Peanut Soba with Stir-Fried Beef and Broccoli from Fine Cooking Magazine April/May 2010 Kosher salt
3 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. soy sauce
1 medium navel orange
One 1-1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
1 large clove garlic, peeled
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 Tbs. oyster sauce
8 oz. soba noodles
3 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
3 Tbs. canola or peanut oil
10 oz. broccoli crowns, cut into 1-inch florets (about 4-1/2 cups)
Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil. Toss the beef with 2 tsp. soy sauce and 1/2 tsp. salt.
Finely grate the orange zest and then juice the orange. Put the ginger and garlic in a food processor and pulse until minced. Transfer all but 1 tsp. of the mixture to a small ramekin. Add the peanut butter, zest, 2 Tbs. of the juice, and 2 Tbs. of the soy sauce to the food processor. Process until smooth, adding 1 to 2 Tbs. water so the mixture loosens a bit.
In a small bowl, mix 2 Tbs. of the remaining orange juice with the oyster sauce, the remaining 1 Tbs. soy sauce, and 2 Tbs. water.
Cook the soba noodles in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well. Transfer the noodles to a large bowl and toss with the peanut butter mixture and half of the mint.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1-1/2 Tbs. of the oil with the minced garlic and ginger over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add the beef and cook, stirring, until it just loses its raw color, 1-1/2 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining 1-1/2 Tbs. oil to the skillet, and then the broccoli. Cook, stirring, until browned in places, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the oyster sauce mixture, cover, and cook until the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Return the beef and its juices to the pan and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 1 minute. Portion the noodles among 4 plates and top with the beef and broccoli. Sprinkle with the remaining mint and serve.
I spent some time today working on menus. I have a library class Saturday at Toco Hills library. I also have to get my kid's cooking camp materials done and delivered so they can be copied for June. I also met my friend Rosemary for tea and talk.
Once home I needed to bake a chocolate cake so I can participate in National Devil Food Cake Day. It is cooling on the counter now. And since I don't see the bad cat, I better check on the cake!
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