Day 28……Food and Wine 2009 Annual Cookbook

Instead of getting the magazine you can wait until the end of the year and get the cookbook.  As a professional organizer I advise people against having more than 2 magazine subscriptions at a time.  The average person does not have time to read more than 2.  So getting them all in book form could solve that problem and make the professional organizer in me happy.  The book is packed full of recipes and many pictures, which of course I love.  I have found that I gravitate toward making the recipes that have the pictures in them, we all are such visual creatures.  So it comes to no surprise that I chose the red curry peanut noodles  because it had a picture.  Oddly enough we had the red curry paste on hand….can’t remember when the last time we used it however.  This dish can easily be turned into a vegetarian one by using vegetable broth instead of the chicken broth.

Easy to make as my oldest son made it.  He felt it needed a protein in it so we added some rotisserie chicken meat to it.  Oldest son loved it, middle son didn’t like how we served it cold and youngest thought it was not spicy enough.  Remember, this is the child who eats tabasco on his corn chips.  Can you get an ulcer from spicy foods?  If so, he is well on his way!  Well my husband did put red pepper flakes on his so this not spicy enough business runs in the family!

My time savers for this recipe (besides having my son make it) was to get the carrots in the bag that are already cut into match stick sizes for me.  I love those precut items!

Red Curry Peanut Noodles, page 89

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound whole wheat spaghetti
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon red curry paste
• 1/3 cup chicken stock or low sodium broth
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed cilantro leaves
• kosher salt
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• 2 scallions, white and green parts quartered and thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1 carrot, coarsely grated
• 1/3 cup salted, roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• lime wedges for serving

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the spaghetti and cook until it is al dente.  Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water until cool.  Drain very well.
2. Meanwhile in a food processor, combine the peanut butter with the lime juice , red curry paste, chicken stock and 1/4 cup of the cilantro leaves and puree.  Season the peanut sauce with salt.
3. In a large bowl, toss the spaghetti with the peanut sauce, bean sprouts, sliced scallions and grated carrot until well coated.  Season with salt.  Transfer the peanut noodles to bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cilantro leaves and the chopped peanuts.  Serve with lime wedges.

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity