Sesame Noodles with Asparagus

Bread and Jam for Frances is at the top of all the books I've read to my children. It's wonderful for many reasons, and sets the standard for school lunches. A standard I have failed to uphold.

During the school year, I seem barely able to place sliced turkey and cheese together, let alone live up to the school lunches in this book. One day, Albert, a friend of Frances, opens his lunch to find his mom has packed: a cream cheese-cucumber-and-tomato sandwich on rye bread, a pickle, a hard-boiled egg, a salt shaker, grapes, a tangerine, and custard. The next day is even better ... and she's a badger!

Every August, resolve that I'll make better school lunches. But mostly I don't. This year I have a new approach. I'm looking for hearty pasta or grain salads that need neither refrigeration nor heat to taste wonderful in the school cafeteria or office cubicle. An oil &vinegar-based dressing is involved to keep the salad safe throughout the morning-with a small freezer pack thrown in if needed.

This is a streamlined recipe from Deborah Madison, whom I love. The ingredient list is pared down and I decided against diagonal-cut asparagus though that would look very nice. I endorse her note that many other veggies would work well here. Can easily see myself adding last night's leftover veggies before the noodles head out the door.  Would like to think Albert's mother would approve. 

Photographer & lunch eater: Elisabeth Heissner

Ingredients

Marinade

¼ cup light sesame oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

7 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon sriracha

1 clove garlic finely chopped

10 green onions (including the greens), cleaned and thinly sliced

Pasta and Asparagus

2 lbs asparagus, trimmed and sliced in 1 inch sections

Spaghetti or linguine (16 ounce box)

¼ cup sesame seeds toasted until lightly brown

Preparation

Stir marinade ingredients together in a microwave proof bowl. Cover bowl with wax paper and pop in microwave. Cook for about a minute. You can always put the marinade in a saucepan and cook on the stovetop for a minute or two as well. I do this to mellow the “rawness” of the garlic and green onion.  We’re kind of wimpy about too much bold flavor around here.

Fill your pasta pot with water and about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Bring to a boil and add cut-up asparagus. Let asparagus cook for about 3 minutes. You want the asparagus tender, not mushy. When the asparagus is done, fish it out of the pot with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel-covered plate to catch excess water. Set aside.

Bring water in your pasta pot back to a boil and add the pasta. Cook according to the time stated on the package. Once pasta is done, drain into colander and run cold water over it if you prefer the dish closer to room temperature. Drain very well as you don’t want to carry extra water back to the pot.

Return pasta to the pot and add the asparagus, marinade, and toasted sesame seeds. Toss well to combine. A good dose of ground black pepper is always welcome. Serve warm or at room temp.

Homemade Granola: Dried Cherry & Almond

Some foods beg to be made at home and granola is one of those foods. Ingredients are pretty inexpensive, especially compared to store-bought granola which is not. Add to this the fact that the actual cooking is simple and results delicious. Even if eaten with little or no restraint, a batch of the good stuff lasts much, much longer than a store-bought bag.

It's also true that any Monday morning beginning with a bowl of homemade granola & yogurt is instantly a better Monday morning. It helps that this recipe tastes great on ice cream or as a snack as well. And, if you're a kind and thoughtful gift giver, homemade granola is a well-received hostess or holiday gift.  Pack it in a freezer-friendly storage bag and your lucky recipient will think of you kindly some Monday morning.

Source: Wall Street Journal, Sarah Karnasiewicz

Ingredients

½ cup almond butter

½ cup honey

¼ cup light brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup sliced almonds

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¾ cup dried cherries

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

In a small saucepan on low heat, mix almond butter, honey light brown sugar until combined and stir until melted.

Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, toss together the oats, almonds and salt. Pour almond mixture over the dry ingredients and toss well. This will be stick & messy, but you want everything well coated. Hands may be used if needed– it’s very therapeutic!

Using a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, pat the sticky granola mix into a single layer. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes.  At the 10 minute mark you want to push the granola around a bit with a wooden spoon for more even baking. The granola will be soft when warm, so this isn’t hard to do Whe you're done pushing it around, don’t worry about flattening it out perfectly. Just do the best you can; this is not a fussy recipe.  Also, while the granola is soft while it's warm, it become crunchy when it cools.

Remove the granola from the oven after 20 minutes and scatter the cherries on top, using the wooden spoon to push the cherries into and around on the granola. You don't want to add the dried fruit before baking or it will get too dried out. Broken clumps and general messiness after you scatter & push around since you will breaking up the granola further when it cools enough for storage.

My original WSJ recipe notes that cooled granola keeps for 3-4 weeks in an airtight container. However, I prefer to store it in the freezer in storage bags, digging out a scoop when needed. Defrosting isn’t necessary at all. There, the granola keeps longer and tastes fresher.

Credits
Photo: Elisabeth Heissner
Ceramic bowl: Susie Heissner