Soba with Asparagus--and the benefits of buckwheat

 The other night it was just me and my oldest man child Max--who has sworn off meat--around for dinner. But, it was a typical hot and muggy July evening, putting me in no mood to labor over a hot stove. And seeing as how I’ve gotten a few requests lately for more vegetarian creations this dish was born.

First a few words on soba noodles. Their dark color comes from the buckwheat flour used to make them. What’s really fascinating about their history is how they gained popularity during the Edo period of Japan when it was discovered that they helped stave off the dreaded neural affliction beri beri. The wealthier portion of the population made polished white rice, which is stripped of most of its nutrients, a staple of their diet. The well-to-do white rice eaters became ill in droves while the poor rural people who ate less refined items, like soba, did not. It turns out that buckwheat is rich in the B-vitamin thiamine which is critical for maintaining neural health.  Even if the actual link to thiamine wasn't understood until much later local soba shops began popping up throughout the neighborhoods of Tokyo.

OK, enough culinary history and on to the recipe...

 Soba can be eaten hot or cold. For many years it was a staple breakfast dish for my boys who liked to start the day off in a savory mode. For this dinner I chose to keep them hot.

Soba noodles with asparagus

Serves 2

1 bundle fresh green asparagus

2-3 scallions, green parts removed, sliced

2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped ginger

2-3 tablespoons sesame terikyaki sauce

2 bundles of soba noodles 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Bring water to a boil.

Meanwhile, cut asparagus into ½ inch pieces on a diagonal.

Add oil to a pan, heat top medium, add asparagus.

After 2-3 minutes add scallions and ginger, sauté another 3 minutes until cooked but still crunchy, pull off heat

Cook soba noodles 7-8 minutes , they should still be a dente. The best way to test for doneness is to pull a noodle out and chew on it. Strain the noodles and add to sauté pan, mix well, add teriyaki sauce to coat, and that's it. Simple, fast, inexpensive, nutritious and delicious.

To add a protein I would suggest strips of cooked chicken or shrimp. Or to keep it vegetarian: cubes of firm tofu.

Camilla's Beet Pie and Love

 

During those final tumultuous years of marriage my two main sources of solace and support, the things that kept me sane and grounded, were my family and friends...and food. The loving support part is probably obvious, perhaps not so the food. But to me food is love, and love is food. So, I tried to never lose sight of the pleasure to be found in its beauty and the simple acts of preparing, serving and sharing sustenance with those who hold my heart. 

My annual summer treks to Sweden gave, and still do give me, both: unconditional love and the familiar flavors of childhood, but also tantalizing new recipes served up by someone else. Thus begins the tale of Camilla's beet pie. My nephew Leif and his family live an hour south of Stockholm. Once you've left the big highway the last few kilometers of driving takes you down a gravel road, right through the literal middle of a red painted farm with the farmhouse on one side, the barn on the other. After you've dodged the chickens and Vivi the pony who insists on standing in the middle of the road, you arrive at their sweet little house.

We'd been invited down for swimming and this is what darling Camilla made for lunch, and taught me to make. Some people say beets taste like dirt, and perhaps they do. But, being of the geological bent maybe that's why I find them so tasty. Good dirt. Eaten under the dappled shade of ancient lichen-crusted apple trees.

 

I also learned a few things about this recipe this time around:  white and chioggia beets are so sweet and mild flavored that they got a bit lost in the flavors, and really I missed the bright crimson of Camilla's version. A few tweaks that did work though were adding feta (her original recipe calls for only parmesan), and shallots. Goat cheese might work well too....next time.

The Crust

 Preheat oven to 400 F

3 deciliters regular flour

150 grams very cold salted butter

2 tablespoons ice water

The easiest way to make the crust is to add the flour and butter cut up in little pieces to a food processor. Pulse until oatmeal-like in texture, add the water and form the dough. Avoid working it too much or it will become chewy. It's fine if it has little chunks of butter visible. If you don't have a processo,r use a couple of dinner knives to distribute the butter in the flour and then work it with your hands.

Press dough into pie form and pre-bake for 15 minutes at 400 F.

 Beet Filling

5-6 two inch beets, grated

1 shallot, grated

4 tablespoons of feta, crumbled

1/4 cup parmesan, grated

A sprinkle of Herbamare herb salt & pepper

Mix everything but the Parmesan in a bowl, then put it into the crust. Sprinkle the top with cheese and bake for about 30 minutes at 375 F. That's a  bronze fennel frond from my garden on top. I find this pie tastiest served warm, but cold left overs weren't at all bad as Monday's lunch.