Leeks and Mushroom egg noodles

I received of homemade dried egg noodles in my box of produce last week and this was quick entree I made out of it after a long day at work and a 3 mi run :)

Serves 3

2 cups dried egg noodles, cooked in salted water, drain and keep warm. Save 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

2 1/2 cups of mushrooms - I used a blend of porcini and cremini

1 whole leek, sliced and washed

1-2 small cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp white sesame seeds

1/4 cup mirin

1 tbsp tamari soy sauce

Spring onions to garnish

Salt to taste

1. Heat a couple tbsps of olive oil in a large pan and saute garlic and leek. Cook until the leek wilts and is completely cooked. About 8-10 mins.
2. Add mushrooms and saute until they are a deeper brown.
3. Now add mirin and soy sauce and stir. Cook for about a minute before tossing in the cooked noodles and sesame seeds. Stir to combine the sauce and the noodles. At this point, I added a 1/4 cup of the reserved noodle water to add to the sauce.
4. Adjust seasoning and garnish with chopped spring onions. Serve hot.

Eggplant, Leeks and Zucchini white lasagna

I made this lasagna for our supper club meet, theme: Italian. It turned out really good and it was all gone by the end of the night - always a good sign :)

Original recipe: Whole Foods recipe - Eggplant and Artichoke white lasagna

Serves 4

3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 leeks, white and green parts chopped
Salt to taste
1 medium eggplant sliced into 1/2 inch. thick slices
2 medium zucchinis sliced
6-8 dried lasagna noodles

For the sauce:
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsps all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low fat milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan reggiano
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

you can reduce the parmesan reggiano and mozzarella cheeses and substitute with leftover cheese wedges you'dlike to get rid of. Balance the flavors, so if you choose a sharper cheese like cheddar then balance it with extra goat cheese and mozzarella.

Preheat oven to 375deg. Heat oil and add garlic, leeks and salt. Cook until leeks are light brown about 5mins. Set the leeks aside.

Pour enough oil in a skillet until it is 1/4 in. deep. Add sliced eggplant in batches and fry until they are lightly browned. Drain on a plate covered with paper towels to absorb the oil. Sprinkle salt on both sides of the fried eggplants.

Cook lasagna noodles as per instructions on the package. Drain and set aside.

For the sauce, melt butter over medium heat.Whisk in flour and cook, stirring continously for about 30 sec. Slowly stream in milk and keep stirring until its well mixed. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens in about 3-4 mins. Add 2 tbsps of parmesan reggiano, goat cheese, salt, pepper and reserved leeks. Stir quickly and remove from heat. Continue stirring until the cheese melts and set aside.

Apply a light coating of oil in a 8-inch baking dish and spread 1/4 cup of sauce.Top with a layer of noodles. Layer with half the leeks, eggplants and zucchini, 1/2 cup sauce, and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat until you go through all the ingredients. Top with remaining sauce, parmesan reggiano and mozzarella.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins. Then uncover and bake for 5mins. Let lasagna rest and cool for 5 mins after baking. Slice and serve.

Leek soup

Makes 4 servings

2 stalks leek or 3 if using smaller stalks, sliced - use as much of the green as possible

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 medium sized potatoes, peeled, cubed and steamed

1/2 red bell pepper for garnish

3 cups of chicken stock

3 tbsps olive oil

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a pot big enough to hold 5 cups of liquid. Lightly brown garlic and add leeks. Let cook until leek is translucent. Add a bit of salt to help in wilting. Add the leek mix along with the potatoes and salt to the food processor. Puree until it is well blended. You might have to add a 1/2 cup of chicken stock to help blend. Add the mix back into the pot used earlier, add the rest of the chicken stalk and salt to taste. Simmer for 2 minutes. Garnish with chopped red pepper.

Variations - Add pancetta to hot oil before adding garlic to give it a nice smokey flavor. Or, fry chopped bacon in olive oil, remove and save fried bacon bits to garnish and use drippings to cook garlic and leeks in. I have successfully used anchovies to salt the soup - Add 5-6 fillets of chopped anchovies in the hot oil and let completely dissipate before adding garlic in the beginning. Remember NOT to add salt if using anchovies.