Cold Sesame Noodle Salad

I have this recipe for Cold Sesame Noodle Salad that I made a while ago. I didn't put it in the cookbook because it was still experimental.

Cold Asian Sesame Peanut Butter Noodles
Noodles

1 pound whole wheat linguine
Sauce
3 tablespoon sesame oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1 Dash asian chili garlic sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 cup peanut butter
Veggies
3 medium, scallions trimmed and sliced thin
1 carrot, shredded or Julienned into long strips
1/2 cucumber seeded and coarsely chopped into bite sized pieces
Toppings
3 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1/4 - 1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanuts (optional)
1 chicken breast, diced (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped (optional)

1. Cook the Linguine according to the package instructions. Rinse in cold water and set aside.
2. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan and set aside.
3. Put the sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and chili garlic sauce in a pan and heat through.
4. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar and peanut butter and mix.
5. Toss the noodles, chopped veggies and sesame seeds, with the sauce. Refrigerate till cool.
6. Serve with chopped peanuts, diced chicken, and/or chopped parsley.

I wanted to make it for a picnic but I didn't have all the ingredients so I improvised.

Revised Cold Asian Sesame Peanut Butter Noodles
Ingredients

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti broken into short pieces
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanuts

3 tablespoon sesame oil

1 medium onion, cut into strips

1 carrot, Julienned into strips

4 ribs celery, sliced on the bias

3 cloves minced garlic
5 pieces candied ginger, finely diced
1 Dash cumin
1 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cucumber, peeled, and coarsely chopped

1. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Rinse in cold water and set aside.
2. Toast the sesame seeds and peanuts in a dry pan and set aside.
3. Saute onion in the sesame oil until translucent.

4. Add the carrot, celery, and garlic and saute briefly until softened.

5. Add the ginger, cumin, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and peanut butter and heat through.
6. Toss the noodles, sesame seeds, and peanuts with the sauce. Refrigerate till cool.
6. Serve with chopped cucumber.

Spinach Gnocchi, and Minestrone Soup

Spinach Gnocchi, and Minestrone Soup

I have an Italian friend, who lives in Bologna Italy, who sent me his mother's recipe for Gnocchi

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Gnocco Fritto Normale Ricetta
500 gr di farina
oglio extra vergine oliva 2/3 cuchiai
2 cuchiai aceto
sale quanto basta
impastare con un po di acqua gasata appena aperta 1
bicchiere.
e lievito di birra

queste dosi sono per circa 2/3 persone le dosi sono a
occhio perche mia madre non sa le dosi reali le le fa
a occhio......
impastare il tutto e titare la sfoglia tagliare i
pezzi in rombi e friggere in oglio da frigere molto
caldo messo in precedenza in una padella da friggere
con bordi alti ..........

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Here is my best Translation.

Regular Fried Gnocchi Recipe
500 gr of flour
2 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
Salt, a sufficient quantity
less than 1 cup water (enough to make a paste)
And a little bit of beer

This makes enough for roughly 2-3 people (my mother does not remember the the real numbers, so this is a rough estimate)

Make a paste.
Cut it into small pieces.
Fry it in hot oil in a frying pan with high sides.

[I have found that it is best to add the oil last. Otherwise it clumps up with the flour and doesn't mix in.]
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Wikipedia tells me that "spinach-and-ricotta-flavored gnocchi are called strozzapreti, or priest-stranglers. According to popular local legend, a priest choked and died after eating too quickly, because the gnocchi were so delicious."

I couldn't resist making my own
Priest-Stranglers
500 gr of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Salt
1 small tub (15oz) Ricotta cheese
1 (10oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach (defrosted)
less than 1 cup water (enough to make a paste)
2 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Put on a large pot of salted water to boil.
Make a batter of the flour, baking powder, salt, cheese, spinach, water, and oil.
Use a teaspoon to drop small dollops of batter into the boiling water.
Cook until the gnocchi float (and a bit longer actually). Scoop them out and serve with onions sautéed in butter.
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Quick Minestrone Soup
1lb ground beef (or tortellini if you want to go vegetarian)
1 med onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans w/ liquid
2 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
oregano, basil, and 1 bay leaf

(If you have them handy you can add zucchini, sliced mushrooms, shredded carrots, celery, kidney beans, and parsley.)

Brown the ground beef.
Add the onions and cook until translucent
Then add the garlic, tomatoes, garbanzos, and frozen spinach (you can defrost the spinach in the microwave to speed things up)
Bring to a simmer, add more water as needed.

(Add the uncooked pasta and continue to simmer till the pasta is cooked.)

Serve hot with Parmesan cheese.