Out to Lunch

Hi there!

Today I had to use up some broccolini.  I worked until 7 p.m., so waiting for dinner wasn't an option. Fortunately, we have a full kitchen at work, so I packed up the broccolini, some shiitake mushrooms, some dry Japanese udon noodles (they cook in less than half the time of Italian pasta), soy sauce, sesame oil and miso.

I always have to laugh when I make broccolini.  It reminds me of the time we were all dining out and my mom ordered it as a side.  She'd never had it and sent it back at least 3 times because it was too hard to chew.  The chef (who had the tallest toque I've ever seen outside of Japan's Kitchen Stadium) finally chopped it up and brought it out himself.  She never ordered it again.

But back to lunch:  I sliced the mushrooms, drizzled them with a little sesame oil and soy sauce, and put them in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften them and let them absorb the flavors.  I added 2 tablespoons of miso to about 3 cups of water and brought it to a boil, then cooked the noodles.  Just when the noodles were almost finished, I added the chopped broccolini.  As soon as it turned emerald green, I spooned the soup into a bowl and stirred in the shiitakes. It took less than 10 minutes and was much better than that salty ramen noodle stuff you get in a styrofoam cup!  (Btw, the styrofoam stuff is $1.00 each in our vending machine.  My bowl of soup cost just a few cents more than that to create.)

I hope this inspires you to do some creative brown-bagging.  Until next time, I'll see you at the market!