Hot Town, Summer in the City...

Sans air conditioning and with the heat rising (quite literally), I wasn’t really in the mood to slave over a hot stove tonight after work. Now that it’s finally summer in Portland, I had a profound thought earlier today: why is it that the best ingredients to cook with come during the months when you'd rather be prancing in a bikini at the beach (it was 85 degrees at the Oregon Coast today) than sweating it out in a sweltering kitchen? While I’m tempted to just play dead in front of a high-powered fan – which apart from my typing fingers really isn’t too far from reality – I would go to the depths of hell for my clatter readers to make sure I posted this week. And apparently tonight I won’t even have to leave home to get there. Seriously, it’s downright TORRID in here. Alright, enough blining (that’s a self-created word that combines blogging and whining) about my rather miserable AC-less living arrangement, it’s time to get to work.

Yes it’s true that when it’s really hot outside, eating real food aside from watermelon, popsicles and ice cold beer doesn’t always sound very appealing. But a girl's gotta eat to stay strong and lively (you know, in order to maintain the ability to write brilliantly), so I was trying to think of something today to make for dinner tonight that would be easy, filling, and COLD. What was the first thing I thought of? A cold, Asian noodle salad. Honestly I don’t know why I thought of this, especially considering that I’m only recently learning how to like sesame oil, fresh ginger, and various forms of the “peanut sauce”. On second thought, that’s maybe precisely why I did think of it.

I'll never quite trust a restaurant that proclaims to serve Thai, Chinese, and Korean cuisine (oh, and sushi!) all under the same roof (anyone who knows Spokane, WA is quite aware that Division provides said establishments by the dozen). However, I’ve found that when I venture into the realm of Asian gastronomy, I do just that. If I throw some fish sauce in a dish, I’ll say I’m making Thai. If I’m making a stir-fry with hoisin sauce, I’ll call it Chinese. Substitute in yakisoba noodles, and I’ve got Japanese. I know this isn’t the right thing to do, but I’m not the only guilty party. Our good friend Trader Joe makes a Gyoza Dipping Sauce that in my estimate pigeonholes almost two-thirds of the world’s eaters into a 10-ounce bottle by adding a caption that reads: “a classic Asian dipping sauce for everything Asian.” Hmm, well, at least I’m in good company.

So for dinner, I ended up adapting this Bon Appetit recipe (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spicy-Sesame-Noodles-with-Chopped-Peanuts-and-Thai-Basil-238798) but per the reviews and my own curiosity, I put together the following instead, measurements all ballpark. I figured I’m long overdue in posting a recipe:

AR’s Spicy Peanut Sesame Noodles
(this makes a lot – maybe 4 servings)

1/2 lb capellini pasta (yes, I’m aware this is not in any way Asian)
1 clove of minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 minced shallot
1 tablespoon chunky peanut butter
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce
2 teaspoons roasted red chili paste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
chopped green onion and fresh basil
toasted sesame seeds

Cook pasta as usual, but when done rinse through with cold water. Meanwhile, sauté garlic, ginger and shallot in a bit of vegetable oil for about a minute. Whisk together all the other ingredients (minus the green onion and basil). Thoroughly toss together the pasta, sautéed garlic mixture, and sauce. Chill in fridge for at least an hour. Before eating, top with green onion, fresh basil, sesame seeds, and/or extra soy sauce and Sriracha. Word to the wise: The “chill” of the noodles doesn’t make up for the sweat that will inevitably bead your brow if you add that extra hot sauce at the end. (When will I learn?)

Ok, so in addition to the noodles, I also made some fresh Vietnamese spring rolls. (Oh who am I kidding, these are summer rolls; there's nothing spring about 95 degrees in July.) I’m calling these Vietnamese because not only did I first have them in a Vietnamese restaurant, they apparently actually exist in Vietnam. I’m still familiarizing myself with the art of rice paper rolling (i.e. I suck at it), but that fresh flavor was still there, even if all the vegetables fell out of the roll as I ate it. Tonight I stuffed mine with green cabbage, red bell pepper, cucumber, jalapeño (no seeds!), shredded carrot, cilantro, parsley, and bay shrimp. I dipped them in that famous TJ’s sauce and voila – Vietnamese food served fresh at Allison’s residence. But hold on, there’s more!

A couple of years ago when I was working in Seattle for the summer, I went to a Vietnamese place for lunch. The food itself left much to be desired, but there was one thing that made the meal worth it for me. The law partner I lunched with that day told me it was essential that I order the iced coffee. Now, keep in mind that as a former barista, law student, and a child of the Pacific Northwest, I take coffee very seriously. I like the darkest, strongest stuff you can get - and without sugar. But there was something about the iced coffee that day that was different. Was that cream in there? Simple syrup? Well, whatever it was, it was fantastic. Turns out the secret to this traditional Vietnamese beverage (known as café sua da) is sweetened condensed milk. So, in order to cool myself off tonight as I cooked and now write, I poured some leftover coffee from this morning over a tall glass of ice with about a tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk and a splash of 1%. Yum – there’s that flavor I remember! Of course the p.m. caffeine intake will have me perked till the wee hours of the morning, but it was worth it. And hey, I just got a novel idea: You could easily top this drink with whipped cream (no, not the can, the real stuff) and adorn it with a chocolate covered espresso bean and serve it to guests for a special coffee drink dessert on a hot summer day. Or better yet, you could blend it and call it something like, oh I don’t know, a frappuccino…