Ramen Noodle Bowl Brainy Gourmet Style...

 

This is a 'noodle bowl' dish. In case you didn't know, the concept of the ramen 'noodle bowl' dish with broth and some fresh veggies and a hard boiled egg was actually imported from China to Japan. At least the noodle was.

Today, this noodle dish is recognized as a Japanese 'delish' experience that consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat or (occasionally) fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso. The Brainy Gourmet always makes it her style and thus it went something like this...

Being brainy, I used angel hair pasta broken in half rather than ramen noodles... why not, pasta was originally from China anyway. Of course, you can use traditional ramen noodles.

To begin, you will need: pork loin, angel hair pasta, fresh green beans, onion, orange bell pepper, and spinach blended with arugula. Most ramen bowls have bright colors: green, orange and yellow colors (boiled egg) but at the Brainy Gourmet house... carrots and boiled egg in soup is not favored. So, being brainy I just had to improvise. 

Start by marinating a pound more or less of boneless pork loin (depending on number of guests) in whatever your favorite 'spicy' seasoning happens to be. For this version, 'fig' infused balsamic vinegar was used along with garlic powder, cayenne pepper, sea salt and black pepper. Using a glass baking dish drizzled with olive oil, I laid in the seasoned pork loin and put into the oven on 375. 

In the meantime, start your 'soup'. Get a full quart of beef stock, 4 tbs of soy sauce, 1 tbs of garlic paste, and 1 tbs of ginger paste or more if you like,.. set to boil. Next, add half an onion and orange bell pepper julienne cut to the rolling boil of soup stock. Lastly, add one cup of julienne cut young green beans and then some shredded spinach leaves. 

Check the pork and add necessary beef stock to keep the meat moist and juicy. Once, it is pink on the inside (use knife checking the densest portion) put on broil to get a blackened 'seared' top. 

Back to your spicy ramen soup... add four handfuls of angel hair pasta broken in half directly to the boiling soup stock. The angel hair pasta is not salty and since you are not using a packaged mix of seasoning, there is no saltiness to worry about unless you added it. 

Take out a deep serving dish and ladle in the pasta with julienne veggies topping with the seared pork loin. Pour out the spicy soup stock over the top and also any tasty drippings from the meat. Top with fresh chopped arugula and serve. 

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy Sun Ripe Tomatoes with Pasta on a Cloudy Day in January...

I always jar/preserve my own tomatoes. So that,by mid January, I can open a jar and BAM... "I've got sunshine on a cloudy day"...Its so amazing that they are so fresh that they smell as if they were just picked. Its always exciting when its their first time in a sauce. And, that's all I am gonna say...

For this dish you will need home jarred tomatoes, skinless/boneless chicken thighs (as per guest), pappardelle (wide egg noodle) pasta. Now, if you don't have home jarred tomatoes, then I recommend Red Gold whole tomatoes. Also, you will need one whole onion, fresh garlic and dried herbs: rosemary, oregano, basil and some mint but not necessary. 

To begin, saute chopped onion in a covered skillet along with crushed garlic in olive oil. Next, add the chicken thighs to brown on both sides. Once, browned, dump in one large jar/can of whole tomatoes and toss in fresh dried herbs. Let this simmer while you prepare the pasta. 

Once the pasta is tender, drain and ladle into a deep serving plate and top with the chicken in sauce. Toss over the top grated mozzarella cheese and serve with grated Parmesan cheese. Its really the simplicity and fresh garden tomatoes that provide all the flavor you have ever dreamed of eating.

 ~ Tutti a Tavola!

 

Brainy Quick Coconut Chicken with Rice...

 

This dish was inspired by an Asian dish called - Chinese Coconut Chicken. Chinese coconut chicken is made using a tempura like batter. You dip the chicken breast pieces into the batter, fry and top with sweet and tangy creamy coconut sauce.  

For the brainy version... you will need as many chicken breasts as per dinner guest. Cut lengthwise, dip into a egg and cream mixture and then into crushed coconut with a bit of flour added. Fry until brown, remove from skillet as the pieces finish and place in a glass baking dish. 

Once all the frying is done, place the dish into the oven on 325f. Prepare rice and a quick stir fry veggie. Top with sunflower nuts and raisins if you like; a squeeze of lemon adds zing. And, of course, any sweet and tangy bottled sauce on the table will make this dish delicious.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Swiss Style Potatoes Au Gratin with Lamb Patties...

 

Potatoes Au Gratin are a real family comfort food; and yes, there is a difference between scalloped and au gratin potatoes...Scalloped potatoes traditionally do not include cheese, though some newer recipes might add cheese as a modification. Au gratin potatoes, on the other hand, calls for cheese in between each potato layer, as well as on the top of the dish. Au gratin potatoes also use breadcrumbs.

Making au gratin potatoes involves cutting potatoes into thin rounds, coating in all-purpose flour, and layering them in a casserole dish with cheese: Swiss, Gouda or Sharp Cheddar between each layer. Top with a few pats of butter and breadcrumbs to bake until golden brown.

As for lamb patties... easy peasy! Buy ground lamb and make into hamburger style patties to gently pan fry until pink and juices run as you pat them down while in the skillet. Serve with a green vegetable.  

Place a few pats of butter and then top with the breadcrumbs to bake on 350f.

 ~ Tutti a Tavola!

 

Pillows from Heaven...Toast to a Brainy Lasagna!

What Italian family, or any family, doesn't love Ravioli and lasagna, right? Now, neither are easy to make from scratch but both can be home-made... not ordered and eaten out. At our house, we love both ...so why not combine them and make it so easy its unbelievably brainy. 

We have our favorite fresh from the market ravioli and yes, they are bought pre-made. We love the spinach and ricotta cheese filled. Somehow, we got the brainy idea to make ravioli lasagna style which means layer the raviolis one on top of the other using marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese between the layers... then bake and get ready to dig in.

This dish was even better than expected and so convincingly a 'lasagna' that other family members were stunned and delighted. 

 

~ Tutti a Tavola!

All Things Brainy with Beef...

A new study from the University of Graz in Austria has found that vegetarians are unhealthier and more unstable psychologically than meat lovers.

Meat provides essential amino acids. Indeed, animal proteins, such as meat, eggs, and milk, are complete proteins, meaning they provide all of the essential amino acids our body needs. Meat products provide the highest-quality protein sources.

Amino acids (from meat) such as tryptophan, tyrosine, histidine, and arginine are used by the brain for the synthesis of various neurotransmitters and neuromodulators (Betz et al., 1994). According to that same Graz study, vegetarians are more often ill and have a lower quality of living than meat eaters. 

Here are some dinner ideas~ 

 

 

Just type in the search box: Swiss Steak, Hawaiian Meatballs, Steak with Mushrooms or Beef Stroganoff and Meatloaf to follow instructions.