Chicken Stir Fry with Udon Noodles

Usually, when I do a stir fry, its with rice. Not just plain white rice, but Basamati or Jasmin, which are both very good, but sometimes you need a little variety. I have been hunting for good Udon noodles for quite a while. I have had some awesome Udon noodle soup at sushi places, but the type of Udon that they use is nothing like what I see at the store. So, when I make something with Udon noodles, it is kind of dissapointing. Only for the fact that the sushi joint noodles are massive, and the noodles I use are wimpy. These noodles that I found actually held together remarkably well, and I was impressed. They were excellent for this stir fry, and now I have another staple for use in my stir frys.Note that Udon noodles usually come in a package of 3, and for this recipe, I use only 2, but 3 would not have been excessive; it would just have fed more people.

Also, I use the term stir fry very loosely. I just basically chop up some veggies and chicken, and toss them in a blasting hot wok while the rice steams. Nothing to it, really, and it makes really tasty leftovers.

Chicken Stir Fry with Udon Noodles (makes 4 servings, depending on greediness levels)

2 Chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 Bell peppers chopped lenghtwise, you call it (I used a red and orange)
2 Anaheim peppers, chopped lengthwise
1/2 Yellow onion, chopped
4 Cloves garlic, minced
3 teaspoons Cayenne, Smoked Paprika and Smoked Cumin
Salt and pepper to season
Olive oil
2 tablespoon soy sauce and teriyaki sauce
1 package Udon noodles, cooked to package directions

Start off by seasoning the chicken with two teaspoons of the spices, salt and pepper.



Next, set the wok to high. After a minute (or until its blasting hot, like the surface of the sun) toss in the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Add the vegetables, and season with remaining spices, salt and pepper. Drizzle a bit of olive oil onto the hot mess, and give a good stir. Let cook for another 3 or so minutes, until the vegetables get soft. Drizzle a table spoon of the soy and teriyaki sauce over, and cook for another minute or so.

Stir a well in the middle of the wok, and add the cooked noodles, and top them with the remaining soy and teriyaki. Cook for a minute, then incorporate everything. After a minute of stirring, everything should be melded together. Serve using tongs, or very large chopsticks.

Pour Me: Independence "Convict Hill" Oatmeal Stout

For the longest time, I thought that Guinness was the definitive stout beer. Ordering a Guinness gives you a certain amount of credibility. Buying Guinness at the liquor store also does. However, after having this Oatmeal Stout, I can assuredly say that Guinness sucks.

Bold words, I know, but I will stick with them. After I had tried Guinness a few times, I decided that I was not a stout fan. Sure, I would drink porters till the cows came home, but Guinness had spoiled stouts for me. It was not until I was trying Fish and Chips at Opal Divines, and found out that they were out of Coffee Porter that I decided to try the Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout. I am so glad I did.

Convict Hill is delicious. It is strong and very full bodied. It has presence, yet it is fairly drinkable. The one I had on draft was amazing, and the bottles were equally tasty, which is fairly surprising. A Fat Tire on draft is nothing like the Fat Tire in the bottle. The Convict Hill, both draft and in the bottle had just the slightest hint of actual oats. That is good, because most laypeople would assume that an Oatmeal Stout is actually made out of fermented oatmeal, or somesuch nonsense.


Opening up the bottle and pouring the deliciousness out is reminiscent of pouring oil into a funnel. Convict Hill is dark and thick, and even if you pour it straight in, there is very little head. The first cold sip is a revelation. Guinness is weak; Convict Hill is strong. Notes of roasted coffee and dark flavors hit the tongue like a brick. This is a good thing. Continue drinking, and the brick of flavors melts across the entire plain of the tongue. Even after half the beer is gone, little has changed.

The cost for a 4-pack is $6.99. This is a steal of a deal, considering one beer should last you about an hour. I had one with some delightful chili, and was blown away at how they complimented each other. Independence is a local Austin brewery, and if you are in town, I highly recommend trying the Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout. Its awesome.

Pour Me: New Belgium's Vrienden

Again, with the New Belgium's! It is like a child's (and some adults) obsession with Pokemon, I simply have to try them all. Some are good, some are just alright, and some are downright bad. It seems to be fairly hit and miss with the Lips of Faith series. Vrienden is just alright. I enjoyed drinking it, but it was not something I would go out of my way for.

"Brewed with the slightly fruity hibiscus flower, the aromatic bettanomyces, and the flavor-boosting lactobacillus we recommend pairing it with creamy, soft cheese and charming Vrienden."


Sounds delicious, right? I tried a little soft cheese with it, but the sweetness of this beer really diminished the cheeses flavor. Perhaps a stouter cheese would have balanced it out, but who pairs beers and cheese, anyway?


Vrienden is strong, flavorful and dry. There is a lot of fruity notes, yet none of them are exactly identifiable, except for the Citrisy top note. Surprisingly, hops and malt are both incredibly mild. Most of New Belgium's beers are light on both the hops and malt, but I found this surprising for such a light colored beer, and with an alcohol content of 8.5%, I would have thought the hops would have been more pronounced. The alcohol is hidden in the fruitiness of it all. The flavors work their way along all of the taste buds on the tongue. Vrienden is very smooth, and not at all bitter. The citrus notes mellow after a few minutes. It is tasty, but, like I said, I would not go out of my way for a bottle. Works it's way along the tongue. Smooth, not bitter. 

Fish & Chips: Opal Divines

The quest to find the best fish and chips in Austin continues. This week, I had every intention of trying a brand new British pub, but alas, I was foiled. Haddingtons, which just opened last Tuesday is currently only doing brunch on the weekends (before 5), and their fish and chips is not offered on the menu. Since my quest is not for the best Eggs Benedict in Austin, I had to pass. Fortunately, down the street is Opal Divines.

A good friend of mine suggested checking Opal's out, so things ended up working out. Since it was just a short jaunt from Haddingtons to Opal Divines, we hoofed it (seriously, driving and parking downtown is my arch enemy). I knew exactly what I wanted, but the menu does have a vast array of delicious looking items, in addition to their impressive drink menu. I highly recommend checking it out.

I ordered an Oatmeal Stout from one of the few local breweries, Independence. It was excellent, and I am ashamed for not buying a sixer of it before. My compatriot and I both ordered the fish and chips, and while the chips sounded really tasty (black pepper fries), my wife ordered sweet potato fries. The waitress was very attentive for having a fair amount of tables, and she even brought us a bottle of malt vinegar before our meal arrived. What is impressive about that is that I love malt vinegar on my fried fish. It was like a primer for eating, and I got pretty excited.

The fish and chips arrived after I finished about half my beer, and were steaming hot, fresh out of the fryer. The single most important thing I can suggest to you, fish and chips reader, is to wait for them to cool off a bit. Otherwise, you end up melting your tongue on the first bite, and have trouble with the rest of the meal. I took my first bite, and burned the hell out of my tongue. Greedy, I know. However, a quick swig of the stout beer helped ease the pain.

The fries were very good. I could have done without ketchup, but I used some anyway to cool off the molten hot fries. The black pepper and seasoning on the fries was excellent, and they were exactly what a fry should be: crisp, with soft inside and very well seasoned. The fish was battered perfectly, and while it was also molten hot, a little tartar sauce helped cool it off. The tartar sauce was nothing to write home about, and just tasted like tarted up mayo with pickle parts. The pathetic lemon wedge I had was, well, pathetic. The malt vinegar was, well, what can you say about malt vinegar. It helped get the fish down the gullet. The fish itself was a sizable chunk of cod. The batter was pretty tasty, but the fish itself tasted pretty dull. The only real discernible taste of the fish was grease. Granted, fish and chips is not about the seasoning of the fish, but this just seemed to be lacking. I think it had to do with the exceptional fries meeting the lackluster flavor of the fish. The batter was redeemable, and it was perfectly crisp.

On the whole, I would have to recommend Opal Divines. For 9 bucks, you get a lot of food, and its all pretty good. Honestly, the Alamo Drafthouse still has the best fish and chips, but for the price of admission, Opal Divines beats it.

Tried and True: Nigella's Tarragon Chicken

Going through Nigella Lawson's new book, Kitchen, has been a lot of fun. It is a thick book, for starters, and the photography is delightful. I enjoy cookbooks that have lots of pictures. What can I say? I am a sucker for food porn.

This week, I have been trying my hand at the recipes from this book that look the tastiest. This is, by far, the best one yet. Well, not really. It's a tie. This is a fantastic recipe, and is very, very light on the prep. Just grab all the ingredients out of the fridge, along with a measuring cup, and you are good. There are scallions (green onions) that get chopped, and some tarragon also, but that is super simple, and compared to most of the other recipes I write about, it's almost no work. The only thing I would do is make this a bit spicier, but I understand that I am an anomaly.

Here is Nigella's recipe via Food Network:

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons garlic oil
• 2 fat scallions or 4 skinny ones, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon freeze-dried tarragon
• 2 chicken breast fillets, skinless and boneless
• 1/3 cup vermouth or white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Fresh white pepper, to grind over
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon, plus a pinch more for sprinkling

Heat the garlic oil in a frying pan or Dutch oven that has a lid and in which the chicken breasts will fit pretty snugly. Add the scallions, stir, then sprinkle in the freeze-dried tarragon, stir again and cook them in the garlic oil for a minute, stirring some more as they cook.


Put the chicken fillets into the pan, curved side down, and cook for 5 minutes, watching the scallions don't burn. If they look like they're beginning to, scrape them from the pan and let them sit on the chicken pieces.


Turn over the breasts, and add the vermouth (or white wine). Let the vermouth bubble up, then add the salt. Put the lid on, turn the heat down low and leave it to simmer gently for 10 minutes. Check the chicken is cooked through by making a small cut into the thickest part and ensuring the juices run clear - if not, simmer for a few minutes longer and check again.


Remove the chicken breasts to warmed plates. Bring the remaining liquid to a boil, add the cream and stir well, then sprinkle in the fresh tarragon, stir again and give a good grind of white pepper.



Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts, and give a final scattering of tarragon to serve.

Spinach and Chickpea Salad

This spinach and chickpea salad is a really tasty side to any light dish. Since its the new year, and resolutions are once again rearing their ugly face, folks are doing their damnedest to eat more healthy. I highly recommend this side, because not only is it fairly cheap to make, but its also pretty healthy. There is a lot of flavor, and not a lot of ingredients.

Spinach and Chickpea Salad

Serves 2 (greedily)

1 can Chickpeas, drained
2 large handfuls Baby Spinach
1 tablespoon Cumin Seeds or Ground Cumin
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and Pepper to season
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 pinches Flour

In a large skillet or wok, heat up the olive oil to medium-high heat. Sprinkle in the cumin seeds or ground cumin, and cook for about a minute, stirring frequently. Next, gently add in the chickpeas. They will pop once they hit the oil, so be careful. Give the pan or wok a good shake, and add the 2 pinches of flour. This will give the chickpeas a tasty coating. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Next, add the handfuls of spinach, pour the lemon juice on top, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, and place lid on skillet or wok. Cook for another minute or two. You just want the the spinach to lightly wilt. Season again with a bit of salt and pepper.

Black-Eyed Peas and Andouille Sausage

Sure, you were probably inundated with black-eyed pea recipes over the past week and weekend, but, so what? If its good, have it more than once a year. Just because its a good dish to ring in the new year does not mean that you should only have it only at New Years. I was listening to the radio yesterday morning, and they were discussing what one should eat, and what one should avoid for a New Years meal.

Black-eyed peas, and Hoppin' John, are a staple in the US. In Germany, pork is by far the best thing to eat, because a pig is always moving forward, and that is the best animal, by far, to resemble the fortitude of the new year. Stay away from chicken, because they scratch at the ground, and that will scratch away any luck. Stay away from animals that move backwards. I am quite superstitious, so I buy into all of this.

However, I made this New Years dish before I heard any of this, so it's dumb luck that we had both black-eyed peas and pork in one super-combo meal. I decided to rock some delicious sausage with these black-eyed peas, and it worked out well. The only thing I would have done differently would be to add another can of peas, and serve with rice. This recipe will reflect those changes.

Serves 4-6

3 cans Black-Eyed Peas
2 links Andouille Sausage, cut into 1/4" rounds
1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Carrot, pealed and chopped
1 Jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Smoked Paprika
2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
2 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
2 teaspoons Ancho Pepper
Salt and Pepper to season
3 cups Chicken Stock
4 cups Cooked White Rice

Start off by pouring a bit of olive oil into a large pot, set to medium heat. Add the chopped veggies, and season with 1 teaspoon spices, and saute for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the sausage, and season with remaining spices, and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the 3 cans of peas and give a good stir. Add the chicken stock to cover the sausage and peas. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Let simmer for 30-45 minutes. Serve on rice.