Innie or Outie

Getting down to the final three meals making use of that package of 25 (70 gram) servings of Japanese pasta, Apple-Pepper Pork on Almond-Mint Cream Sauce Somen:

(Click on image to view large size)

This entrée consisted of somen tossed with toasted almond slivers and chopped fresh mint cream sauce; topped with julienned onion sautéed in olive oil with sliced pork and apple, julienned yellow and green bell peppers, tarragon, cornstarch, white pepper, and finely-chopped fresh basil; garnished with fresh basil leaves; accompanied by Basil-Baby Cheese Garlic Brown Bread to complete the meal.

Finally getting down to the last few servings of somen. This is another original dish with a mild Spanish-influenced flavor, Golden Chicken in Tomato Sauce on Almond-Basil Somen:

(Click on image to view large size)

For the dish, thoroughly mix turmeric, dried tarragon flakes, white pepper, dried parsley flakes, paprika, dried oregano flakes, minced garlic paste and olive oil in a zip-style plastic bag; add chopped chicken breast chunks and completely coat in olive oil mixture; place in refrigerator to marinate.

About 30 minutes prior to serving, brown chicken mixture in frying pan; stir in diced onion, diced yellow bell pepper, and diced green bell pepper; cook until onion turns translucent.

Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, sauté sliced spicy sausage and start boiling somen water; remove sausage and toast almond slivers in remaing grease; add chopped stewed tomatoes with sauce and sausage to chicken mixture bringing to a light boil; reduce heat, add sliced black olives, and simmer until somen is ready.

Cook somen; remove toasted almonds from heat; strain and toss with chopped fresh basil, almonds, and olive oil; plate and ladle-on chicken mixture; top with fresh basil leaves. Serve.

Hubby’s still in the mood for Chinese-style dishes, Papa’s Spicy Bok Choy-Shrimp on Sesame Rice:

(Click on image to view large size)

For the meal Hubby created a mixture of shrimp, diced white onion, bok choy, red wine vinegar, scallion, dried garlic slivers, white pepper, chicken broth granules, and toubanjyan sauce served on rice topped with cracked toasted sesame seeds.

Still another simple way to use the 25 pieces of 70 grams package of noodles and leftovers, Meat Sauce Somen:

(Click on image to view large size)

This was almost effortless, place desired amount of leftover meatloaf, diced onion, tomato juice, tomato paste, dried parsley flakes, dried oregano flakes, and soy sauce in a container and let defrost and marinate over night. About twenty minutes prior to serving, start somen water; place meatloaf mixture in a pot; add diced green bell pepper and sliced mushrooms; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until somen is ready, stirring occasionally and breaking meatloaf into chunks. Cook and strain somen, add to meatsauce and toss thoroughly. Plate, top with fresh basil leaves, and sprinkle with parmesan. Serve.

To go with the somen dish, I tried something a little different, Toasted Basil-Baby Cheese Garlic Brown Bread:

(Click on image to view large size)

While the meat sauce somen was cooking, the slices of walnut-raisin brown bread (soemthing hubby had picked-up at a local bakery) was placed in a toaster until slightly crunchy; topped first with a thin layer of minced garlic paste, second with small chunks of baby cheese, and third with a fresh basil leaf; finally the toasted bread was microwaved for 2.5 minutes. The result of this unusual cooking method combination was a bread with a creamy, nutty, and light fruit flavor and a texture reminiscent of melba toast.

Sometimes a simple standard meal is just what the taste buds demand, Mama’s Basic Beef & Potato Dinner:

(Click on image to view large size)

A true standard, meatloaf made with hamburger, panko (bread crumbs), dried parsley flakes, dried oregano flakes, white pepper, Worcestshire sauce, white pepper, sage, diced onion, and egg topped with a minced garlic paste, ketchup, Worcestshire sauce, and fresh basil sauce; baked potato with melted sour cream, baby cheese, and nutmeg sauce topped with chopped chives, and chunky mixed veggies with almond slivers and white pepper sautéed in sesame oil.

Hubby decided to try something a little different in the stir-fry department, Papa’s Chinese-Style Pork Dinner:

(Click on image to view large size)

Hubby sautéed thinly-sliced pork, julienned carrots, and julienned bell pepper in vegetable oil; added minced ginger paste, dried garlic slivers, fresh mushrooms, garlic chives, white pepper, and oyster sauce; and thickened the mixture with cornstarch. To go with the pork entrée, he chose rice with cracked toasted sesame seeds.

A refreshing afternoon snack for the summer that Hubby put together, Papa’s Melon-Yogurt Snack:

(Click on image to view large size)

A simple snack of honeydew melon, yogurt, and granola topped with nutmeg.

This dish was inspired by a chicken recipe on a Japanese foodie television site, Papa’s Olive-Chicken in Cream Sauce:

(Click on image to view large size)

For this meal, hubby pan-fried julienned onion, chopped chicken thighs, and carrot slices in olive oil; added minced garlic paste, sliced green olives with pimento, sliced black olives, mushroom slices, fresh chopped basil, mirin, white wine, and white pepper, simmered for about fifteen minutes, stirred in cream, and simmered for approximately five more minutes. To accompany the dish, he chose walnut bread for sopping-up the sauce.

A basic meal for beef eaters, Papa’s Steak & Potato Dinner:

(Click image to view large size)

Hubby pan fried the steak in olive oil – using the juices with garlic and Worcestershire sauce, whole grain mustard, and white pepper for the “gravy”. Accompanying the meat entrée are baked potato with sour cream and a salad consisting of iceberg lettuce, arugula, julienned yellow bell pepper, sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and chives drizzled with a white wine vinegar, whole grain mustard, and olive oil vinaigrette

So, here I am still trying to come up with dishes that will help us use up a little more of that enormous gift of twenty-five 70 gram servings of somen. This is the latest creation, Sausage-Pepper Medley on Bleu Cheese-Basil Somen:

(Click on image to view large size)

To make this very simple dish simply use the desired amount of hot somen tossed with chunks of room-temperature bleu cheese and chopped fresh basil, topped with julienned onion sautéed in olive oil and minced garlic paste stir-fried with julienned spicy sausage, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, chives, and kamaboko. To complete the meal, I decided to go with a cool refreshing fruit instead of greens, Spiced Pear Salad:

(Click on image to view large size)

Peel and grate pear, then toss with chopped fresh mint leaves. Chill in refrigerator until almost ready to serve. About five minutes prior to serving, line bowl with iceberg lettuce, top with pear mixture, and sprinkle with desired amount of powdered all spice, nutmeg, or cinnamon. (If desired, you can make mini lettuce wraps instead of a salad with this recipe.)