One Pan, Two Plates (6 page)

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serves 2

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2½ tsp salt

14 oz/400 g fresh cheese-and-spinach tortellini

6 tsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 leek, white and tender green parts, trimmed, rinsed thoroughly, and thinly sliced (see “It’s that easy”)

½ tsp dried marjoram or oregano

6 oz/170 g cremini mushrooms, brushed clean and thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup/60 ml dry white wine

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 cup/240 ml heavy cream

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1.
Fill a 12-in/30.5-cm skillet with water up to about 1 in/2.5 cm from the top. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 2 tsp of the salt and toss in the tortellini. Stir gently once or twice to keep the pasta from sticking and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 5 minutes or according to the package directions. Drain the pasta in a colander set in the sink and toss with 2 tsp of the butter.

2.
Return the pan to the heat, reduce the heat to medium-high, and add the remaining 4 tsp butter. When the butter is melted and hot, add the leek and marjoram and ¼ tsp salt. Sauté until the leek begins to soften, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until the mushrooms give off their juices, about 4 minutes. Add the wine and vinegar and cook until the pan is almost dry, about 2 minutes longer. (Raise the heat if the liquid seems to be reducing too slowly.)

3.
Add the cream and bring to a simmer. The sauce should be bubbly and a little thickened in about 1 minute. Stir in the nutmeg and cayenne. Taste and add the remaining ¼ tsp salt and a grind or two of black pepper if it needs it. Return the tortellini to the pan and toss it in the hot creamy sauce until the pasta is well coated and warmed through, about 2 minutes.

4.
Scoop the tortellini into warmed shallow bowls. Scatter the parsley and Parmesan over the top and serve hot.

it’s that easy:
Leeks are easy to clean. Just trim off the root end and cut off and discard the tops where they turn dark green and tough. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse cold running water between the layers to remove any sand or grit. Proceed with chopping or slicing as directed.

extra hungry?
How about a salad of radicchio and Bibb lettuce with a scattering of olives, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and a glug of olive oil?

in the glass:
A Sauvignon Blanc from Oyster Bay, New Zealand, is just the thing to cut through this creamy sauce. But if you’re in the mood for red, fear not. A Beaujolais or lighter-bodied Pinot Noir would be just as tasty. Look for a bottle of Mark West Pinot Noir for a surprisingly decent bottle at an economical price.

Lo Mein Noodles

with
CHICKEN, SNOW PEAS,
and
PEANUT SAUCE

Peanut butter and pasta go together like, well, peanut butter and jelly—only much less sweet. This pasta favorite starts with a basic peanut dressing, but is sassed up with soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, and spicy chili garlic sauce. The lo mein noodles, crispy snow peas, and tender chicken breast soak up all that signature tart-and-spicy flavor we’ve come to love. Dinner, lunch, or even breakfast is a great time to munch on this Asian-inspired noodle dish.

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START TO FINISH
25 minutes

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HANDS-ON TIME
25 minutes

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serves 2

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3 tbsp smooth or chunky peanut butter

2 tbsp plus 1 tsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp chili garlic sauce or red pepper flakes

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut crosswise into very thin slices

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 oz/225 g dried lo mein noodles or linguine

1 cup/140 g snow peas

1 carrot, peeled and shredded with a julienne peeler (see “It’s that easy”) or grater

1 green onion, white and tender green parts, thinly sliced

2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro

¼ cup/40 g peanuts

1.
Fill a 12-in/30.5-cm skillet with water up to about 1 in/2.5 cm from the top. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.

2.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, rice vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili garlic sauce. Using a fork, stir to mix. The mixture might not blend together that well, but that’s okay. Set aside.

3.
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on all sides and set aside at room temperature.

4.
Add 2 tsp salt to the boiling water and toss in the lo mein noodles. Stir gently once or twice so the noodles don’t stick. Cook until the noodles are about a minute shy of being completely tender, about 3 minutes. (If you’re using linguine, the pasta will need about 6 minutes. To check, fish out
a strand and bite into it. It should still be chewy, but not tough.) Scoop out about ¼ cup/60 ml of the noodle-cooking water and set it aside.

5.
Quickly add the chicken and snow peas to the boiling pasta and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the snow peas are crisp-tender, about 30 seconds. Immediately drain the contents of the skillet into a colander set in the sink. Return the mixture to the hot pan and stir in the peanut sauce, carrot, green onion, and about half of the reserved pasta-cooking water. Toss with two wooden spoons or tongs until the pasta, vegetables, and chicken are all well coated with the sauce. Add a little more of the pasta water if it seems dry and/or sticky. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

6.
Mound the hot noodle mixture onto warmed plates. Garnish with the cilantro and peanuts and serve hot.

it’s that easy:
A julienne peeler is a handy little tool. With its fine blades, it can shred a carrot into whisper-thin shards perfect for summer rolls, stir-fries, or salads. Look for it at your cookware shop or online. This useful tool is definitely worth the space it will take up in your gadget drawer. If you don’t have a julienne peeler, just grate the carrot.

extra hungry?
To give this meal extra heft, use two chicken breasts instead of one and cook the meat an extra 30 seconds to be sure all the pieces are cooked through.

in the glass:
A Chenin Blanc from South Africa is a good choice to pair with this nutty, spicy dish. There is a range of sweetness among Chenin Blancs. Look for a fruit-driven bottle with brisk acid from producers like Graham Beck or Indaba.

Pad Thai

Every now and then I have an unrestrained need for pad thai. You know, that party of a noodle dish flecked with tart tamarind and lime, balanced by sweet honey and salty fish sauce, and all tossed together with scrambled egg, green onions, garlic, shrimp, bean sprouts, and cabbage. Like I said, it’s a big party on your plate—and now you can make it yourself when you’re feeling the need. Even if it’s only every now and then.

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START TO FINISH
40 minutes

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HANDS-ON TIME
40 minutes

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serves 2

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4 oz/115 g rice-stick noodles, preferably Asian “L” or “M” style (see “It’s that easy”)

2 tbsp tamarind concentrate (see “It’s that easy”) or 1½ tbsp fresh lime juice mixed with 1½ tsp brown sugar

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp rice vinegar

3 tbsp vegetable oil

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

3 green onions, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 large eggs, beaten

3 cups/255 g very thinly sliced napa cabbage

6 oz/170 g cooked small shrimp

¾ cup/40 g bean sprouts

½ cup/70 g roasted salted peanuts, chopped

3 tbsp minced fresh cilantro

1 lime, ½ reserved for juice, ½ cut into wedges for garnish

Salt

1.
Fill a 12-in/30.5-cm skillet with water up to about 1 in/2.5 cm from the top. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles. Stir gently once or twice so the noodles don’t stick. Cook until almost tender but with a little bite, about 4 minutes. Drain the noodles in a colander set in the sink and run just enough cold water over them to stop the cooking but still leave them warm.

2.
Give the tamarind a stir first, if needed. In a small bowl, combine the tamarind, honey, fish sauce, rice vinegar, 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil, and the red pepper flakes and stir to mix well. Set aside.

3.
Put the empty skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 tbsp vegetable oil. Add half of the green onions and all of the garlic and sauté
until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs and scramble them into the onion-garlic mixture just until clumps form, scraping up the cooked egg from the bottom of the pan with a spatula. Stir in the cabbage and shrimp and sauté until the cabbage wilts and the shrimp are warmed through, about 30 seconds longer.

4.
Quickly add the drained noodles, half of the bean sprouts, half of the peanuts, half of the cilantro, and the tamarind mixture. Toss and continue to cook until the noodles are hot and tender, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat if the bottom of the pan threatens to scorch. Squeeze in the juice from the lime half and season with salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

5.
Mound the pad thai on warmed plates and scatter the remaining green onions, bean sprouts, peanuts, and cilantro on top. Garnish with the lime wedges and serve hot.

it’s that easy:
The traditional rice-stick noodles for pad thai are about ¼ in/6 mm wide. They come in a package marked “L” or “M.” You may have to go to the Asian market to find these noodles, but in a pinch, the widest rice noodles you can find at your grocery store or even spaghetti or linguine will work just fine.

Tamarind is a tart Asian fruit that adds an important flavor layer to Thai dishes. I prefer to use the concentrate because it saves time. The more traditional dried tamarind comes in a block that has to be soaked and strained through a fine mesh strainer to remove the fibers and seeds. With the tamarind concentrate, all that work has been done for you.