Hectic Days - Kimchi Noodle Soup

It has been so crazy at work lately that I have barely had time to eat away from my desk.  By the time I drag my shell of a body home, I am in no mood to spend much time cooking.  Good thing I have always had a generously stocked kitchen to come up with crazy combinations of lazy meals.  Here is one of them.

Fish Nuggets

Kimchi

Chili Garlic Sauce

Kimchi Noodle Soup

Kimchi Noodle Soup

1 serving of egg noodles (can substitute w/ any type of noodles)

2 cups water

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup napa cabbage kimchi

1 tsp chili garlic sauce

*Optional: egg, fish nuggets w/ roe, any vegetable, leftover meat, Spam, tofu, cooked dumplings, etc.

Cook noodles according to package instructions.  Drain and set aside.  Bring water, salt, kimchi and chili garlic sauce to a boil.  If adding any of the optional add-ons that need to be cooked, add to the soup and boil until cooked.  If adding dumplings, cook the dumplings separately or with the noodles to prevent the soup from becoming starchy.  Ladle everything into a large bowl and enjoy.

I love cooking the fish nuggets in my soup.  It imparts a sweetness that makes me slurp up every last drop.  This particular brand does not have the roe filling center like this one.  This variation is shaped like a nugget and has the roe mixed in.  There is a nice little "pop" every time I bite down on the nugget.
P.S. The yolk from my poached eggs created a nice addition to the broth, making it rich and glorious.

Whole Roasted Quail

Whole Roasted Quail

Quail is tasty tasty meat.  Gamey like duck, but with a more delicate flavor.  If cooked correctly, the meat is still pink inside.  Like duck, quail is a red meat bird that is best medium to medium rare.   Some of the small bones get so crispy-crunchy that I love munching on them.  

There is no elegant way to eat quail.  Like eating crab or whole lobster, this is finger food.  Finger-lickin' good finger food.  

I have always had fried quail seasoned with 5-spice.  No batter, just fried like deep-fried turkey.  That is the best way to get a crispy skin and crunchy bones without overcooking the meat.  However, deep-frying is a lot of clean up work.

I decided to try roasting the little birds using a simple seasoning of salt & pepper to let the true flavor of the quail speak for itself.  I did a quick sear to get the skin brown before putting the pan in the oven for the high heat roasting.  Since the size of these birds makes it really easy to overcook, high heat and timing is everything.  I got out my trusty cast iron frying pan and got it really hot.  I pre-heated the oven to 500 degrees F.  I was aiming for medium rare, but ended up with medium.  Next time, I think I'll butterfly the quail so that I can get a more even sear in a shorter amount of time.

2 quails equals 1 entree serving or 2 starter servings.

Whole Roasted Quail

2 quails

salt

pepper

grapeseed oil (or any high smoke point oil)

1/2 tsp butter

lemon wedges (optional)

Let quails come to room temperature to ensure even cooking.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.  Rub quail all over with oil.  Lightly sprinkle quail with salt and pepper, inside and out.  You can always add more salt later, but you can't take it away.  

Heat cast iron frying pan over high heat.  Pour enough oil into the pan to just cover the surface.  Melt butter in pan.  Quickly sear the quail on all sides, about 10 seconds or less on each side, starting with the back.  Once you get to the breast side, turn off the heat and immediately place the pan in the preheated oven.  Roast for 8-10 minutes.  Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the quail (optional).

Juicy Italian Meatballs and Umami Spring Angel Hair Pasta

I had a lot of ground beef and ground pork in the freezer.  I decided to use half for italian meatballs and use half for swedish meatballs.  I'll get to the swedish meatballs in another post.  For now, I'll just share my recipe for italian meatballs.  The milk soaked breadcrumbs really kept the meatballs moist and helped hold their shape.

Italian Meatballs
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup minced onions
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp oregano
3 tbsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tbsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp pepper
Oil

Soak the breadcrumbs in milk.   Saute onions until soft and translucent.  Set aside to cool.
Mix together ground beef, pork, soaked breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, egg, oregano, salt and pepper.  Once onions are cool to the touch, combine onions with meat mixture.
2 heaping tablespoons at a time, form the meatballs by lightly patting with the palms of your hands.
Heat a large frying pan w/ enough oil to just cover the surface.  Pan-fry the meatballs over med-low heat until brown on all sides, carefully turning once on each side, about 1 1/2 min each side.

I didn't feel like a saucy pasta dish, so decided to do a light spring angel hair pasta dish and topped it with a few meatballs.  The umami flavor of the pasta was sensational.

Umami Spring Angel Hair Pasta
16 oz. dried angel hair pasta
1/2 cup reserved pasta water
2 anchovy fillets
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
2 cups baby spinach
2 cups parsley leaves
1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp garlic, minced
Any other vegetables you have around, julienned
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste
White pepper, to taste

Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente (see package instructions).  Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and set aside.  In a large saute pan (I used the meatball pan with all the pan drippings), saute the anchovy fillets and onions over med-low heat.  Cook until fillets are melted and onions are translucent.
Add garlic to onion mixture.  Stir for 30 seconds.
Add parsley, spinach, tomatoes and other vegetables.  Cook until spinach and parsley are just wilted.
Take pan off heat and toss in pasta.  Stir in reserved pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time to make a light sauce.  Be careful not to add too much, the sauce should not be too watery.
Mix in parmesan cheese and pepper to taste.  I strongly advise tasting before adding the cheese.  The anchovy fillets make up half the salt element in this dish.
Serve with meatballs.