Noodles

After this weekend, I thought I would finally post my favorite recipe for spicy noodles. These can be eaten hot or cold, mixed with vegetables or not, topped with sesame seeds and scallions or not, and in general, any darned way you feel like. I bet even Darlene could make them. She might learn that butch girls who can cook, even one or two things, are highly prized as date material. No femme wants in on a relationship where she's going to have to become a scullery maid. Screw that. Learn to cook, darlin'. Here's an easy thing to start with:

You make the sauce separate, then cook the pasta and toss together. That's it.

There are a couple of ingredients that might be tricky to find, but in the great metropolis that is Portland, I am sure that these things can be found at any Asian Marketplace. I get the vinegar at the natural foods store in Bangor, but the rest is available at Hannaford's.

Szechuan Noodles

Boil 1 pound of spaghetti in a pot of water. I use regular thin spaghetti, store brand, nothing fancy.

In a non-reactive bowl (translation: not metal!) mix the following ingredients together:

6 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3 Tablespoons Chinese Black Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Tamari soy sauce
1 teaspoon Sri Racha (or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes)
2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root (paste from a jar is OK)
2 Tablespoons minced garlic (from a jar is fine)

Drain the cooked pasta and toss with the sauce. Top with sesame seeds and chopped scallions if desired. I sometimes will serve with hot stir-fried vegetables, or cold with cooked chicken for a cool lunch on a hot day.

For many years, these noodles were available only at the Common Ground Fair, back when it was in Windsor. There was a booth called "Oodles of Noodles" and they served these things highly spiced and nicely chilled. Then one year, the booth was not at the fair. I went into deep mourning, and a funky haze fell down upon my soul until a few years ago when the fine people at MOFGA printed the recipe in the annual fair booklet. Rejoicing began and has continued steadily. I do not think we have gone more than a month without having these noodles in some form since that recipe was published. It is fantastic. And super-easy, and super-versatile. The hot sauce stuff can be adjusted to allow for wimpy palates or amped up for a sinus-blistering, endorphin-producing blast. The amounts I listed here are pretty mild.

And it's fun to show off.