Hot Ume Somen Noodle Bowls

When one of my daughters visited Japan, she brought home a package of pink noodles (ume somen).  The noodles get their lovely color from plums and they have a delicately sweet flavor.  The noodles are hard to find in the US, but if you come across them, do yourself a favor and grab several packages.  If you can't find them, you can make the same tasty dish by substituting white somen or buckwheat soba noodles. 

If you're interested in seeing how these noodles are traditionally used, check out my recipe for cold ume somen with spicy dressing.

For this recipe we'll need the noodles, edamame (soy beans), instant dashi granules, shredded crab meat, salt, and scallions.

Cook the noodles in boiling salted water - they don't take very long to cook so keep a close eye on them.  3-5 minutes is all it takes.

Drain and rinse to stop the cooking process. 

Although the leftover cooking water is a lovely pink color, discard it and fill the same pan with 4 cups of fresh cold water.

Add instant dashi granules to taste - they are VERY STRONG so start with 1/4 teaspoon and add more if needed.

Stir and bring to a simmer.

Ladle hot dashi broth into bowls and divide remaining ingredients between the bowls.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• somen noodles https://amzn.to/35QjQp5

• instant dashi https://amzn.to/2LiQjuK

---

Hot Ume Somen Noodle Bowls

makes 2 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 ounces Ume Somen (plum noodles) or other noodles

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• instant dashi granules

• 8 crab sticks, shredded

• 1 cup cooked, shelled edamame

• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a large pot, 8 cups of water to a boil; add salt and stir to dissolve.

2. Cook noodles in boiling water, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes until soft, but not mushy.

3. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process; set aside

4. Discard the water used to cook the noodles.

5. In the same large pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil.

6. Add instant dashi granules to taste (I start with about 1/4 teaspoon or so).

7. Ladel hot dashi into soup bowls.

8. Add noodles, crab, and edamame to the bowls; sprinkle with sliced scallions.

Turkey and Vegetable Meatloaf

Don't let the fact that this meatloaf contains ground turkey scare you.  I know ground turkey is so lean that it can be dry, but this recipe contains a high concentration of vegetables, which not only adds incredibly flavor, but a great deal of moisture too.  I hope you'll give it a try.

To begin you'll need some roughly chopped carrots, onion, celery, mushrooms, and a few cloves of garlic.

Pulse in a food processor, in batches, until finely ground.

Tip: to keep the processor lid clean, drape a piece of plastic wrap over the bowl before placing the lid on. 

Like this.  Click the lid in place and pulse away.

When done, all the little bits that would have normally splashed up on the lid will now be on the plastic wrap instead.

And the lid will stay perfectly clean!  

Obviously, you wouldn't use this trick if you need to use the feed tube.  

Back to the veggies - process them until they look like this.   

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.

Add the ground vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes.  Don't be alarmed if you see some liquid releasing from the vegetables.

Oh, and don't forget to add the kosher salt and pepper to the vegetables as they cook.

After 10 minutes pass, the liquid will have evaporated and the color of the vegetables will have darkened a bit. 

Stir in the Italian seasoning and remove from the heat.

Allow the vegetables to cool a bit.  To speed up the process, spread them out on a sheet pan.

Time to mix everything together.  In a very large bowl, place the turkey, panko breadcrumbs, beaten egg, and worcestershire sauce.

..... and don't forget to add the cooled cooked vegetables. 

Mix everything together very well.  You don't want any unmixed clumps to remain. 

Place the meat mixture on the prepared sheet pan and shape into a loaf like this. 

In a small bowl, place ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard.

Whisk together well. 

Brush the ketchup mixture evenly over the top of the meatloaf and bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 165F is reached.  Rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• nonstick foil https://amzn.to/3bq7c11

• silicone pastry brush https://amzn.to/2WNM5R8

• instant read digital thermometer https://amzn.to/35TcgKd

---

Turkey and Vegetable Meatloaf

makes 8 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 large carrots, chopped

• 2 ribs celery, chopped

• 6 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic

• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 pounds ground turkey

• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

• 2 large eggs, beaten

• 1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 cup ketchup

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a half sheet pan with nonstick foil.

2. Place onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely ground, processing in batches as needed.

3. In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook ground vegetables, salt, and pepper in oil for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until excess liquid evaporates and the color of the vegetables darken slightly.

4. Remove the vegetables from the heat, stir in the Italian seasoning, and allow the mixture to cool before proceeding.

5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled vegetable mixture, ground turkey, panko breadcrumbs, beaten eggs, and worcestershire sauce; mix very well until they are evenly distributed.

6. Place the turkey mixture on the prepared half sheet pan and shape into a loaf.

7. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard; pour evenly over meatloaf.

8. Bake in center of preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until it reaches an internat temperature of 165F; rest for 10 minutes before serving.

adapted from laurainthekitchen.com