Tasty Tuesday

Today's recipe comes from Mixt Salads: A Chef's Bold Creations by Andrew Swallow, with Ann Volkwein

"In Mixt Salads, the co-founder and executive chef of San Francisco's beloved boutique salad joints shares his inventive, flavor-forward creations."

The Noodle
Soba Noodles with Enoki Mushrooms

Borrowing from traditional Asian flavor combinations, this salad combines toasted sesame seeds, refreshing cucumber, and cool noodles. Miso is a fermented bean paste that I use in the dressing to add richness to this light, healthy salad without adding fat.

Dressing:
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon white miso
1 cup canola oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
12 ounces soba noodles
1 cucumber
2 (3 1/2-ounce packs enoki mushrooms
4 teaspoons sesame seeds
2 cups pea sprouts
2 red bell peppers, seeded and julienned
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil on the stove.

To make the dressing, combine the rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, sugar, and white miso in a blender. Slowly add the oil in a stream and blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Boil the soba noodles for 4 minutes, until al dente, then rinse under cold water and set aside.

Peel the cucumber, then slice in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds by running a spoon down the middle of the cucumber. Slice it into half-moons.

Gently peel the mushrooms apart from each other and set aside. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry saute pan over medium heat for 6 minutes.

To plate each serving, toss together 1 cup soba noodles, 1/2 cup pea sprouts, 1/2 cup bell peppers, 1/2 pack mushrooms, 1/2 cup cucumber slices, and 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds.