Stir Fried Rice Noodles With Beets And Beet Greens Food

STIR-FRIED RICE NOODLES WITH BEETS AND BEET GREENS

Steps:

• Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with warm water. Soak for 20 - 30 minutes, until soft. Drain in a colander and using kitchen scissors, cut into 6-inch lengths. Set aside within reach of your wok. Combine stock, soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, salt and sugar in a small bowl and stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Combine garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes or minced chile in another bowl. Have all ingredients within reach of your wok.
• Beat eggs in a bowl and season with a little salt. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in 2 teaspoons of oil by adding it to the sides of the wok and swirling the wok. Make sure that the bottom of the wok is coated with oil and add beaten eggs, swirling the wok so that the eggs form a thin pancake. Cook 30 seconds to a minute, until set. Using a spatula, turn pancake over and cook for 5 to 10 more seconds, until thoroughly set, then transfer to a plate or cutting board. Roll up or fold in half and cut into strips using the edge of your spatula or a knife. Set aside.
• Swirl remaining oil into wok and add garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes or chile. Stir-fry no more than 10 seconds and add beets and leeks. Stir-fry 2 minutes, until beets are crisp-tender. Add greens and walnuts and stir-fry until greens wilt, about 1 minute. Add noodles and stock mixture. Reduce heat to medium and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, until noodles are just tender. Add cilantro and eggs and stir-fry another 30 seconds to a minute, until well combined. Remove from heat and serve.

FRIED BEETS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add beets and cook uncovered until slightly tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, rinse, and cut ends from each beet.
• Place beets in a saucepan with about 2 inches of water. Cover saucepan and bring water to a boil; cook beets until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove beets from water and immediately immerse in a bowl of ice water to cool. Pull peels off the beets. Slice beets into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; fry beets, flipping occasionally, until lightly blackened, about 20 minutes. Season beets with salt and pepper.

PINK RISOTTO WITH BEET GREENS AND ROASTED BEETS

Steps:

• Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan. Season well and turn the heat to low. Stack the stemmed, washed greens and cut crosswise into 1-inch wide strips.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large nonstick frying pan or wide, heavy saucepan and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes, and add the rice and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the grains of rice are separate and beginning to crackle, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the wine and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. The wine should bubble, but not too quickly. You want some of the flavor to cook into the rice before it evaporates. When the wine has just about evaporated, stir in a ladleful or two of the simmering stock (about 1/2 cup), enough to just cover the rice. The stock should bubble slowly (adjust heat accordingly). Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock and continue to cook in this fashion, not too fast and not too slowly, stirring often and adding more stock when the rice is almost dry, for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the greens and the diced beets, and continue adding more stock, enough to barely cover the rice, and stirring often, for another 10 to 15 minutes. Taste a bit of the rice. Is it cooked through? It should taste chewy but not hard in the middle. Definitely not soft like steamed rice. If it is still hard in the middle, you need to continue adding stock and stirring for another 5 minutes or so. Now is the time to ascertain if there is enough salt. Add if necessary.
• When the rice is cooked through, add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, and stir in another half cup of stock, the Parmesan and the parsley. Remove from the heat. The rice should be creamy; if it isn't, add a little more stock. Stir once, taste and adjust seasonings, and serve.

STIR-FRIED PORK AND GREENS WITH NOODLES

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with water, and bring to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the greens. Cook the greens 1 to 2 minutes, until just tender, and transfer with a slotted spoon or deep-fry skimmer to the ice water. Drain and squeeze out the water (you don't have to squeeze them completely dry). Chop coarsely.
• Cook the noodles. Bring the water in the pot back to a boil, add the noodles, and stir to separate the strands. Add a couple of tablespoons cold water, just so the water doesn't boil over. Boil somen noodles for two minutes, rice vermicelli for five to seven minutes, until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Place in a bowl of cold water, then drain and toss with the sesame oil. Set aside.
• Heat a large, heavy skillet or wok over high heat until hot enough to evaporate a drop of water on contact. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil, swirl to coat the pan, and reduce the heat to medium-high. Add the pork, and stir-fry for two to three minutes, until the meat is cooked through and there are no longer any traces of pink.
• Add the remaining oil, ginger and garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant and beginning to color, about 20 to 30 seconds. Stir in the greens, noodles, soy sauce and stock or water. Stir together until heated through, and serve.

STIR-FRIED BEET GREENS, TOFU AND BEETS

Steps:

• Combine the sugar and salt in 1 small container, the soy sauce, sherry and sesame oil in another, and place within arm's reach of your wok. Have the other ingredients in separate containers within arm's reach of your wok.
• Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in the oil by adding it to the sides of the pan and swirling the pan, then add the tofu and spread out in a single layer. Don't stir for 1 minute, then stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until it begins to color. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for no more than 10 seconds. Add the beets and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the leek and stir-fry for 30 seconds to a minute, until it softens, then add the beet greens and salt and sugar. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until the greens have wilted. Add the sesame seeds, soy sauce, sherry and sesame oil, and cilantro and stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch and stir-fry until the liquid in the wok glazes the vegetables and tofu, less than a minute. Remove from the heat and serve with rice, noodles or other grains.

BEET GREENS AND RICE GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin dish with olive oil. Either blanch the beet greens for 1 minute in a large pot of generously salted boiling water, or steam over an inch of boiling water for 2 to 5 minutes, until wilted and tender. Rinse with cold water, squeeze out water and chop medium-fine. Set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add the garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the cooked greens and the thyme and toss together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
• In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir in the greens mixture, the rice and the cheeses and mix together well. Scrape into the oiled baking dish. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top. Drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of oil.
• Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until sizzling and lightly browned on the top and sides. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.