Osso Buco Overview

Osso buco sounds much fancier than “bone with a hole,” doesn’t it? But that’s what it means, and there is indeed a round, marrow-filled bone in the center of the veal cut used in this Italian classic. It’s the cross-cut shank or shin bone of a young calf, to be exact, braised so the meat gets fork-tender.

Traditionally, the braising liquid is some combination of wine and stock, and the veal may or may not be browned in flour first. Gremolata (a mixture of chopped lemon peel, parsley, and garlic) is the usual garnish.

It would be remiss not to mention the controversy and squeamishness surrounding veal, even from people who have no problem eating meat in general. But that would also lead to a discussion about the industrialized dairy industry and factory farming in general—which are all absolutely worthy of everyone’s consideration. Let’s just say here that your best bet, as always, is to source your meat from a local, organic, free-range farm where the animals are raised in natural conditions and treated humanely all the way through to the end.

Based on sheer numbers, it’s especially rare to find veal from such sources, and it will be significantly more expensive, but many people feel it’s worth it, whether they owe it to the animals and the farmers raising them, or are just willing to pay more for their own peace of mind. (Of course, even if you think you’re buying humanely raised meat, it might not actually be so great; “organic” is big business now, and your food might just be marketed to you in such a way as to make you feel better about what you’re eating. Plus, for those who don’t eat animals for ethical reasons, there is no such thing as humane meat at all.)

None of this is news in this day and age, and many of us don’t intend to change our habits regardless of what we read. But even some of us who do plan to keep eating meat still don’t want to consume even ethically sourced veal. Although veal is the traditional star of the Milanese classic, osso buco can—despite the arguments from purists—be made with beef shanks instead (aka from cows which have had a chance to grow older), and you’ll even find pork and lamb versions. The veal has a more delicate flavor, but the other meats will take on all the wonderful nuances of the sauce. Vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores who have been put off by the preceding paragraphs can even enjoy the basic flavors with a carrot and mushroom interpretation, but osso buco is definitely a meat-eater’s dish.

No matter which kind of animal you use, the cut should include bones, because those add a lot of savor to the dish, and if they’re marrow bones, all the better, since that unctuous substance will seep out into the sauce. The finished dish should be hearty, full of rich flavor, and exquisitely tender—the kind of thing that literally inspires poetry.

The traditional accompaniments to osso buco (which may actually correctly be spelled ossobuco, though you’re far less likely to see it that way in American recipes) are risotto alla milanese, made with saffron, and the aforementioned gremolata garnish, but these days there are many different iterations. And while it’s ideal eating for the colder months, you can enjoy osso buco all year round, as these recipes attest.

Osso Buco with Risotto alla Milanese

Recipe Tin Eats

This is not quite the quintessential classic osso buco recipe because it uses tomatoes, which the original dish did not, but the extra hit of acidic sweetness from them makes the sauce even more delicious. The veal shanks are browned in oil before being braised in white wine, broth, and aromatics like onion and garlic, with a little bay leaf and thyme. The classic partners of bright gremolata and golden saffron risotto are here to complete the meal. Get the recipe.

Ossu Buco Ragu with Pappardelle

Mustard With Mutton

A particularly rich pasta topping, this osso buco sauce takes several hours, but then so does traditional ragu. You could certainly just sauce some pasta with leftover osso buco rather than making this from scratch (or top it with these considerably quicker osso buco meatballs), but it’s nice to casually tend a simmering pot all afternoon once in a while, especially if you’ve got a glass of wine and good reading. Get the recipe.

Slow Cooker Osso Buco

Table For Two

It’s always wonderful to find a slow cooker version of your favorite dish, and here’s one for osso buco. (There’s also slow cooker pork osso buco, and on the other end of things, if you want osso buco and want it now, we have a Pressure Cooker Osso Buco recipe for almost instant gratification.) It will perfume your whole house with mouthwatering aromas and the only thing you’ll need to do before dinner are make some sides, like mashed potatoes for soaking up all the sauce. Get the recipe.

Clinton Kelly’s Chicken Thigh Osso Buco

Dinner Then Dessert

Okay, so maybe this shouldn’t really be called osso buco, but regardless of the name, it’s delicious and immensely satisfying. If you’re not a dark meat fan, you could use chicken breasts, but in either case, it’s important to use bone-in and skin-on chicken parts, or else you won’t get the same depth of flavor, or caramelized crispiness from the skin. Get the recipe.

Osso Buco Pies

Gourmet Traveller

Sort of a cross between pot pies and shepherd’s pie, these osso buco pies are not only full of rich flavor and fantastic texture (luscious gravy, tender meat, and flaky pastry), they look so whimsically impressive, like portobello mushrooms turned on end. Don’t be daunted by the metric measurements; you can convert them, or simply use this recipe as inspiration. And if you’re not after the playful look of these particular pies, you can use leftover osso buco meat taken off the bone and baked under a crust, whether that’s homemade pie dough or store bought puff pastry. Get the recipe.

Smoked Osso Buco

Girls Can Grill

There’s not much you can’t cook on the grill. Turns out, osso buco is no exception. This method imparts a lovely smokiness to the meat, which is braised in a tomato-rich sauce. Get the recipe.

Lamb Osso Buco with Creamy Polenta

The Year In Food

For lamb fans, here’s a take on osso buco that’s far from sheepish. The rich flavor of the meat is complemented by the homey sauce of red wine, rosemary, and tomato paste. A lamb shank osso buco with gremolata is also a good way to go, and would be just as tasty served over this creamy polenta. Or you could go beefier and make this short rib osso buco where the polenta serves as a crust. Get the recipe.

Leftover Ossobuco Soup

Simple. Tasty. Good.

If you actually have leftover osso buco, this is a fantastic way to use it. Extra tomatoes and garlic stretch the leftover sauce into a broth, and white beans and carrots add a nice creamy yet toothsome heft to the soup. Get the recipe.

Asian Osso Buco

What Do You Crave?

Classic Italian osso buco may date back to the 18th century, but don’t feel bound by tradition. This Asian take on the dish is fragrant with garlic, ginger, lemongrass, chiles, anise, and cinnamon. Soy sauce and Thai basil come into play too. Any leftovers would be especially great used in these osso buco bahn mi sandwiches, but for the first go-round, serve over noodles. Get the recipe.

Fennel, Leek, and Orange Pork Osso Buco

Local Milk Blog

This is just a beautiful way to make pork, period. Fennel, leeks, oregano, and orange lend lovely flavors to the slow-braised meat. (For another porcine variation tailor-made for fall, try this pork osso buco with braised apples and apple beer.) A fennel-orange gremolata echos the traditional osso buco topping while being distinct. Get the recipe.

Osso Buco with Mushrooms

Fantastic Fungi

Back to beef (or veal)—this version of osso buco brings mushrooms into the fold for extra meatiness and savor, and adds the spicy note of sage to the gremolata. Serve over risotto, polenta, pasta, or potatoes, and you’ll be completely satisfied. Get the recipe.

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What Is the Difference Between Coffee and Espresso?

When you walk into pretty much any coffee shop on the planet, you’re usually given a few ordering options on the menu, and two of the biggest, boldest, capital-letters ones are Coffee and Espresso. Under the coffee menu, there might be several different types to order: iced or hot, for instance, or light or dark roast. Sometimes there’s a host of countries or even farms to chose from. Under the espresso list, you’ll find myriad fancy-sounding drinks like lattes, cappuccinos, mochas—you know, the fun stuff.

But…wait a second here, aren’t all of these drinks made from coffee beans somehow? Doesn’t a barista make both of them? What’s going on behind the counter behind all those machines, the secret between these two drinks? What’s the difference between “coffee” and “espresso,” anyway?

My friend, you’ve asked the perfect caffeinated questions: Let’s break down the difference and get to the bottom of the espresso/coffee confusion once and for all.

Strength

To begin, yes, both of these drinks are made with coffee beans, which have been roasted and ground, and are then brewed using hot water. To that extent, they start off basically the same. The main difference, and certainly the most obvious to anyone who’s drinking the stuff without any milk or sugar, is that espresso is a very concentrated coffee beverage: While both a cup of drip coffee and an espresso might start out with the same amount of ground coffee in the recipe (say, 20 grams or so), espresso is brewed with only about 2 ounces of water, instead of 8 or 10—so it packs major punch in the taste department.

The confusing thing for many people is whether espresso has more “oomph” strength, meaning more caffeine: Actually, since caffeine is pretty reliably soluble in hot water, espresso ends up having a not-too-dissimilar amount of caffeine as your standard cup of Joe, somewhere between 80–120 milligrams. The difference is in the caffeine by volume, of course, as most espresso shots are 2 ounces or less, while most brewed coffee is anywhere from 8 all the way up to 20 ounces. (Note that 20 ounces of brewed coffee will have closer to 200 or more milligrams of caffeine, so take it easy on that stuff, pal.)

Espresso’s concentration is what lets it shine through steamed milk in layered beverages like lattes, and it’s also what gives it that creamy texture that coats your tongue. On the contrary, it makes it a hard drink to nurse: No one is still sipping a shot of espresso two hours later, so if you intend to camp out with your laptop I suggest ordering something a bit longer in the cup, so to speak.

Speed

The other main defining difference between espresso and what is generically called “coffee” on the average menu is the length of time each one takes to make. Coffee comes in various styles and preparations, each of which will require a different brewing time: An AeroPress, for instance, can make a very small amount of coffee in under 2 minutes, while a French press or a Chemex might take 5 minutes or more. Cold brew is a 12 to 24 hour situation—which seems like a lifetime when you consider that the ideal espresso shot is fully extracted to its concentrated perfection in under 30 seconds. Yup, in less time than it takes to drop a dollar in the tip jar, that thick coffee elixir is pushed out of the espresso machine. The way that black magic is achieved is one of the other key differences between “coffee” and espresso, and that is…

Pressure

Just like the catchy bass line and fist-pumping chorus of the classic David Bowie and Freddie Mercury song, espresso gets its speed and its chutzpah from the fact that it’s brewed under pressure. While most drip coffees rely on gravity alone to do the slow and steady work of pulling water through the coffee grounds, a well-tuned espresso machine uses mechanical pump pressure—normally around 130 pounds of it—to force very hot water through very finely ground coffee, essentially squeezing all the coffee stuff out of it in no time.

The espresso machine was invented to perform this task very precisely, with an emphasis on speed and strength: The first espresso drinkers were Italians during the Industrial Revolution, who needed a way to prepare their preferred style of coffee (which was more akin to a Middle Eastern or “Turkish-style” brew, very thick and bittersweet) quick enough to shorten their coffee breaks and get back to work in the factories. Steam-powered espresso machines allowed them to stay caffeinated on the quick, and to keep the gears of industry turning.

Roast

Gotcha! This one’s not actually a defining characteristic of espresso vs. coffee, though for many years it was certainly considered a hard-and-fast determination. Many roasters approach coffees differently when they’re developing them to be brewed as filter coffee or espresso, because the nature of preparing espresso can make certain flavors overwhelming and even unpleasant in the cup. Bright fruit notes like citrus or lemon add a nice bit of tang to a filter- or press-brewed coffee, but in a very concentrated shot of espresso they might make your face practically implode, like sucking on a lemon rather than simply getting a touch of zest.

While there are technical ways that a roaster can change his profile to be more “espresso friendly” (such as roasting the beans darker, or at a lower temperature for a longer time—both of which will temper the zingy flavors and bring out more chocolate, nut, and sweet tones), the truth of the matter is that you can use any roasted coffee to make espresso, because there are no rules to flavor. Plus, at the end of the day, coffee beans are coffee beans, and you can do whatever you want with them, no matter what their roast level or place of origin is.

Still have questions about the differences between espresso and coffee? Leave them in the comments!

— Head photo illustration by Chowhound, using: flickr (david pacey)/Pixabay.

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Roasted Eggplant and Butternut Squash with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce

You don’t need to work very hard to make this vegetarian dish look stunning. The vegetables are so colorful!

This is golden eggplant is the dish I make whenever we have company for dinner and there are vegetarians among us or I feel like something a little lighter is in order. Even the carnivores among us like a meatless meal once in a while, and besides, eggplant is such a meaty vegetable!

Continue reading "Roasted Eggplant and Butternut Squash with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce" »

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How to Make Pizza for Breakfast

Pizza for breakfast? Sure, why not! Pizza in the morning is no problem if you’re willing to switch up the toppings. Since it’s made of bread, cheese, and tomatoes, pizza basically consists of breakfast food components to begin with. So eating pizza for breakfast—and no, not the refrigerated slice from last night’s shenanigans—is the perfect start to your weekend morning. Follow these guidelines and you’ll have some outstanding breakfast pizza on your plate in no time.

Start with the basics: You need to make sure that the base for your pizza is delicious. Boboli? Sure. French toast—why not? English muffin? Perfect. Or use traditional pizza crust if you’re not willing to think outside the pizza-breakfast-box just yet.

Keep it simple: The best pizza is often the most simple pizza. Italians have this figured out with Margherita—it’s just tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil. Use this rule to make the best breakfast pizza and don’t go overboard with the toppings. You’re not dumping a breakfast buffet on your pizza, you’re picking out some key ingredients that will pair well together and taste great.

Add eggs: The ideal way to add protein and take your pizza from boring to badass. Crack a few eggs on top of your pizza before you pop it in the oven and you’ll have the traditional breakfast aspect covered. Or get crazy and slice a few hardboiled eggs on top of your cheese and sausage base…it’s your morning, get after it!

Add veggies: There are so many good choices for breakfast pizza veggies—try out broccoli, fresh cherry tomatoes, asparagus—whatever is in season.

Breakfast meat: If you’re a meat-eater, then breakfast pizza calls for bacon and sausage. Or a little prosciutto. If it goes well with eggs at IHOP, it should be on your pizza.

Save some for later: If you thought last night’s pizza was good, coming home after a full day of work and having some leftover breakfast pizza is beyond convenient. Dress it up with fresh eggs when you’re reheating, or skip the eggs all together and just throw on some more cheese. This is a great leftover option and you can repurpose it endlessly.

Here are 6 recipes for breakfast pizza that will get any day off to a great start.

Harissa Pancetta Breakfast Pizza

Chowhound

If making dough from scratch is a little bit too intense for you first thing in the morning, you can make this recipe ahead the night before. Thinly sliced pancetta and spicy harissa (you can make your own or purchase from any Middle Eastern grocery store) are a perfect pair for a breakfast pizza packed with flavor. Get our Harissa Pancetta Breakfast Pizza recipe.

Paleo and Gluten-Free Breakfast Pizza

Paleo Newbie

The crust for this breakfast pizza comes together with shredded sweet potatoes, eggs, and lots of seasoning: garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Top with broccoli, cherry tomatoes, sausage, and fresh eggs and you’ve got a healthy way to start the day. Get the recipe.

Breakfast Pita Pizza

Chowhound

Using a pita really saves time in the morning and you can make this recipe easily on a weekday. Top with oregano, red pepper flakes, baby spinach, Parmesan, and two large eggs. Get our Breakfast Pita Pizza recipe.

Tater Tot Breakfast Pizza

The Gunny Sack

Line a cast iron skillet with tater tots and bake them until crispy. Then add in some eggs, crumbled bacon and sausage, and shredded cheddar cheese: perfection. Get the recipe.

Egg & Bacon Breakfast Pizza on Cheesy Hash Brown Crust

Mince Republic

Hashbrowns make a great base for a farm-fresh breakfast pizza with arugula, chives, mini bell peppers, avocado, and seasoning. Top with shredded cheese, eggs, paprika, onion powder, and salt and pepper.  Get the recipe.

Fancy Breakfast Pizza

Leite’s Culinaria

This is the classic breakfast pizza but jazzed up with caramelized onions, thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon, mozzarella cheese, and crème fraiche. If you have time, make the pizza dough from scratch to make it extra special. Get the recipe.

— Head photo: Fake Ginger.

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What Is the Difference Between Korean and Japanese Sushi?

Korean sushi recipes began to emerge in the early twentieth century when Japan annexed Korea. By this time, the Korean people were fond of Japanese sushi traditions and found creative ways to make the custom their own by incorporating Korean ingredients and cooking techniques.

The difference between Korean and Japanese sushi is not one of a complete separation between the two practices. Korean sushi’s foundational elements of fresh fish and expertly cooked rice align with the Japanese sushi philosophy.

In fact, many Korean sushi chefs are trained by Japanese mentors who preach the importance of pristine ingredients, time-honored preparations, and the importance of ritual in sushi’s preparation. These principles apply to both Korean and Japanese sushi.

What makes them different is the way Korean chefs build upon their Japanese training by infusing their dishes with ingredients and cooking practices fundamental to their nation’s culinary repertoire.

Korean Sushi

Japanese sushi devotees might eschew Korean sushi because it is not considered as authentic as traditional sushi; but this is also what makes it so fun and addictive.

One of the biggest differences between Korean sushi and its Japanese counterpart is the exclusion of wasabi. Instead, gochujang, a spicy, fermented Korean red pepper sauce is frequently substituted. It delivers a similar heat without the searing nose-tingling sensation of wasabi.

The staple of pickled ginger in Japanese sushi is often replaced by kimchi for a similar pickled flavor that is entirely Korea’s own. Lotus root is another popular ingredient in Korean sushi along with fatty fish such as salmon that is marinated in a combination of gochujang and sesame oil before it is prepared. Crunchy ingredients for texture such as fried fish roe are also Korean sushi staples.

“Gimbap” is the most straightforward Korean sushi recipe. “Gim” means seaweed and “bap” means rice. Kimchi, hard boiled eggs, carrots, spinach, and beef round out a classic gimbap.

Japanese Sushi

Ritualistic preparation is as essential to Japanese sushi recipes as the use of pristine ingredients. Sushi’s origins began in the Japanese rice paddy fields in what is estimated to be the second century A.D. It was here the fish was fermented with salt to preserve it until lunchtime for the field workers who naturally ate it with rice.

Sushi recipes have flourished ever since and while modern sushi chefs outside of Japan add everything from avocado to mayonnaise to their sushi rolls, the time-tested ingredients of dried seaweed, perfectly cooked rice, and high quality fish are the primary tenets of traditional Japanese sushi.

Wasabi for heat and pickled ginger for brightness round out the basics of a cooking tradition that is beloved throughout the world.

Mini Gimbap (Mayak Gimbap)

Korean Bapsang

These addictive miniature Korean seaweed sushi rolls are a perfect appetizer for your next party. They’re easy to prepare and their poppable nature makes them a go-to recipe for a gathering. The sesame-mustard sauce is the ideal way to add a little heat. Get the recipe.

Kimchi Sushi Rolls

So Fab Food

Kimchi is the ultimate Korean accompaniment and when it’s incorporated into a sushi roll along with chicken, avocado, and ginger its flavor and texture becomes even more appealing. Get the recipe.

Korean Tuna Sushi Rolls

Half Baked Harvest

Tuna is marinated in a spicy-sweet combination of pineapple and gochujang (Korean chile paste) in this nutritious and flavorful sushi roll that is a welcome end of summer recipe for family night or a gathering of friends. Get the recipe.

Shiitake and Lotus Root Sushi (Chirashi Sushi)

La Fuji Mama

This Japanese sushi recipe contains the crunchy texture of lotus root with the umami flavor bomb of shiitakes. Get the recipe.

Onigirazu (Japanese Sushi Sandwich)

Lazy Cat Kitchen

These Japanese sushi sandwiches are as tasty as they are fun to eat. They’re also packed with nutrition in the form of healthful ingredients like tofu, spinach, and avocado. Get the recipe.

Japanese Sweet Potato Sushi Rolls

Lydia Halbert

Surprise dinner guests with a twist on Japanese sushi rolls that include classic ingredients like cucumber and pickled ginger along with more unexpected items like sweet potatoes, broccoli slaw, and alfalfa sprouts. Get the recipe.

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What Is Vermicelli?

Although vermicelli may not have the most appetizing name (it translates, rather unfortunately, to “little worms”), the extra-thin noodles are quick-cooking and good with countless flavors, as proven by the fact that they’re used all around the world in meals from breakfast to dessert.

There are two main types of vermicelli: Italian (just plain “vermicelli”) and Asian (aka “rice vermicelli”).

The Italian noodles are made, as you might expect, from durum wheat flour, and can be used like any other pasta, especially spaghetti, spaghettini, or angel hair; the only thing separating one from another is the degree of thinness. (Pro tip: this kind of vermicelli is also what shows up along with rice in that famous boxed “San Francisco Treat”—so you can easily make your own homemade Rice-A-Roni to cut down on the sodium and switch up the flavorings.)

Italian vermicelli by De Cecco

Asian vermicelli noodles are not called that in their native countries—in fact, they have a plethora of names depending on cuisine and origin—but they picked up the moniker in English-speaking regions due to their similar shape to Italian vermicelli, long and thin. They’re made from rice flour, which explains why you may also find them labeled as rice noodles (and rice sticks are the same thing ingredient- and taste-wise, but wider and flatter in shape).

Rice vermicelli by The Woks Of Life

To further confuse things, there are cellophane or glass noodles too, which are considered a type of Asian vermicelli, but are made from mung bean starch (or sweet potato starch) and cook up clear instead of white. If you can only find cellophane or glass noodles, they can be used interchangeably with rice vermicelli, though their texture is a little softer and more gelatinous. Cellophane noodles are also a good option if you’re gluten-free, since they are too!

Cellophane noodles by Jon Osborne (flickr)

Mexican fideos (which is just Spanish for “noodles”) are super similar to Italian vermicelli in shape and ingredients (wheat and water), but they are cut shorter before being packaged and are often toasted in oil for a richer flavor, rather than being boiled. You can use regular Italian vermicelli broken into smaller pieces in any fideos recipe.

Fideos by Smitten Kitchen

And then there are “falooda sev,” an Indian form of vermicelli made with cornstarch! You can sub in Asian vermicelli for these if you’re not heading to an Indian market, or you can try making your own at home.

Falooda sev by Saurabh Chatterjee (flickr)

In a pinch, if all you can find is a box of Italian vermicelli, you can use it anywhere you would rice vermicelli, fideos, or falooda sev. You’ll definitely get a slightly different flavor and texture, but since most of these dishes are highly seasoned and saucy anyway, it won’t matter quite so much. Just pay attention to your package instructions since wheat vermicelli will need to cook longer than rice and cellophane noodles, which will turn to mush after much more than a few minutes in the pot!

(And while you may have heard tell of chocolate vermicelli, that’s not some fancy dessert pasta—just fancy chocolate sprinkles.)

Basically, vermicelli by (almost) any other name will taste as sweet. So get cooking and enjoy the many ways the world makes noodles.

Vietnamese Noodles with Lemongrass Chicken

Recipe Tin Eats

Rice vermicelli is the slippery foundation of super-fresh and super-healthy Vietnamese noodle salads, which are great eaten at room temp or chilled, and can support any number of toppings (like Vietnamese BBQ pork, grilled shrimp, or baked peanut tofu). Every version is packed with crunchy vegetables like carrots and bean sprouts, tons of herbs like basil, mint, and cilantro, and sparked by the beloved sweet-salty-spicy nuoc cham dressing, with lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and chiles for heat. This version brings lemongrass chicken to the riot of flavors and textures. Get the recipe.

15-Minute Coconut Curry Noodle Soup

The Woks Of Life

Aside from being a gorgeous shade of orange and incredibly tasty, this soup comes together in a single pot, and in only about 15 minutes! Can you say perfect weeknight supper? Red curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, garlic, ginger—this soup is not fooling around. There are chunks of chicken submerged in the spicy, complex broth along with rice vermicelli noodles. (For another super-quick bowl, try this wakame and corn vermicelli soup. And then there’s the sour-edged Malaysian classic assam laksa.) Be sure to garnish with plenty of fresh herbs. Get the recipe.

Pancit Palabok

Trissalicious

Pancit is a Filipino food mainstay, and there are lots of different versions of the sitr-fried noodle dish (such as ones with chicken and with pork). This version features a rich prawn gravy and an array of toppings (shrimp, calamari, boiled eggs, and pork belly) that you can modify to suit your taste. Technically, the recipe uses bihon noodles, which are a little thicker, but rice vermicelli will do just as well to sop up all the shrimpy sauce. And if you can’t find achuete powder at an Asian market, you can order it online. Get the recipe.

Japchae (Korean Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Noodles)

Earth And Oven

Japchae is a Korean dish that uses dangmyeon noodles, which are cellophane noodles made from sweet potato starch, and may be sold as Korean vermicelli. However, you can absolutely substitute rice vermicelli or other cellophane noodles. The gochujang, soy, and sesame sauce with rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger will be delicious on any of them, and they’ll all tangle up perfectly with the stir-fried veggies in this vegan masterpiece. Get the recipe.

Steamed Scallops with Garlic and Vermicelli

Edible Communities

Here’s an elegant yet easy Chinese appetizer you can break out for your next get-together (or hustle up for your own dinner). Delicate steamed scallops are sauced with soy, garlic, ginger, and scallions, and nestled atop cellophane noodles. The scallop shells are a classy touch, but this is just as tasty served up on regular old plates. Get the recipe.

Mason Jar Instant Noodles

The Girl On Bloor

Whether you’re a Cup Noodles fan or team Instant Lunch, we’ve all grabbed some variation on the Styrofoam-packaged soup for a meal on the go, right? Well, here is a grown-up version you prep at home, which is not only way healthier but lets you customize your seasonings and add-ins. You still just add water when you want to eat. (For a dinner version that’s nearly as quick but cooks in a pot and feeds a crowd, get our Easy Chicken Pho recipe.) Get the recipe.

Vegan Peach Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Lazy Cat Kitchen

Summer rolls are light and fresh, and a perfect vehicle for dipping up loads of creamy peanut sauce. We’re addicted to the traditional version with shrimp, as in our Vietnamese Style Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce recipe, but these are a beautiful vegan variation that add sweet, juicy peaches to the usual crunchy vegetables, aromatic herbs, and springy vermicelli in the filling. And yes, there’s a peanut sauce too. Get the recipe.

Vermicelli Pasta Frittata

The Pasta Project

In the Italian kitchen, you can top vermicelli as you would pretty much any pasta (for instance, with red clam sauce or with calamari, lemon, and herbs), but this is an unusual twist on noodles in which they’re fried into a crunchy cake. The recipe was born as a way to use up leftover pasta, and it happens to be a great vehicle for lots of other leftovers you might have languishing in your fridge, but it’s also good enough that you’d make a fresh batch just for this frittata. Get the recipe.

Green Chile and Bacon Vermicelli

Noble Pig

For another less-traditional pasta dish, try twirling your vermicelli with a roasted tomato sauce spiked with green chiles. Plus, there’s plenty of bacon and Parmesan cheese. (If you like this, you’ll probably also be into vermicelli with brown butter, sausage, and spinach.) Get the recipe.

Sopa de Fideo

Cooking The Globe

Time for another soup, this one from Mexico. There is a Mexican noodle dish called sopa seca (or “dry soup”), which is actually a sort of chewy casserole, but this soup is brothy and earthy with cumin and garlic. Whether you find a package of noodles labeled fideos or you have to substitute broken vermicelli (or even angel hair pasta), you’ll be frying them golden-brown rather than boiling them before adding them to the tomato-based broth. Get the recipe.

Falooda

Sailu’s Food

If you’re looking for a unique and stunning dessert, then here you go. Falooda is a popular Indian treat with Persian roots, multilayered and multi-textured (sort of akin to halo halo). This version uses rose syrup for a pretty pink hue and gentle floral dimension. It’s layered in the glass with strawberry or raspberry gelatin, chewy falooda seeds (or basil seeds, but you could also use chia seeds), soft vermicelli in lush rose-scented milk, and vanilla ice cream, with a crunchy pistachio garnish to contrast all the soft, creamy, chewy textures. (For another Indian sweet using noodles, try semiya payasam, or vermicelli kheer, and if you want vermicelli for breakfast too, make semiya upma.) Get the recipe.

— Head photo: Chowhound’s Easy Chicken Pho.

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BraveTart: Quick and Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

A pinch of nutmeg and a sprinkling of salt amplify the butterscotch-y flavor of chocolate chip cookies, while a blend of milk and dark chocolate chunks provides alternating bites of creamy sweetness and bitter intensity. Get Recipe!

from Serious Eats: Recipes http://ift.tt/2wNrlgL
via IFTTT