Linguine with Snow Peas Cucumber and Peanuts

Asian-Style Noodles and Two of My Favorite Peanuts

Grandson Connor

Grandson Joshua

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been on my own for dinner this week and, because of that, I've been trying to make dishes that will feed one person without having leftovers to deal with. I did well until tonight. I had a quantity of snow peas that simply had to be used before they became fodder for the compost heap. I didn't want to waste them and couldn't bear the thought of another stir-fry, so I did a quick search for recipes where they might be used. I finally settled on this one for peanut noodles. It appears everywhere, but I think it was originally developed for Food and Wine magazine and that they should be the ones credited for its creation. While I have several excellent recipes for noodles of this type, they don't use snow peas and would not easily adapt to their addition. Because this recipe was an ideal solution to my "pea" problem I've ended up adding yet another recipe for peanut noodles to my repertoire. I can honestly report that this dish is fast, easy and delicious. I will make it again, although it presents some problems. Unlike most dishes of this sort, these noodles are served hot. The vegetables are added just before serving to keep them crisp-tender. Herein lies the problem. When the dish is reheated it becomes goopy and the vegetables become limp. That means leftovers will leave much to be desired. As written, the recipe makes four very generous servings. Try to manipulate ingredients so you have no leftovers to deal with. Even having said that, those of you who make this dish will be pleased with the results. Here's the recipe.

Linguine with Snow Peas, Cucumbers and Peanuts...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Food and Wine

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

2/3 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock

1-1/2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 pound linguine

1/2 pound snow peas, cut diagonally into thin slices

2 cups fresh bean sprouts

2 scallions including green tops, chopped

1 English cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced thin

1/2 cup chopped salted peanuts, divided use

Directions:

1) Combine garlic, soy sauce, peanut butter, chicken broth, lime juice, red-pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in jar of a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth.

2) Cook linguine in a large pot of salted boiling water until almost done, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add snow peas and bean sprouts and cook until just done, about 3 minutes. Drain and toss with the peanut sauce, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, the scallions, cucumber, and 1/3 cup of the peanuts. Serve with the remaining peanuts sprinkled over the top. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.