I found this recipe about a year ago, after eating ramen over at a friend’s house. Finally got around to making it. You can find a lot fancier recipes out there, but I decided to keep it simple with this one. Came out pretty darn good! I added some shrimp the last five minutes, and used the cheap-o dry ramen noodles, ’cause I’m just that cheap. I did make the eggs, and they were a great addition. Might add another minute to the boil time if I make them again. I also might get some low sodium soy sauce as it calls for… Just a bit on the salty side. From the Fox and Briar site.

Ingredients

For The Soup:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root
• 4 garlic cloves pressed or finely minced
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms stems removed and sliced
• 1/2 – 3/4 pounds baby bok choy sliced into quarters lengthwise
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1-2 packages fresh yakisoba noodles* one package is about 7 ounces. Use two packages if you like lots of noodles. Fresh noodles are usually found in the produce section of the grocery store

For The Ramen Egg

• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 3/4 cup water

Additional Toppings (Optional)

• sliced green onion
• cilantro
• chili garlic sauce
• sesame seeds
• lime wedges

Instructions

To Prepare The Ramen Egg:

• Whisk together the 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of rice vinegar and 3/4 cup water, set aside.
• Prepare an ice bath by filling a bowl with ice and water.
• Bring a pot of water to boil (make sure there is enough water to cover the eggs). When boiling, carefully lower the eggs into the water using a slotted spoon or spider. Reduce heat if necessary to keep the water just barely boiling. Cook for 7 minutes, then remove from pot and place eggs in the ice bath. Leave in the ice bath for 3 minutes. Remove from ice bath and gently peel (egg will be soft). Place peeled eggs in the marinade and make sure they are completely covered with the marinade. Leave in the marinade for several hours or overnight. If keeping longer, discard the marinade and store in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat the egg in the ramen broth (don’t leave in the broth very long before serving or the egg will overcook).

To Prepare The Noodles:

• If using fresh noodles:
• Bring a pot of water to a boil. When boiling, add the noodles and simmer for 3 minutes. Strain and rinse with cold water. Toss with just a little oil if necessary to keep them from sticking (mine already had a little oil on them, so I didn’t need to). Set aside.
• (If using another type of noodle, follow package instructions) <– This was me! I added a little sesame oil after cooking them.

To Prepare The Soup:

• Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant so that they don’t burn. Add the chicken broth and 1 cup of water, soy sauce, rice vinegar, oyster sauce, fish sauce, chili garlic sauce, stir to combine. Bring back to a simmer.
• When broth reaches a simmer, add the chicken thighs. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through and reaches a temperature of 165°F.
• Remove the chicken and shred it with two forks. Add it back to the broth along with the bok choy and cook for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

To Serve The Ramen:

• In a bowl, place a serving of noodles, then pour the soup over them. Top soup with ramen egg, sliced green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds if desired.

Here’s a dish we whipped up Sunday night, off Food Network. Short ribs were on sale at the store, and it’s been pretty wintery outside, so it sounded like a solid plan. It came out pretty darn good! I’d say I followed the recipe relatively closely; I used fresh linguine for the pasta, because I don’t even know what taglia-whatever is. I didn’t use the chocolate either, because that just sounds weird.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 ounces chopped pancetta (about 1/2 cup)
2 1/2 pounds short ribs
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes (whole or diced)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups beef broth
3/4 cup red wine
1 pound fresh or dried tagliatelle
4 to 6 teaspoons shaved bittersweet chocolate

Directions:

Place the olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium heat. Cook the
pancetta until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, season the short ribs with salt and pepper, and dredge in the flour. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside. Add the short ribs to the pan and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total. Combine the onion, carrot, parsley and garlic in a food processor and blend until finely minced. Then add the tomatoes and tomato paste and pulse. Once the short ribs are browned, carefully add the mixture from the food processor to the pot. Return the pancetta to the pot and stir. Add the rosemary, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, beef broth, and wine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Remove the meat and bones from the pot. Discard the bones. Shred the meat and return it to the pot. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta and 2 to 3 minutes for fresh. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the pot and stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta liquid 1/4 cup at a time, if needed, to moisten the pasta. Transfer to serving bowls, top each bowl with 1 teaspoon of chocolate shavings. Serve immediately.

Ragu Ingredients:

• 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 3 cans chopped tomatoes with liquid
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 boneless wild boar shoulder, cut into1/2-inch chunks (about 3 pounds)
• Kosher salt
• 5 bay leaves
• 1 bundle fresh thyme
• Stock or water as needed
• Grated Parmigiano, for sprinkling
• Olive oil for finishing

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1 sprig rosemary, torn in half
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 cups Chianti or other red wine, or as needed

Preparation:

Step 1
The night before making the ragu place the meat in a bowl with the rosemary, garlic and enough wine to cover. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Step 2
Discard the rosemary and garlic. Drain the meat in a
strainer set over a bowl, reserving the wine. In a Dutch oven
over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering, and brown the meat in batches. Remove the meat after browning and add the carrot, celery and onion. Sauté until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 3
Add the meat and cook, stirring frequently, until all the liquid released by the meat has evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the reserved wine and cook,
stirring frequently, until the mixture is dry, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon. Add 1 cup water, reduce heat to very low, and cook, partly covered, at a low simmer for 1 hour.

Step 4
Add stock and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat begins to break apart, 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Remove from heat and, using a whisk or spoon, break the meat into very fine shreds. Serve, if desired, over
tagliatelle or other pasta.

Another one off Food Network.  This is copied straight off the website.  I used boneless skinless chicken instead, as part of my ongoing effort to at least try and be a little healthier.  The real reason I made this was to use the lemons off my tree in the back yard.  Just doesn’t get much more exciting than that, at least in my world.

4 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup good olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)
1 lemon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don’t allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.
Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

From the Food Network, one of my go-to sources.  I added some crab I had leftover from my recent crabbing trip, it was pretty darn good.

4 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 cup low-fat (2%) milk
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons Neufchtel or low-fat cream cheese
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 ounces fresh fettuccine
Freshly ground pepper
Directions

Make the sauce: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and lemon zest and cook until the garlic is slightly soft, about 1 minute. Add in the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon,1 minute. Whisk in the milk and 3/4 teaspoon salt and cook, whisking constantly, until just thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the Neufchatel and parmesan cheese; whisk until melted, about 1 minute. Stir in the chopped parsley.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta and return to the pot.
Add the sauce and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water to the pasta and gently toss to combine, adding more cooking water as needed to loosen. Season with salt. Divide among bowls and top with parmesan and pepper.