What's For Dinner v 17.28

Or… What’s in YOU’RE Freezer??

This is a propane fridge/freezer at a cabin on a tiny island I used to stay at while on vacation (Maine)

Well hellooooo there! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? All my best intentions to keep up brunch and dinner diaries failed over the past year. But that doesn’t mean I’ve been lounging around eating Fritos and Swedish Fish. Maybe…

So, what’s for dinner, anyway? For pics and so on, jump down past the kitchen window!

9 times out of 10, I have some sort of notion; I usually have been craving something for a few days and eventually I can’t stand the wait anymore and dive in. Usually that process of organizing and prepping begins right after coffee. That’s correct. In the morning. See, I really like my main meal earlier rather than later in the day. Back when I was cooking for a living full time, I nibbled and tasted this and that all day- and night - everything from incoming produce to sauces, veggie trim, sometimes fish or meat off cuts. Even if there’s only ‘spoon scrapings’ left of a salmon, it’s about 2-3 bites, and sometimes that’s all you want/need/have time for.

However, now is that magical time of year when it’s clear out the freezer and rotate stock. It’s time to put on some excellent music (YMMV) and just do it. Up here it’s important— important for anyone living where the power can go out for hours (and hours… days sometimes). See, I don’t open my fridge or freezer if the power’s out. Period. But over time, frozen things especially become a bit frosty and just that much closer to freezer-burnt and gross. So I cleaned out the freezer. I figured out a couple yummy things to make, and figured if I make 2 dishes per week, I’ll be all cleaned out PLUS fat ‘n happy for the winter.

I’ll call it Fridgeabi Noodles. You get it, right? Here are the ingredients:

kindly disregard the while bowl w/ smashed-up chicken base. didn’t use it. didn’t need it. Also did not use any of those cactuses...

You can’t see the onion or the partial bag of carrots. But those went into the (HOT!) pan first.

You also can't see the ginger and garlic. But I used a good 2 T each(tablespoons-- small t for teaspoons)

I used avocado oil because it won't smoke at high heat- and this was high heat.

That Asian broth was a chicken stock reduction to which I'd added star anise, ginger, white pepper

Those are Italian broad fettuccini noodles because I didn't have anything like soba or rice noodles

There's a small container of Chinese style sausages they've been selling at my market

I used about 4 chunks. I'd cut and cooked them previously and froze them so I could use as much or as little as I want down the road.

And chopped, blanched (and still frosty!) Swiss chard

soy sauce, corn starch (for slurry), oyster sauce, white pepper, and homemade chili crisp

about 2/3 way through cooking. Onions, carrots, garlic, ginger, sliced sausages, chard and...sesame seeds!

At about this point, my water has come to a boil and I toss in 4-5 of those little ‘nests’ they come in. They’ll be done just when the rest is done!

The last part is adding the oyster sauce, soy sauce (about 1T each), the broth (about a cup +/-), and everybody comes to a boil which is when I immediately add my cornstarch slurry (just corn starch and h2o to the consistency of heavy cream). Add about 1-2T at a time. Too thick is gross- so don’t do that BUT if you do, dilute w/ h2o or more broth. DO NOT OVER-COOK!!!

It should look something like this: