I don’t envy Jamie and her fellow farmers the tough job of having to wrestle with Mother Nature to bring food to our tables on a consistent basis. As many of my Fellow Springdellians know, the heavy snows have delayed the growing season, along with the microburst that took out the tunnel and lettuces. As a CSA member, I know that part of the reason that the CSA model exists is to provide a steady income for the farmer in an unsteady market (that’s entirely weather dependent). The CSA member goes into the season knowing that the weather may provide abundance, or not… Jamie and her fellow farmers want so much for us all to be happy, that despite weather circumstances beyond their control, they are allowing options to lessen the blow to Spring Shareholders. For those signed up for a Spring CSA (which had unfortunately been cancelled due to said issues) there are three options available, including credit at the farm stand on future purchases, or an extended winter CSA. (Sarah and will be opting for the latter, and will continue to share blog posts and recipes from our bounty). Thanks to Jamie and Springdell for offering these options, which clearly reflect the commitment to the customer. Another farm may have simply said “sorry, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles, and you all signed paperwork to reflect that”. Not our farm. As always, we are in good hands. Thank you, Springdell Farm!
Today, my dear Nan had knee replacement surgery and is in recovery as I type this. As cooking and creating was not the first thing on my mind, I turned to a trusty recipe shared by Fellow Springdellian Susan MacDowell. I first saw it on the Springdell Facebook page a few years back, and the original recipe was printed by Williams-Sonoma. It’s simple, fast, delicious, and has a lot of room for flexibility with ingredients. The adaptation I made tonight was to add pre-cooked beef instead of chicken. I started thawing the beef this morning and it was still quite frozen when I began to slice it. I find it quite helpful to be working with semi-frozen meat when preparing to slice it thin for stir-fry, as it is much easier to slice. A quick marinate and sauté in a pan readied the meat for the recipe.
This recipe calls for egg noodles, which I love to cook with. They cook very quickly, freeze thaw and reheat well, and pair nicely with almost any CSA veggie that you throw their way. Many local Asian markets sell them in bulk, I’ll buy 5 pounds at a time and then break them into one pound clusters for freezing.
The recipe also calls for Oyster Sauce. Unfortunately what’s being marketed today is often “Oyster Flavored Sauce”, which is rife with corn syrup solids and MSG. I opted for a vegan version and it was quite delicious in the mix.
As with any wok recipe, it is wise to prep and measure your ingredients before starting to cook. Once your wok and oil are heated, you stir in the garlic and ginger, followed quickly by your bok choy, green onions (frozen from the summer CSA) and carrots. The strained noodles, meat, broth and oyster sauce are mixed in at the end, and after a moment of heating, it is time to enjoy!
It’s fast, it’s furious, and utterly scrumptious. One pound of noodles makes for some delicious leftovers!
- 1 lb. fresh Chinese egg noodles
- 1 Tbs. Asian dark sesame oil
- 2 Tbs. peanut or canola oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 Tbs. finely grated fresh ginger
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 3 cups wide strips of bok choy
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
- 2 scallions, (both white and green parts) sliced.
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- About 1 pound of Springdell Beef (Sirloin Tips, Flank Steak, or other Stir-Fryable cut, sliced into thin pieces and cooked)
- Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, then add egg noodles for 2 minutes or as directed. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Toss these with the tbsp of sesame oil and set aside. Meanwhile, whisk your broth and oyster sauce together and set aside.
- Heat your wok over high heat, then add the peanut/canola oil, followed by the garlic and ginger. Add the red pepper flakes, bok choy, carrots and scallions. Stir fry for about 2 minutes before adding the noodles, broth/sauce mixture and meat. Stir fry for an additional 2 minutes and serve immediately.
- Precooked tofu, chicken, pork, or beef work great in this recipe, along with a variety of veggies. A great one to make your own!
Jess, I hope your Nan’s Surgery (and Recovery) are going well? She (and your Family) are in our thoughts and prayers! I appreciate you sharing this lovely Shanghai Noodles Recipe. Might I suggest Whole Buck Wheat Noodles (which you can find in the Asian Aisle of most grocery stores), if you are not Gluten sensitive. Also, if you are allergic (that’s me) to the Oyster Sauce than might I suggest that you use a Low Salt and Gluten Free Soy Sauce instead with us a bit of Cornstarch. I also chose to extend out my Winter Share Option too. I appreciate Jamie giving us these Options. Spring is here and we must give Mother Nature, and our Farmer Jamie, a chance to catch up. We all have endured a very terrible New England winter and now we must try to show our patience and understanding.
Thanks for the well-wishes! Nan’s recovery is slow and steady, please keep the prayers coming, and thanks!
We LOVE buckwheat noodles round these parts! Rice noodles are a great stand-in as well (so long as you eat them the same night, they get a little stiff when leftover). It’s a fun recipe to tweak. As always, thanks for the suggestions!
Here’s hoping Mother Nature will be gentler with all of us going into growing season, especially Farmer Jamie and Crew. We’re all cheering for you, Springdell!