Spicy sesame soba noodles

In-keeping with the soba noodles theme, I was keen to try out another Japanese-inspired dish this evening.  I love all things spicy and had a craving for something with a kick of sesame in there... so eventually ended up playing around with some condiments I had kicking about in the cupboard.


As with cha soba noodles, soba noodles are made from buckwheat - hence the dark brown colour as opposed to the lighter colour of udon or ramen noodles.  However what they lack in visual appeal, they make up for in flavour as these are nutty, earthy and full of flavour.


So... what to do.


For the sesame chilli sauce you need:


2 tbsp Toasted sesame dressing
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 red chilli, finely sliced


What to do:


Mix all these ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

For the noodles you will need:

2x 2oz bundles of soba noodles

What to do:

Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the noodles - cook for 4-5 minutes until just tender and then drain.

Rinse thoroughly with cold water.

Next, add the noodles back to the pan with the sauce and cook on a medium heat for 1-2 minutes, until heated through.

And there you go... sesame soba noodles in a jiffy! 

Super slow roasted tomatoes

This recipe just has to find its way into my blog.  A while ago I had a dabble in the blogging world - and this was the first recipe I posted.  And rightly so.  These tomatoes form the bases of any number of wonderous tomato-based dishes... they're sweet, succulent and so very very tasty.


Tomatoes are one of the few fruits or vegetables that actually contain a higher nutrient density when cooked. They are a powerful source of lycopene, and cooking the tomato only serves to increase their nutritional value.


What you need:


6 tomatoes, sliced in half
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of basil
Pinch of oregano
Salt
Black pepper


What to do:


Preheat the oven to 120 degrees celcius.
In the mean time, place the sliced tomato halves on a baking tray and liberally drizzle with a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Sprinkle each one with the basil and oregano - add a sprinkling of salt and twist of black pepper and then place in the oven and forget about them for at least two hours.


Time is the essence with these little gems - and your patience will be rewarded!  These are fantastic served alongside your favourite dishes, blended as a pasta sauce base or simply devoured as tomatoes on toast.