Yeah, I know it's Tuesday already and that this is a "Meatless Monday" post, but time slipped away from me yesterday and I never got it finished in time….Je suis désolé. I could have saved it for next week to actually post on Monday, but this dish was so good I couldn't wait to share it with you all.
As is the case with many vegetarian dishes, this treat is equally delicious, hot, room temperature, or cold from the fridge. This dish satisfied in many ways, from the exotic flavor of its nut sauce, to its meatless pedigree and use of soba noodles which are made with buckwheat flour and perfect for my gluten-sensitive wife.
I adapted this recipe from one I found in Fine Cooking Magazine, making it a little less spicy by reigning in the use of red pepper flakes and cooking the copious amounts of garlic before adding them to the sauce. I also blanched the red pepper pieces as opposed to adding them raw as called for in the original recipe.
We all loved the bold flavor of the sauce, healthy goodness of the edamame and peppers, and the roasted crunch of the slivered almonds. For those of you skeptical about the ability of a meatless meal to fill you sufficiently, the rich sauce along with the rustic texture of the noodles and the satisfying chew of the edamame, left us not missing meat AT ALL. It served four of us for dinner with enough leftovers for at least four more lunch servings….my kind of meal.
Cheers – Steve
Ingredients
- 10 ounces dried soba noodles
- 2 cups shelled edamame beans
- 1/2 cup slivered raw almonds, toasted
- 1/3 cup almond butter - creamy or crunchy
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar, or more to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 scallions, sliced on a bias
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into matchsticks
Instructions
- Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
- In a small skillet set over medium-low heat, toast the almond slivers until golden brown, remove to a bowl to cool. In the same pan saute the garlic in some oil until lightly browned, remove from the heat and reserve.
- Add the soba noodles to the boiling water and cook per the instructions on the package. Remove to a colander (leaving the cooking water in the pot) and rinse with cool water. Let drain, then transfer to a large bowl.
- Add the edamame to the pasta water and cook for 4 minutes, then add the red pepper pieces and cook for another minute or two. Pour the blanched veggies into the colander and rinse briefly to cool. Let drain, then add them to the bowl with the pasta.
- In a small bowl, mix the almond butter and vinegar, whisking until smooth. Loosen with warm water 1 tablespoon at a time until the sauce reaches a consistency you like (I used 3 tablespoons). Add the red pepper flakes, then pour the sauce into the bowl of pasta and veggies along with the almond slivers.
- Toss the pasta with the sauce and other ingredients until well combined, sprinkle with the scallion slices and serve immediately.