The Night Before Thanksgiving

Who wants to worry about what is for dinner the night before Thanksgiving?

When I was younger we would always get take-out like pizza or Chinese food and I still actually think that's a fine idea. Or it would be if there were not two people in my family who can't eat pizza and we're having a lot of Chinese food at Thanksgiving tomorrow (it is a long story).  Even though it is the night before the big food holiday, everyone still wants to eat dinner and that means someone has to make it. I have kids and a tired, overworked husband coming home after an extra long day at the office I need to make some kind of dinner, but it needs to be easy, healthy  and something that everyone will like.

That's what made me think of Yakisoba. That and the fact that I saw the bags of fresh noodles set out at the packed out wholesale produce place I was brave (or dumb) enough to go to this morning.  I think I may have been the only person in there who was thinking about what to cook for dinner tonight. An asian noodle dish with pork must be the exact opposite of roast turkey with gravy, potatoes and stuffing. The best part is the sauce is made from ketchup, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce which I always have on hand in the refrigerator. Just in case, I always keep a jar of grated ginger in my fridge door as well for any emergency asian cooking that might come up unexpectedly.

This recipe was a hit when I made it for my family before, but it was too spicy for my kids so I've reduced the amount of Worcestershire sauce and dropped the Tabasco entirely... feel free to modify to you own liking.  Also the original recipe used peanut oil for the stir fry, but I prefer grape seed or canola.  I also decided to do this with blanched broccoli (because it is a green vegetable my kids will eat), but you can make it with whatever vegetables you have on hand.

My youngest daughter calls this dish "yucky soba" as a joke, but she is still first in line to eat this tasty noodle dish.


Yakisoba with pork and vegetables
(Adapted from the New York Times)
serves 4

salt
1 pounds fresh Chinese egg noodles (or 12 oz. dried)
1 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 pork chops (1-2 pounds pork), thinly sliced
1 pound broccoli, cut into small pieces
1 carrot, sliced into thin rounds
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons mirin or a bit of sugar
1 bunch scallions, chopped (for optional garnish)

1. Stir together in a small bowl ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and miring. Set aside.

2.  Bring pot of well salted water to a boil. Blanch broccoli for 1-2 minutes. Remove and run under cool water. Set aside. Blanch carrots for 1 minute. Remove from pot and run under cold water. Set aside with broccoli.

3. Add noodles to boiling water. Cook until just done (about 3 minutes). Drain in colander and run under cold water. Toss noodles with sesame oil to keep from sticking and set aside.

4. Put vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add ginger and cook, stirring until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Add pork and cook for about 5 minutes or until the pork is no longer pink and is starting to brown around the edges.

5. Add the vegetables to the skillet and stir; sprinkle with salt. Continue to cook until vegetables soften, adding a bit of water as needed to keep them from sticking.

6. When vegetables are soft and any liquid has evaporated add noodles and sauce to skillet. Toss to coat everything well and cook until noodles are warmed through. Serve, topped with chopped scallions.