Week 3

Even during the busy season I find a bit of time to look at cookbooks and food blogs.  One blogger/cookbook writer who I like a lot is Andrea Nguyen.  She has written several Vietnamese cookbooks, but her blog is a bit more diverse in its recipes.  The other day I stumbled on an entry from 2017 that talked about Joyce Chen.  Chen, who was born in China, opened several restaurants in Boston in the 60's and 70's, had a cookbook, a cooking show briefly on PBS and a line of stir fry sauces.  Despite my New England upbringing and my childhood admiration for Julia Child, who filmed her cooking show on the same set as Chen, I had never heard of her.   Her story is interesting and I am excited to have a cookbook to keep my eye out for when I am in used bookstores.  My collection of cookbooks is bordering on absurd, but every time I pull one down thinking I should pass it on I change my mind.  I just love them and the history they contain.  I ended up making the recipe for Peking meat sauce noodles that Nguyen adapted from Chen's cookbook.  It was incredibly savory and great for this time of year.  I adapted it a bit myself and used frozen udon noodles mainly because I like any excuse to eat them.  I love how thick they are and I love the springy/chewy texture.  The recipe was great because it calls for both radishes and radish tops.

Lettuce
Carrots
Snap Peas
New Potatoes - These potatoes will not store for long.  They should be used soon.
Cucumber
Radishes - Radishes aren't just for salads.  They can be roasted or sauteed as well.
Strawberries - Large Only