Alimentary, My Dear
Use Your Noodle
By Tamia Nelson
tamia@paddling.net
A Note to the Reader
Are you a foodie? Or are you happy to chow down on whatever comes out of a
can? No matter. Whether you live to eat, or only eat to live, you'll want to
check out our Alimentary, My Dear archive.
September 24, 2002
Ask any paddler about her favorite main dish and
the odds are good that pasta is the principal ingredient. Spaghetti with
tomato sauce, macaroni and cheese, lasagna…the list goes on and on. This
isn't hard to understand. Pasta is a treasury of all the virtues—and
their opposites. It's tender, yet firm. Robust, yet delicate. Flavorful, yet
understated. In short, pasta is versatile: it makes a wonderful base for a
whole menu of meals. It's also inexpensive, compact, and slow to spoil, as
well as being available almost everywhere, even at the solitary Ser-Sta-Gro on
your favorite long, empty road.
Still not convinced? Then take a look at the testimonials. Sweaty,
hard-paddling jocks swear that pasta's carbohydrates boost their energy
without weighing them down, while—at the other end of the
spectrum—self-indulgent backcountry epicures sing the praises of pasta's
delicate flavor and "satisfying mouthfeel." Wherever you fall in this
continuum, if you eat, pasta has something to offer.
Pasta meals aren't restricted to spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, and
lasagna, of course. Despite the limited resources of a paddling pantry, no
cook need repeat a meal, even on month-long expeditions. You say you don't
take a cook with you on your trips? No problem. Everyone can tackle
pasta dishes.
How? Let's find out. Take a walk through any moderate-sized American
supermarket. What do you see? A bewildering array of pastas. They're found in
the main aisles, as well as in the refrigerator and freezer sections. Most
will be boxed and based on wheat, but larger stores will have fresh
wheat-based pastas on offer, too. You'll also find Oriental pastas made from
beans, potatoes, rice, or even acorn starch.
Too much choice? Maybe. But we can narrow the field. Skip the frozen
ravioli and the fresh pastas from the cooler, to begin with. They're not
practical for voyages outside the suburbs. Seek out the dried pasta, instead.
Most likely you'll find it shelved near the canned tomato sauces, not far from
the dried sauce mixes.
Prepare to be overwhelmed! Boxed pasta ranges in size from tiny beads
called acini di pepe to the familiar deckle-edged sheets of lasagna,
with dozens of "stick" pastas in between: angel hair, vermicelli, spaghetti,
linguine, and fettuccine, to name only a few. And then there are the tubular
pastas, from macaroni and mostaccioli to ditali and ziti, not to mention
"shells" in four sizes and the magnum tubes of cannelloni. Is that all? No.
There are more shapes of pasta than there are forms in Euclid: spirals like
rotelle and fusilli, bowties and butterflies (farfalle), the twisted strands
of gemelli, "little ears" (orecchiette), and cartwheels (rotelle). You
can even find dried ravioli and tortellini. And that's only the beginning.
Next to the dried wheat-based pastas are the egg noodles, from thread-like
to hefty. (Can't take a yolk? You'll find egg noodles modified to suit.) A
little further down the aisle, you'll come to couscous, a wheat pasta hailing
from North Africa. Couscous is always worth taking along on a trip. It's ideal
for a quick supper at the end of a hard day, especially now that you can buy
quick-cooking varieties that eliminate the need to steam and sieve.
But why stop here, with pallid, cream-colored pastas? Put a little color on
your plate: green spinach pasta, say, or chestnut-colored whole-wheat
spaghetti—or maybe tomato and artichoke will appeal.
Once you've finished your reconnaissance and made your choice, you'll want
something saucy to complete your dish. And I'll bet that you'll find sauce
mixes not far from the dried, boxed pasta. Some of my favorites are produced
by Knorr, but I'm sure there are other brands just as good. Pesto, creamy
pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, red bell pepper pesto, Alfredo,
carbonara…. (Pesto, by the way, means "pounded" in Italian.)
All these sauces are easy to prepare, but be sure to read the directions
on the packet before you toss it in the cart—you may need to buy other
ingredients. If the packet calls for milk, for example, be sure to buy some
powdered dry milk. Or substitute an equal amount of water. Don't be afraid to
experiment, but do it at home first.
Too much trouble? Then continue exploring the aisles. You'll find lots of
prepared mixes combining pasta and sauce in one convenient packet. Pound for
pound, these prepackaged meals are much more expensive than pasta and sauce
bought separately, but they take some of the fuss out of packing for a trip.
They usually cook up fast, too. Always study the directions carefully before
buying, though. You won't find many AC current bushes in the backcountry!
You'll also want to figure out the likely yield. One package might provide a
filling meal for four nibbling noshers in the 'burbs, but still leave two
hungry paddlers feeling empty. So try any new mix at home (and on short
outings) before adopting it as a menu staple.
How much is enough? That's hard to say. How high is up? It depends. Farwell
and I each need a quarter-pound of pasta (dry weight) to slake our normal
outdoor appetites, but if our meal is supplemented with bread or
a dessert,
or if we're adding meat to the dish, than we can get by with a bit less—3
ounces, say. Expedition trippers and athletes will need more—sometimes
much more—while Twiggy will be happy just sniffing the steam rising from
the pot. The moral? Experiment! Just remember that it's much better to pack
more food than you can eat than it is to run short. Hungry paddlers aren't
happy paddlers. (If you need to be convinced of this, read Eric Sevareid's
classic Canoeing with the Cree. And leave your ax and knives at home.)
While you're still at the HyperMart, don't forget to check out the soup
aisle. Among other offerings, you'll find cheap packets combining soup powder
and bricks of crinkly noodles. These are sold under the collective name of
ramen, and students have been subsisting on them for decades. Ramen is
available in an infinity of flavors, from basic chicken to exotic seafood
blends. They all taste pretty much the same to me at home, I admit, but it's
mighty hard to say no to a mug of hot soup at the end of a long, cold day,
particularly when it's ready in 15 minutes or less.
More adventurous foodies will want to make their own sauces, using the best
ingredients. One of the wonderful things about pasta is that even simple
accompaniments can make great meals. Sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, fresh
minced garlic, flavorful herbs, chopped fresh shallots, black or green olives,
reconstituted dried mushrooms, even wine and truffles (for paddlers with deep
pockets, strong backs, and big boats)…all of these make terrific
additions to a pasta meal.
Just look through your recipe files if you're so inclined. Flip through the
pages of your favorite cookbooks and foodie magazines. Modify and adapt home
recipes. Experiment. Improvise! It's hard work, to be sure, but at least you
get to eat the results, and even your mistakes can sometimes be surprisingly
good. The ingredient list for a pasta meal needn't be long. One of my favorite
dishes is nothing more than fresh-cooked pasta garnished with crushed garlic
in heated olive oil. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, add salt and pepper
to taste, and eat. Delicious!
And while you're feeling adventurous, don't ignore the wisdom of the East.
Oriental cuisines have relied on pasta for many thousands of years, and more
and more supermarkets are stocking Asian noodles. If yours isn't one of them,
widen you search. Visit food co-ops, natural-food stores, and ethnic markets.
You'll find it's worth the effort.
What will you find there? Cellophane noodles, for one thing. Also known as
bean thread noodles, these are made from ground mung beans, and they're the
base for a dish known as "Ants Climb a Tree." (You won't discover any ants in
your bowl, though. Just minced beef or pork. The shreds of meat cling to the
noodles, looking for all the world like…yes, you guessed it…ants
climbing a tree.) You'll also find rice sticks, rice noodles, and rice
vermicelli—three names for noodles made from rice starch. Like potatoes?
Then try long, thin, translucent Japanese harusame noodles, made from
potato starch. Koreans even make a translucent brown noodle using acorn
starch.
CAUTION! Starch-based noodles require a different cooking method than
typical boxed pasta. Instead of plunging them directly into boiling water
(where they'll only become rubbery), starch-based noodles must first be
softened in hot water for 30 minutes or so. Once softened, they're usually
fried or simmered with other food, absorbing the flavors of the main
ingredients. They're eaten in soups like the now-popular Vietnamese pho
and Chinese hotpot. If you've ever had any of these soups at a trendy
restaurant or bought some from a street vendor, and if you liked what you got,
don't hesitate to try adapting it for camp.
Not all Asian noodles have a starch base, of course. The Japanese
udon is a thin, flat, wheat noodle resembling Italian linguine.
Somen are even thinner: they resemble angel hair or capellini. The
Japanese also use a buckwheat flour to make soba, whose delightfully
nut-like flavor goes well with sweet-and-sour sauces. The ubiquitous bricks of
ramen are also adapted from Chinese wheat noodles. They're sometimes available
as egg noodles, too, and I find them tastier and more satisfying than their
American counterparts.
OK. It's time to head for the check-out. Don't forget to pick up some
sturdy plastic bags along the way. You don't want your noodles getting wet in
a dunking or a downpour, do you?
Still having trouble making a choice? Macaroni, ziti, and twists are easy
to pack, but they'll take longer to cook than thin pastas like capellini. On
the other hand, long, thin pasta strands will be crushed if they're not packed
very carefully. Long pasta is also awkward to cook in small pots. The
solution? Break long strands into more manageable lengths before packing, and
then protect the pasta with a paper wrap.
Here's how. Make up a cylinder with half a pound of spaghetti, then grasp
the bundle firmly in both hands, holding it like a piece of kindling
that you want to break. (Keep your fists about an inch apart.) Now rotate your
hands away from you, holding the bundle parallel to the table-top. Done
sharply and smartly, this will snap the bundle in two. (Watch out for pasta
shards!) The result? Two quarter-pound bundles of 4-inch spaghetti. Wrap the
bundles in brown paper—lunch bags work well—and seal in a plastic
bag. Spaghetti to go!
Cooking wheat pasta is easy. Just immerse it in boiling water and keep the
pot on the boil till it's done. Many folks cook pasta too long, leaving it
limp and lifeless. You want your pasta done al dente—and that's
the whole tooth. If a strand of cooked pasta offers just a touch of resistance
when bitten, you're got it about right. Practice at home first, of course.
(Instructions on cooking the very thin pasta called angel hair or capellini
can be found in the recipe for Pesto Pasta Pronto in Go
Nuts!)
Has your reconnaissance left you hungry? Good! Let's have lunch. Here's a
simple Asian-inspired pasta meal for two that's great at home, but easy enough
for camp, too. You'll need sesame oil, udon, teriyaki sauce, and
oriental chili sauce (usually stocked with the soy sauces, canned chow mien,
and other oriental ingredients). If you can't find udon, substitute
linguine. It's roughly the same shape, but it takes four times as long to cook
as udon: twelve minutes, rather than three.
Open-Air Sesame Noodles
(makes 2 servings)
1/2 pound (8 ounces) udon
4 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons peanuts OR cashews
1/4-inch-thick slice of ginger root (about as big around as a quarter)
1 large garlic clove
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
6 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 fresh lime OR 2 tablespoons of lime juice (from a "plastic lime")
Optional Ingredients:
1 teaspoon oriental chili sauce (hot!)
half a small red onion
half a red bell pepper
Read this recipe all the way through before beginning to cook, and be
sure you know what to do. Once the water starts boiling, things happen
very fast. Assemble all ingredients in advance, and have all utensils, bowls,
plates, and supplies ready to hand. NB You'll need a large pot for boiling
water and a small pot or skillet for cooking the sauce. And be sure you have a
safe place to drain cooking (and washing) water. It should be at least 150
feet from any water source, well away from your campsite, and pose no threat
to wild plants or animal burrows.
Ready? Let's roll! Put a large, covered pot of water over a high flame on
your stove—or over a hot fire—and bring it to a boil. While waiting,
mince the ginger (there's no need to peel it) and garlic (remove the papery
peel). If you have a lime, cut it into quarters—you'll want to squeeze
the juice into the sauce. If you also have a fresh onion and bell pepper,
slice them lengthwise into thin strips.
When the water's boiling vigorously, drop the noodles into the pot, stir
briefly, and return to a boil. DO NOT REPLACE THE LID ON THE POT. (The water
will boil over and extinguish the flame if you do.) The udon should be
done in three minutes. Stir occasionally during this time to prevent sticking.
Once the noodles are ready (al dente), don thick gloves or
mittens—a pair of lineman's gloves travels in my cook-kit—and remove
the large pot from the stove. Next, drain the water, retaining the noodles in
the pot. This isn't as easy as you might think. To improve your chances,
replace the lid after taking the pot off the flame, but leave a narrow
gap between pot and lid. Now carefully tilt the pot while holding the lid in
place, and drain the boiling water, pouring away from your body. Once
the last of the water has drained off, return the pot to an upright position.
With any luck, most of the noodles will still be inside. (If this doesn't
appeal—and it does require practice, not to mention a steady
hand!—just lift the noodles carefully out of the water using a large
fork, hold them over the pot until they drain, and then transfer them to the
bowls or plates. Now discard the cooking water and return the noodles to the
pot.)
Once the pot contains only drained, cooked pasta, pour 1 tablespoon of
sesame oil over the noodles and add the 3 tablespoons of peanuts or cashews.
(Reserve the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil.) Stir. Then cover the pot and put
it down in a warm place for a moment.
WARNING! The pace picks up from here on out. Place your small pot or
skillet over a medium-low flame (or on a grill at the edge of your fire). Pour
the remaining 3 tablespoons of sesame oil into the pot, and then stir in the
minced ginger and garlic, as well as the sesame seeds. They should sizzle
immediately. If not, increase the heat or move the pot to a hotter area of the
fire. Cook for only about 10 seconds, stirring all the while. Now add the
teriyaki sauce and lime juice. (This is also the time to stir in the chili
sauce if you're using it.) Mix the ingredients with a spoon, and simmer for
about 30 seconds.
Next, pour this still-hot sauce over the noodles and nuts. If you're using
raw, fresh onions and peppers, add these, too. Stir thoroughly and divide the
noodles evenly between bowls. Now find a comfortable place with a good view of
the water and tuck in. Luncheon is served!
Packing Tips
Fresh ginger root and fresh garlic can both be found in your supermarket's
produce section. The ginger will last for about a week before getting moldy;
the garlic will keep much longer. Wrap them separately and pack in plastic
bags. Fresh limes keep well, too, but lime juice dispensed from "plastic
limes" will work. On weekend trips, you can also bring along fresh onions and
bell peppers. Sesame oil (and teriyaki and chili sauces) should be decanted
into plastic bottles. Be sure the caps are tight, and put the bottles into
sealed plastic bags for extra insurance. An oil spill will make a mess of your
pack in no time!
That's it. There are many sesame noodle dishes, but this one is mine.
Whichever dish you favor, it's easy to eat well in the backcountry if
you only use your noodle. Bon appétit!
Copyright © 2002 by Verloren Hoop Productions. All rights
reserved.