Ingredients:

Look for many of these ingredients on the Asian food aisle of your supermarket.

Cooking Recipe:

1 rounded tablespoon sweet-hot mustard
1/4 cup tamari, dark, sweet soy sauce, eyeball the amount
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock, or about half of one 14 ounce container
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, from Asian foods aisle, a serious drizzle
2 boneless center-cut pork loin chop, 8 ounces each
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 package (16 ounces) fresh linguini
12 to 16 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 inches fresh ginger root, finely chopped or grated
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
5 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
2 cups fresh bean spouts, 4 handfuls
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds or black sesame seeds, for garnish

Put a large pot of water (tap or bottled water should not matter unless the recipe calls for one kind) on to boil for pasta.

Place sweet hot mustard in a bowl. Whisk in Tamari sauce. Add stock and sesame oil to the broth and soy. Set aside.

Slice the pork chop very thinly against the grain.

When water for pasta boils, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high to high heat. To the skillet (heavy saucepan) , add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream. Add crushed pepper flakes to the oil, then the thinly sliced pork. Season pork with salt and pepper. Cook pork 2 minutes to caramelize the meat, then turn and stir-fry. Add salt to pasta water, then carrots. Blanch carrots for a minute, then remove with a slotted spoon. Add fresh linguini to boiling water (tap water should be fine unless the recipe calls for bottled water) . Transfer carrots to pork stir-fry. Add mushrooms (even though they are fungii, it is still delicious) , ginger, red bell pepper, scallions and bean sprouts. Toss and stir-fry veggies with pork for 2 minutes. Cook pasta to al dente. Drain and add to the pork and veggies. Pour Tamari and broth mixture over the noodles and pork. Toss and allow the noodles to completely soak up the liquids, a minute or so. Remove from heat. Serve large bowls of noodles, pork and veggies with a garnish (sprinkle gratuitously) of toasted sesame seeds or black sesame seeds. Break out the chopsticks!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock, recipe follows
8 ounces dried wide egg noodles
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Cooking Recipe:

Place a soup pot over medium heat and coat with the oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Pour in the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the noodles and simmer for 5 minutes until tender. Fold in the chiecken , and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Chicken Stock:
1 whole free-range chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds), rinsed, giblets discarded
2 carrots, cut in large chunks
3 celery stalks, cut in large chunks
2 large white onions, quartered
1 head of garlic, halved
1 turnip, halved
1/4 bunch fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Place the chicken and vegetables in a large stockpot over medium heat. Pour in only enough cold water to cover (about 3 quarts); too much will make the broth taste weak. Toss in the thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns, and allow it to slowly come to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and gently simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, partially covered, until the chicken is done. As it cooks, skim any impurities that rise to the surface; add a little more water if necessary to keep the chicken covered while simmering.

Carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board. When its cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones; hand-shred the meat into a storage container.

Carefully strain the stock through a fine sieve into another pot to remove the vegetable solids. Use the stock immediately or if you plan on storing it, place the pot in a sink full of ice water and stir to cool down the stock. Cover and refrigerate for up to one week or freeze.

Yield: 2 quarts