When Kendrick and I lived over in Hell’s Kitchen, we used to order from a Chinese place that included a small container of sesame noodles with every delivery. I always thought, “oh, I won’t want those; how boring!”…but then ended up going for them immediately, and then taking care of the rest – cold – for breakfast the next morning.
Anyway, the other night it suddenly occurred to me that because our new go-to Chinese place doesn’t include this stuff free of charge, I haven’t had peanut butter-y noodles in almost two years. But you know what I had in my refrigerator? Peanut butter. And noodles. And some other delicious-tasting things.
Problem: solved.
CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER PASTA (serves 2)
What you need:
Half a box of spaghetti
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp fresh minced ginger
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped scallions (reserve a few for garnish)
What you do:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.
2. Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, olive oil, honey, and chicken broth in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until smooth.
3. Toss together pasta and peanut butter sauce; serve garnished with a few chopped scallions and a curl of ginger.
