Cooking with Blobby

More pasta. What can I say? 

For the most part, pasta is easy. And versatile. I'm not saying you can't fuck up pasta, but sometimes one goes out of their way to do it. You've seen it here. 

This one, Peanut Butter Noodles, caught my eye for a few things - the minimal lack of ingredients, the seemingly ease of prep and the fact that it was billed as midnight pasta. 

Now, save for insomnia, it's rare that Blobby sees midnight. Still I get what they mean: drunk and need to eat when you get in. Been there, but honestly, isn't that why Burger King, White Castle and Taco Bell exist?  But I get the need for something to be in your stomach after some time out with the boys. 

Sure sure.......you could also be coming home from working 2nd shift somewhere.  {wink}

So let's see how it goes.....and how I did. 

INGREDIENTS 

Yield: 1 serving (yes, this recipe is for one person only. multiply it as needed for others)

Salt 4 ounces spaghetti or 1 individual package instant ramen (seasoning packet saved for another use) 

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter 

1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving 

1 teaspoon soy sauce

PREPARATION 

Step 1 Bring a pot of water to a boil (and salt it, if using spaghetti). Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain the noodles and return to the pot. Turn off the heat. 

Can I just say that I loathe how spaghetti is packaged? I find it near impossible to figure out half a box, let alone a quarter of one. Yes, we have a kitchen scale, unfortunately, the batteries were dead. So, Blobby eye-balled. .....and most likely incorrectly. 

Step 2 Add the peanut butter, butter, Parmesan and soy sauce. Vigorously stir the noodles for a minute, adding some reserved cooking water, a tablespoon or two at a time, until the sauce is glossy and clings to the noodles. Season to taste with salt. 

Only now do I see that it asked for 'unsalted butter'.  Ooops. But watch it. Salt is in the pasta water, and the Parm and soy are salty a well. I probably could have done with a tablespoon or two of the pasta water, but while stirring it all seemed fine. Plating it was a little different, but not horribly so. 

The pics look a little cloudy no?  I thought it was the steam or the lighting. No - it was a peanut butter smear on my camera lens. 

Step 3 Top with more cheese, if you’d like, and serve immediately.

Ok, that is a lot of pasta. More than a single serving. At least in my eyes. But it's quite possible I had more than 4 oz of spaghetti. Probable even.

Honestly, I wasn't sure how the Parm would go with peanut butter, but it all worked out. The soy probably helped bridge that. 

As I am 98.2% sure I had more pasta than needed but the "right" amount of the sauce, the peanut flavour wasn't overwhelming or anything. I think it could have used a little more - or I could have used the right amount of spaghetti. 

I did not finish the entire dish. There is enough leftover for two sides, which I plan on using when I make salmon tonight (well.....last night now). I think it will pair nicely, especially if I use some sesame oil when cooking the fish.