Pan-fried noodles w/curly endive,pork,pecans&honey-bourbon

6 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
12 ounces Lean pork loin, cut into strips 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch by 1 1/2 inches
7 tablespoons Bourbon whiskey
1 tablespoon Soy sauce
1 teaspoon Cornstarch
4 teaspoons Ginger, minced
1 cup Pecan halves
1 pounds Fresh Chinese egg noodles, or spaghettini
⅔ cup Vegetable oil, about
½ cup Unsalted butter, at room temperature
⅔ cup Yellow onion, chopped
2 cups Beef stock
2¾ teaspoon Honey
2 teaspoons Rice vinegar
2¼ teaspoon Cornstarch, mixed with
2 tablespoons Beef stock
5 cups Curly endive leaves, torn into little wisps

Directions

Combine the pork, 2 tablespoons of the whiskey, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon of the minced ginger in a bowl. Mix well and allow to marinate at least 30 minutes. In a dry skillet, toast the pecans over medium heat, shaking the pan and turning the nuts occasionally until they begin to color lightly throughout; cool on a plate. Cook the noodles for pan-fried noodles (in other words, undercook them a bit, they will cook more later in recipe). Rinse them with cold water, drain them well, and toss them in a bowl with 1½ teaspoons vegetable oil.

Heat 1 ½ tablespoons each butter and oil in the skillet. Saute the onion until translucent and cream colored but not brown; transfer the onion to a plate. Heat another 1 ½ tablespoons each oil and butter in the pan. With a slotted spoon, lift the pork from the marinade and place it in the pan, reserving the marinade.

Saute the pork, stirring frequently, until it is nicely browned. Remove the pork from the pan, pour in the remaining 5 tablespoons whiskey, and boil briskly to deglaze, stirring any browned bits from the bottom and sides of the pan, about 3 minutes. Add the stock, the remaining 3 teaspoons ginger, and the sauteed onion. Boil the mixture, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced to 1 ⅓ cups. Add the honey, vinegar, and marinade. Remove the pan from the heat until you are ready to serve.

About 10 minutes before serving time, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok and stir-fry the endive just until it is lightly coated with oil and begins to wilt; transfer to a plate. (You may want to cook the endive in two batches; crowding steams it rather than stir-frying it.) Heat 2 ½ more tablespoons oil in the pan and stir-fry half the noodles until some of them begin to crisp. Transfer them to a large serving platter and place in a warm oven.

Stir-fry the remaining noodles. Mix all the noodles and the endive together, heap on the platter, and keep warm while you finish the sauce.

Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the sauce, then boil it about 1 minute until it thickens slightly. Turn the heat to low and whisk in the remaining butter, a tablespoon at a time. Return the pork to the pan to warm. Stir in the pecans. Pour the pork and pecan topping over the noodles in the center of the platter, leaving about a 1 ½-inch border of the noodles showing.

Serve at once.

Makes 6 servings.

Linda Burum; Asian Pasta Adapted for my recipe software by Brenda Adams <adamsfmle@...>

Recipe by: Linda Burum; Asian Pasta, Simon & Schuster, 1985 Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #376, by Brenda Adams <adamsfmle@...> on Fri, 17 Jan 1997.

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