Extravagant Chinese Noodle Salad

The word “extravagant” hardly seems to be the word to describe a Chinese Noodle Salad, unless you dined at the last Boquete Underground Dinner.

Bistro Boquete Chef, Lauretta Bonfiglio prepared the most decadent, delicious noodle salad that any of the diners had ever tasted. Some of Lauretta’s guests ordered a second helping, it was so yummy. It wasn’t any ordinary noodle salad, it had peanuts in it, mushrooms, broccoli, sesame seeds and more. This was a most unique creation.

Here’s my dilemma; should I ask Lauretta for her recipe or shall I try to duplicate it myself? I’m wondering if any of the diners at this dinner tried to make this outstanding dish themselves. It was the best salad many of us ever had, it’s so intriguing to taste so many ingredients in one dish, and yet to be so light and “fluffy”.

I decided to try to make Lauretta’s salad myself and this is my attempt at making Peanut, Sesame, Noodle Salad, and I call it my
Spurious Chinese Noodle Salad
3 packages ramen noodles, cooked
1/2 head cabbage, finely sliced
1 carrot, grated
1 cup fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup small broccoli heads, blanched
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
5 green spring onions, thinly sliced
1 cup cocktail peanuts for garnish
3 tablespoons sesame seeds for garnish

Dressing
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, cleaned and minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon chili oil

Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss lightly with fingers, as Lauretta is doing in the first photo above. Whisk the ingredients for the dressing together and pour into a squeeze bottle with small spout. Make a huge, extravagant portion, as everyone will want lots of this salad.

Pile the salad onto beautiful salad plates, it’s fine to use your hands, real chefs do it that way. Squeeze on a generous portion of dressing as Lauretta is doing, sprinkle on the peanuts and sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Remember, this is my recipe, but it turned out very delicious. That’s why I call it “spurious”, it’s not Lauretta’s recipe, but a good fake. I’ll ask Lauretta for her “real” recipe as soon as she gets settled into her new restaurant, The Bistro Boquete. It’s been remodeled and it looks beautiful.

I’ll let you know when the new restaurant opens. In the meantime, try making your own Chinese Noodle Salad, it’s a wonderful dish!
Have fun faking!
Cora

Why Gourmet Chefs Wear Aprons

There was once a Gourmet Club in Boquete and it was very fashionable to belong to it.  So many folks were accepted into the club that it became a nightmare to organize, even using the latest internet gadgets to help out with the planning. The Boquete Gourmet Club was popular for many reasons, not the least of which was that every club member had their own “designer” apron to wear to the dinners.  The aprons came from all over the world, in all patterns, colors and designs.  At each dinner, guests couldn’t wait to see what everyone was “wearing”.  (Not clothes, but aprons).

But really, why do chefs wear aprons? You might think it’s handy to use as a towel to wipe hands, or to use as a hot pad to pick up hot dishes, or maybe to protect clothing from spills or splashes, but no – it’s to make a fashion statement!

Based on that phenomenon and the fact I was beginning my new blog, I thought it was important to have an apron made that was just right for me and fans of my blog.  It would need to have “Boquete Gourmet” written on it. It would need to be brown, the color of coffee, and it would need to be of the finest possible quality.

So, I found a beautiful brown, heavy, wrinkle-proof plaid material that would make the perfect statement for any gourmet cook, especially one who has visited Boquete and knows how popular plaids are here.  Zora, a talented local seamstress, developed the pattern from an apron I love.  She sews these aprons to the highest standards.

Anyone wishing to purchase a special designer, “Boquete Gourmet” apron, will find them available at The Bistro Restaurant or by calling 6614-9514.  An apron is only $15.00, including a bag of ‘Boquete Gourmet”, home-grown gourmet coffee.  Then, serving a cup of “Boquete Gourmet” coffee is what I call making a “real” fashion statement.

Chef Lesson Oct 15

The most successful fundraiser to ever be held in Boquete is the BID 4 BOQUETE AUCTION, a one-day event held at our local fairgrounds on the first Sunday in December each year.  This event draws hundreds of folks, not just those attending the event, but so many business owners, residents and visitors who donate time, talents and items to make this such a success.

This year for the first time, special events are happening on days prior to December 6 and this is the first one scheduled.  Lauretta Bonfiglio, Executive Chef of Bistro Boquete Restaurant, is donating a cooking class to be held in The Boquete Gourmet’s kitchen next week.  All proceeds will go to the Bid 4 Boquete effort.  The poster above is probably too small to read, but I wanted to show how beautifully designed the event is and Lauretta’s Mexican theme, “Taste of Mexican Mole”.

Chef Lauretta probably uses fine-quality commercial kitchen equipment in her restaurant and I can easily see that my kitchen is in dire need of updating.  Now is the time to upgrade, so I’m busy equipping my kitchen with the finest cooking items available around this area.

Monday in David, I found a Cuisinart 12 inch, stainless steel skillet, the one with a small handle opposite the long handle, AND a very fancy Cuisinart 11 cup, stainless steel food processor, Model Number DLC-2011CHB.  I’ll need to study the detailed manual to learn how to use it, it does so many things and it’s so powerful compared to my 25 year-old Black & Decker model.

You can read about finding my saucier in a recent blog.  Several small utensils, serving pieces and large bowls will need to be purchased in order to make this latest upgrade to my kitchen complete.  You’ll be able to see a complete inventory of my updated kitchen in future blogs, please check back soon.

Chef Lauretta’s class sold out almost immediately and it’s happening next week.  I’ll be ready.

Thanks to Bid 4 Boquete for giving me the opportunity to donate the use of my kitchen for such a worthwhile cause, and thanks to Chef Lauretta for donating her time and expertise to help our Boquete community.  The students are in for a fun-filled evening with Lauretta and without them, this project would not have been possible.