There are few people, if asked, who do not have a powerful memory to share that comes from their sense of smell. The olfactory experience can remind one of a time, a place, a food, an event, and even of a person or animal. We unconsciously experience the world with our nose even though for most of us we are most reactive to what we see with our eyes.
In cooking, aromatics is a term used to describe something that enhances the aroma or flavour of a dish. Examples of aromatics are herbs, vegetables, fruits, spices, wine and vinegars. Yes, it is technically ALL food, but using specific foods that compliment others can be an art.
Where would a good pasta sauce be without basil, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and white wine? Or a tasty vegetable curry without coriander, mustard seed or cumin? And lets face it, any pickle without the magic bag of seasonings that when mixed with vinegar produces endless selections to perk up your palate would just be a regular old, albeit tasty, cucumber!
A simple, but very aromatic, recipe that I got from my uncles’ wife was something that I knew immediately that I would try with NuPasta's konjac angel hair noodles that came in April’s Vegan Box. I have always made them with flour noodles from the local Asian grocery but it worked beautifully with this alternative noodle. Depending on the amount of noodles you are making you can increase these ingredients easily.
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
2 celery stalks diced or julienned
2 carrots diced or julienned
1 inch of fresh ginger diced
3-6 cloves of garlic
1-2 tbsp olive oil
Directions:
In a large sauce pan, saute the celery and carrot in olive oil and cook until becoming tender. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until al dente or tender if you prefer.
Add prepared noodles to the pan and toss to coat noodles with tasty, aromatic mixture!
Enjoy!
Photo shows noodles served with Gardein's Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick'n.