Escarole Soup and Pad Tahi

Meal 1:White Bean and Escarole Soup, Peasant Batard, Whole Wheat Penne with Red Pepper-Chevre Sauce

• Warm the soup in a saucepan just to a simmer. Be careful to not over cook the escarole.
• Warm the noodles in the oven at 325 for 15 minutes, or until hot. Warm the bread too.

Meal 2: Sweet Potato Noodle Pad Thai and Sticky Rice Envelopes
• Heat the rice envelopes in a steamer basket (5 min.), or in a microwave with a little water under them. If you don’t have a steamer, place a plate atop a saucer in a sauce pot. Add some water, place the package atop the plate, cover the pot, heat and steam for about 5 minutes.
• Pad Thai: Rinse the noodles to loosen them and then drain them very well. Heat some oil in a sauté pan. When the oil is hot, carefully add the noodles and stir fry them. They will spatter so be careful. Next add the ‘meat’ sauce and a little water if necessary to mix the two. Next, fold in the vegetables, heat for a minute or two more and serve immediately.

Notes:

• Escarole soup is one of my all time favorites, something aboout those succulent, green leaves with their juxtaposition of sweet and bitter that I just love.  Classic in authentic Italian cuisine, I had my first bowl at Ralphs in Philadelphia's Italian Market.
• Our version of Pad Thai uses sweet potato noodles.  Just rinse them before pan frying and they are almost stick free!