I Miss Felicity Salad, or Springtime Peanut Noodle Salad

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So, Memorial Day weekend was a lot of fun. After three years in Chicago, I finally made it to the Green City Market. Selections are still pretty limited at this point, but the sight of so much asparagus (thick, thin, green, purple) and beautiful rhubarb made me very, very happy.

I also got a chance to see Waitress, a movie I’ve been looking forward to for a while. It was incredibly sweet, and sad, and left me with a serious craving for pie, and a serious longing for more episodes of Felicity. The movie is about Jenna (Keri Russell), a small-town woman who has a controlling, abusive husband (the fabulously creepy Jeremy Sisto) and a generally miserable life.

She finds solace in making delicious pies, which she gives names like “I Hate My Husband” pie (which sounds like it would taste awful and quite possibly be poisoned, but is actually probably very tasty with bitter chocolate drowned in caramel) and “I Don’t Want Earl’s Baby” pie (quiche with brie and a smoked ham center).

So, like I said, I really wanted some pie after this movie, but, as one of my friends would say, I was starting to feel hangry (really hungry and, therefore, angry), so I opted for a meal at Flat Top Grill instead. It being close to the theater and all. It was my first time eating at Flat Top, although I had eaten at the similar BD’s Mongolian Barbecue in Indianapolis.

Basically, you go up to a big salad bar and fill a bowl with noodles or rice and a variety of raw vegetables and/or meat and sauces and it’s all cooked for you on a giant grill. It’s a little gimmicky, but it’s fun to try different combinations. I experimented with mixtures of plum, peanut and sesame sauces on my trips to the bar. I, of course, chose the all-you-can-eat option. It’s only a dollar more, so why wouldn’t I?

Where is all this movie and restaurant talk leading, you might ask? To this little salad I mixed up today, or as Jenna would say, the salad I invented in my head.

Here’s the recipe:

• 1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti
• 1-2 cups asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons scallions (I happened to have some wild shallot greens – more on that later – so I used those)
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Cook spaghetti in boiling, salted water. Add asparagus pieces in last minute of cooking to blanch. Place frozen peas in collander and drain pasta and asparagus over them. Run mixture under cold water for a few seconds until it is cooled slightly.

Meanwhile, mix peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and crushed red peppers in a small bowl. Whisk with a fork until combined. Pour mixture over pasta and toss to dress. Add scallions. Chill or eat immediately. Serves 3-4.

Enjoy.

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Filed under Salads, Side Dishes