Red Curry Ramen with Pork

 

Well, it's time for another soup recipe. Today in the north we are supposed to get pummeled with more snow, so there's no better time to enjoy a piping hot bowl of red curry ramen! This soup is a flavor explosion. Red curry with coconut milk alone is enough to make me swoon, but combined with ground pork, cilantro, and a soft boiled egg it becomes truly spectacular.

I even snuck some spinach in there, which, while not traditional in the least, does have good nutritional value. And I don't know about your family, but mine will easily eat spinach in soups and pasta dishes so I take advantage of that! 

This recipe is a little different than most soups in that the meat is cooked separately and then added on top. Adding fish sauce to the meat gives a very distinctive Thai flavor. (Fish sauce can be found in the Asian aisle at most large groceries. A large bottle will last several years...)

I found some new Ramen noodles at Costco recently made from brown rice. They come individually nested in a package so I used those instead of the "college Ramen" packets you would normally buy. If you're using those, I found that 4 of the "nests" were enough in this recipe, and we got 6 servings from this recipe. (Most people in our house had half an egg on their ramen, make enough eggs as your family likes!)

I hope you enjoy this new take on Ramen, and that you're staying warm this winter!

p.s. If you love ramen, and especially if you love bok choy, be sure to try this Gingery Pork Ramen with Bok Choy, too!

Red Curry Ramen with Pork

• 2 - 3.5-ounce packages instant ramen noodles
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 Tbsp. red curry paste
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
• 1 - 13.5 oz. can coconut milk
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 5 oz. baby spinach, chopped
• 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, black and/or white 
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• Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain and run under cold water. Drain again. Set aside. 
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• Heat canola oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, and ginger, and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in curry paste and tomato paste, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
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• Stir in coconut milk and chicken broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until flavors have blended, about 8-10 minutes.
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• Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add pork and remaining minced garlic. Cook until pork has browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the pork as it cooks. Stir in fish sauce; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
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• Add the spinach to the broth, and stir until wilted. Into individual bowls, add noodles, then broth, then top with port, egg halves, and cilantro. Top with sesame seeds. Serves 4-6.
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Recipe Source: Adapted from Damn Delicious

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Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Bread

Spinach and Artichoke Dip is one of the best inventions ever, am I right??? I love it with pita or tortilla chips, and it is great party food. But stuff it into Italian bread, and we've got a whole nother situation. (do you say "a whole nother" in your region?) 

Just look at all that cheesy, spinach-y, artichoke-y goodness. On bread!!!! This is a carb and cheese lover's dream. This would be perfect for your SuperBowl party this weekend. 

Oh you're not having a party? Will you be there? Good enough reason. Make this bread.

It's really not very complicated at all for such a tremendous result. First, make your dip - full directions below.  Then cut a grid pattern in the bread. See how it has all these squares now?

Butter this up then stuff away! Take that dip and get it in all the crevices of the bread. Your hands WILL get messy. That's the goal. Pull that bread apart and poke that dip down in there. I found it was easiest with a regular table knife. Be a little careful so that you don't break all the bread apart, but this is extremely forgiving... no one's going to notice in the end. 

Top that beautifully stuffed bread with more cheese, and then get it in the oven.

Bake, and then get ready to enjoy! You can just pull apart pieces of the bread, or you can provide a knife if you want to be more civilized about it. 

If for some reason you don't eat all the bread in one sitting (it is very rich!), you can wrap it in foil and then reheat it another day. We did that, and it was just as good the second time. 

It doesn't matter who wins or loses on Sunday. What matters is that you have delicious food to eat. I hope you love this as much as we did!

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Bread
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 ounces baby spinach
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chopped artichoke hearts
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
2 ounces shredded parmesan cheese
1 loaf Italian Bread

4 tablespoons melted butter

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, and turn down the heat slighly, and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the spinach, and cook until it is wilted, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, artichoke hearts, half of the mozzarella and all the parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the spinach and stir until combined.

Make a grid pattern in the bread by cutting with a serrated knife -- first, long-ways and then crossways. If any pieces fall out, tuck them back in.

Brush the bread and inside the pieces with about 3 Tbsp. of the melted butter. Then gently stuff the spinach mixture into the grid pattern. It's easiest to do this with a butter/table knife. You want the dip pretty evenly distributed so try to get it down into all the crevices. 

Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top, then drizzle with the remaining Tbsp. of butter.

Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes until bubbly. 

Recipe Source: Adapted from How Sweet Eats