Corinne Trang

In 2007, I was invited to participate as a guest chef at a Kingsford Charcoal event in Arizona. Along for the ride were celebrated chef Aaron Sanchez (chef/owner of Centrico in New York City), 10-time world champion bbq pit master Chris Lilly (Big Bob Gibson BBQ, Decatur, Alabama), and cookbook author Rick Rodgers, who has written too many cookbooks to count. It was a 3-day press event. To my surprise, more than half the people in the audience were bloggers.

My friends have been asking me to start a blog for as long as they’ve been asking me to open my own restaurant…years! And for many years, I resisted both ideas, which I find rather daunting. So here I am, a new website (thanks to Greg Takayama) with a new blog page because according to some, I’ve got a lot to say about food…

Just to test the waters, I’ve been posting on my very own Facebook “wall,” (I resisted FB for about 2 years and finally gave in last December). Anyway, I’ve noticed that if I talk about food, without turning everything I post into a dissertation, people actually respond…imagine that!

The thing about blogging is that it is supposed to be short and sweet. I’ll get right to the point and offer you a recipe from my new cookbook, Noodles Every Day (Chronicle Books, 2009) to celebrate the launch of my new blog:

SOBA WITH GRILLED ASPARAGUS AND SEA SCALLOPS WITH SWEET MISO SAUCE (page 107)
serves 6

3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup sake
3 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/3 cup white miso
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
1/4 vegetable oil
10 ounces dried soba noodles
36 asparagus spears, woody ends snapped or cut off
18 sea scallops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 Walnut halves, lightly toasted, and coarsely chopped

In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, sake, mirin, and rice vinegar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the white miso, ginger, and 1 tablespoon of the oil and whisk until well combined. Set the miso glaze aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and cook the noodles until tender yet firm, about 3 minutes. Drain, shock under cold running water and drain again.

Heat a well-oiled pan over medium heat. Brush the asparagus and scallops with all or most of the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the asparagus first until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes total, rolling them about to heat them evenly all around. Divide and top each noodle serving with asparagus. Grill the scallops in the same pan until cooked through and crisp on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Divide the scallops a month the servings of noodles, and spoon some miso glaze over each. Serve garnished with toasted walnuts.

NOTE: To toast the walnut halves, put them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, being sure to shake the pan so as not to burn the pieces. Remove from the pan and cool slightly before chopping.

~ posted to the tune of Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good!” (Remix); the kitchen floor is mentioned in this song…