Pig Blood Noodle

I didn't realize there really was such a thing as pig blood noodles, but I suspected there must be. Of course it's Italy, Sudtirol. Blutnudeln or Tagliatelli al Sangue. I hope you will forgive me for going completely Asian here though. It is wheat flour to hold the blood together and then in dashi stock. I then garnished it with various soba-friendly condiments like fish cake and seaweed, just to be confusing - but there not pictured here. It's good. The blood isn't as pronounced as I thought it would be. It's awfully nice though and I bet if served in a Japanese bowl no one would bat an eyelash.

 Ooh, it looks much nicer extruded. This is in a smokey broth with some dehydrated kimchi on top - which I LOVE!

Noodle Soups: Mung Bean and Chicken, Potato and Ketchup, Salmon Noodles in Shellfish Broth

Current work on noodle soups. Of course I'll give you the recipes once the book comes out! This is an ordinary chicken soup with mung bean threads.

I wish this thing would let me line up the pictures side by side. Anyway, like the new majolica? It's melamine.

The noodles here are mashed potatoes and potato starch, rolled out, steamed and cut. A cousin of gnocchi, or a spin on French Fries and Ketchup

This is an extruded wild salmon and rice flour. I didn't even know I had a piping bag! Tomatoes and chevre. Really pleasant.

Home Made Rice Noodles, Pine Nut and Orange Soup

Rice noodles are so easy to make. Just get a big pot with about an inch of water boiling, place in a steamer insert. Then mix rice flour with enough water to make a thin batter. Get a spring-form baking pan that fits into the pot and pour in some batter just to barely cover the bottom. Put the pan into the pot and let it steam for about 10 minutes. Remove the pan with tongs. Unhinge the pan and let cool. Remove the noodle sheet, oil it lightly, roll it up and cut into thin noodles.

Then take a handful of pine nuts and the juice of one orange. Whizz in a blender. Add a tiny bit of salt. Pour the broth into a bowl, add the noodles and then garnish with some slivered orange peel, without white pith.

This should be room temperature. If you like cinnamon would work nicely, or a touch or cardamom powder. It reminds me of rice pudding in a way.Sweeten it with sugar too if you like.