Monday, January 19, 2009

Soba Salad with Feta and Peas

As a 21st-century woman living in the South, my life is often a study of contrasts. I lift weights while listening to gospel bluegrass, and last night I realized I was eating soba salad with feta and peas while listening to Merle Haggard and writing a paper on the impact of the Black Plague on personal piety. I had also been in quite a funk, and this dish may have actually lifted me out of it since it seems to have restored my appetite and mood.

I kept returning to this recipe on Bridget's blog, and I finally put it on my meal plan for this week. It is so good and takes practically no time to make. I could and will be eating this for days. The taste of the soba noodles and the feta and the lemon and the soy sauce is so interesting and complex that I completely forgot to add the green onions. I don't think I'm going to tell Joe how good it is because I want all the leftovers for myself! I just cannot say enough good things about this. Go make it for yourself!

Soba Salad with Feta and Peas
source: The Way the Cookie Crumbles
Yields 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
1 (10- to 12-ounce) package soba noodles
1 (10-ounce) package frozen baby peas
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon black pepper
6 oz feta, crumbled (¾ cup)
4 scallions, finely chopped

Preparation

1. Cook noodles and peas together in a 6- to 8-quart pot of lightly salted boiling water until noodles are tender, 4 to 6 minutes.

2. While noodles cook, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

3. Drain noodles and peas well in a colander, then rinse under cold running water to stop cooking. Drain well again, then add to dressing along with feta and scallions. Grind more black pepper to taste over salad.