Autumn Ramen

1 pound mixed mushrooms, such as shiitake, oyster, cremini, and white button, trimmed or torn into pieces about 1/2-inch thick
4 ounces Brussels sprouts (8 to 10), trimmed, and halved if large
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 cup unflavored, good-quality soy milk
3 tablespoons light-colored miso paste
1 1/2 quarts Vegetarian Dashi

8 ounces dried or 12 ounces fresh Ramen Noodles
14 ounces firm tofu, blotted dry and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 cup tender sprouts, shoots, or microgreens

Heat oven to 425 F.

Drizzle the mushrooms and Brussels sprouts with oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the black pepper, and the red pepper flakes.  Toss until well-coated.  Roast in oven for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring periodically, until mushrooms and Brussels sprouts are tender and crispy around the edges.

In a large saucepan, combine the soy milk and miso.  Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.  Add the dashi to the saucepan.  Bring to a bare simmer.  Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, or add more to taste.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and salt it generously.  Add the noodles, in a strainer basket or pasta insert if you have one, and cook until tender, usually about 4 to 7 minutes for dried, or 60 to 90 seconds for fresh.  Lift the noodles out, reserving the cooking water, and rinse the noodles thoroughly under cold running water to remove excess starch.  Quickly dunk them back into the cooking water to reheat.  Divide among bowls.

Divide the roasted mushrooms and Brussels sprouts and the tofu over the noodles.  Ladle the hot broth over each serving and top with sprouts.

Serves 4.

From Bowl by Lukas Volger, with a few changes

Vegetarian Dashi

Four 2-inch squares kombu (about 1 1/2 ounces)
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 quarts cold water

Combine the kombu, mushrooms, and water in a large container and let stand for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.  It gets stronger as it sits and taste can vary depending on what type of kombu you use.  If you plan to let it stand for more than 4 hours, place it in the refrigerator, lidded or covered with plastic wrap.

Alternatively, bring the water to a bare simmer in a saucepan.  Remove from heat, add the kombu and mushrooms, and let stand for 30 minutes.

Discard the kombu.  Pick out the mushrooms and trim off and discard the stems; you can reserve the mushroom caps for another use.  

Stored in an airtight container, the dashi will keep for 2 to 3 days.

Makes 2 quarts.

From Bowl by Lukas Volger

Ramen Noodles

2 cups bread flour, or 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoons kansui (or subsitute baking soda water*)

Cornstarch, for dusting

Place the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Stir together the water and kansui in a small bowl, then pour into the flour and stir until combined.  The mixture will be crumbly.  Gather the crumbles into a bowl and knead for a few moments. Return dough to the mixing bowl, switch to the dough hook, and knead for about 5 minutes, until the flour has absorbed all of the liquid and you have a cohesive, slightly shaggy-looking ball.  You can add additional water by the teaspoon if the dough is too crumbly, but this should be a dense and fairly dry dough.

Shape the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic, and let rest for 30 minutes.  

Divide the dough into quarters.  Work with one quarter at a time and keep the remaining dough covered with plastic to prevent drying.  Flatten the dough into a rectangle, dust with cornstarch, and roll through a pasta machine on its widest setting.  Fold the sheet in half, flatten it out, and repeat.  Do this once more.  Reduce the thickness setting by one notch and pass the dough through the machine.  Repeat this process once, then reduce the setting again, pass the dough through, and repeat, dusting the sheets lightly with cornstarch if they start to get stuck.  You'll want sheets slightly less than 1/16 inch thick, which is typically the number 3 setting on a pasta machine, and about 12 inches long.  Dust sheets lightly with cornstarch, fold them up without creasing them, and keep covered with plastic to prevent drying out as you repeat with the remaining 3 quarters of dough.

Pass a pasta sheet through the pasta machine's spaghetti or linguini setting.  Toss the noodles with cornstarch, then curl the strands loosely around your hand to make a nest.  Cover with plastic and proceed with the remaining sheets.

If not using immediately, store the noodles in resealable bags in the refrigerator or freezer.  They will keep for 1-2 days in the refrigerator, and about 2 months in the freezer.

To cook the noodles, bring a pot of water to a rapid boil.  Cook for 60 to 90 seconds, or until just tender.  If possible, remove from water using a strainer basket or pasta insert, reserving cooking water.  Rinse under cold running water to remove excess starch.  Dip back into reserved cooking water to re-warm, then divide among bowls and serve.

*Kansui substitute: Mix 1 teaspoon baking soda with 4 teaspoons water.

Makes 4 servings.

From Bowl by Lukas Volger, with minor changes

Fresh Black Grape Lemonade

4 cups seedless black grapes
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
7-8 cups cold water, divided
Zest of 3 lemons
Juice of 7 lemons (about 1 cup)
 
In a large saucepan, add grapes, 1 cup of the sugar, 1 cup of the water, and the lemon zest.  Simmer over medium heat, mashing grapes as they soften.  Once all the grapes have been mashed, let the mixture simmer gently for an additional 10-15 minutes so that the grape skins release more of their color.  Remove from heat and strain, discarding the solids.  Let cool.
 
Add grape mixture to a pitcher.  Stir in lemon juice, and remaining sugar and cold water.  Taste, and adjust the water and sugar to your liking.  Refrigerate until chilled.
 
From DivasCanCook.com