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Round 1, challenge 4: Cellophane noodles, fresh mint, carrots and King Oscar anchovies

Denise Allen

When I opened the mystery bag and seen the ingredients that included anchovies, cellophane noodles, carrots and mint. I decided to make a stir fry since I was given cellophane noodles and carrots. I needed to research anchovies since I had never cooked with them before and found that when they are cooked, they dissolve and anything with garlic and butter can't be bad ... So, I had to incorporate the anchovies by deciding to add it to the garlic and butter sauce. Once I had decided on a stir fry, I figured why not make it an Asian flair and create the spring rolls so that I could utilize the mint by adding it to the spring rolls. Mint has a strong, distinctive taste that complimented the spring rolls more than the stir fry. Both ingredients were very challenging but I became very enthusiastic and excited to come up with something to change the average person's thought regarding anchovies - including mine - to show that anchovies could become a common food ingredient in anyone's home.

Collette Amabile

When I first approached the ingredients for this challenge, I must admit, I was fairly confident. I had a meal in mind but after some work in the kitchen, it was the noodles that threw me for a loop! I tried to transform the cellophane noodles into gnocchi by mixing them in the food processor with warm milk and eggs and then putting into a piping bag and "dropping" into boiling water. (They disappeared)! Ha! During the noodle trials, I decided to just follow the flow of the ingredients. The recipe, Summer Noodle & Arugula Salad with BAM! Shrimp, is a chilled salad that feels island inspired. It has fresh mint, vegetables and a fun coconut lime dressing (that I will be making again)! The noodles over the peppery arugula combined with the carrots and bean sprouts create a great texture and crunch. The pesto-tossed shrimp has the perfect amount of saltiness due to the anchovies and adds nuttiness to the salad. I chose to use almonds in the pesto rather than traditional pine nuts thinking that most home cooks have almonds in their cupboard rather than pine nuts. The Mom-to-be Mojito Smoothie idea stemmed from being a mom-to-be myself and wanting to treat myself to refreshing summer "cocktail." This challenge was tons of fun and I hope to create another recipe again for Round 2!

Summer Salad with BAM! Pesto Shrimp and Mom-To-Be Mojito Smoothie

Shrimp Stir Fry with Garlicky-Anchovy Cellophane Noodles and Spring Roll

Denise Allen
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