A Spin On Spaghetti

 Spaghetti is always good whether it's with a  traditional marinara sauce or just con burro with butter. yet they go to a new level with an Vietnamese - American spin on them.It's a tasty and  relatively easy way to enjoy this classic pasta.

Regular contributor and chef, J. Kenji Lopez Alt wrote about them in yesterday's New York Times Food section. They were the creation of Helen An at Thanh Long Restaurant in San Francisco and have become a much beloved classic of the city. It all started with Ms. An's family the Trans fleeing North Vietnam in 19955 and settling in the South Vietnamese city of Dalat. Twenty years later she was forced to flee again, this time with her husband and three daughters to San Francisco. It was here where they arrived penniless to live with her mother-in-law Diana, a small deli owner. Thanh Long's history is murky. Elizabeth An, Helen's daughter claimed her grandmother bought an Italian deli however there is an ad from 1971 promoting it as a Vietnamese one. Ms. An who had experience in both Chinese and French cuisine  felt the restaurant would have more success if the dishes appealed to a local clientele. A disappointing dinner at a Nob Hill Italian restaurant  gave birth to the garlic noodles.It a mix of whole wheat  noodle sauteed with fistfuls of garlic and a blend of fish oyster, and soy sauces. 

Chef Kenji Lopez puts his own spin on it. He uses spaghetti instead of  the whole wheat noodle  - a nod to its' Italian roots. and another innovation, cooking them in a skillet. Gone is the big pot filled with quarts of boiling water. It also means more concentrated pasta water which provides for a tasty plate. He cooks it for two minutes shorter than recommended for a chewy al dente texture and then transfers it to a wok or saucepan. The flavor comes from the addition of four tablespoons of butter (or a plant based one like Melt). There is a lot of garlic  - namely twenty cloves, mashed in a mortar and pestle . You could lessen it by half if it's not to your liking. It's then time to add the sauces. Keep in mind this will have a briny , fish flavor, thanks to the fish and oyster sauce. Chef Lopez-Alt uses four teaspoons of the oyster and two for the fish and soy. However you can adjust the amounts depending on your taste. It seems like a dish that can constantly be adjusted with each make,Scallions are added for color and flavor and Pecorino Romano cheese for more flavor.

Garlic noodles are an interesting spin on spaghetti. Try them for a different type of pasta dinner.It's a nice change up from the usual.

Oyster Pie : A British Classic Updated

November is the time of hearty dinners that stick to your ribs. Savory pies fit into that category and one interesting one involves oysters. It's a British staple, not unlike the famed stargazey pie of Cornwall.The dish is a nice alternative to  traditional meat pies yet still homey and filling.

David Tanis decided to try his hand at it and wrote about it in his A City Kitchen column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. His is a take on the classic English fish pie. This is an easy cook.It's basically repurposing left over fish as filling or briefly poaching fresh fish chunks in milk. This is the base for the pie's gravy that gives it a briny creaminess. British home cooks also use prawns and other shellfish.These can be seen as a little too posh for some home chefs. Oysters are a good choice. Mr. Tanis thought he could give it a Southern spin with moistening the shucked shellfish in milk or cream and the baked with a crust of crushed Saltine crumbs. Another influence was Yankee oyster stew.This is flavored with bacon and onions.He also thought of making an oyster chowder, still with spuds but with the addition of leeks.In the end, he made a pie with all these influences. It became richer with creme fraiche,,along with the leeks and bacon. Thyme was also thrown into the mix for a nice herbal taste.The recipe is simpler than what's on the Internet. Those recipes are laden with too many veggies and spices or made with prebaked pie shells which can get soggy ith the sauce while baking.

For home chefs attempting the dish remember to get shucked oysters. These can be bought by the pint at your local fishmonger's or grocery store. Mr. Tannis suggests three t four oysters per person so figure twelve to fifteen to suit a family or small dinner party.Home chefs can shuck the oysters or have ti done at the store. Also, fresh oysters can be kept a week in the fridge however their fresh taste elevates the pie. It is a dish of all sorts of flavors, from  farm to  sea..It's  heavily dairy with creme fraiche and heavy cream  being the basis of the sauce. Leeks contribute  a sweet flavor that is a nice for the shellfish' brininess  Along with the thyme, Mr. Tanis add a dash of cayenne pepper along with whole grain French mustard. The crust is a combination of crispy and hearty. The first layer is mounds of buttery mashed Yukon Golds.smoothed over the oyster mixture. Now for the crunch, taken from those Southern oyster dishes, , He sprinkles bread crumbd and Parmesan over the mash , along with dots of butter. Parsley is the finishing touch , sprinkled on for color. it bakes for forty minutes in a hot 375 degree Farenheit oven. Serve it with a green salad for a perfect dinner.

An oyster pie is a nice hearty meal ,perfect for a chill November night. It's a blend of creaminess and brininess, mixing farm and sea perfectly. Make one and enjoy the marriage of tastes and textures.