In vino veritas

Sunday morning was devoted to food shopping for the Italian cooking-class day.

I had the chance to practice a lot my Russian with Marshrutka drivers, sellers, passers-by, beggars, drunk people.

A police officer in plain clothes - after checking my documents - praised my good Russian. A small girl selling juices did the same with a very good English. Also a miller commended my use of his difficult and fascinating language.

Recipe of the day - Laghman

Full recipe at The Washington Post.


Summary:
This stir-fried lamb and vegetable sauce goes well with Kazakh Noodles (see related recipe in Recipe Finder). It helps to have all the ingredients prepped before you start to stir-fry.

"Beyond the Great Wall" cookbook authors Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Diguid like to drizzle black rice vinegar on their portions just before serving; see TIP.

Ingredients (4 servings):
* 2 tablespoons oil
* 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1/2 pound boneless lamb or goat (chops, shoulder or leg), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
* 1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
* 1 1/2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
* 2 teaspoons salt, plus 1 tablespoon for the pot of water (optional)
* 1/2 recipe Kazakh Noodles (may substitute 1 pound dried egg noodles or fettucine)
* Jinjiang (black rice) vinegar, for garnish

Directions:
Heat a large wok or wide, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. If the noodles have not been cooked, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.

Add the oil and swirl it around to coat the wok. When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic and meat; stir-fry for about 4 minutes, or until the meat has changed color and the onion is translucent. Add the red bell pepper and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes and 2 teaspoons of the salt and mix well. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 7 minutes, until the pepper has softened but still retains its shape.

(At this point, your wok or pot will be quite full, so the cooking becomes more of a simmer than a stir-fry.)

Meanwhile, if the noodles have not been cooked, add 1 tablespoon salt to the pot of water, if desired, and drop the uncooked noodles into the boiling water. Cook for about 6 minutes, until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain, then divide equally among individual plates or large wide bowls.

Ladle equal portions of sauce over the hot noodles. Serve immediately, with black rice vinegar at the table.

Recipe Source:
Adapted from "Beyond the Great Wall," by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid (Artisan, 2008).