INGREDIENTS
3 ounces shiitake mushrooms
6 green onions
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
3 tablespoons soy sauce (I prefer Kikkoman)
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter (I prefer Jif Natural)
1/2 tablespoon honey (I prefer Nature Nate’s raw and unfiltered)
Sriracha
1 tablespoon peanut oil
10 ounces lo mein noodles
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add enough salt so the water tastes like dilute sea water (somebody once told me that Italians cook pasta in water that is as salty as the Bay of Naples).
Cut the stems off the mushrooms, give the caps a quick rinse, and pat dry with paper towels (or a clean tea towel, if you’re feeling environmental). Slice thinly.
Rinse green onions, peeling away any nasty parts, and pat dry as above. Cut off and discard the roots and the top inch of the green parts. Thinly slice crosswise. Separate white and light green parts from dark green parts.
Rinse spinach and squeeze dry.
Toast sesame seeds in a small nonstick pan over medium heat about 3 minutes. Do not let them burn. In a large bowl, combine honey, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, soy sauce, half of the dark green parts of the green onions, and 1 tablespoon hot water. Mix. Taste and add salt, if necessary, and sriracha to taste.
Place a large nonstick pan over medium heat. When heated (when tested with your infra-red non-contact thermometer, the pan should be about 300 degrees) add oil. (Remember the old aphorism: hot pan, cold oil, food won’t stick.)
Add white and light green parts of the green onions and sauté for 1 minute. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt to the pan. Sauté until the mushrooms have given up all their liquid and softened, which will probably take about 6 to 7 minutes. Add spinach and cook 1 minute. Remove pan from heat.
Add noodles to the pot of boiling water and cook per package directions. Drain.
Add drained pasta and mushroom/spinach mix to the bowl holding the sauce and toss to combine.
Top with remaining green onion and serve.
