Patty's Grilled Vegetables over Soba Noodles

When you become a couple you inherit your partner's friends. In my case, I gained Patty and Todd. Todd is a Professor at the University of San Antonio. He does a lot of research and tried to explain it to me once but it was a hopeless endeavor. It has something to do with birds and the sounds they make.
Patty is a Labor and Delivery nurse, a dog lover, an avid reader, fluent in Spanish and a darn good cook. One year she gave Dylan a small homemade cookbook which, lucky for me, I inherited along with the friendship. The recipe that follows is one that is in her book (albeit with a few of our own modifications) and one that we love and I think you will enjoy too.

The marinade and sauce work wonderfully together. Though January is not grilling season I find that I can fire up the gas grill on days when the weather is sunny or cook the vegetables stove top on a cast iron grill. You know the type of pan where one side is a griddle for pancakes and the other side is grooved for grilling? It does tend to make a mess of the stove, so be prepared to wipe it down after the vegetables cook.

Patty's Grilled Vegetables over Soba Noodles

Step 1-Make the Marinade

1/3 cup orange juice
2 1/2 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Step 2-Make the Sauce

1/3 cup green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 1/2 tbsp soy
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

Step 3-Gather and Prepare your Vegetables

These are the vegetables we enjoy but we mix it up, depending on what we have on hand. Feel free to use veggies you enjoy.

1 large or 2 small yams, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut into 1/2 slices
2 baby bok choy, bottom trimmed and cut in 1/2 lengthwise
1 large portabello mushroom, or a handful of shitakes, cleaned, cut into thick slices
1 yellow onion, cut into thick rings
olive oil for cooking, about 1/3 cup in a small dish

Now that you have your vegetables ready, put them in the marinade and toss to coat. As Patty says, "Let the vegetables marinate until you feel like cooking."

Step 4- The Noodles

You will need 1 package soba noodles. The ones I use are organic noodles made from buckwheat, they cook fast, in 4-6 minutes, be careful not to overcook or they will be mushy.

Procedure

Put medium pot of water with a steamer bucket on the stove to boil. Steam the yam slices until almost done. Be careful that they are still firm and not too soft or they will be difficult to grill. 5 minutes should be sufficient. Keep the water as you will use that to cook the soba noodles in later.

Take vegetables out of the marinade and place on indoor or outdoor grill. Brush with oil, turn, brush again with oil and some of the leftover marinade. Continue to cook, turning half way through until they have nice grill marks and are somewhat soft. When cooked, vegetables can be put in a dish and kept in a low oven until the noodles are ready.

Bring water to boil. Add soba noodles. When done add the 1/2 of the sauce to the noodles and toss to coat.

To assemble, place a pile of noodles on a plate or bowl. Top with grilled vegies and drizzle some of the extra sauce over them.