But I Got a Great Meal Out of It

Most of you know that I was a huge fan of the television show Lost. For six seasons I stuck through the weird twists and turns and I even tried to accept the (apparent) dissonance of last night’s finale, but something about it being over like that makes me more than a little sad. There will be no more answers to questions; the melody is unfinished and the lines do not rhyme. But, ah, that is classic Lost and I suppose I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Now before I lose everyone with paragraphs of babbling about a series finale that many of you were not addicted to like me, I should probably explain what that show has to do with the title. Earlier this month my friend Ginger started up this new gig over at ‘Would You Like Fries With That?’ called The Dish. Each month she will post a recipe created in her very own kitchen and challenge readers to come up with their own version. So for last night’s finale that is just what I did.

Food was a huge part of the show as a whole -- how they hunted for it, picked it, where they happened to find a bunch of it, who’s food it was -- and two items in particular were frequently mentioned: boar and mango. Since they were deserted on a tropical island, it was fitting. My mom came over to watch the finale with us last night so we definitely planned to have some mango, but the boar? Well I picked up Boar...’s Head deli slices of course!

I knew I wanted to do something funky with the mango and suddenly it hit me -- The Dish! I knew that mango would be a perfect ingredient for Asian Inspired Noodles and I started pulling stuff out of the cabinet to create on the fly. When it was complete it had a Polynesian flair and I am calling it:

Sweet & Salty Fruity Noodles
1 package ramen noodles
½ a ripe mango
a good sprinkling of coconut
fresh cilantro
a sprinkling of dry basil
cubed meat (or other preference, we used pork)
water chestnuts*
bamboo shoots*
soy sauce (low sodium)
agave nectar
sesame seeds

(Sorry to say there are no measurements because I just kind of tossed it all together or in the bowl until it looked right and tasted good.)

*I forgot to get these but plan to do so next go round!

Cook ramen as directed, omit seasoning packet. Drain & run under cold water for a minute or so.
Chop, bake, dice, slice, open everything else. We kept all things in separate containers so each of us could add to our own liking.
In a shaker pour about 3 oz soy sauce, 1 oz agave then shake, shake, shake your booty until its blended well. Taste for yumminess (should be an even balance of salty/sweet).
Chill (preferably in the yard with a good book).
Mix it all together in your own bowl, pour a drizzle of sauce over and eat immediately.

Thanks for the challenge Ginger, if it wasn’t for you I never would have conceived of this yummy meal; it was a perfect compliment to our night of getting Lost one final time.

And in other news…

When my mom got here last night she came in carrying my manuscript. All of my “test subjects” have now read the book, given me their ten cents (and multiple pages of notes) on what could be further revised, edited, and what works well. Since I’m done painting for the time being, the next couple weeks are all about final edits, kick ass query letters and crossing of fingers that this baby gets picked up before I start writing the next one in November.

Wish me luck with the book and get over to The Dish for more Asian Inspired Noodle Bowls!