CHEF JOHN ASH

John Ash: Cooking One on One:
Private Lessons in Simple, Contemporary Food
from a Master Teacher

"Teaching has come to be the thing I love most in life..." Chef John Ash

A favorite recipe which reflects global flavors that go with our Sauvignon Republic sauvignon blancs. To learn more about Sauvignon Republic wines visit www.SauvignonRepublic.com.

This is a simple soup, which uses cellophane or mung bean noodles, which are readily available in any Asian market and increasingly in large supermarkets with ethnic food sections, as is the bottled fish sauce and chile-garlic sauce.

Lee Kum Kee brand from Hong Kong is widely distributed. You can also certainly substitute other noodles like Japanese Soba or even angel hair. Since these take longer to cook prepare these ahead (follow package directions) and add to the soup just as you serve it.

Thai Style Tomato Soup with Shrimp and Cellophane Noodles

Serves 6 – 8

Ingredients:

• 1 two-ounce packet of cellophane (mung bean) or thin rice noodles (labeled vermicelli)
  
• 7 cups rich chicken stock simmered with shrimp shells for 5 – 10 minutes
  
• 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (or to taste)
  
• 1 tablespoon Asian chile-garlic sauce (or to taste)
  
• 3 cups canned diced tomatoes in juice
  
• 1 cup green onions, sliced diagonally and thinly
  
• 2 teaspoons hot pepper sesame oil (or to taste)
  
• 1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
  
• 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
  
• 3 tablespoons finely sliced garlic, crisply fried in vegetable oil*

Directions:

Place the noodles in a bowl and cover with hot water and soak until softened, 20-25 minutes. Drain the noodles and dump in a tangle on a cutting board and cut through crosswise and lengthwise to form roughly 4-inch lengths.

Strain the shells from the stock and return to the pot and bring to a boil. Stir in the fish sauce, chile-garlic sauce, tomatoes with their juice, green onions and hot sesame oil. Add the noodles and shrimp and simmer for a minute or two.

To serve: Ladle into warm bowls and top with cilantro and crisp garlic. Serve immediately.

*Garlic can be fried up to a day ahead and stored airtight. To fry garlic, heat 1/4 inch or so of oil over moderate heat. Add garlic and slowly cook until golden brown. It will take 5 minutes or so. If oil is too hot garlic will burn and become bitter so try a "tester" slice first.

Cookbooks Authored by Chef John Ash
Winner of the Julia Child "Cookbook of the Year" from the IACP One of California's foremost chefs, in association with Fetzer Vineyards, celebrates the bounty of the garden and the vine with a collection of more than 300 recipes that pay magnificent tribute to fresh and healthy high-flavor food--plus a a helpful--and fun--approach to testing and evaluating wines. Color photos.	Winner of the 2005 James Beard Foundation Award John Ash: Cooking One-on-One: Private Lessons in Simple, Contemporary Food from a Master Teacher	American Game Cooking: A Contemporary Guide to Preparing Farm-Raised Game Birds and Meats Game farms have made exotic fowl and meats widely available to the non-hunter, and this is an excellent resource for those who want to cook on the wild side. From boar-based borscht to roast lacquered duck with muscat-tamarind sauce, the recipes contained herein are delicious.

"It's the process of cooking that's so much fun — the bonus is that you get something at the end to eat." Chef John Ash

Recipes which reflect global flavors that go with sauvignon blancs (a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France) wines:

• Thai Style Tomato Soup with Shrimp and Cellophane Noodles
  
  
• Wild Mushroom Salad with a Corn Mustard Dressing
  
  
• More Recipes

(Chef John Ash)