Spicy Tuna Ramen

Dry style ramen, known as Mazemen, has been all the rage in Japan in recent years, and I saw a guy on tv doing it in Brooklyn, which made me want to try it at home.  There are three main components.  First is the spicy tuna, which isn't the spicy tuna that you find at a sushi joint.  This version is made with canned tuna, mayo, fish sauce, sesame oil, togarashi (a Japanese dry spice blend), sriracha and sliced scallions.  Next are the pickled cucumbers, which I made with sliced Japanese cucumbers in a pickling liquid of rice wine vinegar, water, sugar and red chili flake.  Finally are the fresh ramen noodles (freshly made by someone else), which I boiled briefly and dressed lightly with soy sauce and rice wine vinegar.  For some garnish I added a few sheets of torn Korean dried seaweed.  What a crazy dish.  The components were nothing special individually, but they were interesting once mixed together.  The saltiness of the tuna, the tanginess and crunch of the pickles and the chewiness of the ramen made it work.

Seared Pork Loin with Sauteed Spinach

I find Rachel Ray to be quite loathsome, but I do have respect for her 30-minute meals concept.  I wanted something quick, fresh and low carb, so I went with a boneless pork loin chop, which I butterflied and seared in a skillet with canola oil, salt and pepper.  I made a pan sauce with lemon juice, dijon mustard and a bit of water right in the same skillet I used for the pork.  For my side, I sauteed some fresh baby spinach with olive oil and garlic.  The pork was cooked and seasoned perfectly, and the pan sauce added a sharp tang to wake up the palette.  The entire dish took about 20 minutes from prep to plate, so I had 10 minutes to spare for a cocktail.