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Avocado & condensed milk trend?
+ scallion noodles, foccacia pizza, and gluten free adaptations
Keith McBrayer & Ethan Chlebowski
December 04, 2022
Happy Sunday! This week’s recipes are low-effort dishes with high payouts. Both the scallion noodles and focaccia carry so much flavor, are made with minimal pantry ingredients, and can be modified into many different meals.
As always, a full grocery shopping list in Notion is linked at the end of this email.
In This Week’s Edition
Try Something New 🤯 — Scallion Oil Noodles
Throwback Time 🍳 — Focaccia Bread
The Leftover Shelf 🥡 — Toaster Oven Pizza
Extra Helpings 🍽 — Avocado & condensed milk?
Try Something New 🤯
The best thing I ate this week.
Scallion Oil Noodles
This super simple dish packs an amazing amount of flavor. Because it takes less than 10 minutes to make, it’s the perfect back-pocket recipe to have for a quick lunch.
Noodle Components
200 g dry Chinese-style wheat noodles (like these)
50 g (~1/4 cup) neutral oil
50 g or half a bunch of scallions, julienned into 3-inch long pieces
15 g (1 tbsp) light soy sauce
15 g (1 tbsp) dark soy sauce (mainly for color)
10 g (1 tbsp) granulated sugar
Instructions
Cook your noodles and drain, and have all your ingredients ready to go. Heat a wok or large pan over high heat.
Add the oil and scallions. Fry scallions until they are beginning to turn brown, stirring frequently.
Add the drained noodles and toss to combine. Add both soy sauces around the edges of the wok so that they sizzle and caramelize some, then add in sugar. Toss until the noodles are evenly coated.
Taste for seasoning and add more light soy sauce or sugar, to taste. Serve immediately.
Pro Tip - Scallion oil noodles are the perfect stir-fry starting point. For more complexity, try adding minced garlic or ginger, white pepper, or chili oil. Want a more filling dinner? Bulk up the recipe with different proteins and/or veggies like cabbage, green beans, or snap peas.
Throwback Time 🍳
High-hydration doughs like focaccia are a great entry point to get into bread making. It uses just a few pantry staples, requires no special equipment, and is relatively forgiving.
Making a sheet pan of focaccia at the start of a week sets you up for so many great leftovers. Use the pillowy bread for sandwiches, 5-minute pizzas, or as the ultimate side and sauce dipping vessel.
The Leftover Shelf 🥡
Leftovers are back in style…if you know how to use them.
This week’s move:
Focaccia → Stovetop Artichoke & Feta Focaccia Pizza
All it takes is a few extra ingredients to turn focaccia into a whole new weeknight meal!
Pizza Components
100 g (1/2 cup) marinara sauce, or make your own 3-ingredient sauce
85 g (3 oz) feta cheese
125 g (4” x 4”) piece of focaccia
Fresh basil and oregano, to taste
Jarred artichokes in olive olive
Sprinkle of parmesan (for garnish)
Spicy Garlic Oil Components
15 g (1 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of red pepper flakes
To assemble:
Make the spicy garlic oil & prep bread: Mix the EVOO, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Cut the focaccia bread into two thinner pieces. These will be your pizza slices.
Crisp the focaccia w/ sauces: Drizzle the garlic oil inside of each focaccia slice, then place olive oil side down on a hot griddle to lightly brown and crisp. Then flip over and add the marinara sauce on top.
Top your pizza and finish cooking: Add feta cheese crumbles, artichokes, oregano, and basil and then steam to finish: add a bit of water to the pan and cover until the cheese is melty. Garnish with more fresh basil and oregano and a sprinkle of parmesan.
Variation: Sub feta for mozzarella cheese, or the artichokes for caramelized onions and mushrooms!
Extra Helpings 🍽
🚀 Viral Eats
The latest cooking trends explained.
Q: How do avocado, ice, and condensed milk even go together?
A: This is a well-known and much-loved dessert in the Philippines, and became mainstream after viral TikToks about it popped off.
In many Asian (and Portuguese-speaking countries), avocados are eaten as a dessert and used to make smoothies, ice cream, and other treats. Avocado is a neutral, creamy base that works well for both savory and sweet applications.
In the case of the viral trend, the crushed ice provides contrast in both texture and temperature to the creamy avocado and sweetness of the condensed milk.
To make at home, you only need one avocado, one can of condensed milk, and some crushed ice. Cut the avocado into bite-sized pieces, add crushed ice on top, pour the condensed milk over the mix, and enjoy.
🤔 Reader Q&A
Q: Any suggestions for adapting baking recipes to be gluten-free? Thanks! — Josh G.
A: Great question, Josh. This website is a great resource for gluten-free substitutions.
For baking, the first step is finding a flour replacement that works for you.
Keep in mind that substitutes such as rice, garbanzo bean, or nut flours have many differences from wheat flours that affect the texture, appearance, and taste of baked goods. So how do you replicate results from wheat flour?
In the James Beard Award-winning book, “The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking,” author Peter Reinhart found that a blend of non-wheat flours worked better than using one kind alone.
Experiment with a combination of nut flours, as well as different ratios of added starch. Reinhart recommends adding a bit of tapioca starch or potato starch to provide a richer flavor.
Once you find your ideal dry mix, the article then provides great tips for adjusting all the other added ingredients for better texture.
🏆 Dinner Winner! Reader Photo Submission of the Week
This week’s winner is Simon Pusateri, who made katsu with rice, blanched snow peas, and dressed sesame red cabbage.
Looks so good, Simon. Reply with a picture of the best meal you made this week for a chance to be featured in a future email.
🤤 More Yummy Content
A Read: Salad Dressing on the Bottom?
In a Minute or Less: Garlic Green Bean Stir Fry
What We’re Watching: Eater visits Texas BBQ
Food Science: When to Use Basil Fresh vs. Dried
Upgrade your feed: Connect with Ethan everywhere.
Ready to shop? 🛒
