Week 2: Cubes and Spheres Ramen Sheet Pan Bake

Cooking with Jane, Recipes, , , ,

Happy week two, everyone! So excited to be measuring the passing of time in this way with you all.

As soon as I saw those cute little spring turnips, I knew I wanted to integrate them into one of our new favourite weekday meals! The spring turnips and tofu cubes end up looking very similar in the tray, but interact with the marinade differently, which is just really fun. Jane discovered this recipe initially via New York Times Cooking, and we adapted it to our regularly available grocery items and propensity for sauciness. It’s one of those one-two dish wonders that comes together fast and makes for plenty of leftovers if you want it to. Add more ramen to stretch it out over more meals! Baking the turnips and the greens mellows out their zesty spring bitterness just enough, highlighting their nuttiness and freshness. The ramen and tofu get crispy around the edges for added texture and excitement. Every bite makes me so grateful to be a part of this CSA!

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Ingredients

FOR THE NOODLES:

  • 2 blocks instant ramen noodles about 9 ounces, flavor packets discarded or saved for later
  • 2 tablespoon neutral oil such as grapeseed or vegetable
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 package extra-firm tofu patted dry and cut into varying sized cubes (about the same size as the various turnips)
  • 1 bunch turnips with tops and bottoms separated
  • 1 pak choy chopped and separated into mostly stems and mostly leaves piles
  • a few scallions sliced obliquely, in a quantity that seems adequate to you

FOR THE MARINADE:

  • 6 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 6 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 4 tablespoons miso
  • 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees and place one rack on the top and one on the bottom. Fill a kettle or medium pot with water (about 8 cups) and bring to a boil. Place the noodles in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 5 minutes, then drain. Set aside the bowl to use in Step 5.
  2. Make the marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the miso, sesame oil, maple syrup, and red pepper flakes.
  3. Place the noodles on a sheet pan. Add neutral oil and a swig of soya sauce. Toss to combine, then spread the noodles out evenly.
  4. Toss the tofu cubes and turnip spheres in the marinade and pull them out with a fork, then add them to the sheet pan, pushing the noodles aside so that they touch the pan and don’t just sit on top of the noodles. Place on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
  5. Marinate the pak choy stems in the marinade and add them to the tray after 15 minutes, and bake for another 4-6 minutes.
  6. Remove the sheet pan from the oven (the noodles should be crisp on the bottom and around the edges) and add the pak choy leaves and turnip greens to the pan, drizzling with any remaining marinade and stirring up a bit. Return the sheet pan to the top rack of the oven and bake for 4 to 7 minutes until the greens are vibrant with crispy edges, and the top of the noodles are crispy. Serve and top with your chosen volume of green onion!