Happy New Year, floppers!

I hope you had a fabulous time last night whatever you did…we stuck close to home and were in bed right at 3am! Amen to great friends and neighbors, great food & drink and great conversation into the first few hours of Twenty Twelve.

My in-laws start out the year by serving foods that represent good fortune like black eyed peas for luck, collard greens for money and noodles for long life!

Jay had an idea to make pancit {a Filipino rice noodle dish} for New Year’s Eve to share with our friends.

This recipe is from my mother-in-law, Lucy {or Lola}:

Pancit

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion sliced

2 pork steaks or pork chops, boiled with 1 tsp salt (keep broth)

   or 2 skinless chicken breasts

1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch strips, or thinly sliced diagonally

½ cabbage cut into 2 wedges, then sliced across

2 ribs of celery thinly sliced diagonally

4 tablespoons soy sauce

½ to 2 cups broth from boiling pork, skim off fat layer

1 8-oz pack of rice noodles (mei fun) ~ these are easy to find in your local supermarket…I found these at Target

additional 4 T soy sauce

salt to taste

sliced green onions for garnish (optional)

1. Slice boiled pork into thin strips, set aside.
2. Soak rice noodles in warm water until soft and pliable, about 15-20 minutes.  It can stay in the water until ready to sauté with vegetables.
3. Add a small amount of oil (olive or canola) into wok and sauté garlic.
4. Add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent, then add pork and soy sauce. Stir together.
5. Add carrots, stir for 2 minutes, then add celery and cabbage. Add ½ cup of the broth and cook vegetables just until crisp.
6. Transfer the cooked mixture into a bowl.  To the wok add the remaining 1 cup of broth and additional 4T soy sauce, bring to a boil.
7. Drain noodles and add to boiling broth.  Turn heat down to low and mix well to absorb the liquid.  If it sticks in the pan, add about 2T of oil.  Keep mixing the noodles until all liquid is absorbed and noodles taste done.
8. Add back the vegetable mixture and mix well.
9. Garnish with sliced green onions

This dish is actually quite healthy and is loaded with veggies. You can also make it with broiled, shredded chicken breast which is just as delicious. The kids love these noodles, too.

So, here’s to {long life} and a year of good fortune, lots of laughs, new adventures, making a difference and no regrets!