wild mushroom noodles

i love mushrooms. they are so earthy, hearty, dank and soul-satisfying. they lend backbone to otherwise thin vegetarian dishes...the t-bone of the vegetable world. i also love soba noodles with their hummus-y, kinda damp-doggy flavor. together they form a celestial union.

this recipe is from nina simonds book, asian noodles, a beautifully photographed easy to read collection of, yep you guessed it, asian-inspired noodle dishes, both vegetarian and non vegetarian. my guy doesn't like soba noodles, he says they smell like dirty gym shorts, so i prepared his portion using curly noodles. much to my surprise and a little to my annoyance, there was much poaching of the "gym shorts" scented noodles off of my plate. i think i might have growled once or twice. it was that good.

Wild Mushroom Noodles
1 T. oil
12 cloves garlic, smashed with flat end of knife and thinly sliced
8 oz. dried chinese black mushrooms
1/2 lb. fresh shitake
1/2 lb. fresh cremini
3 1/2 + T. sake
1 1/2 cups scallions
1/4 lb. dried soba noodles
3 1/2 T. soy sauce
1/4 c. cilantro

Heat oil and saute sliced garlic for about 15 seconds. Add all the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add sake and cook, covered for about 4 minutes until the mushrooms get really juicy. Remove the lid and simmer until liquid reduces by about 1/4 - 1/2. Add scallions and cilantro, remove from heat and toss with noodles. my modifications included: more sake, more cilantro, more mushrooms and thickened at the end with just a tad of cornstarch dissolved in water.