Sesame Noodles With A Side of Hope
Daire Rooney and Kirsten Thorn of Brix offer up sesame noodles at Guido's
Why was Kirsten Thorn, a shy 16-year-old, offering plates of addictive sesame noodles in the produce department of Guido’s in Great Barrington the other day? “She’s part of the Railroad Street Youth Project,” explained her mentor, Daire Rooney, the executive chef at Brix in Pittsfield, who was by her side. Guido’s often invites participants in Railroad Street’s Berkshire Culinary Arts Program to do cooking demonstrations in the store.
Rooney met Thorn at one of Railroad Street’s fundraising dinners last fall, and this winter the high-school sophomore started working at Brix after school two days a week. “I have to go pick her up at Monument Mountain High School, and her mother picks her up at the end of the night,” says Rooney, who was planning to take Thorn for a tour of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park the next day. “Brian Alberg, who organizes the Railroad Street culinary program, and I both think Kirsten has a great future.” One thing is certain: she’s already aced cold sesame noodles.
Sesame Noodles
Serves 4 - 6
1 pound linguine, soba or udon noodles (cooked according to package directions and rinsed in cold water)
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds
1 T ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic
pinch red pepper flakes
1 T sesame oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Optional additions: sliced red bell pepper, snow peas, cilantro, sauteed shiitake mushrooms, bean sprouts, sliced cucumber, cooked chicken or shrimp
Mix toasted sesame seeds, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sesame oil in a blender on high speed. As you blend, slowly add soy sauce and vinegar. Slowly add olive oil to emulsify. Mix with noodles. Add optional vegetables or protein.
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