Soba Soup with Spinach and Tofu

I tried going veggie once. It didn't work. Deep down I'm a carnivore. I love not only eating meat but butchering. So having tofu in a recipe is not my first choice...nor is it my girlfriend's, she hates the gellatinous stuff. But what the hell, I'd bought soba noodles in the natural food seciton of the supermarket and had to do something with them.

This recipe comes from Food Network's Sarah's Secrets. I changed the recipe though. Her version was way too fussy. You can see for yourself at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sara-moulton/soba-soup-with-spinach-and-tofu-recipe/index.html. So here is my version. Another alternative would be to add shitake mushrooms and replace the tofu with strips of beef steak.

Oh and by the way, miso rules. I mean, this has to be one of the best ingredients in the history of ingredients. Arguably even better than garlic. And that's saying something.

Soba Soup with Spinach and Tofu
Inspired by Sarah's Secrets

7 cups water
1 tablespoon instant dashi
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 carrots, sliced thin
3 green onions sliced
1/2 pound dried soba noodles
1/2 pound baby spinach, leaves washed well, and spun dry
8 to 10 ounces firm tofu (preferably silken), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons miso

1. In a saucepan bring the water to a boil. Stir in the dashi and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and the sugar and simmer the broth for 5 minutes.

2. Add the carrots and green onions to the broth and simmer them, covered, for 5 minutes.

3. In a small bowl stir together well 1/2 cup of the soup broth and the miso. Set aside.

4. Put noodles in boiling stock and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are al dente, being careful to undercook them slightly since you've still got some cooking to do in this stock.

5. Shove in the spinach. There's alot of this stuff but there will barely be anything left once the spinach wilts. Add the tofu along with the spinach and simmer the soup for 1 minute.

6. Stir the miso mixture into the broth. Divide the soup among 6 large bowls. Eat with chop sticks and slurp up the broth when all the good chunks are gone. Hell, slurp up the whole thing and have some fun. The kids will all think you're the coolest person ever.