March serves as time to celebrate National Noodle Month

Mar. 4—A comfort food sure to provide some nostalgia and invigorate the tastes buds, some diners can't get enough of a fresh bowl of noodles.

While there might be several reasons to celebrate the month of March, foodies might be happy to know that it's National Noodle Month. For some, there's nothing better than sitting down to a steaming bowl of ramen noodles, a plate of spaghetti, or a nice helping of lo mein.

Some noodle aficionados would argue there are key differences to noodles and pasta, while others believe the terms to be intertwined. Either the case, both serve as staples in a variety of dishes popular to people all over the world.

Local resident Adrien Nong regularly cooks dishes using his own homemade noodles. He's been working to perfect the traditional homemade ramen, but he enjoys preparing a number of noodle creations. He said Italian pasta can be done rather quickly, compared to Asian noodles, which he said requires some patience and effort.

"Italian pasta has to be gently kneaded to have less gluten developed, so it's fairly fast," he said. "Asian noodles want as much gluten developed as possible, so you have to work it. It's really difficult without the right equipment and/or technique."

Nong said Mandilli di Seta is delicious, and Udon noodles are fun for kids, because they can help stomp on the ingredients. Being raised in Asia, noodles have a special place in his heart. But for those who attempt to make noodles from scratch, he said Italian pasta is a good place to start.

"For Italian pasta, get at least a cheap pasta maker," he said. "While it's technically possible to do it with a rolling pin, it is way harder to get the consistency how you'd want it. Don't be married to measurements. Humidity has a weird, unacknowledged effect on stuff like pasta. Don't be afraid to tweak the flour by a few tablespoons if it comes out too soft or too dry."

Pasta can be high in carbs, so it's not the healthiest of foods when eaten in large amounts. According to Heather Winn, family and consumer science educator at the Cherokee County OSU Cooperative Extension Office, pasta and noodles are generally enriched with iron, folate and several other B-vitamins, including, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin. But they can be nutritionally enhanced.

"First, buying whole grain pasta is the best choice," she said. "We need to have half of our plates with fruits and vegetables, and then the other half is whole grain, which would include breads, pastas, rice and that sort of thing."

In some pasta varieties, no eggs are used, leaving them low in sodium and cholesterol-free. Pasta is also low in sugar, so it's digested slower and provides less energy. Whole-grain pastas aren't as heavy on the heart and can reduce constipation. Or, Winn suggests throwing the pasta out all together and making zucchini noodles as an alternative.

For those that would like to stick with the regular version of noodles, though, Winn provides some recipes for chefs to try out.

The creamy ham ziti calls for 1 pound of ziti, penne or other medium pasta; half a teaspoon of vegetable oil; 12 ounces of lean ham, cut into bite-size pieces; one red bell pepper, diced; one cup of non-fat sour cream; one 10-ounce package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained well; three-fourths cup of skim milk; one-fourth cup of Dijon mustard; one-fourth cup of chopped fresh parsley; two tablespoons of minced fresh dill; one tablespoon of lemon juice; three-fourths teaspoon of hot sauce; and salt and pepper.

Prepare pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, warm the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the ham and red pepper and cook until browned. Meanwhile, puree the sour cream, spinach, milk, mustard, parsley, dill, lemon juice and hot sauce in a food processor or blender until very smooth. Add the puree to the ham. Heat to a simmer.

When pasta is done, drain it well. Toss pasta with sauce, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Cooks could also try a pasta primavera with chicken, which calls for: 10 and three-fourth ounces of condensed reduced fat and sodium cream of chicken soup; three-fourth cup of low fat milk; one-fourth cup of shredded parmesan cheese; one-eighth teaspoon of ground black pepper; two cups of fresh broccoli; one cup of carrots julienne; one and a half cups of whole grain pasta; and 12 ounces of cubed chicken breast.

While waiting on pasta, prepare the sauce. In a medium saucepan mix together cream of chicken soup, milk, parmesan cheese, pepper, broccoli, garlic powder and carrots.

Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer to 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally. Add pasta and chicken into mixture and heat through.