Peanut and Celery Soba

+ Montreal recs and some really good snacking peanuts

Over the last week I’ve experienced snow, rain, winds, and sunny skies. Which honestly, sounds like a pretty typical spring week in Ohio when I think about it. I was in Montreal over the weekend, home in the Bay for a few days, and then tomorrow I’m off to Tucson for the Tucson Book Festival. All that to say, it’s been a weird week for eating. I’m trying to decide if I want a cozy jook, especially on a rainy night, or if I’m craving something springy and refreshing. This week’s recipe falls somewhere happily in the middle. Peanut noodles feel hearty and satisfying, no matter what the conditions are outside, but yet with the right balance of acid in the sauce they can still be bright, especially with crisp celery mixed in.

I was pretty ambivalent towards celery for most of my life, but in the last few years I’ve fallen deeply in love with it and crave it often, both raw and cooked. Since my affinity toward celery is relatively new, it’s safe to say I never enjoyed peanut butter and celery or ants on a log while I was growing up. I’m sad thinking of all the time wasted not enjoying this perfect combination. This soba dish has essentially the flavor profile of the iconic snack but a little more grown up, more savory, and loaded with lots of texture.

The celery itself gets seasoned to bring out more of it’s inherent salinity, making a quick celery salad of sorts. The salt pulls out some of the moisture from the celery, making it almost juicy when you bite it. It’s so good simply dipped in the peanut sauce, I had to stop myself from snacking on the whole bowl so I had enough to make the noodles. The peanut sauce is so easy and you can adjust to your own taste. Just note that peanut butters can really vary. I used the store-ground peanut butter from Berkeley Bowl, which is not totally smooth like a Jif. So when you add the hot water to smooth out the sauce, slowly add it in while mixing and stop when it has a nice runny consistency. Some butters will require more water than others.

I know the country is obsessed with protein right now, and while I try to not fixate on protein intake or allow it to consume all the joy out of the food and meal planning, these noodles actually have a pretty high amount of protein. I won’t do the math for you, but soba (buckwheat noodles), peanut sauce, roasted peanuts, and pressed tofu all add up to a fairly protein dense meal.

I think food tastes better when you eat with your hands or mix the food on your own, so I like to take the time to arrange all the components in my bowl first and then mix. It also looks slightly prettier than the tangle of creamy noodles you get in the end. Anyways, I have enough fixings to make one more bowl of peanut and celery soba and then I need to pack for another weekend away!

Montreal Scenes

Montreal Recs

In addition to the soba recipe, enjoy some of my Montreal recs and a recipe for the best snacking peanuts. No bagels are included (I tried allegedly the best 2 bakeries) because I found both sesame bagels, even while still fresh from the oven, to be incredibly disappointing. I felt bamboozled. But the rest of our time in the city was lovely and the food and drinks were great!

To Eat

Olive et Gourmando | cute spot in old montreal to stop in for breakfast. I loved their scone with ham and jam.
Liverpool House | super hearty food for a cold night. I enjoyed the lobster spaghetti and the steak tartare.
Pichai | probably my favorite meal of the whole trip! Really unique Thai food with a great vibe and natural wine. I loved the tapioca dumplings and the fermented pork belly. Desserts were lovely too!
Larry’s | Must go for breakfast. The food looks really unassuming but everything was excellent, especially the pancakes.
Candide | dark and cozy. all the food is super local with an emphasis on produce, which was impressive during the winter!

To Drink
Atwater Cocktail Club
Nhậu bar
Taverne Atlantic

To Soak

Bota Bota, spa-sur-l'eau | our favorite experience the whole weekend! It was especially nice in the winter to soak in hot water, sauna, and dip into a few cold plunges.

I don’t know what it is about Chinese snacking peanuts with the skin still on them, but they are the most delicious peanuts! You sometimes get them as a side at restaurants, but it’s almost never enough. When you make them at home you don’t have to limit your self to a tablespoon. These snacking peanuts are modeled after Woon’s Peanuts and Sea Moss, which you can actually buy, but when I stopped by the restaurant on book tour I took home some of their sea moss seasoning to sprinkle over peanuts and popcorn. If you don’t have sea moss, plain salt is just great! Furikake or crushed nori would be good too!

Snacking Peanuts

12 oz raw red skin-on peanuts
3 tbsp avocado oil
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt, more if needed
1 tbsp Sea Moss, furikake, or crushed nori

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss to combine peanuts, avocado oil and salt. Roast until browned and aromatic, 22 to 25 minutes tossing halfway. The peanuts should be crunchy, if they still feel a little soft or waxy then they are still a little raw. Allow the peanuts to fully cool and then add the sea moss and more salt if needed. Store in an airtight container.

Peanut and Celery Soba

serves 2 (easily doubles or triples)