Above: Fideo is simple comfort food all the way, made with ingredients you probably have in the pantry right now; photo by Robin Catalano.
Remember when cooking channels first became a big thing in the 1990s? Me neither. I’m far too young for that.
Kidding, of course. My mature-enough-to-know-better self spent way too much time watching those channels, and furiously scribbling down the recipes while the chefs demonstrated.
So, I’m sad to report, I don’t remember from which show I originally got this fideo recipe—a noodle dish popular in many Spanish-speaking countries.
I remember only that it’s a Cuban take on the recipe, that I’ve messed around with different proportions and ingredients enough to diverge from the original, and that it’s still the ultimate three-step comfort food, whether or not you veganize it. Just toast the noodles, buzz the vegetables in the blender, pop it in the oven, and you’re done.
Fideo
Ingredients
1–2 tablespoons olive oil
1 box thin spaghetti
2 large tomatoes, diced (2 cups canned diced tomatoes work just fine, too)
1 large yellow onion
2 cloves garlic (or substitute 1/2 – 1 tsp garlic powder)
1–3 jalapeños, depending on the level of heat you prefer
2 cups vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the oil in a large, deep-sided pan or pot over medium. With your hands, break the spaghetti into 3-inch pieces. When the oil begins to shimmer, toast the spaghetti on both sides, until golden. Transfer the noodles to a casserole dish.
2. Rough chop the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and jalapeno, then put them in a blender or food processor. Pulse till the vegetables are broken down, then add the broth and process until mostly smooth; leave a few chunks for texture. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. Pour the mixture evenly over the noodles. Sprinkle the cheese over the top.
3. Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered, until the noodles are tender and the sauce is bubbling.
Beverage suggestion: Pisco sour
Robin Catalano believes in the power of storytelling to connect communities and cultures. She’s applied her creative approach to writing for magazines, books, blogs, websites, and a wide variety of marketing projects, and has published more than 75 articles and 1,000+ blog posts. As an editor, she has worked on more than 350 books for publishers including Penguin Random House, Workman, and Simon & Schuster. She has also served as a book coach for independent authors, helping them take their ideas from concept to print. An avid traveler and travel writer, Robin lives, reads, and writes voraciously in upstate NY.
could you be a little more specific on the instructions? What do you mean by “toast the noodles”? Do the vegetables all go in the blender raw?
Arrghh!
My fault completely! Somehow I cut off the instructions. I totally deserve a 100 lashes with a wet linguini noodle! Sorry — fixed now though!!!
— J.
This video shows the noodles being ‘toasted’ in a fry pan – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k36_IV9rpk
Its for a fideo soup, but the principle is the same.
I think the vegetables can go into the blender raw, since they will cook in the oven.