Quick Pork Noodle Soup

A week or two ago we made and froze about a gallon each of chicken and pork stocks - we had a ton of chicken carcasses and old pork bones in the freezer. Surprisingly, most people we talked to had never heard of pork stock (!) and had no ideas on recipes, so we took a look in James Peterson's Splendid Soups, which has a simple recipe for "Chinese Pork Noodle Soup." Here is our adaptation, which was easy to make and tasted superb.

Marinate 1/2 lb. of pork meat, thinly sliced (we used a loin from the Piggery), in 1 tbsp. dry sherry, 1 tsp. cornstarch, 4 tsp. soy sauce, 1/2. tsp. sesame oil and some freshly ground pepper for at least an hour. Finely chop a few handfuls of scallions and/or chives (we used about 1/4 c. of each).

In one pot, bring enough lightly-salted water to the boil for two-three healthy helpings of thin Chinese egg noodles; cook the noodles until no longer chewy. In a second pot, bring about a litre of stock (we mixed pork with chicken for a slightly lighter broth) to the boil.

Just before serving, add the pork in its marinade to the boiling broth for 1 to 2 minutes, or until just cooked; add the scallions and chives as well as salt and pepper to taste. Place a scoop or two of noodles in eating bowls, top with several slices of pork and two-three ladles of broth.

The two of us had generous helpings last night and there is one left, so this would likely easily serve four as an appetizer.