Nudi is a little noodle shop in relatively deep SE Portland that I have no business patronizing. Meet your torn and beautiful friends there; the experience will gladly mirror:
As far as this restaurant is concerned, your waitress may or may not be wearing pants; pay it no mind.
Shrimp, peanut sauce, broken.
For the most part Nudi is consistent, as humans, most of us are consistently inconsistent; therefore, your dish may vary from one visit to the next. It’s okay, you’ll survive.
heat trayquail eggs, always a good timeOccasional Failure
Please don’t order the pad thai! Super saccharine sweet.
take a walk: scotch, st. germain, lemon, egg white
There is a great bar up the street. I have a well documented disdain for sharing the names of establishments that I frequent, but if you’re wise, you’ll find it. Years ago many people bore their elbows deep in the sea foam counter and made a dent for you, enjoy yourself and be kind.
I’m no stranger to fool hardy kitchen projects: 100 layer crepe cakes, pastas, kimchi (totally worth it), 6-hour french onion soup recipes, homemade ketchup (don’t bother). Thanks to my genetic history, re: Depression strained Appalachia, I’m not a time vs. money type of lady. If the output is superior when maximum effort is sustained, I’m all in, all the better. Hint: you usually save money this way, more bang for your buck, smart shoppers buy bulk!, etc.
When I needed an idea for a crowd worthy punch to take to a crawfish boil my Senior Booze Consultant suggested the Scorpion. I nearly ignored this advice until he revealed that I would need Orgeat and a store-bought version would simply not be acceptable. That’s all I needed to hear, the next several hours were filled with almonds and labor.
the task
I used this recipe and, deferring to the professional, doubled the brandy. I “invested” in quality organic almonds by ringing them up as dried corn kernels in the you-check-yourself-out-line (sorry, Mom).
blanched
This is where things get simultaneously fun and a little boring.
extraction
After grinding all the blanched almonds in a food processor immerse them in water for two hours. The “inactive” cook time for this chore is a little daunting, I took my dog on a long walk and then folded laundry. You might choose to live a bit more wild and free, I wouldn’t blame you.
first pass
A while back I purchased a reusable cheese cloth thingy, you can see it holding the almond grinds. Best non-gadget for the kitchen, allowed me to wring the heck out of those almonds.
The grinds steep two more times for an hour each, then it’s time to heat up the milk and add the sugar, remove from heat and stir in the brandy and orange blossom water. At this point Operation Orgeat is getting pretty hot so let the syrup cool down while you, I don’t know, shop for a decent camera online.
rations
A few days later:
looking out for trouble is what we call fun
Juice some oranges, juice some lemons, add some brandy, white rum, and the orgeat, absentmindedly stir with a whisk.
6 oz orange juice
4 oz lemon juice
1.5 oz orgeat
6 oz white rum
1 oz brandy
Serves 3-4
“Bartender’s Guide” by Trader Vic, 1947
Keep it in the refrigerator for a while. Have some wine. Load the glass vessel containing the punch into your friends backpack, walk to the #17, arrive, add ice.
bunny bread surprise 