MTB Recipes

What's that you say? You've just gotten back from some really great singletrack riding and you're looking for something good to eat? Well, the answer to your search could be right here! Select the type of goodies that you'd like to try and get to cooking!!

Some of the pasta recipes were sent in by members of the Mountain Bike Mailing List, mtb@cycling.org and the Gearhead Lounge.

PASTA: Pasta a la BB Pasta a la Poivre Julienne, avec Pesto Sun Dried Tomatoe and Shallott Pasta Bikes and Basil Salad Off Road Bikin' Primavera Left Overs

OTHER GOODIES: Pita Wheels Martin Stenger's Eggplant-Faceplant Casserole Coffee Rush Mutation Trek Bars

PASTA A LA BB
Larry Tredway gave us this tasty little number.

"Ok, I didn't want to give ALL my secrets away, but since you're all like family to me....."

Ingredients
• Pasta
• 1-2 Passila or Ancho dried peppers
• Olive Oil
• Mushrooms and any other vegatables that you like
• Garlic Powder
• Chicken Broth
• Options: Fresh diced tomatoes, pepitos (raw pumpkin seeds), pine nuts, grilled chicken breast, balsamic vinegar, ...

Preparation
1. Cook up some pasta (I like linguini), drain it, pour cold water over it to stop the cooking process. Leave it sit.
2. Get these dried peppers called Passila or Ancho, should be the same thing. They are not hot (some may think they are a little) but REAL flavourful. They have the consistency of leather but not as thick. Well, cut (julian) about 1/4 to half of one (no seeds). Put some olive oil in your WOK or in my case the pan I cooked the pasta in. Cook for a while to flavour the oil.
3. Now you can put in mushrooms if you want and cook them or any vegetable you want that may need some cooking (if the veggies aren't handy, I will forget them most of the time). Throw in some garlic powder.
4. Now throw in the pasta that you had draining and toss. I then eat it from the pan.

The neat thing is that if you screw it up, you can throw it out and start over because it doesn't cost that much. Do taste it as you go along. Add salt to taste. Garlic powder to taste. You can always splash a little more oil on. Some thing really different and good is to splash on a little GOOD balsamic vinegar in lieu of the chicken bouillon or throw caution to the wind and do both. :-)

Sorry girls, I only cook for my lady, :-)

PASTA A LA POIVRE JULIENNE, AVEC PESTO
[Editors Note: Rough translation using online French-English dictionary: Pepper Julienne Pasta with Pesto]
Derek Haden wrote in with his favorite recipe.

"Oh man I just love pasta what's more I have fallen in love with sun dried tomatoes, does anything taste better than sun dried tomatoes??? My wife reckons it's the male equiv of chocolate for women.

Anyway my recipe. It has no real name but to be pretentious lets call it "pasta a la poivre julienne, avec pesto". Yes I know that's French I don't know Italian."

Ingredients
• 2 tbs Olive Oil
• 1 medium onion
• 2-3 small peppers (capsicums) Various colours adds to the appeal
• 100 grms of Mange tout (Snow peas)
• garlic clove (optional)
• 100 grms of Feta cheese (Substsitute any good cheese)
• Pasta shapes (enough to satisfy your hunger) Shape of preference.
• A jar of Pesto sauce. Comes in 2 varieties, red or green. (I prefer the Red but it's a close fought thing)

Preparation
1. Wash all vegetables
2. Chop the onion and garlic fairly finely and slice the peppers into thin strips.
3. Top and tail the mange tout (snow peas). Slice the cheese into thin strips.
4. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta, bring back to boil, and boil vigourously for 6 min, stirring occassionally. After 6 mins, turn off the heat, cover and allow to stand for a further 5 mins.
   

   While the pasta is cooking: (I suggest that you do not start this until the first 6 mins of the pasta cooking is done, as it is a very fast process.)

5. Heat the olive oil in a wok ( large frying pan). Fry the onions and garlic gently, just soften them. Add the peppers and fry vigourously, you may have to add a little water (even better white wine) to soften the peppers. Add the mange tout and again cook vigorously. When all vegetables are cooked (should still be some crispness there), remove from heat. Lay the sliced cheese on top of the vegetables.
6. The pasta should now be cooked. Drain and add to the vegetables. Toss the pasta and veg together. Now add about half a jar of pesto, and toss together. Serve immediately. Some crusty french bread is a nice accompanyment.

SUN DRIED TOMATO AND SHALLOTT PASTA
According to Christopher Macnamara, this is what you'll need for a magnificent experience, with or without clothing.

Ingredients
• 1 oz butter
• 2 tbsp oil from one of those jars of sun dried tomatoes
• 8 oz of shallots, sliced really thinly [Editors Note: Can substitute green onion (a young onion pulled before the bulb has enlarged) or leeks]
• 3-4 oz of drained sun dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 crushed clove of garlic (a little bit more if you fancy it, that goes for the tomatoes too)
• 6 tbsp of fresh chopped parsely, must be fresh, but your favourite big leafed herb will do
• Some black pepper (ground)

Cooking Instructions
1. Heat the butter and oil in a big, heavy bottomed frying pan. Add your shallots and cook very gently until golden brown. (As I write this my mouth is watering). You'll know when they're ready because they start to smell so fantastic.
2. Add your sun dried tomatoes, garlic and herbs. Stir together for about 2 mins, and then grind in the pepper to your own taste.
3. Throw all of this over lots of hot, fresh pasta tubes, like big macaroni, and serve with real butter, on real french bread, with a good bottle of French red wine.

BIKES AND BASIL SALAD
[Editors Note: Copied from the back of the "Bicycle Pasta" packaging (manufactured by Buckeye Beans and Herbs, Inc) without permission]

Ingredients
• 2 1/2 cups (7 oz.) Bicycle Pasta cooked
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1-2 oz. fresh basil leaves, chopped
  (the more the better!) or 2nd choice is 1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3 cups very ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook the Bicycle pasta until 'al dente.' Drain and toss with the olive oil and lemon juice (if using dried basil, throw it in now!). Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Add the copped basil, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Mix gently (if you don't do this gently, you're going to destroy the bikes!). Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top and garnish with basil leaves or parsley.

OFF ROAD BIKIN' PRIMAVERA
[Editors Note: Copied from the back of the "Bicycle Pasta" packaging (manufactured by Buckeye Beans and Herbs, Inc) without permission]

Ingredients
• 2 1/2 cups (7 oz.) Bicycle Pasta cooked
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, cut into matchsticks
• 1 red pepper, slivered
• 12 asparagus spears, cut into 1" pieces
• 10 small cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained

Cook the Bicycle pasta until 'al dente.' Drain well. In a large non-stick skillet, heat olive oil; add garlic, onion and carrot. Saute 4-5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except the bicycles. Cook vegetables until they are tender, but still crisp. Add pasta to the vegetables and toss to heat through.

LEFT OVERS
From Roger Hampton. This is the perfect recipe to use up all those portions of pasta that are left in the bag that are too small for a single portion and too big to throw away!

Ingredients for two (or for one after a hard tour!)

Ingredients
• Pasta
• 150g broccoli
• 35g dried tomatoes in oil
• 2 sardine filets from the can
• 2-4 garlic cloves
• olive oil
• fresh basil
• black pepper from the mill

Preparation

1. Wash broccoli thoroughly and remove the hardened stems. Cut into bite size pieces and add to boiling salted water for a short period. Remove from the water and set aside.
2. Remove the tomatoes from the oil and let them dry a little on kitchen paper. Then cut them into strips.
3. Slice the garlic cloves and basil, but not too finely.
4. Chop up the sardine filets finely.
5. Cook the pasta as necessary.
6. Heat the oil in a pan and add the tomatoes, broccoli, garlic and basil. Braise quickly.
7. Add three tablespoons of "HOT" water, remove from the heat and cover. Allow to draw for approxiamately 3 mins.
8. Add the sardines and taste with black pepper.
9. Add the cooked pasta and mix thoroughly. Heat through once again.
10. Serve and enjoy!

PITA WHEELS (After a Long Day's Ride)
[Editors Note: Copied from the apparently defunct E-zine "Road 'N Grime" without permission]
"Cooking for the Health of It!," is a low-fat vegetarian cooking show in Canada, hosted by Mrs. Lily Erlic, B.A..

Pita wheels are healthy and build up the strength exerted after a long day on the trail. Set them up before you go out. When you return, 5-7 minutes is all you'll have to wait before the meal. That doesn't even leave time enough to wash the mud off. Oh well.

Ingredients
• 2 cups whole wheat flour.
• 1 teaspoon salt.
• 3/4 cup water.
• 1 tablespoon water.

Fillings
Vegetarian pepperoni, tomato sauce and cheese filling. Add dates, nuts, raisins and shredded carrot filling. Or, try a lettuce, cheese, red and yellow pepper filling. Invent and make your own!

Suggestions
Transform your pita wheel into a pita sprocket by crimping the ends.

EGGPLANT-FACEPLANT CASSEROLE
By Martin Stenger
[Editors Note: Copied from the book "Quick and Dirty Recipes for the Hungry Mountain Biker" by Jill Smith without permission]

Ingredients
• One large eggplant
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 5-10 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 can yellow corn
• 3/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• salt and pepper to taste

Fry the onion and garlic in oil and add the spices and mushrooms when the garlic starts to brown. Cook for another minute. Add the eggplant, corn and red pepper. Pour the tomato sauce over the vegetables and mix well. Add the pine nuts. Season to taste.

Transfer to an ovenproof dish, and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Serve with rice or pasta and plain yogurt if desired.

COFFEE RUSH MUTATION
"Here's my favorite bicycle chow - it's a mutation of a popular cycle treat"
By Rev. Burton-Finnegan, the First Church of the Mighty Freak Magnet

Ingredients
• One Tiger Sport brand Real Coffee Rush Bar
• 3-4 tsp. Medaglia D'Oro instant espresso coffee
• Microwave oven (medium power)

Enjoy

TREK BARS
From Sharon (Gearhead Lounge)

Base Ingredients
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup liquid honey
• 2 tablespoons of orange zest
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup natural wheat germ

Topping Ingredients
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup liquid honey
• 1 cup whole almonds
• 1 cup jumbo semi sweet choc. chips
• 1/2 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricot or apples
• 1/2 cup unsweetened med. coconut
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Topping Preparation
In med. bowl beat eggs, lightly beat in honey til blended, add almonds,etc. Lightly beat til blended. Spread over base. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack. Cut into bars and individually wrap in saran. Will keep 3-4 weeks in fridge or freeze.