No-Boil Lasagne Noodles: Why, Exactly?

Sometimes I start jonesing for a particular food or flavor. Awhile ago it was curry, then beef braised in a chile rojo, both satisfied with a couple of simple dinners whipped out of ingredients in the pantry. I was wandering through our neighborhood Trader Joe's recently, thinking of pulling together a lasagne—just the mention of it makes me salivate—so when I saw the package of lasagne noodles on the shelf I threw them into my cart without a glance.

Letting the noodles "rest" for 30 min. Pffft!

Pulling them out of the bag when I got home, I noticed they were labeled "no boil." What? But having promised the family lasagne for dinner and kind of curious to see what the heck these might be, I decided to use them and see just how "oven ready" they really were.

With all my ingredients ready to go, I looked at the instructions. Basically it said to preheat the oven, layering the noodles with sauce and cheese in the pan as usual. But then the next line stopped me. After getting it all ready, it said to let it sit for 30 minutes, presumably to allow the noodles to absorb some of the moisture from the sauce and soften up a bit.

After baking? Just okay, and no time-saver.

Are you kidding me? I could have brought a pot of water to boil and parboiled my noodles—I don't cook lasagne noodles fully, just let them get a little bendy so they can soak up some lovely tomato flavor—in less time than that! And this is considered "convenience food"? Oh, please.

In any case, I did as instructed anyway, and it turned out okay. Not great or mind-blowing, mind you, but the noodles were al dente (a little more than I like) and tasted pretty good. I can only say they won't be making another appearance on our table, unless I need an excuse for a major eye-roll.

No Foolin'

Neither is it the Space Needle. Nor marmalade. Nor a lawn mower. Nor…well…you catch my drift. But it's definitely a crack-up when you're cruising the dairy aisle at your local Trader Joe's. Just sayin'.

Livin' in the Blurbs: Fishy Business

Today the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) announced that two North Pacific albacore tuna fisheries have passed the rigorous process required to become certified as well-managed and sustainable. Tuna caught by the Canadian Highly Migratory Species Foundation (CHMSF) troll/jig fishery and the U.S.-based Western Fishboat Owners Association (WFOA) will now be able to carry the MSC label (left) on their products. Many of the families that belong to these fisheries are second and third generation fishers, and MSC certification means that their products will be sought out by the increasing number of consumers, restaurants and grocery outlets looking for sustainably caught fish. It may help assure that not only will the fish stocks they rely on be available for the foreseeable future, but that their livelihoods may survive for generations to come as well.

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West coast troll and line-caught albacore tuna has also recently been listed as a "Best Choice" fish by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program, which advises consumers looking for seafood that is fished or farmed in ways that don’t harm the environment. While not requiring fisheries to go through the same rigorous certification process required by the MSC (above), their scientists do comb through government reports, journal articles and white papers, as well as contacting fishery and fish farm experts to develop an in-depth Seafood Watch Report which forms the basis for their recommendations. On the website you can check their latest recommendations, download a pocket guide or, better yet, download their iPhone app and impress everyone at the fish counter with your grooviness.

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And, last but definitely not least, Trader Joe's has announced a goal to have all of their seafood purchases shift to sustainable sources by Dec. 31, 2012. The press release on the TJ's website states that "it is our intent to have this goal function as a seafood policy that addresses customer concerns including the issues of over fishing, destructive catch or production methods, and the importance of marine reserves." This follows on the heels of an announcement by Target in January that it has eliminated all farmed salmon from its fresh, frozen and smoked seafood offerings in Target stores nationwide. Great news not only for our oceans and future fish stocks, but for our dinner tables, too!