Summer with its harvests of squashes and other dipping-friendly vegetables usually presents a problem for a tiny apartment with a tiny refrigerator and a CSA subscription.
Fortunately, WikiHow has a recipe for Vegan Fondue that looks too good not to try.
The only grains in there are oats and arrowroot or cornstarch, so it's gluten-free for most people.
For the fondue:
2 cups white wine (traditionally it's a dry white like Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay, but I used Riesling)
1 cup water (or vegetable broth)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup tahina
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced onion or onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, or ground nutmeg
Paprika for the topping
For dipping in the fondue (substitute any of the following):
1 cucumber, cut into spears
2 roasted carrots, cut into sticks
2 roasted beets, cut into cubes
2 roasted rutabagas, cut into cubes
2 roasted zucchinis, cut into spears
Bread, etc.
If the root veggies and squashes aren't roasted yet, start roasting them until just tender (375F for 20-30 minutes; check tenderness with a fork).
While the veggies are roasting, combine all fondue ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. This will take about a minute.
Transfer fondue mixture to a 1 or 1.5 quart saucepan.
Bring to a boil over medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens to the consistency of melted cheese.
Correct seasonings. Serve hot.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Fennel-leek soup
Spring is in full swing, which means leeks, potatoes, and fennel are in season. Last week's CSA treasure trove of a box had both leeks and feathery, liquoricy fennel. Coupled with the potatoes my grandmother gave us from her garden, we had the makings of a good pot of soup.
A chef friend lent us her soup book filled with all sorts of fun, easy recipes to try. We modified its fennel-leek soup recipe to be vegetarian and came up with this.
To make it into vichyssoise, add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup cream or sour cream before pureeing it. Alternatively, you can stir in some milk or cream in each bowl.
Fennel-leek soup
1-3T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 leeks, rinsed and sliced (white part only)
1 bulb fennel, rinsed and chopped (white part only; reserve feathery leaves for garnish)
2 medium potatoes, diced
4 cups vegetable stock
thyme, marjoram, oregano, salt and pepper to taste
In a pot, heat 1-3T olive oil until fragrant.
Add garlic, leeks, and fennel, and sweat over low heat for about 15 minutes or until soft.
Add stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Season with herbs, salt and pepper.
After potatoes are done, blend or puree soup until smooth. If you want it to be really smooth, push the pureed soup through a fine mesh strainer.
Serve hot. Garnish with fennel leaves. Serves 2-6, depending on serving size.
A chef friend lent us her soup book filled with all sorts of fun, easy recipes to try. We modified its fennel-leek soup recipe to be vegetarian and came up with this.
To make it into vichyssoise, add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup cream or sour cream before pureeing it. Alternatively, you can stir in some milk or cream in each bowl.
Fennel-leek soup
1-3T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 leeks, rinsed and sliced (white part only)
1 bulb fennel, rinsed and chopped (white part only; reserve feathery leaves for garnish)
2 medium potatoes, diced
4 cups vegetable stock
thyme, marjoram, oregano, salt and pepper to taste
In a pot, heat 1-3T olive oil until fragrant.
Add garlic, leeks, and fennel, and sweat over low heat for about 15 minutes or until soft.
Add stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Season with herbs, salt and pepper.
After potatoes are done, blend or puree soup until smooth. If you want it to be really smooth, push the pureed soup through a fine mesh strainer.
Serve hot. Garnish with fennel leaves. Serves 2-6, depending on serving size.
Monday, March 22, 2010
The joy of portobello burgers made from scratch
Caught in the throes of mushroom withdrawal, Paul came up with a wonderful idea for dinner the other night: portobello mushroom burgers. Unfortunately, our CSA rarely distributes mushrooms, so we had to make a trip to the grocery store for them.
A portobello mushroom has been called the vegetarian's steak. I wouldn't call its texture meaty, but it has a heft to it that pleasantly resists your teeth's attempts to cut into it, and when done well spills its delicious juices all over your tongue.
To do the glorious mushrooms justice, we baked a fresh batch of rolls. Our trusty bread machine made the dough; the oven did the rest. For the fixins, we roasted some beets in foil and made some vegan mayonnaise.
Roasted beets
Set convection toaster oven to 400F. Wrap two whole beets in foil (together, not individually), and place on an oven-safe pan. Roast in oven for 40-50 minutes or so until a fork can pierce them through.
Vegan mayonnaise (from Vegetarian Times cookbook)
2 cups bread crumbs, the fresher, the better
juice of 2 medium lemons (1/2 cup or so)
3-5 cloves garlic, to taste
1 t salt
2/3 cup olive oil
Food processor
1. Combine bread crumbs and lemon juice in a bowl.
2. Turn on food processor. Drop in garlic and salt, then add bread crumb mixture.
3. Drizzle in olive oil slowly (1 tsp every second or so). Whip until creamy.
Portobello mushroom burgers with beets and vegan mayonnaise
For each burger:
1 portobello mushroom, dirt brushed off, gills intact, stem removed (or cut flush with the bottom)
1 roll (freshly baked is best)
1 slice of cheese (we used smoked Gouda)
2 slices of roasted beet
1-2 T vegan mayonnaise
1. Set convection toaster oven to broil at 450F.
2. Place mushroom on a rack over an oven-safe pan.
3. Broil mushroom for 10-15 minutes. Start at 10 and increase the time as necessary. It's done when juices are beginning to drip out.
4. Assemble the burger: Slice roll in half and spread mayonnaise on each side. Place beet slices on one side and cheese on the other. Place mushroom on top of cheese and close the burger.
5. Devour. I enjoy mine with a glass of sweet tea.
A portobello mushroom has been called the vegetarian's steak. I wouldn't call its texture meaty, but it has a heft to it that pleasantly resists your teeth's attempts to cut into it, and when done well spills its delicious juices all over your tongue.
To do the glorious mushrooms justice, we baked a fresh batch of rolls. Our trusty bread machine made the dough; the oven did the rest. For the fixins, we roasted some beets in foil and made some vegan mayonnaise.
Roasted beets
Set convection toaster oven to 400F. Wrap two whole beets in foil (together, not individually), and place on an oven-safe pan. Roast in oven for 40-50 minutes or so until a fork can pierce them through.
Vegan mayonnaise (from Vegetarian Times cookbook)
2 cups bread crumbs, the fresher, the better
juice of 2 medium lemons (1/2 cup or so)
3-5 cloves garlic, to taste
1 t salt
2/3 cup olive oil
Food processor
1. Combine bread crumbs and lemon juice in a bowl.
2. Turn on food processor. Drop in garlic and salt, then add bread crumb mixture.
3. Drizzle in olive oil slowly (1 tsp every second or so). Whip until creamy.
Portobello mushroom burgers with beets and vegan mayonnaise
For each burger:
1 portobello mushroom, dirt brushed off, gills intact, stem removed (or cut flush with the bottom)
1 roll (freshly baked is best)
1 slice of cheese (we used smoked Gouda)
2 slices of roasted beet
1-2 T vegan mayonnaise
1. Set convection toaster oven to broil at 450F.
2. Place mushroom on a rack over an oven-safe pan.
3. Broil mushroom for 10-15 minutes. Start at 10 and increase the time as necessary. It's done when juices are beginning to drip out.
4. Assemble the burger: Slice roll in half and spread mayonnaise on each side. Place beet slices on one side and cheese on the other. Place mushroom on top of cheese and close the burger.
5. Devour. I enjoy mine with a glass of sweet tea.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Stock, sauce, and two steaming rice bowls
Occasionally, Paul will bring home a lovely bottle of wine from Trader Joe's that reminds us of a trip we took or a meal we had. The bordeaux he last brought conjured up memories of Paris, picnicking near the Eiffel Tower with a bottle of Le Canotier bordeaux and stinky Camembert d'Isigny. We didn't quite finish the bottle, and rather than let such good wine go to waste, I decided to use up some of the mushrooms that were starting to deteriorate and make sauce.
A freezer filled with stock greatly simplifies sauce-making. As long as you have flour, butter, and some sort of liquid (stock, milk, cream), you can make sauce. The basic thickening agent of many sauces is roux--white, blond, and brown--which is a combination of equal parts flour and fat by weight. Cooking the roux for longer toasts the flour for longer, creating a deeper, nuttier flavor in the final sauce.
My mushroom red wine sauce uses a blond roux, though it could just as easily use a brown one. I usually cook the roux until it becomes a healthy shade of golden brown (as opposed to chocolate brown) before I stir in the wine.
1 T butter
1 shallot, minced
6-10 mushrooms, sliced
Roux: 2 T butter, 3 T flour
1 c red wine, at room temperature
Stock as needed, at room temperature
Herbs, salt, and pepper
Heat 1 T butter in a pan over medium heat. Saute shallots until fragrant, then add mushrooms and saute until a brown crust forms on the mushrooms. Remove from pan. Melt 2 T butter over medium to medium-high heat in same pan, then gradually shake in 3 T flour, stirring constantly, until fully incorporated. Cook until the roux reaches a healthy golden brown. Add the wine in a steady stream, stirring constantly. Don't add it all at once unless you want lumps in your sauce. Add sauteed mushrooms and shallots, and cook until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Add stock if necessary to increase volume or decrease thickness. Season as desired and serve. The finished sauce should be velvety smooth and slightly shiny. I like to eat it over roasted vegetables and brown rice.
A freezer filled with stock greatly simplifies sauce-making. As long as you have flour, butter, and some sort of liquid (stock, milk, cream), you can make sauce. The basic thickening agent of many sauces is roux--white, blond, and brown--which is a combination of equal parts flour and fat by weight. Cooking the roux for longer toasts the flour for longer, creating a deeper, nuttier flavor in the final sauce.
My mushroom red wine sauce uses a blond roux, though it could just as easily use a brown one. I usually cook the roux until it becomes a healthy shade of golden brown (as opposed to chocolate brown) before I stir in the wine.
1 T butter
1 shallot, minced
6-10 mushrooms, sliced
Roux: 2 T butter, 3 T flour
1 c red wine, at room temperature
Stock as needed, at room temperature
Herbs, salt, and pepper
Heat 1 T butter in a pan over medium heat. Saute shallots until fragrant, then add mushrooms and saute until a brown crust forms on the mushrooms. Remove from pan. Melt 2 T butter over medium to medium-high heat in same pan, then gradually shake in 3 T flour, stirring constantly, until fully incorporated. Cook until the roux reaches a healthy golden brown. Add the wine in a steady stream, stirring constantly. Don't add it all at once unless you want lumps in your sauce. Add sauteed mushrooms and shallots, and cook until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Add stock if necessary to increase volume or decrease thickness. Season as desired and serve. The finished sauce should be velvety smooth and slightly shiny. I like to eat it over roasted vegetables and brown rice.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Making stock
One benefit of joining a CSA is that I am awash in vegetables, fresh from the farm. Lately I've been inundated with carrots and celery, which make a fabulous mirepoix along with onions. This combination also happens to be the soul of a great vegetable stock.
My basic stock recipe stems from the one in Deborah Madison's cooking bible Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, which teaches you everything you could want to know about vegetables.
1 T olive oil
4-6 carrots, coarsely chopped
1-3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 large or 2 small onions, coarsely chopped
6 cups water (at least enough to cover vegetables)
seasonings to taste (herbs, garlic, etc.)
strainer
stock pot
In a large stock pot, heat 1 T olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until nearly transparent. Add carrots and celery, and saute until a brown crust forms on most of the pieces. The brown crust imparts flavor to the stock. Add enough water to cover the vegetables. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Season lightly (the prolonged cooking time will concentrate the flavors), then lower to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes to an hour. Strain and season. To concentrate the flavor, reduce stock after straining.
This recipe lends itself to several variations. I've added mushrooms for mushroom stock, tomatoes for tomato stock, and beet trimmings to the simmering stock for borscht. I've even added lettuce, which adds a fresh, lightly earthy flavor. I don't recommend adding cruciferous vegetables (e.g. kale, broccoli stalks) as they become bitter when boiled too long.
My basic stock recipe stems from the one in Deborah Madison's cooking bible Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, which teaches you everything you could want to know about vegetables.
1 T olive oil
4-6 carrots, coarsely chopped
1-3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 large or 2 small onions, coarsely chopped
6 cups water (at least enough to cover vegetables)
seasonings to taste (herbs, garlic, etc.)
strainer
stock pot
In a large stock pot, heat 1 T olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until nearly transparent. Add carrots and celery, and saute until a brown crust forms on most of the pieces. The brown crust imparts flavor to the stock. Add enough water to cover the vegetables. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Season lightly (the prolonged cooking time will concentrate the flavors), then lower to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes to an hour. Strain and season. To concentrate the flavor, reduce stock after straining.
This recipe lends itself to several variations. I've added mushrooms for mushroom stock, tomatoes for tomato stock, and beet trimmings to the simmering stock for borscht. I've even added lettuce, which adds a fresh, lightly earthy flavor. I don't recommend adding cruciferous vegetables (e.g. kale, broccoli stalks) as they become bitter when boiled too long.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)