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Chickpeas with spring greens (vegan)

Published

on April 23, 2008

in Soups & Stews, Spring, Vegan, Vegetable and Vegetarian

. 4 Comments

If I were ever to become a vegetarian, I’d have to move to the south of India. In an area that’s primarily vegetarian, the people have adapted the use of spices and aromatics to infuse even the most humble vegetables with loads of umami.

This is something I came up with last night based on a 5 year old memory of a dish I had at a Keralan restaurant once. If you’re looking for an authentic Chana Masala, you’ll have to look elsewhere. However if you want something light and fresh while savory and deeply satisfying, this is your dish. On one side, ingredients like the chickpeas, onions and spices add some savory heft to it, while the curry leaves, spring greens and lemon juice pull it back in the other direction.

Simple to cook and easy to clean up, the only problem you’ll have making this is that you’ll want to eat all of it!

2 tsp oil
10 curry leaves chopped
1 Tbs ginger minced
1 large clove of garlic minced
1 serrano or jalepeno pepper minced
1/4 onion diced
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
14 oz can whole tomatoes in juice
15 oz can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
2 medium swiss chard leaves roughly chopped
5-6 ramps roughly chopped

Lemon wedges for serving

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat until very hot. Add the curry leaves and ginger, frying until fragrant. Add the garlic, peppers, onions and spices and saute until the onions are tender.

Add the tomatoes by crushing them through your fingers along with the juice. If this is too messy for you, you can chop them, but i like the chunky texture of hand crushed tomatoes. Add the chickpeas then turn down the heat to simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

When most of the liquid is gone and what remains creates a nice thick sauce, add the chopped swiss chard, cover and cook for a few minutes until the chard is bright green and wilted. Add the ramps and cook for another minute or two.

Serve immediately with lemon wedges for squishing and some quinoa or Chapatis.

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Kasha corn fritters (vegan)

Published

marc

on April 19, 2008

in Appetizer, Vegan and Vegetarian

. 10 Comments

Being a meat eater these days seems a bit like being a smoker 20 years ago (still socially accepted, but something that meat eaters are starting to feel guilty about). I know I’ve been posting a lot of meat dishes lately, so consider this recipe this week’s mia culpa (something I’m sure I’ll be doing with some frequency).

These shallow fried fritter’s are crispy on the outside and soft and spicy on the inside with little bursts of sweet crispy corn. Because there is no flour or egg to bind it all together it’s very delicate, but what it lacks in cohesiveness it makes up in a wonderful soft crumbly texture on the inside. I suppose this may also qualify as gluten-free, though I’m no expert.

If you can get your hands on fresh curry leaves, they add a wonderful fresh aroma that’s a bit hard to describe. I got a bag from a co-worker who picked them up at a spice market here in Manhattan. They shouldn’t be confused with “curry powder” as they are not related. Curry powder, as it turns out, is a British blend of spices created to approximate the taste of “Indian food”… who knew?

2 C cooked kasha (make it with a little extra water)
1/2 C fresh corn (or well drained canned/frozen corn)
6-8 small fresh curry leaves cut into a chiffonade (optional)
1 serrano or jalepeno pepper seeded and minced
1/4 C minced onion
2 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper

oil for frying

When cooking the kasha, make sure you add some extra water (how much will depend on the type of kasha you’re making). The idea is to get it to a soft state where it turns into a paste as you stir it. I know, this sound unappealing but it’s essential to get the ingredients to bind into patties and the frying will fix the texture. If it’s not pasty enough, try adding a bit more water and cooking for a little longer.

Mix all the ingredients together until it forms a rough paste.

Heat a pan over medium heat adding a thin layer of oil that’s thick enough to cover the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, form a ball of kasha mixture between your palms then squish it flat making sure all the edges are sticking together.

Gently place this in the hot oil. Be very careful as the corn will have a tendency to pop, splattering hot oil everywhere (if you have a spatter shield, it might be a good idea to use it). Repeat with the rest of the kasha until the pan is full. Wait until you see the sides of the fritters turn golden brown, then using 2 spatula’s (1 on top, 1 on the bottom), flip the fritters over cooking until the second side is well browned. You mean need to clean up the floaties in the oil between batches so they don’t burn.

Remove to a plate lined with several layers of paper towels and allow to drain. Serve immediately. I served them with some Thai sweet chili sauce and a mint yogurt sauce (1/4 C plain yogurt, 1 Tbs minced mint)

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Vegetarian Gyoza (potstickers)

Published

marc

on April 12, 2008

in Appetizer, Asian, Japanese, Party and Vegetarian

. 12 Comments

As I was coming up with a title for this post, half of me wanted to omit the “v” word because as a meat eater, I often skip passed the flimsy vegetarian approximations of dishes that are supposed to contain meat. Why? I guess my experience has been that most veggie approximations are just that… less tasty approximations for people that have made the switch.

So why on earth would I take the porky goodness out of these dumplings? Well, those of you that have been reading along may have noticed that I have a new found obsession with Quinoa. I’ve used it in place of cous cous and suggested it has potential as a substitute for tobiko. Red quinoa even looks a bit like cooked ground meat… which got me thinking… could I possibly sub in quinoa for pork and trick other meat eaters into thinking they were eating pig? A worthy challenge indeed.

I started with my recipe for making regular gyoza, subbed in quinoa for the pork, added shitake mushrooms for a boost in flavor and an egg to help bind everything together. If you’re horribly opposed to a meatless dumpling you could always turn this back into a less animal friendly recipe, but I really do urge you to give this a try. Aside from the fact that Quinoa is cheaper, healthier, and greener, I actually like these better than their meat containing counterparts.

1 C cooked quinoa
1 C boiled cabbage squeezed and roughly minced
2 fresh shitake mushrooms minced
1 Tbs minced ginger
2 cloves garlic minced
2 green onions minced
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp mirin (sweet japanese cooking wine)
1/4 tsp finely ground white pepper
salt to taste (usually add about 1/4 tsp but it’s up to you)

1 egg
1 pack gyoza wrappers (small round wonton wrappers)

dipping sauce
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs rice vinegar
1/4 tsp chili oil (optional)

make the dumplings

Cook the quinoa according to the package directions. Boil some cabbage for about 10 minutes, cool, then squeeze any excess liquid out before mincing.

Combine the first 10 ingredients in a bowl and mix, taste and add some more salt if you like. Add in the egg and mix well to combine.

This next part seems to intimidate a lot of people but after a bit of practice it goes really fast. Basically you want to take 1 wrapper in the palm of your hand left hand (if right handed) and spoon a small amount of filling in the center (it’s easier to pleat if you have less, you can always add more in the subsequent ones).

Dip a finger from your other hand in a bowl of water and get the outer 1/4″ of the wrapper wet all around.

Fold the wrapper in half like a taco then starting from the left edge, start sealing the wrapper placing a pleat about once every 1/4″. Don’t worry if your first few look bad, they’ll get better and as long as it’s well sealed, it shouldn’t effect the end result much.

fry the dumplings
Get a non-stick pan (that has a lid) hot over medium heat, then add about a teaspoon of oil. Place the dumplings in the pan with the flat-side down. Cook for about 1 minute or until the bottoms are just turning light brown.

With the lid ready to cover the pan, add about 2 Tbs of water then quickly put the lid down (be very careful as the pan will start spitting hot oil as soon as you put the water in). Turn down the heat and steam the dumplings for about 4 minutes.

Remove the lid, turn up the heat to medium high and let any remaining water evaporate so the dumplings get nice and crisp on the bottom (about another minute). Plate and serve immediately with dipping sauce.

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Ratatouille

Published

marc

on March 25, 2008

in Dinner, Side and Vegetable

. 0 Comments

I know I’m about a year late to the party, but I have a new found love for this dish after seeing the movie. I even serve this with my bright and sunny lemon linguine.

Movie references aside, this is a relatively simple dish that does a great job showcasing the flavors of the fresh vegetables. When tomatoes aren’t in season I like using cherry tomatoes as they are pretty sweet no matter what time of year. In a pinch a can of good stewed tomatoes (like Pomi) will do just fine.

Just make sure the squash and eggplant are fresh as both tend to get bitter when they’ve been sitting around for a while. I’ve also been thinking this should work with winter squashes like butternut and acorn.

Traditionally this dish is supposed to be a stew, but I’ve come somewhere between the original and Thomas Keller’s Confit Byaldi with my own interpretation. Basically I put tomato confit between layers of veggies and throw it in the oven.

1 Tbs + 1 tsp olive oil
1 large spring onion sliced thin
3 cloves garlic crushed
1 Tbs tomato paste
3-4 ripe tomatoes peeled, seeded & chopped (or 1 pint of cherry tomatoes sliced in half)
kosher salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp kosher salt
2 Japanese or 1 Italian eggplant sliced thin (1/8″)
1 medium zucchini’s sliced thin (1/8″)
1 medium yellow squash sliced thin (1/8″)
leaves from a couple sprigs of thyme
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

Sprinkle the sliced eggplant with 1 tsp of salt and toss to coat. Let stand for about 20 minutes to release some of the water in the eggplant.

Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are nice and caramelized. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and cook until the tomatoes are soft.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Stack a few pieces of eggplant on paper towels and squeeze out excess water. Repeat with the rest of the eggplant.

Toss the eggplant, squash, thyme and pepper with enough olive oil to lightly coat each slice (should be shiny but not greasy).

In a baking dish (about 8″ x 8″) put down an even layer of sliced vegetables then cover with tomato confit. Repeat twice more, ending with the tomato confit.