April 19th, 2016
From a cultural standpoint, it’s always interesting to see a vegetable going in and out of style (remember that Portlandia skit?) Kale was a big one and is still kicking, and, to me, it seems like turmeric root might be the veggie of the moment. And of course, there are ramps – the tender, mildly oniony wild leeks that pop up for a short time in the spring. They’ve been in very popular demand for the past couple of years, so much so it turns out, that there are even concerns of over-harvesting.
I grew up with a different kind of culture of demand for wild foods, one based on complete necessity. If one had to search for any positive consequences of the Soviet Union food deficit, a forced benefit was that it enabled people to see the land as a source of nourishment. During my childhood, foraging and growing your own food was completely mainstream. If you wanted to taste a tomato in the winter, you grew and pickled it in the summer, otherwise you would not have any tomatoes until the next season.
Early spring was defined by trips to the woods to forage for ramps and morel mushrooms. I remember the forest floor still being very damp from the recently melted snow. There wasn’t much green sprouting yet, which made it easier to locate the cheerful, bright tops of ramps. We gathered them very young, with their leaves just peaking out through the carpet of last year’s fallen leaves. At home, we tucked the ramps into sterile jars and pickled them to enjoy during the year ahead.
Since ramps are a treat that we only get to taste once or twice a year, I like to make a meal that centers around them and highlights all their vitamin-loaded spring energy. This flatbread pizza is one of those, and a very simple solution to enjoying that bunch of ramps you picked up at the market.
The spelt flatbread dough recipe I provide here is one of my favorites – basic, made up of few ingredients, but easy to roll and a great blank slate for any toppings. When roasted, ramps become soft and tender inside, with a slight crisp to their leaves, and full of that bright flavor we all crave during this time of year. I’ve also included an optional recipe for vegan garlic creme, which you can drizzle across the pizza, but feel welcome to garnish with crème fraîche/any cheese of choice, or enjoy plain.
Ramp Flatbread Pizza with Garlic Cream
makes two 10-12-inch pizzas
for the garlic cream
1 cup cashews – soaked for 2-4 hours
1/2 cup purified water
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon tamari
1 tablespoon mustard
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon lemon juice
for the dough
¾ cup water – warm
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons soft neutral coconut oil or other vegetable oil
½ teaspoon baking soda
sea salt – to taste
2 cups sprouted or whole spelt flour
for the pizza
1 large bunch ramps
1 tablespoon soft neutral coconut oil or olive oil – divided
sea salt – to taste
freshly ground black pepper – to taste
pinch red pepper flakes
1 garlic clove – minced
baby arugula, microgreens – for serving (optional)
to make the garlic cream
Drain and rinse cashews. Place all of the ingredients into an upright blender and blend until smooth. Keep refrigerated.
to make the dough
1. Place flour into a medium mixing bowl. Add salt, coconut oil and baking soda. Pour apple cider vinegar over baking soda and let it bubble.
2. Pour in warm water gradually, mixing it in with a fork. Knead with your hands to end up with a soft and slightly sticky dough. Divide into 2 equal parts, cover and leave to rest while preparing ramps.
to make the pizza
1. Preheat oven to 395° F (200° C).
2. Cut off and discard the very ends of each ramp, getting rid of any roots and soil. Wash and dry the ramps thoroughly. Separate green leaves from white stems/bulbs with a knife. Place white parts into a bowl, drizzle with 1/2 oil, salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
3. Prepare a parchment paper-covered tray large enough to hold two flatbreads, or two trays. Spread one piece of dough at a time over the parchment paper with oiled hands into a 10-12-inch crust, about 1/8-inch in thickness. Alternatively, use a rolling pin.
4. Divide white stems between in two parts and scatter them evenly over the crusts. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, drizzle the leaves with the rest of the oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, toss to coat. Equally distribute minced garlic clove over the two crusts. Arrange oiled leaves over the two crusts in layers. Bake for additional 10 minutes, until ramps are just wilted, soft, and a bit crispy at some edges.
6. Let cool slightly. Drizzle with garlic cream (optional), slice and serve garnished with fresh arugula and/or microgreens.
Tags: flatbread, mains, pizza, ramps, spelt, vegan
Tweet
January 12th, 2015
Ever since I learned about the possibility of riceless risotto, it has become a staple lunch and dinner in our home. In this type of dish, rice gets replaced with rice-sized ‘grains’ made up of a chopped vegetable. I’ve made it my mission to try making ‘rice’ of all kinds of veggies, and so far I’ve really enjoyed riceless risotto made with broccoli stems, cauliflower and rutabaga.
Many winter vegetables work very well for replacing rice in risotto, and winter squash is at the top of that list. For this version, I used kabocha squash and curry spice for their warming wintery flavors, with a healthy dose of kale. The result is a very comforting and nourishing dish that can work as a main or side.
Since preparing this post, I tried out different types of winter squashes in the recipe, and all of them work equally well. The only thing to note is that cooking time varies according to the type of squash you use (for example, buttercup squash requires less cooking time than kabocha), so I recommend tasting and adjusting as you go.
serves 4-6
1 bunch kale – stems removed, leaves chopped into bite size pieces
1/2 medium kabocha squash or other winter squash – roughly chopped, skin removed
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 large onion – finely chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder (I used homemade curry from this amazing book)
sea salt
1 1/2 cup warm good quality vegetable broth
1 cup unsweetened canned coconut milk, plus more if needed
1/2 lime – juice
Parmesan or sheep/goat milk feta – to taste, optional
freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add kale, blanch for 3 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water. Squeeze with you hands to remove water excess, set aside.
2. Pulse kabocha squash pieces in a food processor into rice sized pieces. You may need to work in batches, depending on the size of your food processor.
3. Warm coconut oil in a large pan over medium low heat, add onions and saute for about 7-10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add curry, squash and large pinch of salt, saute for 1 minute.
4. Add 1 cup veggie broth and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add another 1/2 cup veggie broth and cook for another 5 minutes. Add coconut milk and cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Add kale, stir it into the risotto and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste the risotto at this point. If kabocha”rice” seems not soft enough to your taste, cook it for another 2-5 minutes. Add more broth or coconut milk, a little bit at a time, if needed.
6. Remove from heat, add a generous squeeze of lime juice and cheese if using. Taste for salt and spices, add salt and/or freshly ground black pepper, if desired. Garnish with parsley and serve warm.
Tags: curry, kabocha, kale, mains, riceless risotto, squash
Tweet
June 29th, 2014
Squash blossoms have always epitomized the magic of summer to me. Like fireflies, they are quiet and fleeting – look away for a second and they disappear. That’s why, if I happen upon squash blossoms at the market, I rarely resist the urge to take them home – summer comes but once a year. Most recently, I found these beautiful pâtisson blossoms tucked away in a corner of a farmer’s stall, with their small squashes still attached, and had the idea to put them on a pizza.
I find that ricotta cheese combines very well with the subtle, flowery and pumpkin-like flavor of squash blossoms. In my cookbook, I have a recipe for Squash Blossom Ricotta Quiche, which happens to be one of my favorite dishes and photos in the whole book. I make my own goat milk ricotta cheese, which is a simple, satisfying process that everyone should try.
I generally prefer white pizza, as most pizza sauces are too salty for my taste. I thought the blossoms needed to be paired with some red, though, so I made my own pizza sauce, which was well worth the effort. The pizza crust is gluten free and vegan with the added bonus of shredded zucchini.
It has been an amazing two weeks since the release of The Vibrant Table, filled with wonderful news. First, PBS included the book in their list of this month’s best cookbooks. Then, we made it on Amazon’s list of Best Cookbooks of the Year, So Far, among nineteen outstanding authors. But most importantly, these past weeks have been filled with the kindest reader feedback that I could never even dream about. The best reward for all of the hard work and sleepless nights is to hear about you trying out and enjoying the recipes. If you are in fact one of those people, I would be forever grateful if you would leave a book review in order to help others make their choice.
Squash Blossom Pizza
for the tomato sauce
(makes about 2 cups)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves – minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
about 1 lb diced plum tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon coconut sugar
pinch red pepper flakes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
to make the sauce
1. Warm olive oil in a deep pan over medium low heat. Add in garlic and oregano and let sweat for about a minute.
2. Increase the heat to medium. Add tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
3 Reduce the heat to bring sauce to a simmer. Simmer for 90 minutes. Let cool.
for the crust (gluten free and vegan)
(makes one large pizza crust)
1/3 cup plus 4 tablespoon almond milk – divided
1/2 teaspoon coconut sugar
1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 tablespoon ground chia or flax seeds
3/4 cup (105 g) buckwheat flour (I used sprouted homemade flour)
1/2 cup (60g) tapioca starch
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing the blossoms
1 small zucchini – finely shredded (optional)
for the topping
tomato sauce from above
8-10 or more squash or zucchini blossoms
sliced baby squashes/zucchini – if attached to the blossoms
about 3/4 cup goat milk ricotta
to make the pizza
1. Warm 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of almond milk to 110 F (43C). Add in sugar and yeast, whisk together and leave for 10 minutes. The mixture should be very foamy.
2. Mix the remaining 3 tablespoons of almond milk with the ground chia seeds. Let sit for 10 minutes.
3. In a stand up mixer with a paddle attachment or a food processor, combine the yeasty mixture, chia gel and the rest of the ingredients. Mix until well combined into a runny dough.
4. If using shredded zucchini, transfer the dough into a mixing bowl. Squeeze the extra liquid out of the zucchini with your hands. Mix it into the pizza dough.
5. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and oil it lightly. With a wet spoon, spread and shape your crust into an even thickness. Let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
6. Bake for 20 minutes (15 if without zucchini). Increase temperature to 400 F (200 C). Spread on the sauce (you don’t have to use all of it), arrange the blossoms, sliced squash (if using) and ricotta on top. Lightly brush the blossoms with olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes or a little longer until the edges are slightly golden.
7. Let cool slightly. Top with your favorite greens or sprouts/microgreens, slice and serve immediately.
Tags: mains, pizza, tomato, zucchini, zucchini blossom
Tweet
