March 22nd, 2016
As though writing a cookbook and trying to stay on top of a second grader’s homework and extracurriculars is not enough, we’re planning a long overdue and major kitchen renovation this summer. When I say long overdue, I am not exaggerating one bit, as we haven’t put a hammer or paintbrush to the kitchen in the thirteen years of living in this house. Something has always topped it on the priority list, which, I know, sounds crazy considering what I do.
Our kitchen is nicely sized and sunny, but has many questionable and outdated details from the 90s along with badly aging countertops, the layout needs improvement, and there is a low hanging ceiling in an otherwise high ceilinged house. There’s lots of unearthed potential, and we are finally coming around to letting it free. To me, this is extremely exciting – the kitchen is my office, the place where the family eats, and also happens to be the central hangout spot in the house.
Somehow, we’ve managed to put ourselves onto a very tight schedule – the book manuscript is due June 30th, and the kitchen is being knocked down July 1st, the next day!
For now, I’m planning and gathering ideas, scouting Craigslist and Pinterest, and picking up old pieces of driftwood off the beach – who knows when I’ll need them.
Hot soup has always been my ultimate comfort food, and I know I will be needing lots of it in the months to come. Vietnamese pho is king when it comes to soups that warm you from the core, and I’ve been experimenting with vegetarian pho recipes during the past couple of weeks. The main component of any pho, but especially vegetarian pho, is the broth. This pho broth is first and foremost based on toasted spices – star anise, cinnamon, coriander, cardamom, peppercorn, and clove – each bringing its individual character to the flavor profile. I’m not normally the biggest fan of cinnamon in savory dishes, but in this broth it balances with tamari, brown rice vinegar and chili to create a fragrant and deeply nourishing broth.
I bought a few too many sweet potatoes from my favorite local farm and they made it into the pho in place of rice noodles, truly hitting the spot. This soup is all I want to eat right now. It’s warming, spicy and substantial, but also loaded with springy, crunchy vegetables and tons of herbs – the perfect balance, if you ask me.
Ciao Italian readers! Our book The Vibrant Table is now available in Italian, and you can order it here.
Vegetarian Spring Pho with Sweet Potato Noodles and Heirloom Beans
Note: I noticed that making the broth the night before lends the best flavor, so if you have time, let the aromatics sit in the broth for a night.
2 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorn
5 whole cloves
3 cardamom pods – green shells removed
1 medium onion – sliced into 8 wedges
3 garlic cloves – crushed with a knife
1-inch piece ginger, sliced and crushed with a knife
1/2 lb shiitake – hard stems removed, caps sliced
6 cups purified water
3 1/2 tablespoons tamari
1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sriracha
1 1/2 cup cooked beans (I used these beautiful ones)
2 medium sweet potatoes – spiralized (I use this spiralizer)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 small or 1/2 large broccoli head – cut into florets
2 baby bok choy or 1 regular bok choy – sliced
handful mung bean sprouts
juice of 1 lime, plus more for serving
handful each cilantro, basil and mint leaves
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1. Warm dried spices in a medium soup pot over medium heat, stir around until toasted and fragrant, for about 2-3 minutes. Add onion, garlic and ginger and toast for another couple of minutes, until fragrant and onion begins to get some colour. Carefully add water (it may splatter) and shiitake stems, followed by tamari, brown rice vinegar and sriracha. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to simmer and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let infuse further for at least 30 minutes or as long as you have time (overnight is best). Strain, discard solids.
2. Warm the coconut oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat, add broccoli and bok choy and saute for about 3-4 minutes, until they turn bright green in color. Set aside. This step can be eliminated and you can add broccoli and bok choy directly to the broth, along with the sweet potato noodles or later, together with mung bean sprouts, if you want to keep the greens extra crunchy.
3. In the meantime, bring the broth back to a boil, add cooked beans, sweet potato noodles and sliced shiitake caps. Adjust the heat to a simmer and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the type of spiralizer used. Mine makes very thin threads, so 3 minutes is enough time, while other spiralizers produce much thicker noodles, which need longer cooking time. Add sauteed broccoli and bok choy to the broth, followed by mung bean sprouts.
4. Remove pho from heat, add lime juice, herbs and sesame seeds. Serve warm with more lime juice and/or fresh herbs.
Tags: beans, bok choy, broccoli, mushrooms, pho, shiitake, soup, sweet potato, vegan
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March 25th, 2012
This post is also available in: French
I recently re-discovered rutabaga and have been adding it to all sorts of recipes. I go through these phases with ingredients – one will become my favourite, and I will try to squeeze it into every dish I make. This lasts until I feel like I’ve come to know and understand the ingredient’s complexities and general temper. Then I can move on to the next thing.
Rutabaga is a root vegetable that has a mild flavour and hints at the freshness of a cabbage or turnip. Then it’s got a very delicate sweetness, which makes it versatile and great for both raw and cooked dishes. It is surprisingly delicious when simply peeled and sliced for a snack, maybe dipped in some almond butter. Steaming and roasting also yields very tasty results, of course.
As far as I know, rutabaga is a fairly uncommon ingredient. Let us correct that.
It has been a very long week for Paloma and I. Our papa has been away, taking a much needed break to do what he loves most – skiing in the mountains of Utah. We missed him dearly, and spent a lot of time together, going for walks, learning Russian, painting, and cooking this colourful pizza.
For the pizza crust, you can use almost any mild vegetable – rutabaga, jicama, zucchini, squash, or any mixture of those. We loved the crust topped with a spicy hummus spread, green olives, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and crispy sage. There are many possibilities with the toppings and herbs on this neutral crust – a perfect opportunity to get creative and enjoy some rutabaga.
Rutabaga and Crispy Sage Pizza
Pizza Crust
2 1/2 cups rutabaga, jicama, zucchini, etc., or combination – cubed
2 1/2 cups walnuts – soaked for 1 hour
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cups hemp seeds
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoons purified water, more if needed
In a food processor, grind the vegetables into small pieces, making sure not to puree. Transfer into a large bowl. Place the walnuts into the food processor and pulse until choped into tiny pieces. Add the walnuts to the bowl with vegetables. Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl. Mix to make a sticky dough, adjusting the amount of water if necessary.
Spread the dough on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays, forming a round pizza shape, or any other shape desired. I made one large and one small round pizza, utilizing two trays. Dehydrate at 115F for 6-8 hours. Flip, peel away the Teflex liner, and dehydrate on screens for another 3 hours or so. Once both sides are dry enough to handle, cut your pizzas into slices and dehydrate for another hour, or until the crust is steady and firm.
Spicy Hummus Spread
2 cups cashews – soaked for 2 hours
2 tablespoons raw sesame tahini
1-2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)
1/2 cup purified water or more if needed
In a food processor, combine all the ingredients, with the exception of water. Add water gradually, until the hummus reaches a smooth and fluffy consistency.
Green Olive Tapenade
1 1/2 cups green olives such as Castelvetrano or Green Cerignola – pitted
1 handful fresh dill or parsley
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
Chop the olives and herbs into small pieces and mix in the rest of the ingredients. You can also combine everything but the herbs in a food processor, adding in the herbs at the very end.
Marinated Mushrooms
2 cups shiitake or other mushrooms
a few sage leaves (optional)
1/2 cup each orange, lime, and lemon juice – freshly squeezed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Mix all marinade ingredients and pour over the mushrooms. Stir to cover and marinate for 1-2 hours at room temperature. Drain.
Optionally, dehydrate the marinated sage leaves to a crispy consistency and use as a topping for pizza.
Assembly
Spread a thin layer of spicy hummus on the crust. Top with cherry tomatoes, marinated mushrooms, olive tapenade and/or olives. Sprinkle with crushed crispy sage.
Tags: mushrooms, olives, raw, recipe, rutabaga, sage, savoury, tomato, vegan
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