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Our kitchen is nicely sized and sunny, but has many questionable and outdated details from the 90s along with badly aging countertops, the layout needs improvement, and there is a low hanging ceiling in an otherwise high ceilinged house.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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January 18th, 2016
Today’s soup was inspired by the Simmered Winter Squash recipe from Heidi Swanson’s beautiful new cookbook, Near and Far. I’m used to roasting or steaming squash, so Heidi’s take on the Japanese technique of simmering it in a flavorful mirin and tamari-based broth had me intrigued. Simmering turned out to be a simple and quick way of preparing very flavorful squash, so I decided to build on Heidi’s recipe, originally a side dish, and make it into a meal.
I made a soup, adding more water to make the simmering liquid into a broth, with the addition of kombu and shiitake for a more pronounced broth flavor. As a side note, I’ve been adding kombu to many of my broths lately, for its amazing health benefits and subtle sea flavor.
I served the squash covered with its broth, alongside soba noodles, tofu, toasted black sesame seed paste and herbs, making for a nourishing winter bowl. Whether you are getting home from the cold in need of a hot meal, or feeling under the weather, this soup will be your friend this winter.
And if you haven’t gotten a chance to take a look at the Near and Far cookbook, do not wait much longer. It’s a thoughtful piece of work, full of recipes that will inspire you to get up and cook, explore new ways of seeing familiar ingredients, and feel as if you are a world traveler with every flip of the page.
Plating/Styling Inspiration Credit: Camille Becerra
Simmered Squash Soba Bowl
(adapted from Near and Far)
serves 4 -6
1 package firm non-GMO tofu
5 cups water
3 1/2 tablespoons tamari
4 1/2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
4-inch piece kombu (I like this one)
1 small winter squash – kabocha, kuri or butternut, seeded, sliced into wedges or chunks, peeled for butternut
about 1/2 lb fresh shiitake – stems removed, sliced
12 oz soba noodles
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds, toasted and crushed with mortar and pestle
few drops of toasted sesame oil, optional
handful wakame seaweed, optional
1 watermelon radish – thinly sliced, optional for garnish
handful fresh basil leaves or finely chopped green onions for garnish
1. Drain tofu and place it on a plate. Cover with another plate and place a weight on top, like jar filled with water. Let drain while you’re working on the rest.
2. Combine water, tamari, mirin and sugar in a medium soup pot, stir to combine. Add kombu and squash and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, partially covered, until the squash is tender. Add shiitake at the last 5 minutes.
3. Add a few drops of sesame oil to the crushed black sesame seeds, if using, set aside. Prepare a separate pot of water for cooking soba noodles
4. When squash is almost done, cook soba noodles according to the packaging instruction.
5. Taste the broth, add more tamari if more salt is needed and remove from heat. Remove and discard kombu, add wakame if using, stir it in and let sit for a couple of minutes.
6. Drain and slice tofu into large chunks. Distribute tofu between bowls, followed by soba noodles and squash. Pour the broth with shiitake and wakame into the bowls. Garnish with slices of radish, black sesame paste and fresh basil. Enjoy right away.
Tags: black sesame, gluten free, shiitake, simmered squash, soba, soup, squash, tofu, vegan
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November 4th, 2015
I recently came back from a short stay in NYC with Masha (older daughter and Golubka photographer), where I was happy to get a glimpse of autumn with its turning trees and crisp air. Fall is something I miss a lot after being a resident of almost seasonless Florida for so many years.
All the falling leaves and a minor sniffle got me thinking about comforting soups, which are the best answer to being under the weather or any general cravings for warming, healing food.
This soup is simple in preparation, but full of powerful flavors and anti-inflammatory properties. I started with a play on chicken noodle soup, the classic ‘get well’ food, by using roasted spaghetti squash in place of noodles and making a nutritious broth. The broth is infused with the best of the best – turmeric, ginger, garlic, lemongrass and plenty of lemon. The sweetness of roasted carrots balances out the tartness and spiciness of the broth. Puy lentils complete the soup with body and substance. If you can get your hands on kaffir lime leaves, which can be found frozen at Asian markets, do not hesitate to include them, you’ll be in for a real treat.
I created this recipe as part of a healthy recipe package for Food & Wine online, see the detailed recipe here.
Tags: carrots, garlic, ginger, kaffir lime, lemon, lemongrass, lentils, soup, spaghetti squash, turmeric
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