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
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December 20th, 2015
My reason for posting this festive cake today is not only a holiday related one. I’m very excited to finally announce that Masha and I are working on our second cookbook, scheduled to come out in the Fall of 2017, published by Roost Books. The working title is Simply Vibrant, which quite accurately describes what the book will be all about. Like in The Vibrant Table, the recipes in this book will focus on healthful, whole foods ingredients, with a new key element of simplicity. This time around, I’m giving lots of thought to practicality, quick preparation and accessible ingredients, all under the umbrella of seasonality. We have lots of hard work ahead – you can always follow along with the trials and errors on Instagram, #simplyvibrantcookbook.
Now it’s time to celebrate with cake!
This cake started with a craving I had for one of my favorite childhood treats, the rum baba. When I was a kid in Russia, I would often buy the sweet, raisin studded, glazed pastry on my walk home from school. To this day, I go crazy for any baked goods that contain raisins.
This cake has all of the properties of the rum baba and more. The batter is based on spelt dough with pear and sweet potato puree, which makes it very moist. Adding to that, the raisins are plumpened through soaking in rum or orange juice. The finishing touch is a glaze that I’m quite proud of – Miso and Orange Glaze, enough said.
Wishing Happy Holidays to you and your family, cheers to 2016!
I created this recipe as part of a healthy recipe package for Food & Wine online, see the detailed recipe here.
Tags: cake, dessert, miso, orange, raisins, rum, spelt
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June 14th, 2015
By the time this post goes up, Paloma and I will be in Russia spending some much anticipated time with grandma. I will try to keep Instagram updated with some snaps from our travels.
I leave you with this salad, made with plenty of nutritious grains, herbs, and two stars of the spring/summer farmer’s market – asparagus and strawberries. It’s a variation on one my all time favorite salads, from our book (Fava Bean, Quinoa, and Mint Salad on pg. 89) – simple, rich in textures, filling and very fresh. Mint is essential to the flavor here, so try not to skip it.
Enjoy the beginning of summer!
Multigrain Summer Salad with Strawberries and Asparagus
for the salad
1 bunch asparagus
2 cups strawberries – sliced
handful fresh mint leaves – chopped
handful basil leaves – chopped (optional)
2 cups cooked grains (I used a combination of sorghum, red rice and spelt, but any grains like quinoa, faro, frekkeh, any type of rice, or even buckwheat would work fine here)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)
for the dressing
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of sea salt
1. Cut tough ends off the asparagus. Cook it your preferred way – blanch, steam or grill. I like to blanch asparagus in salted water for 3 minutes, then shock it in an ice bath, so it stays bright green and crispy. Slice into bite sized pieces.
2. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl until well combined and set aside.
2. Place cooked grains into a large mixing bowl. Add asparagus, strawberries and herbs. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if desired. This salad tastes best when eaten within a day.
Tags: asparagus, basil, grain, mint, red rice, rice, salad, sorghum, spelt, strawberry
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