Leite's Culinaria » vegetarian

Cauliflower “Couscous” with Basil-Lemon Sauce

Renee Schettler Rossi — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:15:12 +0000

Eric Gower | The Breakaway Cook | William Morrow, 2007 | Serves 8

For the longest time, I fought cauliflower. I usually prepared it Indian style, heavily spiced and cooked whole, but shied away from the floret stir-fry or other recipes with whole florets. Here, the cauliflower is finely chopped so it resembles couscous and will absorb other flavors. Try this excellent version, but also try replacing the sauce with different combos, like tamarind or pomegranate dressing for a sweet-tart rendition, or add some chipotle for a hot and smoky version. Great with a glass of unoaked Chardonnay.—Eric Gower

convert Ingredients
For the basil-lemon sauce
10 large (about 1 cup loosely packed) fresh basil leaves
Zest and juice of 2 lemons, preferably Meyer
1/2 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup

For the couscous
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely diced
1 medium head cauliflower, stalks and stems discarded, florets finely diced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Basil-Lemon Sauce
2 tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade

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Method
Make the sauce
1. Combine the basil, lemon zest and juice, oil, and maple syrup in a blender. Purée and transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about 7 to 10 days.

Make the couscous
1. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a chef’s pan or wok large enough to hold all the cauliflower over high heat. Add the onion and saute until the onion softens, about 2 minutes.

2. Add the cauliflower, stir thoroughly, salt and pepper liberally, and cook until the cauliflower softens, about 10 minutes.

3. Add 2 tablespoons of the sauce and cook until tender and fragrant, another 10 minutes. Adjust the salt, add the remaining 2 tablespoons sauce, mix thoroughly, and transfer to a serving bowl. Top with the basil chiffonade.

Fried Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Capers

David Leite — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:15:22 +0000

Michael Symon with Michael Ruhlman | Live to Cook | Clarkson Potter, 2009 | Serves 6 to 8

I love Brussels sprouts and I cook them many ways—boiled, toasted, sauteed—but deep-frying Brussels sprouts is the best. They develop a great flavor and a texture that you can’t get any other way. These are served with walnuts and a sharp red wine vinaigrette seasoned with anchovies and garlic. It’s an excellent side dish in fall and winter, and it goes especially well with big roasted meats. You can also take these fried Brussels sprouts in an Asian direction by omitting the capers and anchovies and adding soy sauce, fish sauce, grated ginger, and sriracha sauce.—Michael Symon

convert Ingredients
Canola oil, for deep frying
1 garlic clove, minced
4 salt-packed anchovy fillets, rinsed, filleted, and minced
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced on the bias
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
2 cups loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons salt-packed capers, rinsed and patted dry
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

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Method
1. Pour enough oil into a medium pot so that the oil comes 3 inches up the sides. heat the oil to 350°F (175°C).

2. While the oil is heating, whisk together the garlic, anchovies, serrano chile, red wine vinegar, honey, scallions, walnuts, and extra-virgin olive oil in a bowl large enough to toss all the Brussels sprouts. Keep the bowl near the stovetop.

3. Working in batches, deep-fry the Brussels sprouts until the edges begin to curl and brown, about 3 minutes. To the last batch, add the parsley and capers. (Stand back—the capers will pop and sputter!) Give the contents of the pot a stir. When the color of the parsley becomes a deeper, more saturated shade of green, about 1/2 to 1 minute, remove the contents of the pot with a skimmer and place directly into the bowl of dressing. Toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Squash Pancakes

David Leite — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 06:15:49 +0000

Eileen Yin-Fei Lo | Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking | Chronicle Books, 2009 | Serves 4 to 6

This dish, a specialty of the Chiu Chow, calls for a vegetable native to southern China, the water squash, or soi guah in Cantonese. It gets its name from the fact that it customarily planted along riverbanks, lakeshores, and the edges of fish ponds, so that its vines can draw nourishing water. It is a summer vegetable and only occasionally is it available in Chinatown markets, but zucchini, a year-roound vegetable, can be used in its place. The two squashes have a similar texture and both are green and long, though the water squash is larger. It can grow to 18 inches in length, and have a diameter of more than 3 inches. Smaller zucchini, which the Chiu Chow call phonetically ee dai lei guah, or “Italian squash,” are the best choice. Look for zucchini about 7 inches long and weighing about 12 ounces each.—Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

convert Ingredients
2 tablespoons raw peanuts
1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch-thick, peeled zucchini slices, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
3 tablespoons 1/4-inch-thick scallion slices
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
4 1/2 tablespoons Pillsbury Best All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of white pepper
3 1/2 to 5 tablespoons peanut oil

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Method
1. First, dry roast the peanuts. Heat a wok over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the peanuts, spread them in a single layer, lower the heat to medium, and allow to roast for 30 seconds. Turn the peanuts over and stir continuously for about 5 minutes, or until they are light brown. Turn off the heat and transfer the peanuts to a dish. Allow them to cool completely, then place them on a sheet of waxed paper and crush them with a rolling pin.

2. In a large bowl, combine the peanuts, zucchini, scallions, egg, soy sauce, wine, flour, sugar, and pepper and stir until a smooth batter forms.

3. Heat the wok over high heat for 1 minute. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons of the peanut oil and, using the spatula, coat the wok with the oil. Pour in the batter and spread in a thin layer. Using both handles of the wok, move the wok over the burner in a circular motion so the pancake moves around as well and does not stick. Cook for about 2 1/2 minutes, or until the bottom browns.

4. Slide the pancake from the wok onto a large, flat plate. Invert a second plate of the same size over the top, and invert the plates together. Lift off the top plate. Slide the pancake, browned side up, back into the wok and lower the heat to medium. Cook, occasionally patting the pancake down with the spatula, for about 3 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed so that the pancake is neither undercooked nor burned, and add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil only if the pan becomes too dry and the pancake begins to stick. The pancake is done when the zucchini has softened and tiny brown spots appear on the second side.

5. Turn off the heat. Slide the pancake onto a heated platter, cut it into wedges, and serve.

Note: If you want to serve individual pancakes, proceed as directed, but separate the batter into 4 equal portions. Then, cook each smaller pancake separately according to the directions for cooking a single large one.

Persian Rice Pilaf with Saffron and Pomegranates

Linda Avery — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:00:34 +0000

Origin: Iran
by Andreas Viestad
from Where Flavor Was Born
(Chronicle Books, 2007)
Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish

Persian pilafs play with the contrast between sweet and savory flavors. Here the rice is first cooked, then fried to get a nice crust, referred to as tahdig, which is highly appreciated in Persian homes.

It works very well with aromatic meat dishes but can also easily be expanded to a main course itself by adding cooked meat, fish, or poultry and more vegetables.—Andreas Viestad

convert Ingredients
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped apricots
One 1/2-inch piece cinnamon stick
2 to 3 cardamom pods, lightly bruised
4 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
A small pinch of saffron threads (approximately 1/3 gram)
1 teaspoon powdered turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika (optional)
Salt
1/4 cup finely chopped spring onions
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

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Method
1. Soak the rice in water, either placing it in a small-holed colander under running water or placing it in a pot full of water, stirring well and changing the water two or three times. This removes the surface starch and prevents it from sticking and clumping.

2. In a wide nonstick pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the onion and apricots for 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl.

3. Add the rice, cinnamon, and cardamom to the oil remaining in the pot and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the boiling water and let the rice boil uncovered over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until almost cooked through.

4. Drain the rice, reserving the cooking water, and return the rice to the pot. Turn up the heat to high and add the butter, yogurt, saffron, turmeric, paprika (if desired), and the onion and apricot mixture. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring to prevent scorching.

5. Add the reserved water (and more, if needed), little by little, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked through.

6. Remove the rice from the heat and season with salt to taste. Stir in the spring onions and pomegranate seeds, and serve.

Pear, Basil, and Pecorino Toscano Salad

Linda Avery — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:00:57 +0000

by Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox
from Olives & Oranges
(Houghton Mifflin, 2008)
Makes 4

Fashion sweeps through restaurants in Italy as quickly and thoroughly as in all other aspects of life there. A few years ago, arugula, pear, and Pecorino salad turned up everywhere. I tried basil in place of arugula and loved the still pungent yet milder flavor. I start making this pear, basil, and Pecorino Toscano salad in the early fall with little juicy pears and aromatic end-of-the-season basil from the farmers’ market. Later, as the first frost creeps down through the Hudson Valley and the basil disappears, I substitute thinly sliced hearts of celery and whole celery leaves (the celery is also wonderful along with the basil).

You can make this pear salad with many different cheeses; each one will change the flavor slightly. Look for a cheese that will keep its shape in a salad, such as an aged cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano, or a crumbly blue.—Sara Jenkins

convert Ingredients
12 ounces Pecorino Toscano cheese
4 ripe Bosc pears, cored and cut into eighths
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Vin Santo vinegar or other high-quality mild white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel or other medium-coarse sea salt, or more to taste
Coarsely ground black pepper

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Method
1. Using the tip of a sharp paring knife, break cheese into irregular chunks about 1/2-inch in size.

2. Place cheese, pear slices, basil leaves, oil, vinegar, and salt in a large bowl and toss to combine. Season with pepper and more salt if needed.

3. Serve at once.

Roasted Butternut Squash Pie

Julie Dreyfoos — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:00:45 +0000

by Ted Allen
from The Food You Want to Eat
(Clarkson Potter, 2005)
Serves 6 to 8

You’ve planned a dinner at home for a new love interest. The date is set, you’re already relishing the menu you’ve devised, and you give a call just to check whether the candidate is violently allergic to anything you’re planning to cook. And then you find out that not only do you have a vegetarian on your hands but a vegan — someone who not only doesn’t eat meat but also eats no dairy, eggs, or fish. What do you do? Cook this! The crazy thing is, it’s really, really delicious. I make it all the time, even when no vegans are coming over. Serve it with a salad, and it’s dinner. You can assemble it ahead and refrigerate, then bake.—Ted Allen

convert Ingredients
1/2 package (1 pound) frozen filo dough
One 2 1/2-pound butternut squash
2 medium red onions, sliced through the equator, 1/2 inch thick
1 red bell pepper, halved, stemmed, and seeded
2 teaspoons kosher salt
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/3 cup for brushing the filo, or as needed
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger (about 1 inch, peeled)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon round cinnamon
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup walnut pieces
2 medium garlic cloves, chopped
One 16-ounce bag spinach, large stems removed
1 1/2 cups store-bought tomato sauce

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Method
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Remove the filo from the freezer and thaw at room temperature for 1 hour.

2. Trim off both ends of the squash. Cut it in half crosswise, where the neck joins the rounded body. Working with the neck end, peel off the tough skin with a vegetable peeler (or stand it on end and cut off the skin with a large knife). Cut into 3-inch chunks. Cut the rounded end in half, scoop out and discard the seeds. Peel with a vegetable peeler or a knife and cut into 3-inch chunks.

3. Put the squash chunks, onions slices, and red pepper halves on a baking sheet so that the vegetables are in a single layer. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 3 tablespoons of the oil. Toss to coat the vegetables with the oil. Roast for 30 minutes, turning the vegetables once with a spatula. Remove the pepper halves and turn everything again. Roast for 10 more minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Dump the squash into a large bowl. Quarter the onion slices and cut the pepper into 1-inch cubes; dump them both into the bowl. Sprinkle the vegetables with the ginger, cumin, cinnamon, cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Add the raisins and toss gently; set aside.

4. Turn the oven temperature down to 375°F (190°C). Put the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven, shaking the pan twice for even cooking, until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and chop; dump them into the bowl with the vegetables and stir gently.

5. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil with the garlic in a large frying pan over a medium flame. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes to flavor the oil. Add about one third of the spinach and cook, turning it in the oil with tongs until wilted, about 1 minute. Add more spinach and cook, turning as before, and then add the remaining spinach. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until all the spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes total.

6. To assemble the pie, have ready a 9-X-13-inch baking dish and a pastry brush. Pour 1/3 cup olive oil into a small bowl. Set that on a work area with the filo and the vegetables. Open the package of thawed filo and unroll the pastry sheets so that they lie flat. Brush the baking dish with olive oil. Arrange the dish so that one long side faces you. Starting at the left edge of the dish, lay one sheet of filo in the dish crosswise so that it covers about half of the bottom, and half of the sheet hangs over the side facing you. Brush the part that covers the bottom with olive oil. Now lay a second sheet along the right-hand side of the dish, overlapping the first sheet in the middle of the dish and overhanging the side facing you. Brush with olive oil. Repeat with two more sheets, but this time, arrange them in the dish so that they overhang the other long side of the dish (at the top). Continue in the same way until you’ve used fourteen sheets of filo. As you’re working, you’ll come across some sheets of pastry that stick together and rip. Discard them if you need to — you have more sheets than you need.

7. Line the bottom of the dish with about half of the spinach, using your hands to open up the leaves and spread them out. Spoon the squash mixture on top and gently flatten with the spoon. Cover with the rest of the spinach. Still working with one long side of the dish facing you, fold one of the filo sheets over the filling and brush with oil. Fold the sheet next to it over and brush with oil. Do the same for the two sheets on the opposing side of the dish. Continue in this way until all of the filo is folded over the filling.

8. Then cover with two more sheets of filo, brushing each with more oil. (You may run out of oil. That’s fine, just pour more into the dish.)

9. Put the baking dish in the oven and bake until the pastry is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving, or let cool to room temperature. Warm the tomato sauce over medium heat. Cut the pie into squares and serve with the tomato sauce.

Grilled Vegetable Sformato

Linda Avery — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:30:24 +0000

by Robin Asbell
from New Vegetarian
(Chronicle Books, 2009)
Serves 8

This layered grilled vegetable sformato is pretty and filling enough to be a centerpiece main dish. It can be made a day ahead and reheated, or made a few weeks ahead and frozen, then thawed overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the oven at 350°F (175°C).—Robin Asbell

convert Ingredients
3 large yellow bell peppers, or jarred roasted yellow peppers
1/2 cup olive oil
2 large eggplants, thinly sliced lengthwise
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups ricotta cheese
6 ounces Romano cheese, shredded
4 ounces Fontina cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup pistachios, shelled
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups whole wheat penne, cooked
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
Basil leaves

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Method
1. Preheat the broiler or barbecue grill and roast the bell peppers until skins are blackened. Place them in a small airtight container and close tightly to steam for 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel, dice, and drain the peppers in a mesh colander, pressing out excess moisture. (If using jarred peppers, drain, rinse, and chop them.)

2. Brush an 11-inch springform pan with some of the olive oil, which will act as the form for the sformato, then set aside. Heat a grill pan or use the grill. Brush the eggplant with olive oil. Grill the slices until tender and decorated with black grill marks (running lengthwise), 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Put a small slice in the center of the springform pan. Lay slices in a fan or flower design covering the bottom and sides and leaving an inch or so hanging over the edges to wrap around the top of the filled pan.

3. In a large bowl, mix ricotta, eggs, cheeses, salt, and pepper. Remove half of the mixture to another bowl. Use a food processor to finely grind the basil, garlic, and pistachios, then mix it with half of the cheese mixture. Dice the tomatoes and add it to the other half of the cheese mixture, then mix in the cayenne. Divide the cooked pasta between the 2 bowls and fold the contents of each bowl together gently.

4. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Into the eggplant-lined pan, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs and distribute the pasta and tomato mixture. Level the surface and top with yellow bell peppers and another 2 tablespoons crumbs. Top with remaining pasta mixture, level, and cover with the remaining crumbs. Fold the overhanging eggplant back onto the top of the peppers.

5. Bake the sformato for 50 to 60 minutes and let stand for 20 minutes before serving to firm up. Run a sharp knife around edge of pan. Invert the pan onto a serving plate and release springform, carefully removing bottom. Garnish the sformato with the basil and serve.

Moroccan Squash Tagine with Garbanzos and Couscous

Linda Avery — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:15:46 +0000

by Robin Asbell
from New Vegetarian
(Chronicle Books, 2009)
Serves 6

Tagine refers to the covered cooking vessel in which a dish like this would be prepared as well as the dish itself. You can use a heavy covered brazier or Dutch oven. This sweet and hearty version of a tagine has slow-cooked squash chunks bathed in spices, prunes, whole shallots, garbanzo beans, garlic, and crunchy almonds.—Robin Asbell

convert Ingredients
For the squash tagine
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10 small shallots, peeled
8 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1 1/2 pounds (4 cups) winter squash, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup slivered raw almonds
12 large pitted prunes, halved
2 tablespoons slivered lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 cup vegetable stock
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch saffron, crushed
Salt
Cayenne
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

For the couscous
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water
1 cup whole wheat couscous
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

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Method
Make the squash tagine
1. In a Dutch oven or other heavy pot with a lid over low heat, heat the olive oil and saute the shallots and garlic. Cook until they are golden and sweet, at least 10 minutes. Add the squash to the pot and continue sauteing, stirring, until the squash browns on the edges. Add the almonds, prunes, slivered lemon zest, and ginger and cook until the almonds start to color. Add the vegetable stock, garbanzo beans, honey, cinnamon, and saffron, and cover the pot. Bring the squash mixture to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. When the squash and vegetables in the tagine are tender when pierced with a paring knife, the soup is done. Season with salt and cayenne pepper and sprinkle in parsley. Serve the squash tagine over couscous.

Prepare the couscous
1. While the squash tagine is cooking, bring the vegetable stock to a boil in a small heavy saucepan. Add the couscous, olive oil, and the salt. Stir, cover, and remove from the heat. Let stand for 10 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork. Cover to keep warm until serving time.