Hurricane Irene Moussaka

Hurricane Irene blew through New York over the weekend.

We had a leak in our ceiling and some leaves came down, but otherwise it was pretty uneventful for us. The subways were shut down, so it gave us an excuse to cuddle up at home and and do homely things. Like cook. And read George R.R. Martin. And watch TV.
Well, on Saturday night we got lazy and cooked a frozen pizza, sat on the couch and watched movies. On Sunday my three shiny, purple eggplants were looking at me reproachfully, so I made vegetarian moussaka.

It was more time consuming than I thought, but the outcome was deee-lish and we have several portions left to freeze or eat throughout the week. And now that we have a dishwasher, the mess wasn't so overwhelming either! :)

Moussaka

4-5 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4' slices

3 eggplants, cut into 1/3" slices

2 medium sized zucchini, cut into 1/3" slices

3 red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into bite sized pieces

2 tblsp. olive oil

1 medium sized yellow onion

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tblsp. fresh thyme

1 oz. dried mushrooms of your choice, soaked in red wine

1/4 cup raisins

1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 tblsp. tomato paste

salt and fresh pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Lightly oil 2 half sheet pans or one large sheet pan and arrange the potatoes, eggplants, zucchini and peppers in a single layer. Lightly drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 30 mins. or until tender (the potatoes might take longer than the rest of the veggies). Remove from oven and set aside.

Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Drain the mushrooms and chop into bite sized pieces, if necessary.

Heat 1 tblsp. of olive oil in a pot and add onion, garlic, thyme, mushrooms and raisins. When onions become translucent, add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for at least 15 minutes to thicken the sauce.

Lightly grease a casserole dish. Pour the mushroom sauce into the base of the dish. Arrange the vegetable in overlapping layers.

Glaze

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 1/2 cups tomato sauce from a jar

1 1/2 cups silken tofu

1/2 cup soy milk

salt and pepper 

1 egg (optional)

Mix all the ingredients in a food processor and pour evenly over the vegetables. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top starts to brown slightly. Let cool a few minutes before serving.

One Taste....

There are the things we are afraid to try, but decide we should taste at least once (and the list of those things is quite different for a vegetarian than, say...Anthony Bourdain). Then there are the things we only get to taste once because we have them in another city or country, and then we can spend the rest of time thinking about them. Like this vanilla custard filled doughnut that we had on the island of Sandö in Sweden. It was so fresh and airy and perfect.

The bakery there is only open for the summer. In the winter the island's population drops to 400 (from 3000 during the summer, plus day visitors), and I guess these poor souls are left to bake their own bread. The baker goes to his studio in Stockholm to paint away the dark months. Perfect life?! Here is the bakery:

Sweden also has its share of culinary oddities, which I did not feel the need to try even once. Most memorably the Star Wars ice cream bar: vanilla ice cream with soft licorice center and crunchy licorice coating. Would George Lucas really approve?

Blueberry Tart with Walnuts

3 weeks ago, the farmer at the market told me that these were the last of the season's blueberries from New Jersey, so I cried a little and bought 3 pints for snacking and to make a tart.
When we were on vacation in Sweden last week I was hoping to pick some, but up there they weren't even ripe yet! Either that, or they were just dismal puny little things this year. Either way, this tart was the last of the blueberries we've had. The recipe is from Carol Walter's "Great Pies and Tarts" and the title does not lie.

Pate Brisee


2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 - 1/2 cup cold water


In a food processor, pulse the flour, salt and sugar. Add the butter and pulse until you get a coarse meal. Turn machine on and pour water in slowly. Do not overmix. Only add enough water so the dough holds together. 
Shape dough into a ball, flatten, wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate at least an hour (I've cheated on this and used it right away. If the kitchen is not too hot, it usually works out fine).
Line an 11" tart pan, add pie weights or dried beans, and pre-bake for 20 minutes. Remove pie weights and set aside.




Blueberry Walnut Tart


4 cups fresh blueberries, washed and dried
1 cup sugar
2 tblsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tblsp. fresh lemon juice
zest of one orange
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tblsp. unsalted butter
2 cups  walnuts, coarsely chopped


Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.


Chop 2 cups of the blueberries and set the remainder aside.
In a saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and orange juice. Add the chopped blueberries and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for another couple of minutes, stirring.
Remove from heat and blend in the lemon juice, orange zest, vanilla and butter. Fold in the whole blueberries.
Pour the mixture into the partially pre-baked tart shell and smooth out the surface. Sprinkle the walnuts evenly across the top.
Bake 30-35 minutes, until the nuts start to brown and the tart filling gently bubbles.
Remove from heat and cool.

Penne with Vegetable Arrabiata Dressing and Spinach Gnudi

It was an all-out Paul Gayler inspired dinner the other night, sticking with the Mediterranean theme, with penne, heirloom tomatoes, olives and spinach. I made two versions of the gnudi (basically ravioli filling, without the pasta around it), one with parmesan, and one with tofu for the vegans and the lactose intolerant.  The tofu ones actually turned out to be more popular!

Vegan Spinach Gnudi


10 oz. frozen. chopped spinach
1 package extra-firm tofu, drained
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
4 tblsp. chickpea flour
4 tblsp. chickpea flour, mixed with 4 tblsp. water
salt and pepper to tast
1 clove fresh garlic, chopped
nutmeg
1 tblsp. chopped parsley


Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until just combined. With more chickpea flour on your hands, roll the mixture into small-ish balls. At this point they can be refrigerated if you don't want to use them till later.
Bring a pot of salt water to boil. Cook the gnudi for 5 minutes. Do not cook too many at a time or they will fall apart or stick to each other. Use a slotted spoon to remove from water. Serve on top of the penne below.


Alternative Non-Vegan Spinach Gnudi


1/2 lb fresh spinach
3/4 cup ricotta, drained
1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tblsp. parmesan, grated
salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste


In a pan, wilt the spinach with a little water. Transfer to a colander and drain out excess water. In a food processor, blend to a puree. Transfer to a bowl.
Add ricotta, egg, flour, parmesan and seasoning and stir. If it seems too dry, add a little cold water.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 
Form small balls. Bring a pot of salt water to a boil. Cook gnudi until they rise to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon.


Vegetable Arrabiata Dressing for Pasta


1/2 cup olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 small dried red chilies, finely chopped
1 large zucchini, finely diced
6 tomatoes, blanched, peeled, deseeded and chopped
2 tblsp. pitted chopped black olives
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tblsp. chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste


Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add shallots, chilies and garlic and cook for a minute or so. Add the zucchini and cook another 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and olives and cook another 3-4 minutes. Add lemon juice, cilantro and salt and pepper. Add to cooked pasta. 

Summer Vegetables with Avocado Cheese

This recipe comes from Paul Gayler's book "Pure Vegetarian,"with minor alterations. My mother gave me the book a couple of years ago but in my old kitchen these recipes always seemed too daunting because I had no prep space. Now that we have a little more room, they're suddenly completely feasible as dinner options.
That is, when people actually show up to eat. We invited 3 people to dinner. One person came on time, one came 1 1/2 late and the third never showed up at all. What is it about New Yorkers, I ask you?
I do love my friends though, and we did have a good time anyway!
I served this appetizer at room temperature. It's a little tart, with a hint of sweetness from the basil, balanced by the creaminess of the avocado cheese. Gayler calls it "vegetables a la greque", and it definitely has a mediterranean flavor that goes really well with a crisp glass of white wine.

Avocado Cheese


1/2 avocado
1/4 lb feta cheese
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and fresh black pepper


Blend the avocado and feta in the food processor. Add the lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.




Herb Scented Vegetables


4 tblsp. white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. coriander seeds, crushed
sprig of fresh thyme
8 tblsp. olive oil
8 or so baby zucchini, halved lengthwise
one bunch green asparagus, trimmed and cut into pieces
4 tsp. fresh, flat-leaf parsley
2 tblsp. fresh basil leaves
3 tblsp. fresh celery leaves (I left these out and it was still delicious)
salt and fresh black pepper


In a pan, heat 3/4 cup water with the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, coriander and thyme. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Add half the oil. Add asparagus and zucchini. Cook until just tender, but retaining some crunch. Remove veggies from cooking liquid and set aside.
In a food processor, blend the celery, basil and parsley with enough cooking liquid to form a light puree. Add the remaining olive oil, blend again and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange the veggies on plates. Pour over a little of the sauce. Top with avocado cheese and garnish with thyme leaves from the cooking liquid.

Sweet and Sour Tempeh

It's been a long time! But we have now moved and as a result I have a normal size, adult kitchen to work in! I feel like a new person!
For our first home-cooked meal I made sweet and sour tempeh, adapted from the totally amazing Blossoming Lotus cookbook, called "Vegan World Fusion Cuisine." Great recipes from an inspiring restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

Sweeet and Sour Tempeh


1lb tempeh, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tblsp, sesame oil
1 small yellow onion
2 tblsp. ginger, peeled and chopped finely (I used a little extra and it was delicious)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup water
10 oz unsweetened apricot preserves (use less, if sweetened, or it will be cloying)
2 tblsp. arrowroot powder, dissolved in 1/4 cup water
5 tblsp. soy sauce
1 tblsp. mellow miso
1 tblsp. mirin
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp. cilantro, finely chopped


In a large sautee pan, heat the oil on medium heat, with the onions, ginger an bell pepper. Stir until onions start to be translucent. Add water and apricot preserves. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the arrowroot  mixture and stir to blend. 
Add tempeh and simmer till hot.


I served with brown rice, steamed corn on the cob and garlic green beans. Would have been excellent with a big green side salad as well.