Seaweed Tartare from ‘The French Market Cookbook’

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  • 3/4 cup (180 ml) dehydrated mixed seaweed flakes
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons finely diced shallot
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 rounded teaspoons drained capers
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon walnut oil or untoasted sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

  1. Put the seaweed in a bowl with 1 cup (240 ml) cold water. Set aside to rehydrate for 30 minutes

  2. Meanwhile, combine the garlic, shallot, and lemon juice in another bowl; the acidity will soften the raw edge of the garlic and shallot.

  3. Transfer to a jar, close tightly, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, to allow the flavors to mingle. Eat within 2 to 3 days.

 

Caesar Salad Dressing

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2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one lemon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (I like the brand Maille)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann’s
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, anchovy paste, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Add the mayonnaise, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper and whisk until well combined. Taste and adjust to your liking.

By Jennifer Segal, adapted from Gourmet magazine
Servings: Makes 1-1/3 cups

Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes

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Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes from Isa Chandra Moskowitz’scookbook, Vegan Brunch. The clever use of tempeh in these cakes yields a unique flakiness and texture—and these are perfect to enjoy during the summer months. I make these cakes on the regular during this season, and alway follow Isa’s recipe exactly, but today I decided I would experiment with different spices and flavors to see what would happen. These tasted fantastic and paired perfectly with some sriracha-Vegenaise dressing.

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8 ounces three-grain tempeh
1/2 small red onion, minced
1 sheet of nori, pulverized into a powder, using a small coffee grinder
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp dill
1 TB sriracha
3 TB Vegenaise
2 TB capers
12 Ritz crackers, smashed (yes, they’re vegan!)
1 TB water whisked with 1/2 tsp Ener-G
1 tsp baking powder
chickpea flour, for dusting the cakes
oil for frying
equal parts Vegenaise and sriracha mixed together, for serving

First, break up the tempeh block into about 8 pieces. Place in a steamer basket with a bit of water, cover and steam for about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and mash well with a strong fork.

Add in the next ten ingredients, mixing well. Try making a small patty in your hand—if it molds easily into a patty, you’re all set. If not, try adding a few more crackers at a time until the mixture is firm enough to hold a patty shape. Cover and refrigerate for at least three hours.

When you are ready to prepare the cakes, form the mixture into little patties. Set aside.

Fill a small saucepan with enough oil to submerge the cakes. Heat over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes.

Test the oil’s readiness but dropping a pinch of the chickpea flour into it—if it bubbles up immediately, your ready to fry. Dust two cakes at a time with some of the chickpea flour and slowly slide them into the oil using a slotted heat-resistant spoon. Fry on each side for about 2 minutes and transfer to paper towels to cool and drain.

Serve with the sriracha-Vegenaise dressing. They even taste great cold as a breakfast the following day, dressing included!

Braised Lentils With Mushrooms and Kale from washington post

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  • 1 cup dried French green lentilsIMG_5901
  • 3 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought vegetable broth
  • 8-12 ounces assorted mushrooms (such as cremini, shiitake and oyster), cleaned
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 small onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine (may substitute sake or sherry)
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (may substitute half-and-half)
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
  • 8 ounces kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped

Rinse the lentils thoroughly. Combine them with the broth in a medium pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat until the liquid is barely bubbling and cook, uncovered, until the lentils have swelled and absorbed much of the liquid and are barely tender but intact and not mushy, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Remove and discard the stems from any mushrooms of the tough-stem variety, such as shiitakes. (For oysters, remove and discard just the thickest part of the bottom of the stem, and leave creminis and button mushrooms intact.) Coarsely chop the mushrooms.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook for a few minutes, until it is lightly browned. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for another minute, until the onion just starts to get tender. Add the mushrooms and salt in an even layer. Cook undisturbed for 2 minutes or until the bottom layer is deeply browned. Stir a few times, pack the mushrooms into an even layer again and cook undisturbed for another 2 minutes or until the bottom layer is browned. Repeat another time or two, until all the mushrooms are deeply caramelized and have shrunk, 7 to 9 minutes total.

Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute, then pour in the wine. Deglaze the pan by scraping up all the flavorful brown bits from the bottom. Cook to reduce the wine until no liquid remains.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the cream. Let it bubble gently for 2 minutes, until slightly reduced and thickened, then add the cooked lentils and their liquid. Stir to combine, taste, and add more salt if needed. Cover the pan and let it cook, barely bubbling, for 5 minutes.

Add the kale to the lentils. Cover and cook until the kale is tender but still bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste, and add more salt, if desired. Divide the lentils among serving bowls and top each with an egg, if using. Serve hot.

Potato-Bean Stew washington post

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  • stew2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder, plus more as needed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 large sweet red bell pepper, seeded and cut into small dice
  • 1 to 2 medium poblano chili peppers and/or Anaheim chili oseeded and cut into small dice OR a 7 oz can of chopped green chilies
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or more as needed
  • 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed well and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 cup bean-cooking liquid or water, plus more as needed
  • 3 cups drained home-cooked pinto beans or 30 ounces canned, no-salt-added pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 15 ounces canned, tomatoes and their juices
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Juice from 1/2 to 1 lime

Heat a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat for about 1 minute, then add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the onion, chili powder and cumin; cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add the bell pepper, chili peppers (to taste), garlic and 1 teaspoon of the salt; cook for 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Stir in the potatoes and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat to low; cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add the bean cooking liquid or water, cover and cook for 15 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender but not mushy. Add more cooking liquid or water if the mixture seems dry.

Gently stir in the beans, along with the tomatoes and their juices. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low; cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Taste and season generously with the black pepper, plus additional salt and/or chili powder, and the lime juice (to taste). Serve hot.

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Chocolate Lava Cake from Ginny Gary

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Molten-Lava-Cake 1 1/2 oz semi sweet chocolate
1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 Tbsp plus I tsp butter, softened
3 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
3 Tbsp flour
1/4tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cocoa
Optional: whip cream and cocoa powder for garnish.

Lightly butter 2 small ramekins.  Melt chocolate in microwave or top of double boiler. Stir in 3 Tbsp of butter and sugar until smooth.  Add egg, flour, baking powder and cocoa.  With electric mixer, beat at med-high speed until pale and thick, about  5 minutes.  Fill ramekins ½ full with mixture.  Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 3 hrs.  When ready to serve, put ramekins in preheated 375 degree oven on middle shelf 10 or 11 minutes.  Edges should be set, but centers still shiny. Serve in dish. Serves 2.  Do not double this recipe.

The Only Vinaigrette You’ll Ever Need from Zach Pollack

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1. Purée all the non-oil ingredients of a vinaigrette together in a Vitamix or blender—Pollack likes to use white wine vinegar, lemon juice, dried oregano, garlic and anchovy, but the recipe is very flexible—along with one soft-boiled (six-minute) egg.
2. Slowly drizzle in the oil while continuing to blend.

The result: a rich, creamy dressing that’s perfect for hearty winter greens like kale, radicchio or even more delicate choices like butter lettuce.

Farro Risotto from Nigella Lawson

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  • 1/2 cup dried porcini
  • 1/2 cup recently boiled water
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 leek (washed and trimmed), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
  • 2 3/4 cups pearled farro (perlato)
  • 1/4 cup Marsala
  • 5 cups broth, vegetable, chicken, or porcini
  • 8 ounces crimini mushrooms
  • sliced leaves from a few sprigs of fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • 1/4 cup ricotta
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, to serve

1. Cover the dried porcini with 1/2 cup of recently boiled water, then fill the kettle and put it on the heat again if you are making up the broth with concentrate, cube, or powder. In a wide, heavy saucepan (that comes with a lid) add 2 tablespoons of the oil and the fine jade tangle of leek, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until the leeks are softened.

2. Drain the porcini, reserving the soaking liquid, then chop them and add them to the pan. Stir well, then add the farro and turn it gently but thoroughly in the pan. Tip in the Marsala and porcini-soaking water and let it bubble up.

3. Make up the broth as wished and add this to the farro pan, stir, bring to a boil, and then clamp on a lid, turn down the heat, and let it cook at a simmer for 30 minutes, until the farro is cooked and all the liquid absorbed.

4. While the farro is cooking, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a medium-sized frying pan and cook the sliced crimini mushrooms for about 5 minutes or until they begin to soften (they will first seem alarmingly dry) at which point add the thyme, grate in (or mince and add) the garlic, and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are juicy and soft. Remove from the heat if there is still time on the clock for the farro. Once the farro is cooked, take it off the heat, too, and add the cooked mushrooms. Stir in the ricotta and Parmesan (they will melt in the heat of the farro) until the farro is creamy, then sprinkle with parsley and serve.

 

Bayless’s Queso Fundido al Tequila

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1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (3 cups)
1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
3 tablespoons tequila
Kosher salt
2 medium tomatoes—cored, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Warm corn tortillas or corn chips, for serving

  • In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the diced tomatoes, minced jalapeños, diced onion and a large pinch of salt and cook over moderately high heat, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Pour in the tequila and cook, stirring frequently, until the skillet looks nearly dry, about 2 minutes.
  • Reduce the heat to low. Add the cheese and cook, stirring constantly, until fully melted, about 30 seconds. Quickly transfer the queso fundido to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve immediately, with tortillas or chips.