Tarts! (Is "Let's get reTarted" offensive?)

First, a quick note, I have some recipes being featured on Meatless Mondays! If you haven't checked that campaign out, definitely do it! Even better, pass it around to your resolutely omnivorous friends. All they ask is that you don't eat meat one day of the week, easy I know, rite?! Anyway, onto the food bits...


Pictures above is a leek and roasted red pepper tart topped with a confit of slow-dried tomatoes, on a bed of sriracha, a thai hot sauce also known as "rooster sauce," or "cock sauce." It is a fun kitchen accessory, many believe it an absolute necessity. But what are we doing talking about cock sauce, when this post is about tarts?

I wish it were about tarts! But the above tart did not dazzle the tongue's palette. Oh the things that went wrong, I can't even begin to think about! It definitely needs work and I think the platform may be a good thing to explore... so today's recipe is only going to be a base. I will surely toy with it in the future, it has the potential to be both a great platform as well as a good dish for dinner parties and pot lucks. It can also be cut up into two-bite bits and served as an appetizer.

The tofu base is creamy, with a bit of tang (from the ume plums) that one would find in a cream cheese base. It is definitely a dish that could be mistaken for a non-vegan fritatta. Oh I can't wait to explore it!

For all my talk this dish wasn't _bad_, just wasn't as awesome as I thought it could be... So here is the base, and instructions on how to explore from there... I also made this in a 8x13 inch baking sheet, but it could also be done in a 9 inch removable-bottom tart pan, or perhaps in two smaller pie pans.


DIY Quiche

Quiche/Tart crust
3/4 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat pasty flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t sea salt
1/4 c canola oil
3-5 T cold water

Filling
2 T olive oil
3 T umeboshi paste
2 pounds firm water packed tofu, drained
3/4 t sea salt
*fillings!

To make the crust: Preheat the oven to 375, with a rack in the bottom third of the oven. In the food processor, blend the flours, baking powder, and salt together. Pulse in the oil until the mixture becomes mealy. Mix in enough water to form moist clumps. Gather the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disk. Press it into the pan you are using, going up the sides.

To make the filling: Blend the tofu, umeboshi paste, olive oil, and salt. Pour into a bowl and stir in your fillings.

Bake the quiche for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and the filling is set.

*Fillings: Honestly, you could probably leave this plain and just have a simple sort of tart... But more excitingly, I would recommend tossing a garlic clove or two into the mix, at least... I would look through any cook book for quiches, and simply whatever they add to the egg and dairy base, you add to this.. Spices, sauteeded mushrooms, carmelized onions, artechokes, roasted red peppers, etc. To give it a nice bit of flair, a drizzle of sauce, a spoonful of topping will make a lovely difference.

Kitchen Improv 101: Eggplant Cutlets with "Breadcrumbs"

So many eggplants! My fridge is overrun with eggplants! Actually, that isn't entirely true. My fridge is overrun with eggplants, there are a whole lot... but my statement implies there was this sudden deluge. It has actually been an accumulation of these interesting, not-always-inspiring nightshades in my house..

It isn't that I don't like eggplant, but it seems that all the good things to do with these oblong fruits-in-disguise-as-vegetables require a couple of steps. Having moved a bit further away from my friends, the casual dinners that beg use of eggplants are harder to do.

So when my fridge cleaning yielded several eggplants from more than a few CSA shares, give/take (along with a couple of zucchinis) I decided it was time to do something about it... while also slaying the beast of other items that have accumulated in my kitchen that screamed "Use me, so I stop taking up space!"

The fruits of the day (or is that aubergine?) yielded several results... moussaka, baba ghanouj, and eggplant cutlets... using up the rest of my shredded wheat patties!

Anyway, this is a great non-recipe recipe to start feeling your way around kitchen improv. So onto the non-recipe!

Eggplant Cutlets with Shredded Wheat Bread Crumbs

Eggplants
Shredded Wheat
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
Salt
Seasonings

Coating
Vegan Milk of Choice
Rice Flour

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Slice the eggplants about 1/2 an inch thick.
Drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil so it is lightly covered, then sprinkle the garlic over it.
In a flat dish Mix 4 parts non-milk with 3 parts rice flour (IE 1 cup milk to 3/4 c rice flour), mix until thick.
In another flat dish crush a few shredded wheats, mix with salt and seasonings of choice (I used black pepper, sage, and tekka)

Dredge the eggplant with the liquid coating, then coat with the shredded wheat mix. Place on baking sheet. Repeat until you run out of eggplant (or space, then either start a second sheet or wait for the first sheet to be done).

Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove from oven, flip cutlets over, and put in for another 10 minutes.

These are crunchy, addictive, tender.. and... sigh I do like them. They can be served straight, dressed up with a simple tomato sauce, put on sandwiches... Explore thine inner chef!

Signs of Summer: Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Seasoned Cucumbers

I know it may be hard to believe, but I don't _just_ make desserts. I do make plenty of other food, too! Dessert just happens to be more photogenic and easy to distribute among your friends. I am making plenty of dishes today for a girly dinner party I am organizing, but sadly my camera's battery is dead and I can't seem to find the charger...

So, I dropped by Red Fire Farm, who do my CSA, to take advantage of their pick their own options for CSA subscribers. I was absolutely crushed to find out that I got there too late, and they had ploughed over the strawberry bushes for the season. However I did come back with loads of green beans, fresh herbs, and some Iron Bound Island seaweed. Still, the strawberries were a tragedy... I picked them last year, in early July... They were so ripe that I had to use them in less than 24 hours, but the taste was unbelievable... The crown of the crop was a red wine strawberry sorbet, rhubarb had passed season so no pies.

So... Here is a moment to remember the strawberries that I will not have this season...

...

And a brilliant red recipe to celebrate the bounty the farm offered, and remember what has passed, and will come again. The tomatoes were hothouse, sadly.. But that just means this recipe is going to be even better in August.

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Seasoned Cucumbers
Serves 6

Gazpacho

• 3 1/2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, cut up into large chunks*
• 2 t sea salt**
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• A few twists of black pepper
• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 quarter of a red beet (optional, gives a lovely depth of color)

Seasoned Cucumbers

• 1 large cucumber, diced***
• 1/2 c diced sweet onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 T fresh minced basil or basil flowers
• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1/4 t sea salt
• 1/2 t paprika
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• a couple of grinds of pepper
  

Step 1: Soup - Toss the tomatoes with the ingredients in a large bowl and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
Step 2: Cucumbers - Meanwhile, assemble all of the ingredients for the cucumbers and toss together.
Step 3: Soup - Blend until creamy and smooth. Strain through a cheesecloth into your serving bowls, garnish with the seasoned cucumbers.
Step 4: Serve. I like to drizzle the bowls with a little extra-virgin olive oil, a pinch of coarse sea salt, and a twist of fresh black pepper.


Notes
*Single variety is good, the sweet Brandywine works well, as does the smoky Cherokee Purple.
** I used a smoked salt
*** Depending on the cucumber, you can leave it with its skin and seeds. Thicker, older ones can have rough skin that is tough to chew, and large seeds. Some smaller, young cucumbers have a tender skin and small seeds.

Lil' Squashes Stuffed with Soy-Maple Rice & Fall Vegetables

So, fall is officially here. My housemate and I went in on a CSA together, except that he is never really around... so I have been left with a box of CSA veggies all to my self each week. Ya, horrible, rite? rite?! Srsly, thou. I mean, seriously. I do have an excess of vegetables, and a need to use them. However I have also swore that I was going to go through my pantry and not buy anything new, like, anything. So how do I continue to improve my recipe mental rolodex and not spend any money? Ah, the concept recipe. To clarify, concept recipes are ideas that are not detail oriented. They are not baking, or steeped in French cooking science. They are ideas, like "winter vegetable soup," "X vegetable stirfry," "garden salad," etc. They are fantastic for the changing seasons, as you can often adapt the recipes to fit what is seasonally appropriate.

So, today's concept? Stuffed squash. The no-pantry thing is working out quite well, as I have been trying to following more of a whole foods/macrobiotic lifestyle. So this basically means I need to keep baking and desserts on the down-low. So far it has been going tastily. Not amazingly photogenic (or I was not in the mood to make it such), but wholesome good things. As this is a concept recipe I am going to emphasize that you feel free to substitute things. Don't have celery? Use parsley. Only have two carrots? That is fine. Use quinoa instead of brown rice, etc. etc. Really, this works even if you have leftover grains or some stirfry sitting in your fridge, ignored. However, this is how I threw it down...


Lil' Squashes Stuffed with Soy-Maple Rice & Fall Vegetables

4 small squash (I used butternut and acorn), halved lengthwise and seeded
Canola oil for greasing the pans
Salt n' Pepper
2 cups uncooked short-grain brown rice, rinsed (ideally, soak over night)
3 cups water
1 large red onion, diced
1 celary heart, chopped
2 (very) small leeks, chopped
3 carrots, cut into half-moons
2 T fresh oregano, chopped
2 T maple syrup
1/4 C wheat-free soy sauce (or more to flavor)
1 C raisins

1 cup toasted nuts of choice (I used pepitas, toasted in sesame oil and salt)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash cut-side up, brush or spray tops with oil. If you can't prop the squash up, cut a thin slice off the curved bottoms so they do not tip over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes or until tender. Keep them warm.

While the squashes are roasting, combine the water, rice, and a teaspoon of salt. Cover. Bring to a boil, decrease heat to medium low, and simmer until the rice is tender. If there is any water left, drain it out.

While the rice is cooking, sautee the vegetables in a large, heavy skillet, or two. If you want to be particular, you can sautee the vegetables up seperately. I cooked my carrots seperate from my onions and celery. This step is not necessary, but nice to do if you have the time (which I did). More importantly, I had two burners free. Sautee until tender. If you cooked the vegetables seperately, combine them now, stir in the soy sauce, maple syrup, raisins, and basil, then add the rice. Stir, salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the rice mixture evenly between the squashes, sprinkle with the nuts, and serve.

*to toast the pepitas: heat a heavy bottomed pan to medium-high heat, douse with oil, toss seeds in, sprinkle with salt, and shake around until they start to turn brown.

Other item of note, I am reading "In Defense of Food," and just found out that according to Paul Rozen, a psychologist@UPenn, a third of Americans believe that a diet absolutely free of fat would be better for us than a diet containing even just "a pinch" of fat.

Tacos!

Another item crossed off the Raw Food, Real World "to-make" list. I did not include the bell pepper in the tortillas (they are either expensive, pesticide ridden, or both... and usually shipped from across the globe).

For the spicy "beans," I used a mix of pumpkin seeds in addition to the sunflower seeds. Think that is about it. The results were great, and the omnivores scarfed them all down.

For kicks, below, the tortilla mix spread out on the teflex sheet, about to go into the dehydrator (and the soaked seeds off to the side).

Pizza party

So I am in a phase where I am "beyond recipes" for much of my cooking. I come home, I want comfort ASAP. So I do a quick evaluation of what I have, what needs to get used up the most before it goes bad, etc.
I also do a lot of work with 'concepts.' I describe concepts like the "concept" of miso soup; a lighter fare that is earthy and centering, light or heavy depending on which miso I use and how many vegetables I have. They are hardly loyal to tradition, but certainly echo it. I often fuse flavors and international concepts.
The concept of miso soup last night, for example, meant that I boil some water. While the water is boiling, I see what I have in the fridge and flavors I have in the pantry. So I end up chopping up some scallions, julienning some carrots and daikon, slicing a garlic clove and a couple of mushrooms. Split those ingredients into two bowls, along with some red pepper flakes, some liquid aminos, a bit of fruit kimchee fruit vinegar (the sour juice left over from the fruit kimchee I made. I used it instead of brown rice vinegar), a couple of grains of salt. I pour over the hot water and let it flash cook the vegetables, use the rest of the water for some hojicha tea, and set out a plate of home made (regular) kimchee.
What about the miso? Hell, what about the pizza? Isn't this a pizza post? Ok to wrap up about the miso. Add the hot water, taste it, determine how much 'substance' it needs, and then you add a heaping (or not so heaping) tablespoon of miso. In this case I used a 3 year barley miso. I also added the rest of my tom yum paste and coconut milk, to give it a creamier, more tropical aspect.

Anyway, back to the pizza. This was about introducing what 'concepts' are. So the pizza above is inspired by Veggie Planet's "Vegan Oddlot" pizza. In all fairness, I did buy some ingredients for this one. I already had the crust, though, and had to use it. Lets lay out the ingredients for this one.

Some or all of the following:
Olive oil
Red pepper flakes
Salt
Canned artichoke
Olives
Spinach (fresh or frozen. If frozen, thaw and squeeze the extra water out)
Garlic
Fresh basil
Roasted red peppers
San Marzono tomatoes (those are great! Notice the can in the background)
Mushrooms

Mashed tofu topping:
Tofu (drained)
Tahini
Sriracha hot sauce (or sambal olek, or any other hot sauce)
Black pepper
Garlic

Pizza dough or pre-made crust (or pita, tortillas, or other flat breads in lieu of dough).

Pre-heat oven to as hot as it will go (500 or so, for me). Note. I made this with a pizza stone. I don't know how raw dough will cook on metal. However you probably want it around 350-400 if you are doing it on a metal sheet.

This is a great activity to do with friends! So I often have one friend roll out the dough, while having other friends fetch what I need, or are prepping ingredients. Meanwhile, I prep the mashed tofu topping. In a bowl I smash together some tofu, tahini, a dash of sriracha, some salt, black pepper, and a mashed garlic cube or two. I don't have volume because it all depends on how much I have, and I measure based on eye. I would say use about 1 T tahini per half cup of tofu, though. Keep tasting it, though.
Set the mix aside, and get to assembling the pizza! I brush over some olive oil (sometimes I blend olive oil and garlic together for the topping). Then go nuts assembling all the ingredients however you like.
One note. I would layer the basil on the bottom or else it turns brown in the oven, if exposed.

I bake mine for about 12-15 minutes before I even check on it, then I see when the crust is starting to lift away from the stone as a good time to take it out.

I will surely post other pizza 'concepts' in the future. My friend just brought me some ramp (wild onions) from West Virginia!