Pörkölt

**Post Factum:** 

This is one of a series of posts for Vegan MoFo 2010; my theme was a 'Virtual Random Road Trip', where I used random.org's random geographic location generator to select locations around the globe, I then attempted to cook a few dishes from the traditional cuisine of that place. I didn't have a lot of time between generating the locations and coming up with recipes (~ 1 day). So, lacking time to do proper research, I can't vouch for the authenticity of anything I came up with. However, they are what they are, and it was a fun theme. 

Pörkölt is a stew that (according to my very erudite source of information: Wikipedia (j/k)),  differs from  goulash in that it is braised in the oven (pörkölt means 'roasted'), instead of being simmered on the stove. The recipe I followed is flavored with marjoram and paprika, then braised in red wine. Along with goulash and paprikas, pörkölt is considered a national dish in Hungary.

It's not the traditional main ingredient for this dish (traditionally made with unmentionables), but I thought eggplant (aka aubergine) sounded good for this.  The slow cooking allows it to really soak up the flavors of the wine and spices.

The cookbook recommends a Kadarka wine to go with this, which according to this site, is a "light coloured red, normally low in tannins but has vibrant acidity, rustic and raspberry aromas, and a spicy aftertaste that makes it an ideal easy drinking wine." I used a Pinot Noir from Oregon.


Eggplant Pörkölt based on a recipe from Hungarian Cuisine: A Gourmet's Guide
(Serves 4)

1 large (or 2 medium) eggplant, chopped into large chunks
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
2 medium-size sweet peppers
1 large tomato
4 small potatoes, chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup red wine
1 cup veggie broth
1 tsp. paprika (I used sweet paprika)
4 sprigs fresh marjoram, more to garnish
salt/pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 300F (150C)

In a large stove- and oven-safe pot, saute the onions and garlic. When the onions start to look translucent,  toss in the eggplant and the peppers allow it to brown a little. Add the paprika and toss through. Add the  potatoes, tomatoes, marjoram, wine and broth, bring to a simmer, then transfer to the oven to braise uncovered for ~45 minutes. Add salt an pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped marjoram.

Ad Hoc Note: I should say that the wikipedia article states adamantly that pörkölt should not have potato...but hey, I'm a rebel...that, and the recipe I used called for them.

This smelled really lovely in the oven. The taste is rich and naturally smokey from the paprika. The eggplant is soft and flavorful as are the potatoes. It is really yummy; I'll make this again. It would also be nice garnished with a little tofu sour cream, pine nut cream, or what have you.

And in honor of it being Friday, time to slap it up and have some fun with some Hungarian folkdancing:

Oh, and one more thing, here's the next stop:

Bangladesh sounds interesting.

Tailor's Collar Soup or Szabógallér-leves

**Post Factum:** 

This is one of a series of posts for Vegan MoFo 2010; my theme was a 'Virtual Random Road Trip', where I used random.org's random geographic location generator to select locations around the globe, I then attempted to cook a few dishes from the traditional cuisine of that place. I didn't have a lot of time between generating the locations and coming up with recipes (~ 1 day). So, lacking time to do proper research, I can't vouch for the authenticity of anything I came up with. However, they are what they are, and it was a fun theme. 

Szabógallér-leves is a traditional Hungarian soup: "leves" = soup, and Szabógallér = tailors' collar, which refers to the triangular ravioli-esque dumplings that are in it. This is a rich broth with veggies, dumplings, and in this veganized version, baked tofu.

For this, I made two varieties of ravioli/dumpling fillings (traditionally meat) which were potato-chive-parsley, and walnut-sun dried tomato-paprika. I was torn as to which sounded better, so I made some of each. The dough is just a basic pasta dough...I always use Vegan Dad's recipe, which I highly recommend because it's easy to make and just as easy to work with.

To get started, make the dumplings:

Vegan  Szabógallér-leves Dumplings (Soup recipe follows)

(Of course, these fillings are just my suggestions...whatever mixture that sounds good to you would work.)

1 batch Vegan Dad's pasta dough

Walnut-Sun Dried Tomato-Paprika Filling:
1 cup raw walnuts
6 sun-dried tomato halves, chopped into small peices (if using dry packed ones, reconstitute them in some warm water or broth for about 30 minutes first)
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika (use sweet or hot...whatever suits your fancy)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until you get a mince-like texture.

Potato-Chive-Parsley Filling:

1 large potato
1 small handfull chives, chopped fine
1 small handfull parsley chopped fine
pinch of salt
Earth Balance or olive oil to taste

Boil the potato, then make a mash with the remaining ingredients.

Once you have your fillings and your dough made, roll out the dough to about 1/16 inch thickness. Cut out circles (~ 4-6 inches in diameter...the bigger the circle, the easier they are to make).

Cut each circle in half and place about 1 teaspoon (or more if it will fit) of filling on one side of the half circles. Make a "glue" by mixing 1 tsp flour with a little water to make a paste. Brush the pastry "glue" around the edges of each half circle. Fold the dough over lengthwise, and press the edges firmly, but gently with your fingers or a fork to seal the dumplings.

Now for the soup:

Vegan  Szabógallér-leves/Talior's Collar Soup
(serves 4)
6 cups rich veggie broth ( I used 1 cup no-beef broth, 2 cups low-sodium veggie broth, and 3 cups water)
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
2 carrots, diced large
1 (smallish) celeriac bulb, diced large
8 oz soy-baked tofu, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (I just marinated a few thick slices in soy sauce and baked them in the oven for ~ 10 minutes)
1 teaspoon whole pepper corns
Pinch of paprika (sweet or hot) to taste
Pre-made dumplings (see recipe above)
Salt if needed: depending on how salty the veggie broth is, you may not need to add any salt...taste and add salt if desired at the end

Saute the onion slowly over medium-low, allowing it to caramelize a little. Add in the garlic and saute for another ~ 2-3 minutes. Add in the peppercorns and veggie broth and bring up to a simmer. When the broth is simmering, add the carrots and the celeriac and continue to simmer gently. About 8 minutes before serving, gently drop in the dumplings and the tofu and continue to simmer until the dumplings float to the top. Taste for salt, add to taste if needed, and sprinkle with paprika to finish if desired.

dumplings and veggies simmering in broth
(The corner where my stove is has to be one of the darkest corners known to man.)

Note: The original recipe called for parsley root, which I didn't have. So, you may also want to add some parsley root along with the celeriac and carrot if you can find it.

This is a hearty and tasty soup; perfect for using autumn vegetables.

In doing some image searches, I see that the Hungarian capital is a beautiful city indeed:

 Source: http://www.budapest-transfers.net/

Széchenyi Chain Bridge over the River Danube between Buda and Pest 

and the Royal Palace Buda

 Source: http://www.destinationguidebudapest.com

Matthias Church (Mátyás Templom)

Source: http://www.destinationguidebudapest.com

Matthias Church (Mátyás Templom) by night

Source: http://www.transitionsabroad.com/

Budapest's Széchenyi Baths

Back in a day or two with another dish from Hungary. (All Hungarian, All the Time)
Rose Tobin Seattle

Roseann LaPonte

Rosanne Tobin

Carrot-Mushroom-Potato Salad (Bakonyi Saláta)

**Post Factum:** 

This is one of a series of posts for Vegan MoFo 2010; my theme was a 'Virtual Random Road Trip', where I used random.org's random geographic location generator to select locations around the globe, I then attempted to cook a few dishes from the traditional cuisine of that place. I didn't have a lot of time between generating the locations and coming up with recipes (~ 1 day). So, lacking time to do proper research, I can't vouch for the authenticity of anything I came up with. However, they are what they are, and it was a fun theme. 

The road trip arrives in Hungary today, specifically, to the mountainous Bakonyi region, where I assume this salad...or something similar, hails from. My mom visited Hungary about 15 years ago; she fell in love with Budapest, and while she was there, picked up a Hungarian cookbook:

Obviously geared towards a tourist audience, this book is written in English and has many attractive photos of what I assume are traditional Hungarian dishes. At first, I was going to make a plain Hungarian potato salad, which looks like this in the book:

The presentation looks so attractive to me.

But, I rethought the decision when I saw another salad recipe calling for potatoes, carrots, onions, and mushrooms. It may sound like a slightly odd combo, but the dressing is oil and vinegar (my favorite for any kind of salad), and I imagined it would turn out like marinated mushrooms and veggies. And it did. If you like marinated mushrooms and onions, and you like potatoes and dill, you'd probably like this salad.

The recipe calls for boletus mushrooms, which are probably common in that part of the world. I used some large crimini mushrooms instead.

Bakonyi Saláta, from Hungarian Cuisine, A Gourmet Guide


Makes 8 servings:

1 pound mushrooms (button, crimini, whatever sounds good), sliced
1 large onion (I used a combo of red and yellow), sliced fine
2 large  (or 4 medium) potatoes (whatever kind you like)
2 carrots, sliced
1 bunch fresh dill fronds (~ cup chopped)

Dressing:
4 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or lemon juice ( I like it on the vinegary side)
1 tsp sugar (or other sweetener of choice/or use some seasoned rice vinegar)
salt and pepper taste

(For fat-free version, maybe replace the oil with water and some mustard...use agave or similar for the sweetener, so it "clings" a little to the veggies.)

Boil the potatoes with the skins on until they are soft, but not overcooked (you want them to stay together in the salad.) I usually take them off the heat before they are soft and let them steep for ~10 minutes in the cooking water. About 2 minutes before you take the potatoes off the heat, toss in the carrot slices; this way they blanche a little but keep most of their crispness.

Drain the potatoes and carrots, peel the potatoes if you want or leave the skins on if you like. Cut the potatoes into peices and toss in a large bowl with carrots, mushrooms, onions, dill. Mix the salad dressing ingredients together and toss with the potatoes and vegetables. Allow to marinate for at least 2 - 3 hours; overnight is better in my opinion.

Technically, the recipe says to chop the vegetables into small peices, but I left mine in big chunks. It's up to you. Also, the recipe didn't call for the paprika over the top, but I (perhaps a bit heavy-handedly) went for it anyway.

Back tomorrow with some soup.

Pit Stop

The road trip will resume tomorrow, but I just wanted to take a quick pit stop to post Sunday's dinner. It  was kind of yummy and I think I'll make again in future. This was a layered potato casserole with lentils, mushrooms, and walnuts...potato-lentil lasagne?  If I make it again, I'll make some sort of sauce (maybe a red wine sauce) to go with it, but on Sunday, we just drizzled balsamic vinegar over it.

On the side, we had some roasted kabocha squash, steamed kale with garlic and golden raisins and a mesclun salad.

It started with a rich lentil stew: I sauteed onion, carrot, and celery, a bay leaf or two, and a pinch of red chili flakes, then tossed in some Puy lentils and a few cups of veggie broth, and let it cook until tender. I added some parsley, some whole-grain Dijon mustard, and plenty of red wine about halfway through cooking. Then added salt and pepper to taste.

Here's a murky picture of the lentils cooking:

While the lentils simmered, I sauteed some chanterelle and crimini mushrooms, tossing in walnuts and parsley at the end.

Next, I layered the lentils and the mushroom/walnut mixture in a baking dish with thinly sliced potatoes. I spiked about 2 cups of veggie broth with some horseradish and nutritional yeast, poured it over the top of the casserole, covered it in foil and baked it in a 350 F oven for about 1 hour. About 5 minutes before taking it out of the oven, I removed the foil and sprinkled some ground walnuts over the top.

All tolled, it took about 2.5 (relaxed) hours from stove to table, but was fine for popping in and out of the kitchen on a Sunday afternoon. 

Back tomorrow, when the road trip arrives in Hungary.

Noodles and Chickpeas in Cinnamon Scented Broth, Or Vegan Rechta

**Post Factum:** 

This is one of a series of posts for Vegan MoFo 2010; my theme was a 'Virtual Random Road Trip', where I used random.org's random geographic location generator to select locations around the globe, I then attempted to cook a few dishes from the traditional cuisine of that place. I didn't have a lot of time between generating the locations and coming up with recipes (~ 1 day). So, lacking time to do proper research, I can't vouch for the authenticity of anything I came up with. However, they are what they are, and it was a fun theme. 

This dish is called Rechta (rish-ta), a traditional Algerian dish often served on special occasions such as weddings. The dish is described as noodles with *unmentionable* in a white sauce, but it’s not the same kind of white sauce that may come to mind (like one made with a roux and some sort of non-dairy milk). This is more like a broth than a sauce in my mind, hence I took liberties with my version of the title.

“Rechta” are the noodles, which are traditionally homemade using a combination of semolina and regular flour. Ready-made Rechta noodles exist, but they’re probably not the easiest item to find in my neck of the woods…I didn’t even try.

This dish is cooked, like couscous, in a couscoussière (kiskas in Arabic)  where the noodles are put in a steamer placed on top of a  large pot. The broth cooks underneath and the pasta steams/cooks and becomes scented with the aromas of the cooking broth/sauce.

Source: http://maher.oldamascus.com/?p=8

couscous steamer pot (couscoussière)

I don’t have a couscous steamer pot (though I'm sure an ingenious person could rig something up) nor did I make my own noodles. So needless to say, this is a bit off the mark for authenticity…I’m sure homemade noodles add a lot to the dish.

Someday, when I have lots of free time (one can always dream) and a couscous pot (I dream big), I'll try making the noodles and steaming them in the traditional manner. But in this instance, I cooked a pack of linguine and called it good.

The broth is a simple one created by simmering onions, chickpeas and spices (cinnamon, pepper, and salt). If you're in the mood for a spicy, flamboyant dish, this is not a good candidate. Think of this dish as a mild, aromatic broth, very comforting, with a gentle hint of cinnamon.


I kept wanting to add more spices to it, but I restrained myself to keep it as close to the original recipes as possible. Although not traditional in this particular recipe, I think a little cumin and orange zest would be nice additions to this too.
 
I read several different recipes: most called for turnip only, while some called for both turnip and courgette (zucchini). Some called for garlic, most didn’t. And clarified butter was generally used to saute the onion for the broth and to coat the noodles. White pepper is preferred, but I used regular black pepper.

Some recipes included a single tomato, which then was billed as “red sauce” instead of a “white sauce”…but the ones with tomato didn’t look very red or tomato-y to me, so I didn’t bother.

I cooked the chickpeas ahead of time in a slow cooker with the veggie broth and nutritional yeast…you could do that way to save time, or cook them while making the recipe. Also, I used parsnip instead of turnip.

I based the following recipe on this one and this one.

Easy Non-traditional Vegan Rechta 
(easy because no homemade noodles/non-traditional because pasta was not cooked in a couscous steamer pot (and it's vegan))

1.5 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight
2 cups water
2 cups no-chicken broth/ or rich veggie broth
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

*OR
pre-cook 1.5 cup chickpeas in a slow cooker with the 4 cups broth/water and nutritional yeast, and then add them to the pot with the simmering onion, garlic and cinnamon*

1, 4-inch stick cinnamon (or 1/2 teaspoon powdered)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large (or 2 medium) parsnip (or turnip), chopped in large chunks
1 large zucchini (or 2 medium), chopped in large chunks
6 - 8 pieces of chick'n-style seitan or tofu or similar
1 tablespoon olive oil ( or EB if you want/or other sauteeing medium of preference)
salt and pepper to taste

linguine or fettuccine pasta, cooked al dente

In a large pot, saute the onion, garlic, and cinnamon in the olive oil. When the onions become translucent, add the soaked chickpeas, nutritional yeast and the veggie broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 - 3 hours until the chickpeas are tender. Add the parsnip and zucchini chunks, salt and pepper to taste and allow to simmer for another 15-20 minutes.

About 10 minutes before serving, brown the seitan under the broiler or however you prefer, and add it to the pot.

Ladle the broth, chickpeas, seitan and veggies over warm pasta (tossed with olive oil if desired). Transfer remaining broth to a serving bowl and allow diners to ladle more of the broth onto their plates as desired.

Bon Appétit

                                                                      ***************

Now for a little more exploring: Tassili N'Ajjer National Park

Located in the southeastern part of Algeria, deep in the Sahara Desert, this park is a conservation area for Tassili n'Ajjer mountain range. Impressive ancient rock formations and thousands of rock paintings dating back to 5000-6000 BC, indicate that this now desert region was once a fertile savanah, teaming with life. Tassili n'Ajjer National Park is also a UNESCO world heritage site.

For some views of the Tassili rock formations and rock paintings, you can have a look at this video:


Video: El MistaTour

Here are a few more rock paintings that I thought were interesting:

Source: Purdue University Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture

Women gathering grain 5000-6000 BC, Tassili N'Ajjer, Algeria.

Source: http://www.heritage-images.com

Painting of a woman planting with a pickaxe, c3500 BC

Day 1 in Algeria: Felfel & Bouzgene Berber Flat Bread

**Post Factum:** 

This is one of a series of posts for Vegan MoFo 2010; my theme was a 'Virtual Random Road Trip', where I used random.org's random geographic location generator to select locations around the globe, I then attempted to cook a few dishes from the traditional cuisine of that place. I didn't have a lot of time between generating the locations and coming up with recipes (~ 1 day). So, lacking time to do proper research, I can't vouch for the authenticity of anything I came up with. However, they are what they are, and it was a fun theme. 

I know a lot of people will have read the title quickly and are probably expecting to see "falafel" right about now. But, these are FelFel:  Hot Algerian Peppers Stuffed with Nuts.

A vegan dish from the get-go, the felfel (peppers) are stuffed with a combination of ground pine nuts and walnuts seasoned with some garlic, chives, and salt to taste. The stuffed peppers are then pan fried in olive oil and dressed with fresh lemon juice. Very simple, but exquisitely delicious. This dish can be served as part of a meze or as a side dish.

In searching for recipes, I stumbled upon an online collection by Algerian cookbook author and culinary instructor, Chef Farid Zadi. You can find the stuffed pepper recipe here. If you feel so inclined,  definitely peruse his site...there are a lot of veganizable recipes and information on Algerian cuisine.


The peppers are meant to be hot. In case, you can't find hot Algerian peppers in your grocery store (I couldn't...no surprise there)  Chef Zadi recommends jalapeños in their stead. I used a combination of sweet yellow peppers and jalapeños...that way, it's easy to pick and choose between a little spice or a milder version, according to tastes.

I used the handle of a teaspoon to scrape the seeds out of the peppers. If you press the filling in well with your fingers, the nuts bind and the filling won't fall out while cooking.

Ad Hoc Note: I meant to say this originally, but if anyone is interested in a lower-fat version, I think these would work fine baked in the oven instead of pan fried. I think it would get real tasty in the oven if you added veggie broth to the bottom of the baking dish too, with some nooch! :P

I also tried my hand at some Berber flat bread. This is a traditional bread made with semolina flour, and eaten with sauces or stews in the Northeastern region of the country/along the coast. Semolina wheat was brought to the region in antiquity by the Carthaginians (who came to occupy much of northern Africa). The indigenous Berbers also used this flour to create couscous, which I'm sure many know, is Algeria's national dish.

Making this flat bread is much like making pasta dough. You put the semolina in a bowl, add a tad of olive oil, a bit of salt and then take up the rest with water until it reaches a workable consistency. You then form balls, roll it out and pan fry it in a little olive oil. I followed this recipe and quartered it, which was plenty for two people with some leftover.

The dip/spread is roasted peppers and tomatoes, seasoned with garlic, olive oil, and a pinch of salt.

I don't know about you, but after these tasty snacks, I'm ready for some exploring.

The capital city of Algiers holds much interest, but one place I'd want to visit if I were there is the Casbah, or the "old city ".  Filled with hundreds of narrow labyrinths and stairways, visitors can see Ottoman architecture and remnants of the old walled citadel, while experiencing the life and culture of this still densely populated district.

To get an idea of some of the sights and the atmosphere of the Algiers Casbah district, check out Carine Iriarte's gallery of photos taken there. Here are a few samples of what you'll see:

Source: http://www.pbase.com/carine_iriarte/image/101654891

 

Source: http://www.pbase.com/carine_iriarte/image/102342797 

Kechaoua Mosque

Source: http://www.pbase.com/carine_iriarte/image/101693009

You can read more about the Casbah of Algiers here: http://www.algeria.com/sights/algiers-casbah/

To begin a read on the much-needed restoration of this district, maybe start here.

Back soon with more North African delights from Algeria.

Raw Key Lime Pie

**Post Factum:** 

This is one of a series of posts for Vegan MoFo 2010; my theme was a 'Virtual Random Road Trip', where I used random.org's random geographic location generator to select locations around the globe, I then attempted to cook a few dishes from the traditional cuisine of that place. I didn't have a lot of time between generating the locations and coming up with recipes (~ 1 day). So, lacking time to do proper research, I can't vouch for the authenticity of anything I came up with. However, they are what they are, and it was a fun theme. 

No visit to Florida would be complete without a visit to the Keys, and I've been wanting to try a raw dessert for a while now, so this presented a good opportunity. This is the second dessert dish I've made in the period of a week. I can't even remember the last time I ate two desserts in the same week...I always say that I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but now I'm thinking that I've had one all along and just didn't know it...this is super yummy.

The crust is made with dates, cashews, shredded coconut and a little salt. I thought it would be too sweet, but it's so good, I could eat it on its own. Dried fruit and nuts just go together. The filling is avocado, lime juice, and agave nectar. It is smooth and cool with a nice lime flavor, but again not too sweet. It's really delicious with banana slices too. I used my 7-inch springform pan, and only made half a recipe.The full recipe is here.

Raw desserts are fun, (and clever) and so much quicker than the baked/cooked versions.

Anyway, time to move on...the next destination is:

 Algeria. YUM!

Back in a day or two with an appropriate comestible.

Roseann LaPonte

Rosanne Tobin

Curried Winter Squash, Pan Seared Hearts of Palm, Brussel's Sprouts, Smokey Tofu, Carrot Pickle

I fashioned this after a fancy restaurant dish, and I have to admit that it came together pretty well. There's a  lot of  prep involved, but once that's done, it plates up quickly. :P And, I thought the flavors went well together, especially the curried squash, smokey tofu, and pickled carrot. The hearts of palm have sort of a rich flavor, and make a good trompe l'oeil for  an unmentionable...if you're in to that sort of thing. I think it's kind of fun. Alternately, you could use tofu cut into circles or trumpet mushrooms or king oyster mushrooms.

The small portion is according the fancy-schmancy restaurant paradigm of "small". If you're eating several courses, something like this fits in nicely...for a hearty mid-week quick fix...obviously not so much.

How does this relate to food from Florida? It's based on a menu item in a fancy Miami restaurant.

                                                                                    *******

Curried  Winter Squash, Pan Seared Hearts of Palm, Smokey Tofu w/ Sprouts and Carrot Pickles 

Recipe and Method

This gets kind of long, so I apologize in advance for that.

There are 3 marinades that  you'll need to put together a few hours (I'd say at least 3 hours) before putting it together.

Smokey Tofu Marinade

The idea here is a tofu bacon with a hint of maple.

Ingredients:
1 block extra firm tofu, pressed to reduce the water, and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari, Bragg's Aminos, etc...whatever you prefer)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
A few drops of liquid smoke...you'll have to judge yourself, but go sparingly. You can always add more if it's not smokey enough

Press the tofu to release extra liquid: I usually put the tofu in a colander, place a plate on top of the tofu and then put a heavy jar/can on top of the plate. Place the colander somewhere it can drain...like on another plate or in the sink.

Mix together the maple syrup, soy sauce, and liquid smoke. Taste for smokiness and adjust to your taste if necessary.

When the tofu has been pressed for 20 or 30 minutes, slice into 1/4-inch slices and put in a dish with the marinade. Allow to marinate  3 - 4 hours.

marinating tofu slices

Pickled Carrot Marinade

Ingredients:

1 large carrot, shredded with a vegetable peeler or similar

2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar (the seasoned vinegar is important, otherwise they will be very sour}

1/2 teaspoon sugar or agave (or 1 teaspoon for a sweeter pickle)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Shred the carrot with a veggie peeler, put shredded carrot in a bowl and toss with the vinegar/sugar/salt. Allow to marinate for 3 - 4 hours.

carrot pickles

                                                                          

Hearts of Palm Marinade

Ingredients

1 can Hearts of Palm, if whole, cut into 1-inch pieces (they have a tendency to break apart, use a serrated knife and cut slowly and gently)

1/2 cup white wine

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Sprinkle of garlic powder

Put hearts of palm pieces in a dish and pour marinade ingredients over. Allow to marinate 3-4 hours.

If you like it, you could also add some dulse flakes...I didn't use any.

Here's what they look like whole out of the can

hearts of palm in marinade

About an hour before getting everything on the plate, start putting the curried squash together.

Curried Squash with Ginger and Maple

~ 1 lb chopped winter squash...any kind you like 

2 carrots, 1 chopped fine, the other left in large chunks

1/2 leek, chopped into thin rounds (~ 1 cup, chopped)

1 shallot, minced fine

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (I used a scant 1/2 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon curry powder 

pinch of red chili flakes

1/4 cup white wine or veggie broth

2 tablespoons maple syrup

salt to taste

Boil the chopped squash and the large-chunk carrot until tender. In the meantime, saute the remaining carrot, leek, and shallot in a pan over medium heat, adding the chili flakes, fresh ginger, and curry powder. When the squash is tender, drain it, and add it to the pan with the leek/carrot/shallots, and toss through. Add the wine and allow to simmer for another 2 -3 minutes. Add salt to taste. 

Transfer the squash/leek/shallots mixture to a food processor, add the maple syrup and blend well (2 -3) minutes. Keep warm over low heat until serving.

Steam the Brussel's Sprouts

Peel the outer leaves off of ~ 1/2 lb Brussel's sprouts and steam until just beginning to tender. Remove from heat and drain. Refresh with cold water and  and cut each sprout into 4 wedges. If you want, you can scrape the heart of the steam off  each wedge...some find it bitter. To warm them up again before serving, pour some boiling water over them, allow them to sit for 30 seconds or so and then drain.

Bake the Tofu

After the tofu slices have marinated for a few hours, remove it from the marinade. Heat the oven to 400 (F), lightly grease a baking tray, and bake the tofu slices for ~ 15 minutes, turning them halfway through. Keep an eye on them, to make sure they don't burn. 

Allow the baked tofu to cool and then chop it  into 1/2-inch slices. 

smokey maple tofu out of the oven

Pan Sear the Hearts of Palm

The last step before you put everything together is searing the hearts of palm.  

Remove the hearts of palm from the marinade, brush with a little olive oil and sprinkle with some paprika or chili powder (I used a combination of both).

Heat a seasoned pan over medium-high (preferably a cast iron one with ridges) and sear off the hearts of palm. Let them cook for about 2 minutes on each side. The pan should be hot enough so they sizzle when you put them in.  If you're using a ridged pan, press down on them gently a few times while they cook to produce score marks. 

Now you're ready to put it all together. Plate it up any way you like.

Don't forget about the carrot pickles...drain them from the marinade and squeeze out the excess liquid before adding them to the plate. To make the little nests, wrap some shreds around a fork--like with spaghetti--and then gently slide them onto the plate.

You'll probably have some squash puree leftover. Add veggie broth to it and make soup...a quick meal for another day.

Ciao for now. :)
Roseann LaPonte
Rosanne Tobin