Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook (39 page)

Read Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Online

Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz,Terry Hope Romero

Tags: #food.cookbooks

 
PREHEAT THE oven to 375°F degrees. Peel the potatoes, slice in half lengthwise, and slice each half into wedges no more than ¾-inch thick.
In a large, deep baking pan or casserole dish (at least 10 × 17-inches or bigger), combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, vegetable broth, oregano, salt, and tomato paste. Add the peeled, sliced potatoes. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and toss the potatoes to cover with the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with foil (or use lid of casserole dish), place in the oven, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the potatoes are almost done. Several times during the baking process, remove the pan from the oven, uncover, stir the potatoes, place the cover back, and return the pan to the oven.
Uncover the pan one last time, stir the potatoes again, and bake, uncovered, for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until most of the sauce has evaporated and some of the potatoes have just started to brown on their edges. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and/or more dried oregano before serving.
MASHED POTATOES WITH VARIATIONS
 
SERVES 4-6
TIME: 30 MINUTES
 
 
A classic recipe that will never let you down. We’ve included tasty variations that happily mix and match with practically any cuisine you feel like cooking up tonight.
 
SURE, use any potato you like, but different potatoes will yield different results. For light, fluffy mashed potatoes use a starchy, pebbly-skinned “baking” variety such as Idaho. A dense, creamy mash can be obtained from waxy, thin skinned potatoes such as red or Yukon Gold (which make awesome butteryhued mashed potatoes). Sometimes we peel our potatoes, sometimes we leave the skins on for the ever-so-hip variation of “smashed” potatoes (mostly when using waxy potatoes).
 
 
2 pounds potatoes
2-3 tablespoons margarine
½ cup soy, rice or oat milk (for best results used
unsweetened milk)
2 teaspoons salt
ground white pepper or black pepper
 
FILL a large pot with water, leaving enough room for the potatoes. Add the salt to the water.
Wash your potatoes and peel them (or don’t), cut them into 1-inch chunks, and add them to the water. Bring the whole thing to a boil, then reduce to simmer, until the potatoes are soft (15-20 minutes). Drain.
Put the drained potatoes back in the pot or in a bowl, add the margarine, and mash with a potato masher or heavy-duty spoon. Add the soy milk or potato-cooking water and mash till desired consistency. Taste and add a little more margarine or soy milk if desired. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve!
 
 
Variations:
Add 2-3 tablespoons of the following along with the margarine: pesto, finely chopped chives, parsley, roasted garlic
 
 
 
Whisk into the soymilk (before adding to potatoes): 1-2 teaspoon wasabi powder or curry powder
 
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Low fat mashed potatoes you ask? Reduce margarine to 1 tablespoon (or omit entirely), and replace half or all of the soymilk with warm, reserved potato-cooking liquid.
 
➣
For really smooth, creamy mashed potatoes try using this old fashioned gadget, the potato ricer. Looks a little like a giant garlic press, the potato ricer (and your biceps) transforms chunks of cooked potatoes into a fluffy, creamy mass. Best for use with starchy potatoes. If you use one we recommend first pressing hot, cooked potatoes first, then adding in margarine and soymilk.
RUTABAGA PUREE
 
SERVES 4 TO 6
TIME:
30 MINUTES
 
 
Rutabaga is the unsung hero of the root vegetable world, unless you live in Sweden (then you’re probably like, “Enough with the rutabaga already!”). Fortunately, we’re in NYC where the rutabaga is always a nice surprise. They taste like a slightly sweeter turnip, and in this recipe rutabaga is pureed with a little coconut milk, lime juice, and just a tiny hint of agave, for a Thai twist. Also, try our variation for cilantro-pureed rutabaga. It would go wonderfully with the Tamarind Lentils (page 123).
 
➣
Since you use very little coconut milk for this, make sure to cook some other recipe that calls for a full can. Most recipes won’t miss the ¼
cup (you can just add ¼ cup of water to make up for it).
 
➣
Turnips work well with this recipe, too!
2½ pounds rutabaga, peeled, cut into ¾-inch chunks
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons agave syrup
½ teaspoon salt
 
PLACE the rutabaga in a medium-size lidded saucepan and cover with water. Put on the lid and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until the rutabaga is tender.
Drain and transfer to a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth. Serve immediately, while still warm.
 
 
Variation:
Cilantro-Pureed Rutabaga:
Add 2 loosely packed cups of chopped fresh cilantro to the food processor and blend until the rutabaga is bright green.
 
MASHED SPICED SWEET POTATOES
 
SERVES 6
TIME:
1 HOUR
 
 
Everyone has a recipe like this, but this is the best one. Mashed sweet potatoes spiked with pumpkin pie-type spices, are wonderful alongside collards (see page 123) and grilled tofu.
3 pounds sweet potatoes
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or other light vegetable oil
(but not olive oil)
 
PREHEAT THE oven to 400°F.
Place the sweet potatoes directly on an oven rack (no tray is needed and no need to poke holes in them). Depending on the size of the sweet potatoes, the cooking time will vary. An average-size sweet potato takes about 45 minutes but large ones can take longer, sometimes up to 75 minutes if they are the giant kind.
Once you can easily poke through the potatoes in the center, they are done. Remove from the oven and split them lengthwise; leave them opened to speed up cooling.
When still warm but not too hot to handle, scoop out the sweet potatoes with a spoon and place in a large bowl. Discard the skins.
Add the remaining ingredients and mash everything with a strong fork. Serve warm.
 
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You can also bake the sweet potatoes on the top rack of the oven if you have other things baking at the same time. If the oven is at a lower temperature, that’s okay. Just bake a little longer.
 
➣
Most ovens bake unevenly. Occasionally change the positions of the sweet potatoes so that they bake at the same rate.

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