Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook (51 page)

Read Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Online

Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz,Terry Hope Romero

Tags: #food.cookbooks

 
 
This is the last lentil soup recipe you will ever need. Tarragon adds a wonderful peppery, licorice flavor that complements this soup like nobody’s business. Just try to keep leftovers of this soup stored in the fridge—you will find yourself going back for more all night. After three helpings, keep the lid on it to retain some sense of dignity.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into fine dice
5 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika (Hungarian if you’ve got it)
6 cups water or vegetable broth
2 cups French lentils
2 bay leaves
1½ teaspoons salt
Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
 
PREHEAT A large soup pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion and carrots for about 10 minutes, until the onions have browned a bit. Add the garlic, tarragon, thyme, and paprika, and sauté for 2 more minutes. Add the tomatoes and a little splash of water if necessary, and stir to deglaze the pot. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the water, lentils, bay leaves, salt, and pepper, then cover and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 45 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. If the soup looks too thin, uncover and simmer for a couple more minutes. If it looks too thick, add a little more water. Serve with good, crusty bread.
GAZBORSCHT
 
MAKES A WHOLE HELL OF A LOT, ABOUT 10 SERVINGS
TIME:
20 MINUTES, PLUS TIME TO CHILL
 
 
One hot summer’s day, Isa wanted cold borscht and her man wanted gazpacho.What developed is a surprisingly delicious, earthy version of the Spanish soup or, if you prefer, a piquant version of the Eastern European soup. In any case, it’s very refreshing and makes a lot so you can keep it in the fridge for when you want to cool down during a hot summer week. A food processor is pretty necessary here, or else you will be shredding beets until your dying day.
 
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If you want to add a little heat, throw in a seeded jalapeño or two.
3 cups peeled, shredded beets
5 cups water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 seedless cucumber, chopped coarsely
3 average sized tomatoes, chopped coarsely
1 small white onion, chopped coarsely
1 nice-size slice of good white bread (peasant bread
or French bread)
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
½ cup loosely packed cilantro
Freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced when ready to
serve, for garnish
 
PLACE THE shredded beets in a soup pot and add the water, tomato paste, and salt. Partially cover the pot, leaving a little room for steam to escape. Bring the water to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes; the shredded beets should be tender but have a little crunch. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, place half the cucumber, half the tomatoes, and half the onion. Add 1 cup of the cooled beets and their liquid, and the bread, olive oil, and lemon juice. Process for about 15 seconds; the mixture should be chunky but you shouldn’t be able to detect the bread.
Add the rest of the cucumber, tomato, and onion, plus the cilantro, to the processor. Pulse about ten times so that the soup is still chunky. Add this mixture to the rest of the cooled beets. Add freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste.
Pour into a container, cover, and chill for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve. Garnish each bowl with thin slices of avocado.
HOMEMADE VEGETABLE BROTH
 
TIME:
2 HOURS (MOSTLY INACTIVE)
 
 
A rich vegetable broth for when you want to go the extra mile.This is a great way to use up the older veggies in your crisper, you can use different veggies such as celery, squash, potatoes or mushrooms, make sure there is enough water to cover everything. Keep the skins on the onions for added color and flavor.Try other herbs like thyme, rosemary, bayleaves and peppercorns for a stronger broth.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, skin included, roughly chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
3 whole cloves garlic, crushed
2 leeks, cleaned well and roughly chopped
handful (a loosely packed cup) fresh parsley
9 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
 
IN a large stockpot, heat the oil. Saute onions for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for an hour and a half, uncovered.
Let broth cool until it’s an okay temperature to handle. Strain into a large bowl with cheese cloth or a very fine mesh strainer. Press the vegetables with a gentle but firm pressure to get all the liquid out. This will keep in the fridge in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
HOT AND SOUR SOUP WITH WOOD EARS AND NAPA CABBAGE
 
SERVES 6
TIME:
55 MINUTES
 
 
This is a totally inauthentic hot and sour soup, perfect for when you want to break out the cute Asian bowls and spoons. Wood ear mushrooms give the soup that traditional Chinese look and texture and they soak up all the flavors of the broth quite nicely. They can be a pain to find, so if you need to sub dried shiitakes, go ahead. We were able to track some down at a local Asian market, but ask at any natural foods or gourmet market; there’s a good chance they have some.
 
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This recipe calls for Asian hot chile oil but if you don’t have any and don’t think you will ever use it, add 2 extra teaspoons of white pepper, but don’t sub hot sauce, cheapskate! The chile oil is great, though, and you will probably love it in stir-fries, so try to get it!
 
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Raw napa cabbage looks like very pale green romaine lettuce. It isn’t as tough as European cabbage, so you can use your leftovers on sandwiches instead of lettuce to add a pleasant crunch.
 
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The tofu slicing doesn’t have to be perfect; basically, what you want are long, thin rectangles that are small but big enough that they won’t fall apart. If you want to just make small cubes instead, that’s fine, too. To make the matchsticks, cut the tofu into eight slices widthwise. Then slice those slices widthwise about ten times.
½ ounce dried wood ear mushrooms
2 cups boiling water
8 leaves napa cabbage
4 cups vegetable broth
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
3 teaspoons Asian hot chile oil
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1½ cups thick-sliced white mushrooms
1 heaping tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch
1 cup cold water
1 pound extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into match-
sticks (see tip)
½ cup shredded carrots
1 cup chopped scallions
 
PLACE THE wood ear mushrooms in a bowl and pour boiling water over them so that they are submerged by a few inches. Cover with a plate and let sit for 20 minutes.
To prepare the napa leaves, lay them on top of each other so that they’re spooning. Thinly slice across them widthwise. Set aside.
Pour the vegetable broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot chile oil, sesame oil and white pepper into a soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Once the broth is boiling, add the cabbage and the fresh mushrooms. Cook until the cabbage is completely wilted, about 5 minutes.

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