Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook (58 page)

Read Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Online

Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz,Terry Hope Romero

Tags: #food.cookbooks

CAULIFLOWER AND MUSHROOM POTPIE WITH BLACK OLIVE CRUST
 
SERVES 4 TO 6
TIME:
A LITTLE OVER AN HOUR
 
 
You’ll almost look forward to the next freezing cold night as a chance to have this old-fashioned kind of potpie in the oven, filling the kitchen with a homey, Hallmark-card worthy aroma. Fresh cauliflower teams up with succulent mushroom in a velvety leek and herb gravy. And what’s not to love about a satisfying biscuit-style top crust flecked with savory black olives? This hearty pie is best served with Sautéed Collards (page 106) or a simple green salad.
 
 
Sauce:
3 tablespoons vegan margarine
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups unsweetened plain soy or oat milk
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
¼ teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon salt
Ground pepper
 
Vegetables:
1 pound cauliflower, trimmed, washed, and cut into
bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
1 leek, sliced thinly
1 small carrot, cut into small dice
½ pound cremini mushrooms, washed, trimmed,
and sliced into large chunks
1 teaspoon sherry or white wine vinegar
 
Black olive biscuit crust:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour or a combination of whole
wheat pastry and all-purpose
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of dried thyme leaves
3 tablespoons vegan margarine, chilled
4-5 tablespoons cold water
⅓ cup pitted black olives (kalamata recommended),
chopped coarsely
 
PREHEAT THE oven to 375°F. Use a large, oven-to-table Dutch oven. If you don’t have one, used a large, heavy-bottomed pot to prepare the filling and a large, deep casserole dish to bake the finish potpie.
 
 
Prepare the sauce:
 
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan (not the Dutch oven) over medium heat, melt the margarine and sprinkle in the flour. Stir to form a thick paste. Cook the mixture until fragrant, bubbling, and lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
Temporarily turn off the heat. Slowly pour in the soy milk, using a wire whisk to stir until smooth. Whisk in the dried herbs, mustard powder, salt, and add bay leaf. Turn on the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly with whisk, for 8 to 10 minutes, until a thick sauce forms. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leeks and carrots, and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes, until softened. Add the mushrooms and vinegar, stir, and cook another 6 to 8 minutes until most of the excess liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Add the cauliflower, stir briefly, cover partially, and steam for about 8 minutes, until the cauliflower has just begun to soften. Remove the lid, turn off the heat, and set aside.
 
 
While the cauliflower is cooking, prepare the biscuit crust:
 
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and thyme in a small bowl. With a pastry cutter or two knives held together, cut in the cold margarine until crumbs form, then drizzle in 3 tablespoons of cold water and mix. Drizzle in additional tablespoons of cold water, one at a time, until a soft dough forms (but be careful not to overwork it). Fold in the olives.
Pat out the dough on a lightly floured surface or give it a few rolls with a rolling pin, to form a circle or appropriate shape slightly smaller than the Dutch oven. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into diamonds (you’ll be placing small squares of dough over the casserole, rather than one big disk of dough).
 
 
To assemble:
 
Give the sauce a good whisking (no worries if a skin has formed over it), pour into the cauliflower mixture, and stir completely to blend the veggie juices and sauce. Arrange the diamonds of dough over the mixture and brush with soy milk. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and the biscuits are cooked.
Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving, as the filling will be boiling hot straight out of the oven.
POTATO AND KALE ENCHILADAS WITH ROASTED CHILE SAUCE
 
SERVES 4 TO 6
TIME:
1 HOUR
 
 
Just like tamales, enchiladas are a gift from Mexican cooking that requires just a little extra work than most casseroles do. Enchiladas taste even better the next day and even your kitchen-fearing domestic partner or kids could reheat without having to call 911.
In this alternative to traditional fillings, mashed potatoes and tender braised kale are spiked with lime, chile, and toasted pepitas, all wrapped in corn tortillas and a flavorful chile sauce. Accompany individual servings with a dollop of Sour Cilantro Cream (page 209) and a side of Mexican Millet (page 118).
 
➣
There’s a dozen different ways to assemble enchiladas, but we prefer intersecting two lightly toasted, sauce-soaked tortillas like a spicy red Venn diagram to form one big tortilla so that we can get as much filling as possible into each enchilada.
 
➣
If you can’t find any fresh green chiles, a 4-ounce can of green roasted chiles will do in a pinch.
Enchilada Chile Sauce:
2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
1 onion, cut into small dice
3 large green chiles (such as Anaheim or even Italian-
style long green peppers), roasted, seeded, peeled
(see page 33), and chopped coarsely
2-3 teaspoons chile powder, preferably ancho
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon marjoram or Mexican oregano (epazote)
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice (roasted
preferred)
1 teaspoons sugar
1½-2 teaspoons salt
 
Potato and Kale Filling
1 pound waxy potatoes (Yukon gold or red)
½ pound kale, washed, trimmed, and chopped finely
3 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ cup vegetable broth or water
3 tablespoons lime juice
¼ cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds, page 210),
chopped coarsely, plus additional for garnish
½ teaspoons salt, or to taste
12-14 corn tortillas
 
PREHEAT THE oven to 375°F and have ready a shallow casserole dish, at least 11½ × 7½ inches.
 
 
Prepare the enchilada sauce first:
 
In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, sauté the onions in oil for 4 to 7 minutes, until softened. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, bring to a simmer, and remove from the heat. When the mixture has cooled enough, taste and adjust the salt if necessary. Puree with an immersion or regular blender until the mixture is smooth and even.
 
 
Prepare the filling:
 
Peel and diced the potatoes, then boil them until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside. Cook the grapeseed oil and minced garlic in a saucepot over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the garlic is sizzling and slightly browned (be careful not to let it burn). Add the kale, sprinkle with a little salt, and raise the heat to medium, stirring constantly to cover the kale with the oil and garlic. Partially cover the pot to steam the kale until it has wilted, 4 to 6 minutes.
Remove the lid and mix in the potatoes, vegetable stock, lime juice, pumpkin seeds, and salt. Use the back of a wooden spoon to mash some of the potatoes. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes, until the stock is absorbed. Add more salt or lime juice to taste.
 
 
Create an enchilada assembly line:
 
Have ready a pie plate filled with about ¾ cup of enchilada sauce, a casserole dish, a stack of corn tortillas, a lightly greased, heated griddle or cast-iron pan (for softening the tortillas), and the potato and kale filling.
Ladle a little bit of the enchilada sauce onto the bottom of the casserole dish and spread it around. Take a corn tortilla, place it on the heated griddle for 30 seconds, then flip it over and heat until the tortilla has become soft and pliable. Drop the softened tortilla into the pie plate filled with sauce; allow it to get completely covered in sauce, flip it over, and coat the other side.
Now, place the tortilla either in the casserole dish (the easiest way) or on an additional plate. Layer it with another heated, sauce-covered tortilla or just use one per enchilada; either way, run the potato filling down the middle and roll it up. Continue with rest of tortillas, tightly packing enchiladas next to each other.
Pour about a cup of sauce over the top (reserving some for later), cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until edges of the tortillas poking out of sauce look just a little browned. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Top individual servings with any remaining enchilada sauce, warmed slightly.

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