Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook (69 page)

Read Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Online

Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz,Terry Hope Romero

Tags: #food.cookbooks

½ pound linguine
3 cups sliced broccoli (tops cut into small florets,
stalks sliced thinly)
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced (yes 8, that’s not a typo!)
¼ teaspoon grated lime zest
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup white wine
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons lime juice (juice of 1 lime, depending
on the juiciness of your lime)
½ teaspoon salt
Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
4 cups loosely packed arugula leaves
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced into 1-inch
chunks (see tip)
 
BRING A large pot of water to boil and prep all your ingredients while the water boils, because this dish comes together in no time. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, usually about 10 minutes. In the last minute of cooking you will be adding the broccoli, so keep that in mind.
Meanwhile, preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, lime zest, and red pepper flakes, and gently heat, stirring often, for about 2 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Pour in the wine and raise the heat to bring to a boil, to reduce the wine, about 2 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, lime juice, salt, and pepper, and bring again to a boil. Once the sauce is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer. Add the arugula.
By this point the pasta should be almost done, so add the broccoli to the boiling pasta and cook for 1 more minute. Drain all into a colander.
When the arugula is wilted, add the broccoli and pasta to the pan and use a pasta spoon to toss it around, making sure to get everything coated in garlic. Cook for about 3 more minutes. Add the avocado and turn off the heat. Gently toss the pasta for another minute to incorporate the avocado without smushing it, just until it is warmed through.
Serve with generous grinds of black pepper. There is usually a lot of garlic left in the pan, so be sure to spoon that over your bowls of pasta.
PENNE VODKA
 
SERVES 4
TIME:
35 MINUTES
 
 
No Brooklyn Italian restaurant is complete without this classic creamy tomato dish. We blend almonds into the sauce to get that expected creaminess and a little fresh basil to bring it home.
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
¼ cup vodka
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
A few dashes fresh black pepper
½ cup sliced or slivered almonds
¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil, plus a little extra
for garnish.
 
 
½ pound penne
BRING a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Preheat a saucepan over medium/low heat. Add the oil, garlic and crushed red pepper to the saucepan and sauté for about a minute, until fragrant, being careful not to burn. Add the crushed tomatoes, vodka, thyme, oregano, salt and black pepper. Cover, and turn the heat up a bit to bring to a simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, add pasta to the water and cook according to package directions.
Once the sauce has simmered for 20 minutes, add the almonds. Use an immersion blender to blend the almonds into the sauce until creamy and only slightly grainy (see page 211). The pasta should be done by now, so drain and set aside. Add the basil to the sauce, and mix the sauce and pasta together in the pot. Serve, garnished with a little extra chopped basil.
PASTA E FAGIOLI
 
SERVES 4
TIME:
35 MINUTES
 
 
Sometimes pronounced pasta
fazool
by real NewYorkers, fagioli is beans to you, bub. This is a simple but filling dish that is made from fresh plum tomatoes that are cooked down with garlic and herbs. The light fresh taste and texture goes well with the heartiness of the beans. We suggest white beans—cannellini, navy or great northern—but use kidney or garbanzos if that floats your legume boat.
 
 
For the sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds plum tomatoes, diced medium
¼ cup dry white wine (or vegetable broth)
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried oregano
a few dashes fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
 
 
16 oz can white beans, washed and drained
½ pound small tube pasta, like penette or tubetti, or
even small shells
BRING a pot of water to boil for the pasta and preheat another large pan over medium heat. Add the oil and garlic to the large pan and sauté for about 1 minute, until garlic is fragrant. Add the tomatoes, wine, thyme, oregano, black pepper and salt. Bring to a boil, then lower to medium heat until the tomatoes are broken down and sauce is reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, add pasta to the water and cook according to package directions. Once the sauce is thickened, simmer on low heat to keep warm. Drain pasta and set aside. When sauce is finished, add the beans and pasta and use a pasta spoon to mix. Serve when pasta and beans are heated through, about 3 minutes.
PUMPKIN BAKED ZITI WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND SAGE CRUMB TOPPING
 
SERVES 6 TO 8
TIME:
ABOUT AN HOUR
 
 
This is a rich and creamy baked pasta casserole that blends the best flavors that fall has to offer. The pumpkin is subtle but sweet caramelized onion and a hint of nutmeg complement it nicely. Serve alongside some lightly braised chard or a simple arugula salad. Don’t forget to tell your dinner companions that
ziti
means “bridegrooms” in Italian, then sit back smugly in your seat, satisfied with your foodie knowledge. They probably won’t even hear you because they’ll be too busy digging in.
 
➣
If you’ve never made homemade bread crumbs before, try it today, as store-bought crumbs won’t have the same crunchy texture. It really makes a difference in this recipe—the top layer of crumbs contrasts wonderfully with the chewy, rich bottom layer of pasta. Simple tear up your old bread and process in a food processor until you get coarse crumbs.
¾ pound uncooked ziti or penne pasta
2 onions, sliced very thinly
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 recipe Cashew Ricotta (page 206)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
White pepper and cayenne
2 cups pureed pumpkin, or 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
puree (don’t use pumpkin pie mix)
¼ cup vegetable broth
 
Sage bread crumbs:
2½ cups bread crumbs, preferably fresh and home-
made (made from about half a baguette or four
dinner rolls)
⅓ cup walnut pieces, chopped in a food processor
until resembling coarse crumbs
¼ cup nonhydrogenated vegan margarine
2 teaspoons dried, rubbed sage
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
½ teaspoon ground paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
 
PREHEAT THE oven to 375°. Lightly grease a 9 × 11-inch lasagne-type baking pan with olive oil, or use two smaller pans.
Prepare the ziti according to the package directions, about 10 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Set aside.
 
 
While the pasta is cooking make the caramelized onion:
 
Preheat a large heavy-bottomed pan, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Sauté the onions in oil until some onion bits are very brown and caramelized, 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside.
Place the Cashew Ricotta in a large bowl and fold in the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, nutmeg, white pepper, cayenne, and vegetable broth, and mix. Add the cooked ziti and caramelized onions, stirring to coat the pasta. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and press lightly with a rubber spatula to level it.
 
 
Make the sage bread crumbs:
 
Melt the margarine in large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Stir in the bread crumbs, walnuts, dried herbs, and paprika, and season with salt and pepper. Stir constantly until the mixture is lightly coated, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle evenly over the ziti.
Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, until the top of the ziti is golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
MAC DADDY
 
SERVES 8 TO 10
TIME:
1 HOUR 10 MINUTES
 
 
Here he is, the ultimate in comfort food: our version of Mac and Cheese. We use mashed tofu to give this dish body and douse it in Cheezy Sauce (page 214) for creaminess. Serve with a very simple salad of baby greens with grapeseed oil and red wine vinegar. This is the perfect thing to use up all your vegetable odds and ends, so see our variations. Any vegan potluck would be incomplete without Mac Daddy, but since omnivores tend to be sketchy about nutritional yeast, save this for appreciative vegans and vegetarians.
Double recipe Cheezy Sauce (page 214)
¾ pound elbow macaroni
1 pound extra-firm tofu
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

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