Almost Vegetarian

Recipe for apple, yes APPLE chutney!

2009-10-26T05:51:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, just sometimes, it is the side dishes that elevate a meal from dull to dynamic. And one of the easiest side dishes I know is chutney.

Yeah, chutney!

I mean, you just simmer a bunch of cut up fruit with vinegar and sugar. How easy is that, I ask you?

And it is great as a condiment to almost anything (you don't' have to stop at Indian food).

Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone and do a mango chutney, like everyone else. Oh no! I sent and invented an apple chutney. And I've got the recipe for you right after the break.

Vegetarian recipe: Apple chutney
3 large green apples, peeled and large diced
4 ounces onions, medium dice
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 fluid ounces cider vinegar
6 ounces brown sugar
3 ounces crystallized ginger, minced fine
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cinnamon sticks, ground
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 fluid ounce apple brandy
1 fluid ounces lime juice

Cook everything except the lime juice and the brandy over a low heat for about 45 minutes (keep it to a light simmer). You want to soften the apples and the onions and reduce the liquid, but you do not want to turn the liquid syrupy (add a splash of water, say a few tablespoons, if needed to prevent this). Then add the brandy, reduce a bit more, then add the lime juice and remove from the heat.

Taste, adjust seasonings as needed, then serve with your duck breast.

Refrigerate leftovers (and there will be leftovers, this makes 2 - 3 cups of chutney) and enjoy with sandwiches, curry, eggs, and so on.

Just don’t eat it at three in the morning when it is too hot to sleep and you’ve got a serious case of the munchies. It’ll give you heartburn.

Trust me.

Brand new recipe for Chocolate Stout Creme Brulee

2009-10-19T05:21:00.000-07:00

My husband and I like to try new foods. So, many, many months ago my husband and I ordered Chocolate Stout Crème Brûlée at a nearby restaurant. We figured it would either be amazing or dreadful.

It was amazing.

I asked for the pastry chef, but he had gone home for the day. Sigh, no recipe for me. But, the next time we went to the restaurant, we decided to order it again and figure out for ourselves what was in it.

But, oh dear, this time it was no longer on the menu.

So I did the only thing a culinary school student could do. I went into the kitchen and played.

And I nailed it.

Recipe for Chocolate Stout Crème Brûlée
8 ounces cream
2 ounces stout (there will be beer leftover in the bottle; enjoy!)
1 1/2 ounce dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
4 extra large egg yolks
2 ounces sugar

Scald the cream (bring it to nearly a boil) and pour it over your chocolate. Mix until your chocolate is melted. Add your stout and mix again.

In another bowl, mix the sugar with the egg yolks, until just incorporated.

Pour a tablespoon or two of your cream mixture into your eggs. Mix. Add a bit more cream, Mix again. Add all the cream mixture and mix one last time.

Pour the mixture into brûlée dishes (or ramekins, if you prefer) and place in a pan. Fill the pan with hot water nearly to the top of your dishes. Bake at 325 F until almost completely set (20 minutes or so for the brûlée dishes, loosely five minutes longer for the deeper ramekins).

Remove from the oven and chill thoroughly.

Sprinkle sugar on top of each dish. Caramelize the sugar with a culinary torch until it is dark golden brown.

Try not to eat the entire batch yourself. Come back to CookingSchoolConfidential. com and leave me a message telling me how truly amazing this is!

Vegetarian recipe: Fast and great

2009-10-12T06:02:00.000-07:00

I discovered pea shoots earlier this year (if you have not had them, you must try them ... they are wonderful!).

Certainly I had noticed them before. Who could not with their pretty, curling tendrils? But I never knew what to do with them so I never bought them.

Until this year. And this recipe.

Vegetarian recipe: Garlicky Pea Shoot Tangle
From The Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without by Mollie Katzen

1 Tbsp. roasted peanut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. pea shoots, rinsed, drained, and thoroughly dried
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced or crushed
¼ tsp. salt (or to taste)

Place a large, deep skillet or wok over medium heat. After about a minute, add the oil and swirl to coat the pan.

Add the pea shoots and garlic, and turn up the heat. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes, attempting to get the garlic distributed evenly through the tangle of shoots. Stir in the salt.

Remove from the heat as soon as the pea shoots are wilted and have turned deep green. Serve hot or warm.

Recipe for lime (yes LIME) curd (and you thought lemon curd was good!)

2009-10-05T05:34:00.000-07:00

I love lemon curd so much I could eat it by the spoonful. In fact, my record is four heaping spoonfuls before I go into sugar shock. Or two slices of lemon pie. (Sometimes three!)

So, I was thinking, I how would lime curd taste?

In short, delicious!

See, I went into my culinary school kitchen and tweaked this and adjusted that and came up with an amazing lime curd recipe.

Which is great in a pie shell, as a tart, as a topping for fruit, folded in whipped cream and plunked on a blueberry pie, or, of course, eaten with a spoon.

Want the recipe? No worries, I've got it for you right here . . .

Recipe: Lime curd
We were given a recipe for lemon curd, but I wanted to try making a lime version (actually, I wanted to try making a pink grapefruit version, but we didn’t have any pink grapefruit at school). So I played with the lemon recipe and this is what I came up with. You should note, I wanted a noticeable citrus flavor. So feel free to add more sugar if you like.

3 ounces lime juice
10 egg yolks
5 ounces sugar
6 ounces butter, diced

Put a pot of water on a burner and turn heat to medium / medium low. Put all ingredients except the butter on a metal bowl and put it on the heat. Whisk the ingredients ever minute, until thick.

Remove from heat and mix in butter until fully incorporated.

Store in refrigerator with a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface of your curd (so you don’t form a skin or get discolorization).

Now, I like curd so much I will hide behind my refrigerator door and eat it with a teaspoon. However, if you want a more civilized way to enjoy it, simply pour it into a parbaked tart shell and chill.

Then eat that behind the refrigerator door.

Recipe for French vegetarian soup: Healthy and Delicious

2009-09-28T05:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just need some comfort food; something simple and wonderful and good enough to warm your soul.

Well, you're in luck.

Elegant enough to serve company, this is what I reach for when I just need some deep down warmth.

Vegetarian recipe: Soupe au Pistou
(Vegetable Soup with Basil and Garlic)
This is from the wonderful Simple French Food by Richard Olney

for the soup
2 medium leeks, white and tender green parts finely sliced crosswise
6 oz. sweet onion, finely sliced
6 oz. carrots, peeled, split, woody core removed, finely sliced
12 oz. potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, sliced
10 oz. pumpkin-type squash, seeded, peeled, coarsely diced
1 lb. (before shelling) fresh white beans (or the equivalent of precooked dried beans)
Bouquet garni: celery branch, parsley, bay leaf, thyme
2½ qt. water
Salt
6 oz. fresh green beans, tips snapped, cut crosswise into approximately ½-inch lengths
2 or 3 small, firm zucchini (about 8 ounces), cut into ¼-inch slices
1 cup short or “elbow” macaroni

for the pistou
4 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 packed handful fresh basil leaves and flowers
Salt
Pepper, freshly ground
1 cup Parmesan, freshly grated
1 medium-sized, firm, ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, and cut into pieces
1¼ cups olive oil

Add leeks, onion, carrots, potatoes, squash, white beans, and the bouquet garni to salted, boiling water and cook, covered, at a light boil for about ½ hour. Test the beans for doneness and, if necessary, cook a bit longer, or until they may be crushed with little resistance while remaining still completely intact. Add the green beans, zucchini, and macaroni, and cook another 15 minutes until the pasta and green beans are done but not mushy.

While the soup is cooking, prepare the pistou: Pound the garlic, basil, salt, and pepper to a paste in a good-sized mortar, using a wooden pestle and alternating between pounding and turning with a grinding motion. Work in some cheese until you have a very stiff paste, then add about one third of the tomato, pounding and grinding to a paste, more cheese, a bit of olive oil, more tomato, and so forth, the final addition of cheese bringing the consistency to that of a barely fluid paste. Add the remainder of the olive oil slowly and progressively, turning the while. It will not produce a genuine emulsion and should not.

Serve the soup boiling hot, with the mortar of pistou at the table. Each diner stirs a small ladleful (1 or 2 tablespoons) into his soup.

Two, TWO recipes in one!

2009-09-21T05:19:00.000-07:00

I learned how to make this sauce at culinary school and this is the most versatile cold sauce I know. Versatile because, just by the addition of, say, some minced garlic or, say, some lemon zest, you can totally change the flavor of it.

Now, once I give you this recipe, you will love me for life. Why? Because this is one of those recipes that gets 'em eating their vegetables. Sure, this makes the world's best dip. But, hey, I also love to slather it on veggie sandwiches.

But, alas, you will also hate me. Why? Because I am about to ruin you for the supermarket stuff for all time.

Good thing this sauce is so wonderfully easy to make!

Mayonnaise recipe
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon salt
white pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1 cup salad oil
lemon juice, to taste

Place the egg yolk in a bowl and add your dry mustard. What? No dry mustard in the house? No worries. Just scoop out a teaspoon or more from your mustard jar (and do please use the nice Dijon and not the fluorescent yellow stuff that we all slather so liberally on those crunchy stadium hot dogs) and add that.

Now, if you used the dry mustard, dribble in your vinegar. If you used the wet, don’t bother.

Go ahead and whip until your mixture turns almost a buttery yellow color (if you used jarred mustard, it won’t get quite that light, of course, but it will lighten a bit).

Now, slowly and carefully, add your oil, drop by drop, whipping as you go.

Starting to come together nicely? That’s your emulsion. Now that you have one, you can add your oil a bit faster. Still holding together nicely? Then you can really start adding that oil with a generous hand.

Ah oh, is it too thick? No worries, add a bit of water, say half a teaspoon or more, as needed.

Keep whipping.

Get all your oil in there. Nice and thick? Good. Then add some lemon juice (I used at least half a lemon) and a good dash of salt. Taste. Need more? Add more.

Keep going until it is delicious.

Then refrigerate until needed.

Aioli recipe
If you can do a mayo, you can do an aioli. Don’t believe me? Mince a garlic clove or two. Stir it into your mayonnaise.

There you go.

Now accept whatever applause comes your way.

Indian vegetarian recipe

2009-09-14T06:10:00.000-07:00

I tend to really like Indian vegetarian dishes. The reason could simply be that I like curry, which I do. But, I suspect, it is also because they have been cooking vegetarian food for so long that they have it down to a fine art.

And this classic vegetarian Indian dish is no exception.

Vegetarian recipe: Stuffed Baby Eggplants
From Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian
by Madhur Jaffrey

8 small Italian eggplants (about 3 ounces each), 4 to 5 inches long, preferably with sepals attached
Peanut or canola oil
Salt
3 Tbsp. olive oil
½ large onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel 3 strips about ⅓-inch wide down each eggplant, so they have a striped appearance. Rub generously with oil and salt and place in a baking dish. Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 1 hour, or until softened and cooked through.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the olive oil in a frying pan and set it over medium heat. When hot, put in the onion and garlic. Stir and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the garlic and onion have softened. Put in the tomatoes, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and simmer gently for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the tomatoes have softened and the liquid has thickened. Add the parsley, stir once, and turn off the heat.

Remove the eggplants from the oven and arrange in a serving dish. Cut a pocket in each eggplant this way: Starting ¼ inch from the top, cut a long slit that stops ¼ inch from the bottom. The slit should be deep but not go all the way through. In order to widen the slit, push the eggplant very gently from the top and the bottom toward the center. Ladle ⅛ of the filling into each pocket. Serve hot or chilled.

Recipe for a vegetarian dessert made with vegetables!

2009-09-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

The easiest way to get more vegetables in your diet is to put them in your dishes. All your dishes. Including your dessert.

The fun part is watching people try and guess what makes this vegetarian dessert so moist and delicious. The great part is knowing they are getting some of their daily recommended intake of veggies as they do so.

The satisfying part is watching them enjoy every delicious crumb!

Vegetarian recipe: Gâteau Chocolat & Courgette
(Chocolate & Zucchini Cake)
This recipe is from the cookbook written by Clotilde Dusoulier (most aptly named): Chocolate & Zucchini. She also has a blog (not vegetarian, but well worth checking out anyway) of the same name.

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature, or ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 pat butter or teaspoon olive oil for greasing
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. fine sea salt
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. instant coffee granules
3 large eggs
2 cups unpeeled grated zucchini, from about 1½ medium zucchini (keep the remaining ½ zucchini for optional garnish)
1 cup good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips
Confectioners’ sugar or melted bittersweet chocolate (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 10-inch springform pan with butter or oil.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a food processor, process the sugar and butter until creamy (you can also do this by hand, armed with a sturdy spatula). Add the vanilla, coffee granules, and eggs, mixing well between each addition.

Reserve a cup of the flour mixture and add the rest to the egg mixture. Mix until just combined; the batter will be thick.

Add the zucchini and chocolate chips to the reserved flour mixture and toss to coat. Fold into the batter and blend with a wooden spoon: don’t over mix. Pour into the prepared cake pan and level the surface with a spatula.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool for 10 minutes, run a knife around the pan to loosen the cake, and unclasp the sides of the pan. Let cool to room temperature before serving. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, glaze with melted chocolate, or decorate with a few slices of raw zucchini (you don’t have to eat them, though).

Recipe for the best sauce in the world

2009-08-31T05:59:00.000-07:00

If you only master one sauce in the whole world, this is the one to master. You can pour it on any vegetable, any vegetable at all, and instantly elevate it to company's coming, "may I have some more" (and this from the husband, of all people!) fare.

And here's the thing about this sauce. It is one of those dishes that looks really difficult but, actually, is really easy.

Here are the two ways I like this sauce best: First, drizzled in a thick stream over roasted asparagus. Second, poured with a generous hand over Eggs Florentine.

And I've got step-by-step instructions to help you make it.

Recipe for hollandaise sauce so good he (or she) will totally propose on the spot
First, you need some clarified butter. If you don’t have any around (and who, outside of a chef, ever does?), then just plunk a least two cups of butter into a pot and put the burner on low, low, low. You don’t want a simmer or any type of violent cooking; you want to let those milk solids gently sink to the bottom of your pan. Then, once your butter is melted and your milk solids are on the bottom of your pan (you can see them down there, looking all milky), just ladle out the froth on top (discard this), ladle out the top layer of butter fat (this is your clarified butter), and throw away the milk solids on the bottom.

Put that clarified butter into a waiting pot at a very low heat.

Next (or while you are waiting for your butter to melt so you can make clarified butter) make your reduction.

This is just white wine vinegar, crushed white peppercorns, white wine, and minced scallions. You want to use, oh, say half an ounce, each, of the liquids and about 1/4 teaspoon of the peppercorns and one or two scallions. You pop these into a pot and simmer them until you are left with about a tablespoon or two of the liquid.

Got your clarified butter? Got your reduction? Good! Then take this time to bring a pot of water to a simmer. You will put a bowl, within which you will mix your hollandaise, on top of this pot, but off the heat. You do this to keep your hollandaise warm. So get a pot that can hold your bowl.

Okay, now you are ready to do the hollandaise boogie.

Put your pot of water on your counter (use a trivet, if needed) and your bowl on top of your pot. Put two egg yolks into your bowl and a tablespoon or so of your reduction.

Whip those egg yolks. Now, most places tell you to whip them until you get ribbons. To see those ribbons, lift your whisk above your bowl. Your whipped egg yolk should run off your whip and into your bowl in a nice ribbon. I, however, find it easier to look for a color change. See, you are whipping air into your egg mixture, so it will, of course, lighten. When it changes from dark orange (yolk color) to pale yellow (butter color), then that is the equivalent of ribbon.

Your eggs are also thickening at this point.

Now, is time to start drizzling in your butter. Do this a few drops at a time, whipping continuously and making sure all butter is absorbed into your mixture before you add more.

Once you have put about four ounces of butter in there, and whipped it so it is incorporated with your egg, then you have an emulsion. At this point, you can start to add your butter faster and faster, more and more at a time.

Keep going until you have used all of your butter. Then, add whatever flavorings you like. I put in freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt, and a few drops of Tabasco. My chef also adds Worchestire sauce, just a few drops, but I preferred it without.

Pour over poached eggs or asparagus or whatever you like and keep a clean napkin handy to wipe away those tears of joy.

A last minute vegetarian recipe good enough for company

2009-08-24T06:36:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs a few stand-by recipes for those times of emergency. Like when the in-law's drop by!

This is one of mine.

This could not be a better stand-by vegetarian recipe. First, the main ingredient is onions. Any who does not have onions in the house. And second, these work equally well as a very pretty side dish or as an amazing topping for a sandwich.

And, third, it takes no time and less skill to make!

I last used this recipe for one of my practical exams at culinary school. It was very well received, indeed!

Recipe for Savory French Spanish Onion Relish
Peel and quarter two or three Spanish onions (these are the big red ones) and put them into a saucepan with a lid. Add about two ounces of butter, a teaspoon each of minced, fresh thyme and rosemary, and a teaspoon of dried lavender. Put the lid on, put it on a medium heat, and stir every five minutes or so. Give it at least twenty minutes. You’ll know it is ready when the onions are soft and have significantly caramelized (look for that deep brown color). Add salt and pepper to taste and serve as a side or even on a sandwich.

The most delicious French vegetarian recipe, ever

2009-08-17T06:08:00.000-07:00

If you can give me a simple, delicious, vegetarian recipe that is also (1) French, (2) sweet, and includes (3) apples, you could pretty much meet all my criteria for the perfect recipe.

But, don't worry, you don't have to go find one for me. Because I've already found it. And I'm prepared to share it with you!

Vegetarian recipe: Pudding Crème aux Pommes
(Apple and Bread Pudding)
From Simple French Food by Richard Olney

1 lb. apples, quartered, cored, peeled, sliced
Large handful (about 2 ounces) stale breadcrumbs, without crusts
½ cup butter
Pinch powdered cinnamon
1 cup milk
2 eggs
⅓ cup sugar
Small pinch salt

Cook the apples in about 3 tablespoons butter, tossing from time to time, until tender and translucent, about 20 to 30 minutes. Cook the breadcrumbs in the remaining butter (adding more butter if necessary) over very low heat, stirring regularly, until they are uniformly golden and crisp.

Spread the crumbs in the bottom of a lightly buttered gratin dish, arrange the apples on the bed of crumbs, and sprinkle lightly with the cinnamon. Whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, and salt, and pour slowly over the apples. Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Serve warm, accompanied or not by a sabayon sauce (1/2 cup sugar, 3 egg yolks, 2/3 cup white wine, and a bit of grated lemon peel whisked in a small heavy saucepan in a bain-marie of nearly boiling water over low flame until thick).

The "To hell with Mario Batali" perfect vegetarian pasta recipe

2009-08-10T06:24:00.000-07:00

Sure, tubby old Mario Batali may strut around, touting the wonderfulness of his pasta, but, bah, I say! Because I have the perfect pasta recipe. And it is easy, delicious, and amazing.

And you don't even need a machine.

So there, Mario!

Perfect parsley pasta recipe
Here’s the pasta recipe I used. The secret (which isn’t so secret) is the parsley which gives the pasta pretty green flecks. It looks wonderful on the plate and was ridiculously easy to do (so there, again, Mario Batali!).

8 ounces flour
2 eggs
1 - 2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 bunch of fresh parsley, finely minced
water, as needed

Make a mountain out of about half the flour. Make an indentation at the top of your mountain. Put your eggs, salt, parsley, and olive oil in your indentation. Using a fork, mix your egg mixture, dragging more and more flour into that indentation and adding flour, as needed (I pretty much used all the flour). When your dough starts to get too stiff for the fork, get in there with your hands and knead. If your dough is getting too stiff (and mine did), add a tiny drizzle of water (I stuck my hand in the water bowl and just shook it over the flour). Knead until it is fairly well mixed and starts to fight you. Then put it in a plastic bag and leave it alone for ten minutes to relax.

Now, when you come back to your pasta (and it is no tragedy if you have to leave it longer), you can either knead it by hand or run it through the widest part of your pasta machine several times to knead, folding periodically so it will fit and dusting both it and the machine with flour so nothing sticks.

When it, again, starts to fight you, give it another time out. But, this time, leave it on the counter to dry out a bit. This will make the final stage a bit easier.

Back again and either start feeding it through smaller and smaller holes in your pasta machine, or roll it thinner and thinner with your rolling pin.

Remember to be liberal with your flour or you will stick to everything and have a nasty clean up job.

Nice thin dough? Then if you are using a machine, go ahead and cut it. If you are not using a machine, roll your dough (make sure it is well dusted with flour) and cut strips. Next, you have to hang your strips of dough to dry. I cut fettuccine and hung them on the handles of large wooden spoons resting on a stockpot. Whatever you do, give them about 30 minutes to dry out, if you have the time.

Cooking your perfect pasta
Now, and here’s the tricky part, you have to cook your dough (actually, you have to do this with all dough) in plenty of water (think 8:1; eight times as much water as you have pasta, at a minimum). And, with fresh pasta, you have to cook fast (I gave mine 90 seconds) or it will turn to mush.

The world's fastest sauce recipe so good they'll eat their vegetables

2009-08-03T05:11:00.000-07:00

As anyone who is a regular reader of this blog knows, I am also a culinary food student. And, as a student, all sorts of things happen. Like, say, another student actually swipes your pan so, oh dear, now you have to make a pan sauce from scratch.

See, a pan sauce is easy if you already have a fond (that nice, dark coloring on the bottom, inside of your pan - and, no, I don't mean the burned stuff!). But without one (a problem a lot of vegetarians have) what are you to do?

I know the answer. Because I was the student whose pan went missing. And if this sauce doesn't get your kids and husband to eat their vegetables, I don't know what will!

Vegetarian recipe for the world's best scratch sauce
After someone lifted our pan, we had to make a sauce from scratch. Here's what I did so if you are ever in the same boat, you can whip together a sauce from nothing, too.

First, I minced half an onion. Then I sweated it in a saute pan with butter. Now, the point here was to get the onion translucent, not brown (I was not caramelizing) so I kept the heat on the low side; sweating takes time.

Once the onion was translucent, I added a roux (fat + flour mixture) as a thickening agent. Next, I poured in some vegetable stock. Then fresh, minced thyme (well, in reality, we used dried, but we would have used fresh if there was any to be had, so that is what I recommend). Splash of cream, squeeze of lemon, and salt and pepper to taste.

And there you have it: A super fast sauce. Which everyone in the class said they loved.

What to do with my sauce?
Why pour it on anything that does not move fast enough. Sauteed asparagus. Broiled tomatoes. Steamed broccoli, baked potato, and so on.

And enjoy!

Vegetarian recipe: When life gives you cherries ...

2009-07-27T06:07:00.000-07:00

I have been making this dessert, in one version or another, forever. It is simple, fast, elegant, and incredibly delicious.

Here's the great part: Not only does it work just as well with all sorts of other fruits but (come closer) if you don't have any fresh fruit on hand it works equally well with frozen.

And it doesn't hurt that this vegetarian recipe is from Anthony Bourdain.

Vegetarian recipe: Clafoutis
Les Halles Cookbook
by Anthony Bourdain

1½ lb. cherries, pitted
3 oz. kirsch
1 Tbsp. butter
½ cup sugar
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar

Place the cherries in a small bowl and toss with the kirsch. Let macerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 9-inch round baking dish with the butter and coat with a pinch or two of the sugar. Place the pan in the refrigerator.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk, then add the sugar and beat well to fully incorporate. Mix in the flour and the vanilla extract, stirring enough so that all the ingredients are homogeneous but without overworking the flour.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the cherries and their accumulated juice into the flour and egg mixture, then pull your prepared baking pan out of the refrigerator and turn the mixture into it.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a golden brown crust has formed on top. A testing skewer inserted into the center should come out clean, not wet. Using a small strainer or sifter, dust the top with confectioners’ sugar and serve.

Who is the typical culinary school student?

2009-07-20T06:04:00.000-07:00

As everyone who regularly reads this blog knows, I'm a culinary school student. And, one of the most frequent questions I get is: So who goes to culinary school? Vegetarians? Vegans? Career-changers? Mommies? Teens?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.

So after the break, I've got an introduction to some of the characters at my culinary school (if you want to read about the crazy exploits at my school, I write about it at CookingSchoolConfidential.com).

Chef instructors
I know I said I’d introduce you to the students. But no introduction of culinary students is complete without first introducing the culinary instructors. So let’s start with them.

Motorcycle Chef
“If you put cooked pasta into your minestrone before it is served it will turn into yuck and I will have a hissy fit.”

Envision, if you will, a Jewish, ex-New Yorker, motorcycle-riding (although she prefers the term “enthusiast”), atheist who can julienne a mean onion (she was talking to me as she did it and never once looked at her hands; and, yes, her slices were perfect) and who has, what she calls, “potty” mouth and isn’t afraid to use it.

She tends to dress in black from head to toe and, quite frankly, shocked me to my core the one day she wore a pink blouse. She has a shock of deep brown hair that, try as she may, insists on escaping from her twin braids in stiff strands. She looks, in the best possible way, like Mama Cass. Not, mind you, because she is heavyset (although she is) but, rather, because she has that elongated, cheeky face Mama Cass had. And she likes to refer to her menopause at least once a lecture.

In other words, she is fascinating.

Chef Nepal
“When you cut, you must hold your other hand like a claw, a claw, my friends, and no one get hurt.”

Chef Nepal is the chef students either love or hate. I happen to adore him, so I didn’t even realize some students were not equally infatuated until I overheard complaints. And I understand why they are complaining. Because, every though he is half the size of Motorcycle Chef, he can be twice as tough.

And twice as tough as a potty-speaking, menopausal chef is tough indeed.

See, chef Nepal barks out orders like no one’s business. But he does so because he so wants everyone to do well. So I take those orders for what they are: A learning tool.

Besides, the man can’t help but grin all the time which makes me want to grin back. Even when he gives me grief for not cleaning my workstation.

Which he did yesterday. But I learned.

Culinary school students
I didn't want to overwhelm you with all the students, so these are just some of them. But if you want more (and more chefs), then drop by CookingSchoolConfidential.com for the never-ending saga of life at culinary school!

Vegan gay guy
“I have seen the light and I am going to eat meat.”

Vegan gay guy drove everyone nuts trying to add almond milk to this, apple cider vinegar to that, and refusing to ever, ever try MSG.

To put this into perspective, Motorocycle Chef has cursed him out, not once, but twice. Admittedly, he deserved it. And the other students tend to make fun of vegan guy, snickering when he talks about the lover he has on the side (In case you have not been reading my posts, vegan gay guy is married to a woman he says he has never made love to. When I asked him why he was married he said, “It is like Will and Grace, only better.”).

Today, vegan gay guy proclaimed that he would, from now on, eat meat. And, to celebrate this, he made chicken meatballs. Unfortunately, those chicken meatballs collapsed in the oven, ending up resembling fried eggs. But, he managed to salvage the situation by making a great chicken broth and putting the meatballs in that for a nice, hearty soup. A soup so good, in fact, that motorcycle chef told him it was perfect. But, alas, he ruined his soup by adding a healthy splash of apple cider vinegar. And, Motorcycle Chef cursed him out for it.

Still, not only does he take all criticism with good graces, but he is the first person to help anyone who needs it. So, nuts as he is, he is always welcome on my team.

Just as long as I remember to hide the vinegar.

Complaining girl
“I didn’t want to add that salt. It makes it taste like cheap stock from the grocery store. The chef is wrong. She shouldn’t have made me add it because now it is too salty.”

The first term students, of which I am one, were split into two, seperate groups. Complaining girl was in the other group. Complaining girl got thrown out of the other group. Complaining girl is now in our group.

Complaining girl complains. A lot.

Complaining girl has the most beautiful blue eyes you have ever seen. Beautiful blue eyes that are all the more noticeable because she has dyed her hair dead black.

But, in about two minutes, all you notice about complaining girl are the complaints. Even her pretty blue eyes can’t save her, I’m afraid.

Sweet line cook
“Mmmm, bacon. It should be in everything.”

Tattooed from wrist to shoulder, amazingly good with a knife and a saute pan, and sweet to his core, this is the guy who has the answers, is willing to help, and just gets stuff done with a smile.

Kid courageous
“Garlic. I love garlic so much I’m gonna make garlic pasta.”

He’s eighteen years old, and with his shock of red hair and splash of freckles, looks it. He never met a spice he did not like, and feels free to add them to any and everything in whatever combination strikes his fancy. Even if it does not strike anyone else’s fancy. Which it often does not. But he is unperturbed.

Alaska quiet
“I smoke my own salmon. It is great.”

From Alaska, with reading glasses and thick, gray hair, he is at the opposite end of the age scale as Kid Courageous. Quiet, where Kid is noisy, he quietly goes about his task, getting it done with a gentle grin.

Blush and dimples
“Creme fraiche, yum yum.”

She wears scads of make-up and comes from some hole-in-the-wall town, but has the most sophisticated taste palette among us. All of, what, twenty-something, she spiced her fingerling potatoes with lemon zest and thyme and put minced garlic and parsley on her fries. It is her food I look for when it is time to taste test.

Vegetarian recipe: Simple to make, simply delicious to enjoy

2009-07-13T05:33:00.000-07:00

This is my idea of a perfect vegetarian recipe: Easy, delicious, and healthy.

And it doesn't hurt that you can make this in minutes.

(And it really doesn't hurt that this is one of the vegetarians recipes you can serve to your kids and your company!)

Vegetarian recipe: Lemon and Tarragon Carrots
From Keeping It Simple
by Gary Rhodes

1 lb, 5 oz. carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 oz. melted butter
1 tsp. sugar
Zest of ½ lemon, finely grated
Coarse sea salt and pepper
1 heaping teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Cook the carrots in a pan of boiling salted water until tender, then drain well and return to the pan.

Meanwhile, mix together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Stir the flavored butter into the carrots, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Finish with the tarragon and the lemon juice. Serve warm.

The vegetarian and the restaurant

2009-07-06T04:28:00.000-07:00

One thing I've learned at culinary school is that vegetarians are in trouble when it comes to eating out.

Big trouble. As in, way more than I ever thought.

Which means there is only one solution if you want a vegetarian meal.

Is your vegetarian meal really vegetarian?
I've eaten at plenty of restaurants, from fast food to fine dining, and when I look for the vegetarian entree, I assume I am getting a vegetarian meal.

After all, how difficult is it to keep meat and other animal products out of a meal?

Very difficult, it turns out.

Those hidden animal ingredients
From gelatin to rennet, animal byproducts sneak into all sorts of products and dishes, from the cheese plate to the dessert tray.

And, while you and I know about these meat-based ingredients, an awful lot of people do not.

Which means your vegetarian meal, alas, may very well not be.

But it gets worse.

Those pesky tongs
Restaurant kitchens run so fast and so hard that it isn't difficult for a cook to grab a vegetarian entree with the same tongs, for example, that were used to, say, cook a meat-based entree.

It's not like they have a separate station that does nothing but vegetarian foods. They don't have the space. And they certainly don't have the time, personnel, and equipment to have a dedicated vegetarian station.

So what is a vegetarian to do?
My best advices is to eat at a vegetarian restaurant. That way, there is no room for mistakes.

And, hey, it certainly can't hurt to be supporting the vegetarian community. After all, if enough money goes to vegetarian restaurants, then, certainly, more are bound to open. And that's good for all of us!

Where to find vegetarian restaurants?
So how do your find a vegetarian restaurant? Your best bet is the The Vegetarian Journal's Guide to Natural Foods Restaurants in the U.S. and Canada.

Bon Apetit!

The richest, most delicious vegetarian recipe ever

2009-06-29T05:48:00.000-07:00

This has got to be the most tempting vegetarian recipe I have tripped across in quite some time. And that is saying a lot when you take into account I browse at least one cookbook and all the food magazines I can get my hands on (including old ones) every week.

And what's even better is this is an easy recipe that looks like it took a lot of work. Which, of course, makes you a star!

Vegetarian recipe for Roasted Peppers and Tomatoes Baked with Herbs and Capers
This is from a Deborah Madison book well worth reading: Local Flavors.

4 big bell peppers, red, orange, and yellow
1 large beefsteak-type tomato or 1 1/4 pounds other ripe tomatoes
2 smaller yellow tomatoes
6 flat-leaf parsley sprigs
1 tablespoon marjoram or 12 large basil leaves
1 plump garlic clove
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
12 Nicoise olives, pitted
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for the dish
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Roast the peppers until charred (using your burner is the easiest way to go). Drop them into a bowl, cover, and set them aside while you prepare everything else. Then wipe off the blackened skin, pull out the seeds, and core and cut into wide strips. Trim off any ragged ends and set them another use.

Score the ends of the tomatoes, then drop them into boiling water for 10 seconds. Remove the skins, halve them crosswise and gently squeeze out the seeds. Cut the walls into wide pieces. Reserve the cores for a soup or sauce.

Pluck the leaves off the parsley stems. You should have about 1/2 cup. Chop them finely with the marjoram and garlic, then put in a bowl with the capers, olives, and the olive oil. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and some pepper.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Lightly oil a small gratin dish. Add the tomatoes, peppers, and sauce and gently toss with your hands. Season with pepper.

Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Recipe for the one thing every salad needs

2009-06-22T06:04:00.000-07:00

Croutons! So easy to make; so easy to burn.

And the fastest way to elevate a salad from lunchtime blah to company's coming amazing.

So get the nicest salad-makings you can find. Then come on back and read the restaurant quality crouton recipe, below.

I got this one from my chef (if you are new here, then welcome, and be aware that I am also a culinary school student). It's fast, it's easy, and it makes no-fail croutons.

Vegetarian recipe for incredibly easy, restaurant quality croutons
As with most recipes, your first step is to preheat your oven. 450 F will do nicely.

Next, grab some leftover sliced bread (the older, the better) and dice it.

The easiest way to do this is to slice your loaf, first, then cut the slices (stack three or so at a time) into strips, then cut those strips into evenly sized cubes, say 1/2″ square. Use your serrated knife.

Toss your cubes with clarified butter (clarified so they won’t burn), if you have some, or flavored extra virgin olive oil. (You can add salt and pepper and any seasonings you like at this point, but I like to add finely minced garlic at the end. Hang on; you'll see.)

Spread your bread cubes on a rack (so the extra fat can drip away) on a pan (think cookie sheet). Pop them into a fairly hot oven and keep an eye on them because they can burn quickly.

If you want to toss them with minced garlic, this would be the time to cut up two or three cloves. Be sure to cut it finely.

Take out your croutons when they are as crisp as you want them. Put them in a bowl and toss them with your minced garlic and sea salt.

Taste a few to make sure they are okay. Okay, have a few more. Now, hang on, if you keep eating them you'll have to make a second batch.

Okay. Make a second batch and serve, quickly!

The best and newest vegetarian, vegan, and vegetable cookbooks and recipes

2009-06-15T05:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the last of my three-part segment on great summer cookbook reads.

In the first part (two posts back), I covered some really interesting books and I included two great, brand new, vegetarian recipes, so if you are looking for new inspiration, go take a look (of course, there are more vegetarian recipes, below, too).

In the last post I included cookbooks that focus on foreign foods. Lots of great inspiration there, but of all those wonderful books, I was particularly fond of the Japanese noodle book; noodles are such an art form overseas, aren't they?

Today, I'm going to look at the books that are sure to speak loudest to all of us: Books that are vegetarian or vegan or just have some really great vegetable and fruit recipes.

So pull up a lawn chair and some great limeade and join me for some really great reads.

Vegan soul kitchen
Soul food, okay. But vegan soul food? Hmmm. Seems like an oxymoron to me, like jumbo fish. But then I flipped through the recipes.

Caramelized Grapefruit, Avocado, and Watercress Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette. Double Mustard Greens and Roasted Yam Soup. Green Beans with Roasted Shallots and Walnuts. Black-Eyed Pea Fritters with Hot Pepper Sauce. Sweet Cornmeal-Coconut Butter Drop Biscuits.

Are you not already licking your lips?

I'm not even going to waste my time talking about how inspiring this book is. Instead, I'm going to include some of the amazing vegan recipes from the book, below, so you can see for yourself.

Babycakes
Now that you have your dinner, you are going to need something for dessert. And have I got a book for you.

Babycakes is a vegan, gluten-free bakery in Manhattan that, good for us that are not in Manhattan, came out with their own cookbook.

You'll find recipes for everything from gingerbread and apple pie to chocolate chip cookies, biscuits, scones, and cupcakes. But what totally owns me is those red velvet cupcakes. Go grab a copy and take a look. You can thank me later!

Cooking Green
Here's a clever cookbook that shines, not because of the recipes, but because of the information.

What do I mean?

See, the recipes don't excite me because they are, ho hum, the same old flavor combinations we've seen time and time again (and, of course, a lot of them include meat). But what is exciting is that the recipes translate the theme of the book (reducing our carbon footprint) into reality through a variety of methods, such as, say, the cooking method used.

And that sort of thinking can be applied to any recipe.

But, even better, the book also has all sorts of tips, from cooking resources to fuel efficiency to help you address global warming issues right in your own kitchen.

Again, the ideas are not all that new, but it is convenient to have them all in one place.

So now you see why I think this is a clever, clever book.

L.A.'s original Farmers Market Cookbook
From the same publisher that brought us the wonderful The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market Cookbook, comes the L.A. version, just as fun and fascinating and sumptuous as the SF version.

So wonderful, in fact, that, while all the books I've reviewed in these three posts have their charms, this one may very well be my favorite. Why? It is brimming with inspiration. Inspiration that we can capture and use in our own home.

Here are some of the recipes to tempt you: Mediterranean pizza, apple dumplings, mee goreng (fried noodles), fried zucchini, and miso soup.

But, wonderful as the recipes are, what I really love about the book is the stories about the eclectic collection of people behind the dishes. Combined, the two give you a wonderful sense of, and hunger for, the place.

Vegan recipe: Black-Eyed Pea Fritters with Hot Pepper Sauce
4 to 6 servings
1 cup dried black-eyed peas sorted, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup raw peanuts
1 teaspoon minced thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 tablespoon cornmeal
5 cups coconut oil

Remove the skins from the beans by adding them to a large bowl, filling the bowl with water, agitating the beans, and fishing out the skins that float to the top with a fine mesh strainer. Rinse beans well.

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the beans, onion, peanuts, thyme, cayenne, vinegar, water, and salt and pulse until completely smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 200°F.

Remove the batter from the refrigerator, add the bell pepper and cornmeal to the batter, and beat with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes.

In a medium saucepan over high heat, warm the oil until hot but not smoking, about 5 minutes.

Lower the oil to medium high, and in batches of 5, spoon the batter into the oil, 1 tablespoon at a time. Fry, stirring around, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. If necessary, adjust the temperature to ensure that the fritters do not cook to quickly.

Transfer the fritters to a paper towel-lined plate and allow them to drain. Transfer the drained fritters to a baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.

Serve hot with Hot Pepper Sauce.

Vegan recipe: Hot Pepper Sauce
1 cup

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Coarse sea salt
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 habanero chile, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

In a saucepan over low heat, warm the oil. Add the onion, cumin, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and sauté until the onions start to caramelize, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and chiles and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, vinegar, and water. Mix well, and simmer until it starts to thicken, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Transfer all the ingredients to an upright blender, and purée until smooth. Store in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator.

Vegan recipe: Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Ginger-Peanut Dipping Sauce
Serves 4

Fries
4 uniformly shaped medium sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled
1 tsp. course sea salt
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Dipping Sauce
1 heaping tablespoon minced ginger
½ cup toasted peanuts
½ cup apple juice
1 tsp. agave nectar
⅛ tsp. cayenne
¼ tsp. coarse sea salt

For the fries
Cut the potatoes into slices about ½-inch thick and then cut them ½-inch lengthwise into the shape of fries.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Combine the sweet potatoes, 3 quarts cold water, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large pot over high heat. Parboil, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and pat well with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels until completely dry. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the olive oil.

Arrange fries on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes, gently stirring every 15 minutes with a wooden spoon to ensure even browning, until tender and caramelized.

For the dipping sauce In an upright blender, combine the ginger, peanuts, apple juice, agave nectar, cayenne, and salt and blend until creamy. Transfer to a small bowl.

Delicious cookbook reading and a gorgeous French vegetarian recipe to to prove it!

2009-06-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I looked at all sorts of wonderful new cookbooks worthy of reading this spring, from a cookbook by a Hawaiian chef to a book by an amazing pastry chef to a book from the oldest restaurant in the country (so old, they served George Washington!) to a book with recipes from countries as diverse as Finland and Italy.

And, of course, I included two recipes, one for these gorgeous lentils and another for cinnamon and cardamon buns (can't you just smell how wonderful that would be fresh out of the oven).

In my next post, I'm looking at vegetarian and vegan cookbooks along with a book that just has great vegetable recipes (just in time to take advantage of the farmer's market).

But today, ah today, we are going to look at cookbooks that focus on cooking not from these shores. As in, think Japanese noodles and French breakfasts and, well, don't let me spoil the surprise.

Europe's master chefs
The weight alone tells you there is tons of material in there. And, with all that content, you would be safe to guess there is bound to be something, something for us almost vegetarians.

And you'd be right.

With contributions from more than 100 European master chefs and pastry chefs from countries including Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Greece, Spain, and Great Britain, there is an amazing selection of recipes. Such as the very pretty salad of fresh herbs. The vegetables with porcini mushrooms. And the elegant macadamia torte.

Now, these are not the recipes you make everyday but, rather, recipes for a special occasion. So they tend to be fairly involved. But, for a special occasion this could be an especially good book to have on hand because, not only does it provide clear step-by-step instructions but it also has pictures so you can really see what you are supposed to be creating.

And that's half the battle when cooking, isn't it?

A table in the tarn: Living, eating, and cooking in rural France
by Orlando Murrin

Part biography and part cookbook, this is pure fascination about how a British journalist and cook moved, with his partner to southwest France to open a gourmet bed and breakfast with his partner in southwestern France.

So this is a triple whammy: Great story, beautiful pictures (how can they be otherwise when they are of the French countryside?), and gorgeous recipes. Such as tarte tatin of Belgin endive, fresh spatzle, and limoncello.

You know, I spent a chunk of one summer between semesters at university overseas, and somehow missed France. I think that is an oversight that needs to be addressed. Now! Don't you agree?

However, if you can't quite manage to tear yourself away from the daily grind, I do have a vegetarian recipe, below, so you can at least get a taste.

Takashi's noodles
by Takashi Yagahashi

Of course, right after France, I will have to go to Japan, if only to eat the noodles. And what heavenly noodles I understand they are.

But, in the meantime, I'll make my own. And I have just the book to help me learn how to do everything from ramen and soba to udon, somen, and a whole range of other types of Asian noodles. But, fascinating as learning how to make noodles is, what really grabbed my attention was the backstory for each noodle type, from when and where to use it and the regional background of all.

While there are all sorts of recipes to tell you what to do with your wonderful noodles, including medley of Japanese mushrooms with orecchiette, because most of them contain meat, you will either have to adapt them (and I often do) or simply buy this book just for the amazing insight into the world of noodles.

Vegetarian recipe: Twice-Baked Garlic Soufflés
For the soufflés
5 tbsp butter
1 head of fresh garlic, trimmed and chopped roughly, or 5 cloves dried garlic, papery skins removed, chopped
1/2 tsp vinegar
1 cup milk
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
leaves from a couple of sprigs of thyme
1 cup grated Cantal, Comté or Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
4 large eggs, separated

For Serving
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
seasoning, nutmeg, extra Parmesan, a few bread crumbs

Melt 1 tbsp of the butter and add the garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, pepper to taste, 3/4 cup water and the vinegar. Simmer covered for 10 minutes, then uncover and boil till the water has evaporated.

Heat the remaining butter and stir in the flour and thyme. Cook for a minute, then make a white sauce by gradually stirring in the garlic milk till thick. Transfer to a big bowl, add the grated cheese, three-quarters of the Parmesan, then the egg yolks. Set aside.

Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter the individual soufflé dishes and dust the sides with the remaining Parmesan; if you have any left over, stir into the sauce. Set in a roasting pan and put a kettle on to boil.

Beat egg whites till firm but not dry. Fold half into the soufflé base, then add the rest. Spoon into the dishes (fill them almost to the top), pour boiling water into the pan to one-third of the depth of the dishes and bake for 20-25 minutes, till puffed and cooked through. Remove from oven and leave to cool—they will sink.

When cool, run a knife round the edge to loosen each soufflé, gently upend on to your hand, then put the right way up on one big dish or 6 gratin dishes. (You can make the soufflés a day ahead, or even freeze them. Make sure they are at room temperature before the second baking.)

To serve, set your oven to 400°F (375°F convection). Mix the cream with salt and pepper, grated nutmeg and Parmesan or other cheese. Pour over the soufflés to cover completely, then if you wish sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake for 10-15 minutes, till golden and the sauce bubbling. They will gently re-puff.

The best cookbooks for the summer and two new vegetarian recipes

2009-06-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

Summer is coming which means summer reading which, of course, means cookbooks and food books enough to tempt any appetite.

So, this week, I am going to look at three types of books:

Darn interesting cookbooks
Cooking not from these shores
Vegetarian or vegan or just great vegetables cookbooks

So go find your Amazon password or credit card or whatever (or search for a Borders coupon; they tend to have good, albeit short-lived, ones) and let's find some great books!

Today, I'm going to start with the darn interesting cookbooks. Later this week, I'll cover cookbooks covering food not from these shores (including Japanese noodles - divine!) and cookbooks that are vegetarian or vegan or have great vegetable recipes.

So we've pretty much got all the bases covered.

Darn interesting cookbooks
If you've been reading this blog for a while, then you know I get the vast majority of my recipes and inspiration from non-vegetarian / non-vegan / non-vegetable-oriented cookbooks. Why? Well, no slur intended, but for the most part I find they are better: More interesting, more flavorful, more inspiring.

Yes, I know there are exceptions, but for every Chez Panisse Vegetables, there are a ton of other books that calls for ingredients ranging from soy cheese (which runs the gamut from tasteless to gummy) to all sorts of manufactured products that, were they not sold as "healthy" would never be purchased by anyone possessing a single taste bud (there are exceptions, of course, such as tofu which I adore).

So let's flip some pages and find something nice to eat.

Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes
by Tessa Kiros

The cover alone is so pretty I am already salivating. But it's the contents that count, so let's crack open the book and look inside.

Think fragrant foods from Finland, Greece, Cyprus, South Africa, and Italy: Lemon and cinnamon, garlic and olive oil, yogurt and rosemary. And think pictures: Of toys and nature and those glorious, glorious dishes.

And think of all this punctuated with fascinating stories and histories.

But, most of all, think recipes. Such as: Lentils, rice and red onion salad. And cinnamon and cardamom buns.

See, I told you I would find you a nice vegetarian recipe in a non-vegetarian cookbook. But if you don't believe me, keep reading. Because both of these vegetarian recipes are at the end of this post. Enjoy!

Family Style Meals at the Hali-Imaile General Store
by Beverly Gannon and Joan Namkoong

Half of the fun of this book is imagining yourself eating something lovely (papayas come immediately to mind!) at the base of Maui's famous dormant volcano, Haleakala which is on the same island as this restaurant.

Now, the pictures are great fun (think informal and lots of color, not surprisingly for an Hawaiian cookbook) but what will really grab you are the recipes. Such as Shiitake mushroom bread pudding. And Dry-fried long beans with cumin and chili. And Butternut squash soup with coconut and ginger (can't you just smell how fragrant that would be?).

So skip past the meat recipes (and there are a lot of them) and head straight for the vegetarian recipes ones; they are worth hunting down.

Gale Gand's Brunch
By Gale Gand.

Well, I don't have to tell you how wonderful brunch is, so I won't belabor that point. Instead, I'll list some of the recipes so you can see for yourself: Almond Ciabatta French Toast and Iced Coffee with Cinnamon-Coffee Ice Cubes; Quick Pear Streusel Coffee Cake and Ginger Scones with Peaches and Cream; and onion tarts and crêpes and quiches and doughnuts and pancakes and, well, all sorts of delights.

Yes, there are plenty of temptations to be found here, but it is in the pastries that this book really shines. Meaning there are all sorts of recipes that can also be used for breakfast, lunch, and even dessert.

It's like four cookbooks in one!

City Tavern Cookbook: Two Hundred Years Of Classic Recipes From America's First Gourmet Restaurant
by Walter Staib

The book itself it so sumptuous you'll want to eat it. But, don't. Instead, browse the recipes.

Now, this inn is so old that it once held a banquet for George Washington as he passed through Philadelphia en route to New York for his presidential inauguration. So you know the recipes are rich with history. But, more importantly for those of us that plan to cook them, they are rich in flavor, as well.

So what can we find? Well, how about Martha Washington’s Chocolate Mousse Cake? And Thomas Jefferson’s Sweet Potato Biscuits? And poached pears (poached in Madeira so they end up this incredibly deep rose color), apple and golden raisin turnovers, cabbage salad, spicy corn relish, creamed spinach, and (predictably and delightfully) cherry pie.

And, you know, for such sophisticated recipes, a lot of them are pretty simple. So even if you are not an expert chef, you could still try you hand at many of these recipes. Matter of fact, I recommend you do!

And speaking of recipes, here are the two vegetarian recipes I promised. If you give either of them a try, let me know how to works out ...

Vegetarian recipe: Lentils, rice, and red onion salad
2 red onions, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 large garlic cloves (1 chopped, the other whole)
1 large ripe tomato, peeled and chopped
2 2/3 cups brown lentils
3 3/4 cups long-grain rice
juice of 1 1/2 lemons
1 small red chili, seeded and finely chopped
5 1/2 oz plain Greek yogurt

Rinse the onions and drain in a fine sieve. Keep about a quarter on one side and put the rest in a bowl. Cover with cold water, sprinkle with the salt and leave for 30 minutes or so.

Heat 3 tablespoon of the oil in a saucepan. Add the handful of onion and the chopped garlic and saute until golden. Add the tomato and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the tomato has melted and the water evaporated and you can see the oil actually frying. Remove from the heat and keep aside.

Rinse the lentils and pick out any hard odd bits. Put the lentils in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat. Drain, then return to the saucepan. Add about 1.5 litres (6 cups) hot water and season with salt. Bring back to the boil, then lower the heat slightly and cook, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Add the tomato mixture and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the lentils are soft but not mushy and there is not much liquid left. Stir occasionally to make sure they don't stick to the pan. If it seems like the lentils are drying out, add a little more water.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a saucepan and add the whole clove of garlic. Add the rice, season with salt, mix through and cook for a minute. Add enough water to come about 3 cm (about an inch) above the top of the rice and bring to the boil, stirring once. Cook uncovered for 3-4 minutes, until a lot of the water seems to have evaporated and there are some holes on the surface. Drizzle with a tablespoon of oil, cover the pan and lower the heat to a minimum. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the rice is dry and steaming, then fluff it up with a fork to make sure it hasn't stuck to the pan. Remove from the heat and leave the lid on if you are not eating immediately.

Drain and rinse the soaked onion in a fine sieve. Mix with the lemon juice and chili and a splash of olive oil and season with salt and a little pepper. Arrange a pile of lentils, a pile of rice, a small pile of onion salad and a dollop of yogurt on each plate- some people will eat them separately while other like to stir it all together on the plate.

Vegetarian recipe: Cinnamon and Cardamom Buns
Bun dough
1 cup tepid milk
3 1/2 oz superfine sugar
2 packets active dry yeast
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 1/2 oz butter, softened
2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp salt
5 1/4 cups flour

Cinnamon butter
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 3/4 oz superfine sugar plus 1 tbsp. for sprinkling
2 3/4 oz butter, softened
1 egg, lightly beaten

Put the milk and sugar in a bowl and crumble in the yeast. Leave for 10 minutes, or until the yeast begins to activate. Add the egg, butter, cardamom and salt and mix in. Add the flour, bit by bit, mixing it in with a wooden spoon until you need to use your hands, and then turn it out onto the work surface to knead. It may seem a little too sticky initially, but will become compact and beautifully soft after about 5 minutes. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover with a clean cloth and then a heavy towel or blanket, and leave in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

To make the cinnamon butter, mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Divide the butter into four portions and keep on one side.

Put the dough on a floured work surface and divide it into four portions. Begin with one portion, covering the others with a cloth so they don't dry out. Using a rolling pin, roll out a rectangle, roughly about 12 x 10 inches and 1/8 inch thick. Spread one portion of butter over the surface of the dough with a palette knife or blunt knife. Sprinkle with about 3 teaspoons of the cinnamon mix, covering the whole surface with quick shaking movements of your wrists. Roll up to make a long dough sausage. Set aside while you finish rolling out and buttering the rest of the dough, so that you can cut them all together.

Line two large baking trays with baking paper, or bake in two lots if you only have one tray. Line up the dough sausages in front of you and cut them slightly on the diagonal, alternating up and down, so that the slices are fat 'v' shapes, with the point of the 'v' about 3/4 inch and the base about 2 inches. Turn them so they are all the right way up, sitting on their fatter bases. Press down on the top of each one with two fingers until you think you will almost go through to your work surface. Along the sides you will see the cinnamon stripes oozing outwards. Put the buns on the baking trays, leaving space for them to puff and rise while they bake. Brush lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle a little sugar over the top.

Leave the buns to rise for half an hour and preheat your oven to 350. Bake them for about 20 minutes, or until they are golden. Check that they are lightly golden underneath as well before you take them out of the oven. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature and, when they are cool, keep them in an airtight container so they don't harden.

Makes about 35 buns.

Recipe for ginger-infused acorn squash and how to peel ginger root with a teaspoon

2009-05-26T05:59:00.000-07:00

I learned this vegetarian recipe from a chef from Nepal. I learned it well over two months ago at culinary school (I'm a student) and wrote about it in my cooking school blog, but never got around to mentioning it here.

Until today.

And you've got to have this recipe. It takes the usual acorn squash and just elevates it to a whole new level of deliciousness.

Before we get to the recipe, I have a neat party trick for you involving a ginger root and a teaspoon.

How to peel ginger root with a teaspoon
Hold the fresh garlic root in one hand and the teaspoon in the other. With the inside of the bowl of the spoon facing the ginger, use the edge of the spoon to peel the ginger root.

Much easier to get around all those knobby protrusions than with a peeler, isn't it? Which makes this a very handy kitchen tip, indeed!

Vegetarian recipe for ginger-infused acorn squash
1 acorn squash
2" long piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut in half
1/4 teaspoon dried cardamon
1/2 teaspoon dried cinnamon
1 ounce butter or more
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 450 F. Cut your squash in half. Be careful; don't lose control of your knife.

Smash your ginger halves with the flat side of a chef’s knife (put the flat side of your knife on the ginger and smack down with the side of your hand, carefully), much like you do with garlic. Place each piece on a cookie sheet. Place each half of your squash on top of the ginger. Pop into the oven for 20 minutes.

Take your squash out and turn over. Discard the ginger. Dust each half of squash with the cardamon and cinnamon (if you want it sweeter, sprinkle about a teaspoon or more of brown sugar on each half; sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, depending on my mood). Drop 1/2 ounce or more butter into each squash cavity. Pop back into the oven and cook for another twenty minutes.

Take your squash halves out of the oven, poke them with a fork to make sure they are tender (if not, pop back in for a bit longer) and spoon the melted butter over the exposed flesh.

You can serve your squash as is. Or, you can cut the halves into quarters. Or, if you prefer (and this is great comfort food), you can scoop the flesh out of your squash and mash it.

Season with salt and pepper and serve.

(By the way, I can eat an entire squash half all by itself for lunch and be happy as anything. But if I want to make it for dinner, I never know what to serve with it, so if you have any suggestions, do tell. Cheers!)

Vegetarian Alice Waters Chez Panisse recipe

2009-05-18T05:57:00.000-07:00

This is one of those classic salad recipes that's a nice mix of unique and timeless.

And it is also a perfect vegetarian recipe to keep in your repertoire for unexpected guests that just happen to drop by at dinnertime (don't they all)!

Vegetarian recipe: Ruby Grapefruit, Avocado, and Spring Onion Salad
From Chez Panisse Fruit by Alice Waters

2 large or 3 medium ruby grapefruit
2 tsp. Champagne vinegar
Salt and pepper
5 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 handfuls arugula
1 medium spring onion
2 ripe avocados

With a sharp knife, cut the top and bottom off each grapefruit. Cutting strips from top to bottom, cut away the rind and membrane, cutting all the way down to the flesh. Once the grapefruit are peeled, cut the sections free, carefully slicing along the partitioning membranes.

Put the grapefruit sections in a bowl and squeeze in the juice from the remaining membrane and pith. Measure out 2 tablespoons grapefruit juice from the bowl and mix with the vinegar. Season with salt and a generous grind of pepper and whisk in the olive oil. Taste and adjust the salt and acid as needed.

Wash the arugula and dry well. Cut off the root end from the onion and trim away the tough dark green part of the stalk. Cut the onion in half lengthwise and remove any dirty outer layers. Cut the onion into thin half-moons, and marinate them in a small bowl, tossed with 1 tablespoon of the dressing.

Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and gently scoop out the flesh with a large spoon. Place the halves, cut side down, on a cutting board and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick slices. Toss the arugula with 1 tablespoon of the dressing.

Make a nest of arugula on a serving platter, arrange the avocado slices and grapefruit segments on it, and spoon over the remaining dressing. Garnish with the marinated onion and serve.

Twitter contest to win FREE cookbook!

2009-05-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

I'm hosting a contest at my other blog (I also blog about the trials and tribulations of going to cooking school at CookingSchoolConfidential.com) to thank people for being so incredibly supportive and, of course, I include my Almost Vegetarian friends.

So ...

If you want a chance to win a FREE cookbook, here's what you do ...

Twitter contest to win free cookbook!
Simply retweet the entire message, below, three times this week (Sunday May 17 to Saturday May 23 - no more than once a day):

@cookingstudent Contest from culinary school student (http://bit.ly/1DLvsq). To enter draw for FREE cookbook RT this message 3x this week

Then, everyone who re-tweets the message, above, three times this week will be entered into a random draw to win a FREE brand-spanking new hardcover cookbook.

Pretty good, eh?

And, yes, I’ll even pay the postage! (Please note, because I’m paying the postage out of my impoverished student pocket, this contest is only open to US or Canada.)

I’ll contact the lucky winner next week.

So good luck (I wish you all could win!)

And cheers!