March 2023 COTM - Shannon Martinez Month

[MelMM (Mel)]

JALAPEÑO & CORN FRITTERS - Smith & Daughters, p. 57
and CORIANDER PESTO (same book, p. 151)

You can find this recipe linked upthread. Just look at these, and tell me you don’t want them. Now. They use a mix of frozen corn kernels, which are puréed with powdered egg replacer, sugar, and baking powder, and fresh kernels off the cob, which are added later and kept intact. Jalapeños and corn starch are also stirred in with the corn kernels. These are spooned into hot oil and fried. They are served with a pesto of cilantro, parsley, mint, jalapeño, garlic, capers, pepitas, and lime, which is worth making just for it’s own sake. The recipe headnote says these are “moreish as” and I can’t really put it any better than that.

[Lambchop (DeMarko)]

YES please, I do want those - YUM!

[MelMM (Mel)]

THE BEST TOFU SCRAMBLE - Smith & Daughters, p. 34

I’d been cooking from this book for over a year before it occurred to me to make the tofu scramble. You see, almost every vegan book has a tofu scramble in it, and they almost all claim to be the best, and they are mostly fine, but usually not as good as what I come up with on my own. But one day I paused on this recipe and realized that it turns the typical tofu scramble on its head. Yes, this one is different. Shannon Martinez has come up with a tofu scramble for folks who liked their eggs soft and creamy.

She starts with something akin to a roux-based sauce. I had to adapt a bit here to keep it gluten-free, and I used sweet rice flour in a 1:1 substitution for the all-purpose wheat flour called for. You combine the flour with nutritional yeast, turmeric, paprika, and black salt (kala namak from the Indian market, which adds a sulfurous egginess). This all goes into a saucepan over medium heat, then you gradually stir in a plant milk until you get a sauce. Then whisk in a little butter and Dijon mustard.

Meanwhile, and you really need to have already gotten this going, on another burner you sauté onion with a pinch of salt, then add garlic and diced jalapeño. You then add tofu which has been roughly crumbled into big chunks. You need to sauté this for quite a while to get the moisture out of the tofu and get a little browning on it. It takes some time, so I highly recommend you actually do this BEFORE you make the sauce, because that sauce will seriously thicken up on you if you let it sit. If that happens you can thin it out with some more milk or some water, but you can avoid the problem altogether by doing the tofu first. Remember, tofu is NOT egg, and unlike egg, you don’t have to worry about it overcooking in the sauté pan. The tofu can hang out on the burner on low, whereas the sauce cannot.

So you add that sauce to your tofu, and gently fold it together, trying not to break up the tofu too much. Adjust seasoning to taste, and add a handful of your favorite herb or herbs to finish - usually a good dose of cilantro for me.

This is a bit fussy to make, but if you heed my advice and cook the tofu before you make the sauce, it will come together nicely. And it’s a very different sort of tofu scramble, and a nice alternative for when you want something more like a loose, creamy scramble. Only picture of this I have is in tacos, which is a fine way to eat it.

[MelMM (Mel)]

ENSALADA CON PATATAS BRAVAS - Smith & Daughters, p. 123

This recipe uses Spanish patatas bravas as the inspiration for a potato salad, and the result is phenomenal. You can find the recipe online, look for the link upthread. This one has become a staple for me to take to potlucks, especially when I don’t anticipate there being many dishes I can eat. The chickpeas in this salad make it hearty enough that it can stand on its own as a meal.

The recipe calls for kipfler potatoes. I like to go with a waxy red potato that will hold its shape. The recipe doesn’t mention cutting them, but I cut them into large-ish chunks. The potatoes are boiled, drained, and placed in a bowl. The other salad ingredients get added to bowl, and are cooked chickpeas, fresh tomatoes, sliced red onion, and parsley.

For the dressing, you blend ajvar, sherry vinegar, tomato, garlic, chile flakes, cuming, turmeric, oregano, and smoked paprika in a blender. Slowly pour in olive oil with the blender running. Add salt and pepper to taste. I guess I should talk about the ajvar. The author intends for you to buy jarred ajvar. I just make it at home, using this recipe from Robin Robertson. It differs from the jarred stuff and most other recipes in that it doesn’t contain eggplant, which I think for this application is a good thing. Anyway, once you make the dressing, you dress the potato salad. The author advises to use more dressing than you think you need, because the potatoes absorb quite a bit.

This is my all-time favorite potato salad, and it is well-received everywhere I take it. The version in this picture was taken last August when I had a ton of sungold tomatoes in the garden and cherry tomatoes from the CSA, so I used those instead of the large tomatoes called for.

[RainyRamone]

PENANG CHAR KWAY TEOW - Vegan with Bite, P. 66
(Also, linked above)

This simple Malaysian classic is the first thing that caught my eye in the newest book. A succession of stir-fry veggies goes into a smoking hot wok: mushrooms, garlic shoots (I sub-ed green garlic and garlic chives), minced garlic, chilli paste, Napa cabbage, and spring onions. PSA from Mr. Ramone: a tablespoon of minced fresh ginger will greatly enhance this dish! (Okay, it did).

The vegetables are joined in the wok by soaked wide rice noodles and bean sprouts. Next, an ‘egg’ mix of blended tofu, cornstarch, soy (or other) milk, ground turmeric, and - here’s the genius part - pinch of black salt goes in. Since I first saw this use of the ingredient in Martinez’ first book, I’ve always marveled at how closely the sulphurous aroma of the black salt resembles cooked eggs. After the scrambled tofu has coated the noodles, they are tossed with a mixture of dark soy sauce, Maggi (I used light soy sauce), kecap manis, oyster-flavored sauce, fish sauce, and sugar to taste. I also threw in a dash of hoisin sauce. This was my first Asian dish from Martinez, and I must say, we are impressed. Exciting to see her branching out in this direction.

[MelMM (Mel)]

Nomination time is here! Find the thread for April here:

April 2023 Cookbook of the Month - Nominations

Time to get going with some nominations for April. April for me brings on a change in my cooking. My CSA starts up at the beginning of the month, so my cooking becomes driven by the produce in the box. I’ll be looking at asparagus, cabbage, lettuces, and of course strawberries. Spring strawberries are maybe a little less special now that local farms are growing berries all year long using day-neutral plants under hoops. But still… I think the seasonal berries taste better. Spring can be a tricky…

[MelMM (Mel)]

PINK GRAPEFRUIT & BLACK PEPPER RECTANGLES - Smith & Deli-cious, p. 147

The base of these was simple and worked as advertized. Vegan butter is creamed with confectioners sugar, then you add flour (a GF blend for me), salt, and black pepper. This is pressed into a baking pan, and blind baked for 20 minutes. The filling was more problematic. Silken tofu is blended with sugar, then you add in grapefruit juice and zest, and a small amount of flour and cornstarch. The grapefruit juice is where I ran into a little trouble. The recipe calls for 2/3 cup, about the yield from one grapefruit. I tasted the filling mixture after adding the juice, and it just didn’t taste very grapefruit-y, plus I could still taste some beany-ness from the tofu. So I ended up adding the juice from a whole other grapefruit - a lot more than called for. This got the flavor more on point, but the color of the mixture was a pale beige, a far cry from the pink in the photo. I had to resort to some food coloring, a little bit of red and just a tiny bit of yellow, to get the color right. You pour this filling onto the base and bake. The filling set up well, even with the extra liquid from the juice. It did have some bubbles from the Vitamix, so I didn’t get the smooth top in the photo. With the extra juice, these were pretty tasty, although I would still like more grapefruit. Maybe extract is needed. These were a bit on the sweet side for my taste, but I somehow still managed to scarf them down. The black pepper in the base is subtle - too subtle, I’d say. I think I’d actually like some rosemary or thyme in these.

[MelMM (Mel)]

OKONOMIYAKI - Vegan with Bite, p. 26

Okonomiyaki was a frequent nominee, but never selected, for DOTM back in the Chowhound days. The idea of veganizing it appealed to me then, but I never got around to it. Now I don’t have to, as the work has been done for me. The recipe calls for a mix of chickpea and all-purpose flour. I used my bread flour formula as the gluten-free substitute for the all-purpose flour. You start off by making a simple dashi of kombu and water. You then blend the flours with the dashi, along with some nutritional yeast, regular and black salt (for the eggy taste), baking powder, and shichimi togarashi. Into the resulting batter, you will fold some shredded cabbage that has been salted, then tossed with rice flour, plus some scallions and pickled ginger.

The pancakes get fried in a skillet on both sides. I made a half recipe of this for two people, and just made two large pancakes. After turning the pancakes out onto a plate, garnish with mayo, tonkatsu sauce (recipe included), and more scallion and pickled ginger.

We really liked these! They cooked up perfectly. I am so happy I have finally made this dish. My CSA will be starting up in a couple weeks, and we always have cabbage in the early boxes. I will definitely make these okonomiyaki again.

[MelMM (Mel)]

SAUSAGE AND EGG BREAKFAST FRIED RICE - Vegan with Bite, p. 36

I like a big, hearty breakfast, and I prefer for it to be savory. So this recipe had lots of appeal. You start by making the egg mixture, which is the same as what Rainy described upthread. You cook that and set aside. You then do a stir-fry starting with scallion and mushrooms, then adding red chile, garlic, and sausage. A couple big handfuls of greens go in, then you season with salt and white pepper. Day-old cooked rice is added and tossed with everything then seasoned with soy sauce or Maggi. You push all that to one side and add the “egg” back in, break it up with your spatula, then toss with the rice.

This was a great stick-to-your-ribs kind of breakfast, and it made enough that I was able to have it for a few days. Would definitely make again as an alternative to my usual grits and tofu scramble.

[MelMM (Mel)]

ONE-POT BURRITO RICE - Vegan with Bite, p. 101

Health food this is not. You start by sautéing onion and red and green bell pepper with a pinch of salt. Add garlic. Then add “veggie mince,” which in these parts, means Impossible. As that cooks, add chili powder (I used Pendery’s original), cumin, coriander, cinnamon, sweet paprika, and dried oregano (I used Mexican). Mix all that up, then add a can of diced tomatoes. After that cooks for a bit, you add the rice and stir to coat, then some frozen corn kernels and a can of black beans. Add stock, stir, and cook, covered. At the end of cooking, you stir in scallions and vegan cheese, then you top with more cheese and put the cover back on to trap the heat while the cheese melts. Serve garnished with cilantro and fresh avocado. She suggests serving with corn chips and hot sauce, which we did.

Another super hearty recipe. There is a lot in this dish, and a lot of flavor. It reminds me a bit of the rice dishes in Rick Bayless’ More Mexican Everyday, but just… more. Truly a one-dish meal. The only think I would change is to use a little less liquid next time. This rice dish was wet, kind of risotto-like (like the Bayless dishes).

[CaitlinM]

BROCCOLI, LEMON & MINT RISOTTO — Smith & Deli-cious, p. 91

I don’t have this book, but MelMM provided a link to the recipe online. The ingredients and technique are all there, so I’ll just note my deviations and additions, of which I made several. First, I didn’t try to multitask the making of the risotto and the broccoli pesto because I’m not a fast cook, and traditionally cooked risotto demands a certain level of attention, after all. So I did the pesto ahead of starting the risotto, and I used the same pot for cooking the broccoli and the risotto (there’s no way the broccoli would’ve fit in the small saucepan mentioned). I used the juice and zest of two small Meyer lemons, and after whizzing all the ingredients I felt the balance of lemon and salt were good, but it needed smoothing so I blended in a couple of tablespoons of water. (I didn’t use any green chile because one person I was cooking dinner for can’t really handle any heat.)

For the risotto itself, I didn’t use the brown onion, and instead sliced up three spring onions (in the US sense) and the whites of six (rather than three) scallions, setting aside the scallion greens to add later. I also peeled and chopped the thick stem of the head of broccoli and sautéed it with the alliums, so the whole thing was used. After sautéing the rice and before beginning to add my vegetable broth, I deglazed with a good glug of dry vermouth. Fresh peas were not an option, and I don’t care for frozen, so instead I chopped up the third of a bag of artichoke hearts that was hanging out in my freezer and added them. At the same time, I added the sliced scallion greens and a drained can of great northern beans (to contribute protein so it’d be a real one-dish meal). When I stirred in the broccoli pesto at the end, I also added a good amount of (non-vegan) grated parmesan.

This was a hearty and very delicious risotto that was greatly enjoyed by all. The broccoli pesto added a lot of flavor, with its lemon and herbs, and I love that the pot had a whole bunch of broccoli in it without the florets overtaking the flavor and texture of the dish, just carrying more with it. Highly recommended, and a dish I’d happily make and eat again.

[articshark (Dawn)]

Ohhhhh, that’s like a broccoli rice casserole flavor profile. Which is my JAM with steak. Mmmmmm

[MelMM (Mel)]

Much brighter flavors than any broccoli rice casserole I’ve had.

[MelMM (Mel)]

BROCCOLI, LEMON & MINT RISOTTO - Smith & Deli-cious, p. 91

This dish is a house favorite around here. The risotto is made in the usual way. You also make a broccoli pesto from blanched broccoli, olive oil, fresh mint, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and green chile (optional). This pesto is stirred in when the rice is just cooked, along with some peas. Parmesan is added to finish (optional), and some black pepper.

I made this many times as written, until last year when I was cooking from the Sahadi book (Flavors of the Sun). That book had a suggestion for using minced preserved lemon in risotto in place of parm for a brighter flavor. This risotto immediately came to mind, and I tried it. It took an already great risotto to another level. So that’s the way I do it now. I’m looking forward to my upcoming CSA boxes with broccoli.

Risotto pictured with a topping of tempeh, morels, more broccoli, and cherry tomatoes.

[MelMM (Mel)]

PICKLED CHINESE MUSHROOMS - Smith & Deli-cious, p. 37

This was a recipe that caught my eye when the book first came out, but I didn’t make it right a way. Later, when Japaneasy and Vegan Japaneasy were COTM, I made the pickled shiitakes in one of them and discovered a) that I really love them ,and b) that it is the perfect thing to do with rehydrated shiitakes left over after making stock or dashi. And that experience drew me back to this recipe. I used mushrooms left over from making a big batch of stock. The recipe also calls for wood ear mushrooms. You are supposed to simmer the mushrooms in a saucepan to rehydrate, and add the carrots for the last minute of cooking. You want the carrots lightly cooked, still crisp. I skipped the simmering for the shiitakes, as they were already fully rehydrated, so it was just the wood ears and the carrots. The mushrooms and carrots get tossed into the dressiing, which is comprised of salt, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, black vinegar, sugar, toasted sesame seeds, ginger, garlic, red chile, Sichuan crispy chile oil, cilantro, and sliced red onion. You toss it all together and let sit for 30 minutes or more, stirring as needed to redistribute the dressing.

This salad was absolutely fantastic. I could not stop eating it. If you make it, double or triple it so you have enough that makes it to the table.

[CaitlinM]

Great idea on the preserved lemon, I’ll have to try that.

[MelMM (Mel)]

TOM YUM FRIED RICE - Vegan with Bite, p. 90

This recipe delivers a lot of flavor with very little effort by making use of commercial tom yum soup paste as a flavoring agent for fried rice. Brilliant. The called for veg are yard-long beans, king trumpet mushrooms, gai lan, pineapple, frozen corn, and onion. Working off supermarket produce, I used broccolini in place of the beans and gai lan, and cremini mushrooms. Absolutely fine here, although I would like to make it with original ingredients. You stir-fry the veg in a hot wok, then add the tom yum paste and stir to coat the vegetables. Your day-old rice goes in next, and then the stir-fry is seasoned with fish sauce and soy or Maggi sauce, and some chili paste or oil if desired. Some halved cherry tomatoes and fresh cilantro and Thai basil go in last.

This was easy, fast, and tasty. It does make a lot. I have a 16" wok, and it was pushing the limits. I would suggest if you are just cooking for one or two, to halve the recipe. You won’t have leftovers, but you won’t have pineapple chunks flying out of your wok either. Taste wise, I would up the tom yum paste a bit next time. While this was flavorful, I wanted to get more of a tamarind hit. (I used Maesri brand paste, YMMV with other brands).

[GretchenS]

@MelMM

PICKLED CHINESE MUSHROOMS

They look mouth-wateringly good.

[MelMM (Mel)]

BOLOGNESE - Smith & Deli-cious, p. 92

You can find the recipe for this linked upthread. Definitely not one for bolognese purists, but it’s become my go-to version. It starts out innocently enough, with you sautéing onion, carrot, and celery. But then you add mushrooms. Soon you will have Marcella Hazan rolling in her grave when you add the garlic, followed by capers and their juice, chile flakes (!), oregano, and tomato paste. To this unholy mix, you add your veggie mince (I use Impossible ground). Martinez gives a nod to tradition by adding soy milk to the ground meat mixture and cooking it down. I did this the first time I made the recipe, but haven’t bothered since, since I think it adds nothing. I just don’t think this step is serving its original purpose when you are using Impossible and mushrooms instead of animal meat. Some wine goes in next, which I don’t skip. When that is reduced, in go diced tomatoes and passata. I don’t normally keep diced tomatoes on hand, so I use whole peeled tomatoes that I pulse briefly in the blender. She also calls for the vegetarian “beef” stock. I don’t think any of the commercial vegetarian (or not vegetarian) beef stocks are worth using, so I’ll just use a vegetable stock here. The magic umami ingredient also goes in at this time: porcini mushroom powder. Add a bay leaf, and let it simmer. Martinez finishes the sauce with fresh basil and parsley, more sacrilege.

Maybe this shouldn’t be called a bolognese. I don’t know, and don’t care. I like it better. @LulusMom1, if it’s possible that there is a bolognese out there that you would like, this would probably be it. I serve it on big fat rigatoni, undoubtedly oversauced, with no apologies.

[articshark (Dawn)]

I have been on the hunt for a good one. I used to use Uncle Ben’s back in my 20s. And then realized just how full of chemicals it was. (But it taste SO good with steak, seriously) All the one’s I’ve tried from scratch since have been a huge let down. Not cheesy enough. Not broccoli-y enough. Not creamy enough, if you know what I mean. I am totally trying this when our house comes off keto.