Coseppi Kitchen

Inclusive Vegetarian Cooking by Taylor Cook & James Seppi

Vegetarian Saltado

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Saltado is a dish that typifies Peru’s multicultural cuisine. It is essentially a stir-fry that combines eastern and Latin flavors with fried potatoes.  It is fairly easy to find vegetarian saltados in Peruvian restaurants, but the most popular version by far is beef loin, or lomo, saltado.  This recipe uses wheat roast instead of beef, but portobello mushrooms, seitan, and tofu all make great saltados as well.

Vegetarian Saltado

Ingredients

  • 1 pound yellow potatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch thick strips
  • 1 pound wheat roast, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices.
  • 1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
  • 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tablespoon ají amarillo paste or 1 minced hot pepper
  • 2 tomatoes, seeded and cut into eighths
  • 1/2 pound sweet peppers, such as bell, sliced into strips
  • 2 medium carrots, julienned
  • 1/4 pound snow peas or snap peas
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Pisco (optional)
  • olive oil cooking spray
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1-2 key limes

Preparation

    1. Liberally coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange potato slices in a single layer and spray with oil and season with a pinch of salt. Cook potato slices in the oven, preheated to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow to bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
    2. Heat olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wheat roast and saute for another minute.
    3. Add ají, tomatoes, snow peas, peppers, parsley, spices, vinegar, Pisco, and soy sauce. Cook until tomatoes are softened and the peas and peppers are tender.
    4. Add prepared potatoes, and quickly toss together. Remove from heat when all ingredients are at a consistent temperature.
    5. Sprinkle with lime juice before serving.  Serve with an ají of your choice.

Fresh Pineapple Juice

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Fresh fruit juices are an inexpensive and popular breakfast staple around Peru. Most such juices are made in ordinary blenders which makes the process and clean-up extremely easy while creating a delicious, frothy beverage.

Fresh Pineapple Juice

Ingredients

  • 1 whole fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups cold water
  • sugar to taste (optional)
  • ground cinnamon or nutmeg

Preparation

  1. Combine the fruit and water in a blender and process until smooth.
  2. Add sugar to taste, if desired.  Blend to mix in the sugar.
  3. Serve over ice, and top with a sprinkle of ground nutmeg or cinnamon.

Slicing a Fresh Pineapple

The color of a ripe pineapple can vary by variety so the best rule of thumb is to pick one that has a good fragrant smell and that gives just a little to a very firm grip.

To slice a fresh pineapple remove the top with a long sharp knife and remove enough from the bottom to create a flat surface. Then, stand the decapitated pineapple up and slice the rest of the skin off in long even sections. This will result in an octagonal fruit. Finally, slice the pineapple into quarters and remove the core.  Slice as directed.


Gordon Ramsey Goes all F@#king Vegetarian

Dear reader be warned: I have allowed myself to use choice language in this article.

Gordon Ramsey is, shall we say, an opinionated man. Whether he is throwing up on Kitchen Nightmares or calling yet another hapless contestant on Hell’s Kitchen a “donkey” (or worse) he is not afraid to express himself. The Ramsey brand of entertainment is not for everyone but I enjoy his TV personality which is obviously insane, obsessive, perfectionist, and workaholic (seriously, how does a human bend space and time to make a dozen television series in any given year).

What is not often discussed with respect to Chef Ramsey is his laudable evolution from vegetarian hater to somewhat of an advocate. There have been several well reported incidents of vegetarian hate crimes in his past, including serving guests in his premier London restaurant soups with chicken broth and lying about it for a laugh. He also had a very public feud with Sir Paul McCartney which began when the Beatle responded to Chef Ramsey’s statement that his “biggest nightmare would be if the kids ever came up to me and said ‘Dad, I’m a vegetarian’.” He went on to say that his likely response to such a confession by his own dear sweet progeny would be to “sit them on the fence and electrocute them” in what would undoubtedly be the first recorded incidence of a celebrity chef honor-killing to protect their macho meat-loving reputation.

So, while doing some research (if watching clips of Chef Ramsey cussing and barfing on YouTube is research) I was thrilled to see this video:

Skip to 5:35 to hear the following revelation for yourself:

“Over the last three or four years I have seriously changed my attitude to vegetarian  cooking. It is vibrant. It is something we serve the children minimum once a week. All of the restaurants now are packed with vegetarian menus and with the array of vegetables that are being grown locally you can create some fantastic dishes.” He then proceeds to load several tablespoons of his chickpea salad on to a pita chip and say “I am proud to admit, I am going all vegetarian for five minutes” and he concludes with a hearty “fuck me!”

To honor this under celebrated vegetarian conversion (even if it was just five minutes) we have recreated three of Gordon Ramsey’s famous dishes – or at least the ones he is most likely to thrown in the trash on Hell’s Kitchen. However, our versions are all meatless! We made a delicious shitake mushroom rissoto which is an easy vegetarian and gluten-free masterpiece as long as you have the time and wrist strength and don’t season it like “a bloody idiot.”  This is followed by Pan Seared Oyster Mushrooms (Scallops) that any “dick face” can pull off.  Finally we made Portobello Mushroom Wellingtons that even a “complete twat” could cook to perfection.

We are sincerely happy that Gordan Ramsey’s mind has expanded to entertain the notion that vegetarian cooking can be delicious fine-dinning and we sleep a little easier knowing that his children are safe in his hands whatever possible dietary life-style they pursue. For some genuine vegetarian recipes crafted by the potty mouth himself check out the links below:

Eggplant Caviar Appetizer

Swed (Rutabaga) and Cardamon Soup

Watercress and Spinach Soup

Linguini

Vegetable Curry

Passion Fruit and Banana Souffle


Portobello Wellingtons

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Mushroom Wellingtons with Red Wine Reduction.

This recipe is a delicious take on beef wellingtons and mushrooms, pecans, and yeast extract pack the dish with flavor and protein. Many of the premade puff pastry doughs you can buy in the store are vegan, but they are full of rehydrognated oils and corn syrup which are terrible for you. If you have time you can make your own or treat yourself to something that contains butter.

Ingredients

  • Three large portobello mushroom caps, washed and degilled
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 teaspoon ground thyme
  • 1 tablespoon yeast extract spread (like Marmite or Vegemite)
  • 1 sheet of puff pastry, defrosted if necessary
  • cooking spray
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the three mushrooms cap up covered in the pan for about 2 minutes. Flip the mushrooms and continue cooking until just tender to the touch.
  2. remove the mushrooms from the pan and add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Saute the onions, garlic, pecans, and sage until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer the saute to a blender of food processor. Add one of the mushrooms and yeast extract and blend, adding stock as needed, until a thick puree forms. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Stuff the remaining mushroom halves with the puree and put the two stuffed caps together to create a single semi-spherical stuffed mushroom.
  4. Stack the sheets and place the mushroom in the center of the pastry sheets. Wrap the puff pastry around the mushrooms and spray the wellington generously with cooking spray.
  5. Place the wellington in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until the puff pastry is golden brown, for about 20 minutes.
  6. Slice and serve with Red Wine Reduction Sauce.

Red Wine Reduction Sauce

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Red Wine Reduction Sauce

This sauce is typically served with meat, but it makes a great gravy-like sauce any savory dish. It makes about 1/3 a cup of thick sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 white onion, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 1 medium leek
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

 Preparation

  1. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and leeks and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add rosemary, broth, wine, and tomato paste to the sauteed vegetables. Combine and bring to a rolling boil.
  3. Cook until reduced by half, about 45 minutes. Drain the vegetables and return the sauce to a pan.
  4. Bring the sauce back to a boil and allow to continue to reduce until the sauce reaches the desired consistency, about 30 minutes.

Pan Seared Trumpet Mushrooms

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Trumpet mushrooms are used in this dish mainly because of their shape which, when sliced, look somewhat like scallops. I have no idea what scallops taste like, but if they are tender and mild then trumpet mushrooms are not a bad substitute.

Seared Mushroom Scallops

Seared Mushroom Scallops

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/4 pounds trumpet mushrooms, cut into 3/4 inch thick rounds
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 medium leeks, washed and sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 lemon, sliced into wedges

Preparation

  1. Mix rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and water until the sugar dissolves at least four hours.
  2. To cook the mushrooms heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet until very hot. Carefully place the marinaded mushroom slices in the pan and season with ground pepper and a sprinkle of salt. Allow the bottom of the mushroom slices to cook until a good sear forms, about 3 minutes.
  3. Turn the mushrooms, season, and sear the other side.
  4. While the mushrooms are cooking heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the leeks until just tender, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Plate the dish with 3 seared mushroom slices served over a 1/4 cup of sauteed leeks and a lemon wedge.

Pickled Beets

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Pickled Chiogga Beets

Pickled Chioggia Beets

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch (4 or 5) beets
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • Salt and pepper

Method

1 Remove greens from beets, save for future use (see beet greens recipe). Cut beets to uniform sizes so they will cook evenly. Steam or boil around 30 minutes or until done. (Alternatively, you can roast them by wrapping them whole in foil and cooking them in a 350°F oven for about an hour.) A fork easily inserted into the beet will tell you if the beets are done or not.

2 Drain the beets, rinsing them in cold water. Use your fingers to slip the peels off of the beets. The peels should come off easily. Discard the peels. Slice the beets.

3 Make the vinaigrette by combining the cider vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and dry mustard. Whisk ingredients together with a fork. The dry mustard will help to emulsify the vinaigrette. Adjust to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine beets and vinaigrette in a bowl and allow to marinate for a half hour at room temperature.

Serves four.


Pickled Tomatillos

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Pickled Tomatillos

Pickled Tomatillos

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed, cut into quarters or eighths (about 10 cups)
  • 6 whole habanero peppers
  • 3-6 whole large cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seed
  • 3 cups distilled white vinegar or cider vinegar
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

Preparation

  1. Divide tomatillos among 6 pint-size (2-cup) canning jars or similar-size tempered-glass or heatproof-plastic containers with lids. Divide the habaneros, garlic slices and cumin seed evenly among the jars.
  2. Combine vinegar, 3 cups water, salt and sugar in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  3. Carefully fill jars (or containers) with brine to within 1/2 inch of the rim, covering the tomatillos completely. (Discard any leftover brine.)
  4. Place the lids on the jars (or containers). Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/pickled_tomatillos.html


Pickled Jalapeno Peppers

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pickled jalapenios

pickled jalapenios

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • 1 pint jalapeno peppers, washed and punctured with a fork

 Preparation

  1. Sterilize one half-pint mason jar, a new lid, and a canning ring.
  2. In a non-reactive pan bring vinegar, sugar, and water to a boil.
  3. Once the liquid has started to boil place the peppers in the brine and continue to simmer over medium heat string occasionally. Simmer for about three minutes then remove from heat.
  4. Carefully remove the sterilized jars from the hot water. Pack the sterilized peppers into the jars and fill with brining liquid.
  5. Wipe the rims of the jars, affix the lid, and screw the canning ring in place.
  6. Submerge the jar in a hot water bath and process for 10 minutes under boiling water.
  7. Carefully remove from the hot water bath and allow to cool before storing in a cupboard.  Store for at least 2 weeks.  Refrigerate after opening.

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