I don’t know many people who don’t like South Asian food, and for vegetarians and vegans it is almost a necessity given the prevalence of vegetarianism in India. Even outside of India, in Bangladesh and Pakistan the cuisine is very reliant on fruits and vegetables which grow in glorious abundance in the region’s diverse agricultural zones. When I lived in Bangladesh, where there are very few vegetarians, it was always easy to find a good meal since most Bangladeshis maintain a halal diet and, for most, meat is a costly luxury.
The Potluck Crew
Working at the farmer’s market for the largest organic farmer in Austin means that we, and many of our friends, have an abundance of vegetables on hand. These two ingredients, friends and excessive vegetables, are the essential ingredients for some great potluck dinners. This week, we met up with some friends on Sunday night to share some South Asian inspired dishes and clear some space in the produce drawers. James used tomatoes and peppers to make a great saucy Chana Masala and our friend Clayton, who works at the JBG market downtown on Saturday, made Baingan Bharta, a tasty roasted eggplant dish that was enhanced with the addition of sweet yellow Ringo peppers. I made a sweet and savory Brown Rice Pilau and, for desert, Sweet Potato Bread with walnut streusel. These dishes were accompanied by other offerings including salads, red beans and rice, and more side dishes. Everyone left the table very full and all of our fridges had a little more room for new fresh veggies!
The forecasted high temperature next week is not expected to exceed 95 degrees. That is right, Texas, it’s fall! To celebrate the season and Johnson’s Backyard Garden’s bumper crop of sweet potatoes we have created several delicious recipies perfect for a sub-100 day. Fresh sweet potatoes are denser, sweeter, and creamier than any other version I have ever had. If you have the chance to use fresh local sweet potatoes you might find it hard to go back to anything at the supermarket.
But before we get to the recipes I would like to talk a little more about sweet potatoes. Like all potatoes, sweet potatoes are native to the Americas where evidence of the tubers date back to 8000 BC. About 1,00 years ago sweet potatoes were introduced to Polynesia by South Pacific explorers and 500 years ago or so the first Europeans had their taste. Varieties of sweet potatoes are now popular in most tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world and are an important source of nutrition for billions of people. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin B6, C, and, in the case of orange sweet potatoes, vitamin A. They are so packed in nutrients that they are on the front lines of battling malnutrition in parts of Africa. It should also be noted that while we use the terms interchangeably in the United States, yams and sweet potatoes are completely different plants. That said, the flavor and usages are very similar so please continue calling them whatever you want.
To start this season’s sweet potato feast we made a Sweet Potato Salad with black-eyed peas and a lemon dressing. Then I made a Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie with mushrooms, peppers, and Walnut Gravy which is great for these “colder” days. Then I experimented with some Sweet Potato Cookies which were simple and delicious. James whipped up a Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew which might have been the best of show. Finally, we made some Sweet Potato Barley Burgers which would do fantastically for a burnt (or golden brown) orange cookout.
Our article on Andean Quesillo has been published in the fall 2012 issue of Culture magazine! You can find Culture magazine at more than 4,500 retailers in the country including HEB, Central Market, and Whole Foods. We first saw the publication early in 2012 and were impressed with the quality of the photos and the breadth of the content. We were inspired by the DIY section to write an article on making the fresh cheese that we came to love while living in the high Peruvian Andes.
The recipe published in Culture is not unlike the fresh cheese recipe we published here a few months ago. The primary difference is that at higher altitudes water, and milk, boil at a lower temperature which also creates a smaller curd in the resulting cheese. We also enhanced the flavor with the addition of lime juice to form the curd. The resulting cheese is the perfect recreation of Andean Quesillo and ideal for the use in many of Peru’s most famous dishes including Aji de Quinoa, which can found on Culture’s website. Users of this recipe should know that the photo that accompanies the recipe on the website might be a little misleading. Aji de Quinoa does not contain large waxy chunks of potatoes and garbanzo beans. Rather, it is a classic Peruvian dish that an editor might think resembles the result of food and not necessarily food itself.
Aji de Quinoa
In anticipation of this publication we made some additional recipes with quesillo including Ensalada de Chocolo y Chocho (Corn and Edamame Salad) and Butternut Squash Crema. Soon, we will also be making some sweet humitas with quesillo and dreaming of our next foray into the publishing world.
As Austin has emerged as a leading foodie city in the United States many opportunities have arisen to sample the local fare, but none of these festivals or events unites the community like the Austin Hot Sauce Festival. The Hot Sauce Festival, which has been sponsored by the Austin Chronicle for the last 22 years, cuts across all demographics to attract commercial and home cooks across the city and the state to compete for a coveted “best hot sauce” or honorable mention. Being Texas, the hot sauce festival is extremely popular with festival goers and hot sauce makers alike. This year, James and I joined in the fun.
The Hot Sauce Festival competition is exceptionally inclusive – anyone who wants to enter a hot sauce and has $20, can. In addition to participating in the event, you have the honor of having your food tasted by a panel of judges including food writers, chefs, and three times James Beard award winner and hot sauce aficionado Robb Walsh. Finally, and most democratically of all, if you want the public to sample your sauce at the festival all you have to do is prepare it in a commercial kitchen. Just Add Chef was offering free kitchen time to non-commercial contestants which was a fantastic chance to use some industrial strength equipment that we just could not pass up.
For the festival we decided to make two very typical Peruvian Ajis using locally available peppers from Johnson’s Backyard Garden. Ajis are pepper sauces that are used as table condiments in Peru and Ecuador. Every restaurant and home chef will have their own recipes and techniques that can vary dramatically, but usually there is a lot of flavor and a good amount of heat. Aji Verde is a green sauce made with an abundance of herbs including a Peruvian mint, huacatay. Our second aji was a version of Aji Amarillo which is the cornerstone of all Peruvian cuisine that appears on most restaurant tables in the country and adds flavor and color to the country’s most famous dishes.
On Sunday morning we arrived at the festival early to register our Ajis and came back a little later in the afternoon to get in on the samples. The festival is so popular that the organizers had set up a dozen different hour long lines to try the sauces submitted by companies and individuals. James and I took turns holding our place in line while the other ran around the festival getting samples from the sponsor tents and procuring adult refreshments. When we finally reached the sample tables we were rewarded with a wide variety of hot sauces including smooth and savory barbecue sauces, hot and sweet chutney style sauces, and lots of spicy, smokey, peppery varieties. We both agreed that out of the samples we had James and I enjoyed a hot Asian style garlic sauce. To whoever made that – I want to buy a jar!
Sad to say, James and I did not reign victorious in the competition, but we were really pleased with our submissions and hope that the judges and festival attendants enjoyed them as well. You can view our Aji Amarillo and Aji Verde recipes on this site and find our Chifa Aji, Green Tomato Aji, and Roasted Tomato Aji as well. These sauces are so delicious and versatile I don’t know if we eat a meal at home without them since returning from Peru. We encourage you to explore these recipes and hope that you will make your own and share your ideas with us!
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:
This past weekend we hosted a small bourbon tasting with a group of friends at our house. Taylor and I have wanted to get more into and understand the different flavors of bourbon for some time, so this was a great way to sample several nice selections without having to stock our own liquor cabinet to the gills. We prepared several small dishes to pair with the bourbons. First up we had Blistered Shishito Peppers, which have a slight amount of char just like the inside of the bourbon oak barrels. Following the peppers was Smoky Baba Ganoush with carrots and olive bread and sweet, slightly spiced Caramelized Onion Crostini. For a more hearty course, we enjoyed Miniature Mushroom Wellingtons (recipe forthcoming). Last but not least, we had Roasted Peaches with Vanilla Honey Whipped Cream (recipe forthcoming also) for dessert.
As for the bourbons, we sampled Baker’s, Cyrus Noble, Evan Williams 1783, Eagle Rare, Four Roses, Knob Creek 9, Pure Kentucky, and Woodford Reserve. The flavors of this variety of bourbons ranged from aggressive spice to smooth, silky honey. We can definitely say that not a single bourbon was was unappreciated. I personally liked the smoothness of Eagle Rare the best (my own selection for the evening), while Taylor really enjoyed the spiciness of Knob Creek 9.
With all the fresh squash, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, basil, onions, and garlic in season right now, it is time for some delicious Italian-inspired dinners. To capitalize on this most flavorful of seasons we started our cooking marathon by creating a slow fresh tomato sauce complemented with a little spice and some meaty mushrooms in this Garden Marinara. To accompany the sauce we prepared a Spaghetti Squash infused with fresh rosemary. At their peak freshness, winter squashes are so sweet and flavorful it makes an ideal substitute for pasta or other less nutritious starches. To fully round out this feast we made Baked Eggplant. This is a stunningly good vegan baked alternative to eggplant parmesan that makes you wonder how the story of Italian cuisine would have evolved if Marco Polo had also chosen to pack some Panko back from Asia.
I love cookies, but my love is tempered by a small personal problem – despite my life long vegetarianism, daily exercise, and general dislike of eggs and dairy I have above normal cholesterol levels. Now, before you send me a condolence letter I should let you know that it is not technically in a high range, but it was high enough to catch my attention when I was ready to blow my last check-up out of the water. Some additional family research revealed some more disturbing facts, like that everyone in my family over the age of 50 has been diagnosed with heart disease and I am probably one of the 30% of people who are susceptible to dietary cholesterol.
So, I love cookies but it is important to me to avoid dietary cholesterol as much as reasonably possible. One solution is to make vegan cookies, but it would be erroneous to assume that all vegan foods are necessarily better for you than foods that may contain dairy or egg products. This is because many of the easiest to find vegan substitutes (margarine) contain trans-fats which – even though they contain no cholesterol – act to raise bad cholesterol in the blood. To me, part of making a good cookie means making one that I can enjoy knowing that I am not consuming cholesterol or trans-fats, and it also has to taste great.
To this end I created this vegan oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. They are nutty and spicy with a texture that is indistinguishable from a good conventional soft oatmeal cookie. It also has the added benefits of omega-3s from ground flax seed. So, while it is not quite health food, these treats aren’t detrimental to your cardiovascular health and might even contain the glimmer of a benefit.
Baby onions aren't the only babies in season right now!
This summer promises to bring a bumper crop of babies! One friend specifically asked us at Coseppi Kitchen to post some recipe ideas that can be made ahead of time and frozen so that when the baby craziness happens they will have some things prepared. So, with hours to spare before her due date we would like to present Green Tomato and Summer Squash Enchiladas, Veggie Mac Casserole, and Tofu Pesto Lasagna.
We hope that expanding families everywhere will find these dishes delicious and nutritious and that they pair well with hard-boiled or fried fresh backyard eggs.
I was wrong and I take back everything I said about green tomatoes that might have been construed as disparaging. After further experimentation I have decided that I love them! They are crisp, versatile, slightly tart globes of eating joy, and I am deeply sorry for my previous ignorance. I have found that I like them so much that I decided to try to put them in everything – and I mean everything.
Our latest green tomato recipes might be a good starting point for anyone who believes that they may be summoned to Kitchen Stadium. As a starter, one could recreate our Three Bean Green Tomato Salad with green tomatoes, fresh dragon tongue, green, and kidney beans, and a refreshing lemon dressing. This course could be followed by a fresh and flavorful Green Tomato Gazpacho or Green Tomato Pesto on buttery sourdough toast. For a main course why not try some flavor packed Green Tomato Enchiladas or a more delicate Green Tomato Pizza. For your final trick whip up a quick Spiced Green Tomato and Peach Pie – it works, really!
Stay tuned for news about the publication of our Authentic Peruvian Vegetarian Cookbook!
If you are interested in publishing our book, please contact us!
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