LEEK AND BEAN CASSOULET WITH BISCUITS

This dish sounds a little weird but it is, as Isa notes, home cooked comfort food at it’s best. Imagine yummy leeks cooked with other veggies and then crowned with light fluffy biscuits – a cassoulet that comes with it’s one bread to dunk, how convenient! Cassoulet is a rich, slow-cooked bean stew or casserole originating in the south of France. It usually contains meat but this recipe uses more veggies and then adds biscuits. So biscuits on a cassoulet is maybe something you haven’t tried before but I suggest you do as soon as possible. These, though, are more like scones rather than biscuits so they soak up the veggie broth so well. It’s also a great way to get a range of veggies in one meal. Another point, this meal takes some time to prepare so it’s one of our Sunday favourites but it lasts us three nights. So you need time for this one but it’s worth it and it lasts.


Ingredients
For the stew:

• 2 potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 leeks, washed well and sliced thinly (about 2 cups)
• 1 small onion, cut into medium-sized dice
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus extra for garnish
• Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (more or less depending on how salty your broth is, so taste first)
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• 1 can/cooked cannellini beans

For the biscuits:

• 3/4 cup plain soy milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegan shortening

Directions
Preheat the oven to 215 Celsius.
To cook the potatoes:

1. Place the potatoes in a small pot, and cover with water.
2. Cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, let cook for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender enough to be pierced with a fork. Drain immediately so that they do not overcook.
3. While they are boiling, you can prep the rest of the veggies and start preparing the biscuits.

Prepare everything for the biscuits:

1. You're not going to make them yet, but it's good to have everything ready when it comes time to top the stew. Add the vinegar to the soy milk in a measuring cup, and set aside to curdle. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Prepare the stew:

1. Mix the cornstarch into the vegetable broth until dissolved; set aside.
2. Preheat an oven-safe skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Sauté in the oil the leeks, onions and carrots until very soft and just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Keep the heat moderate so that they don't burn.
3. Add the garlic, thyme, freshly ground black pepper and salt, and cook for 1 more minute.
4. Add the cooked potatoes and frozen peas, then pour in the vegetable stock mixture. Raise the heat just a bit; it will take a few minutes but the liquid will start simmering. Once it does, lower the heat again. Let it simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, but no longer than that.
5. If you need more time for the biscuits, then turn off the heat under the stew.

Prepare the biscuits:

1. Add the shortening to the flour in small slivers, and work it into the dough with a fork or with your fingers until large crumbs form. You don't want to cream it in; there should be clumps. Drizzle in the soy milk, and mix with a fork until everything is moistened (some dry parts are OK).
2. Wash and dry your hands, then lightly flour them and get them dirty again. Gently knead the dough about 10 times right in the bowl, just so that it is holding together and not very sticky. If it seems sticky, as in sticking to your fingers, then gently work in a little more flour. Set that aside.
3. Check on your stew. The stew should be simmering and slightly thickened. Mix in the beans.
4. Now, let's add the biscuits. Pull off chunks of dough that are about slightly larger than golf balls. Gently roll them into balls, and flatten a bit; they do not have to be perfectly round. Add them to the top of the stew, placed an inch or so apart.
5. Transfer the whole it to the preheated oven. If you are worried about spill-over, place it on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes. The biscuits should be just slightly browned and firm to the touch.

To serve:

1. Remove from the oven, and use a large serving spoon to place some of the stew and a biscuit in each shallow, individual bowl. Sprinkle with a little fresh, chopped thyme. Serve at last! Especially yummy when you break up your biscuit and mix it in a bit with your stew.

This recipe is from:

Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

by Terry Romero and Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Recipe can be found at Spark Recipes.

Hummus

Hummus is a favourite for many people. For Vegans it’s a fantastic source of Protein and when eaten with bread it serves as a complete protein. Hummus is also one of the oldest foods on the planet. Chickpeas and sesame, the crops from which hummus's main ingredients are taken, were known and cultivated in the ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern worlds. Chickpeas are hummus's principal ingredient, and have been a human food item for over 10,000 years.

So it’s super good for you and what’s even better is it’s really really simple to make. This was one of our Christmas Lunch dips;

Ingredients

• 450g cooked or canned chickpeas
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp cumin
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 3/4 cup tahini
• 100ml water
• salt to taste

Directions

Blend all ingredients in a food processor.

Top with one of the following toppings:

• Sumac, Dill, Toasted Sesame Seeds and good quality Olive Oil (My favourite)
• Paprika, Parsley, Toasted Pine Nuts and good quality Olive Oil
• Biber salçası (a thick, deep red paste made from red chili peppers and salt. It is a part of Turkish cuisine

WILD MUSHROOM PÂTÉ

So, it seems to be my moment for mushrooms. I made Wild Mushroom Risoni tonight for dinner, I’ll cook a Wild Mushroom Pizza for Thursday and Friday and my holiday highlight was Mushroom Wontons. So I thought that I would add to the blog the Mushroom Pâté we made for Christmas lunch. It was really good and although it wasn't the most attractive item on the table it was gone all gone pretty quickly. Traditionally pâté is made of ground meat but there are so many different easy vegetarian pâtés I don’t know why you’d bother – messy and yucky. This was definitely a crowd favourite with mushroom lovers and everyone else.
This recipe comes from Vegan Planet. Below in the ingredients are the mushrooms we used however I think you could use any mushrooms. We substituted oysters for shitakes as I think they give me a stomach ache and we also substituted creminis for king browns as the king browns looked so beautiful at the mushroom stall.
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in very hot water for 15-20 minutes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups white mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup oyster mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup king brown mushrooms, chopped
• 2 tbsp white wine
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pinch of dried chilli flakes
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Drain the porcinis, chop and set aside.
2. Lightly oil a loaf pan or pate mould. Pre-heat the over to 180 Celsius.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cover and cook until soften, about 5 minutes. Add all the mushrooms, the wine, thyme, salt and chilli flakes. Cook until the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Coarsely grind the walnuts in a food processor. Add the parsley and flour and pulse to combine. Add the mushroom mixture and process until combined but not pureed, leaving some texture. Taste and adjust the seasonings, then spoon into the prepared pan. Bake until firm, about 45 minutes.
5. Let the Pâté cool in the pan, then refrigerate until well chilled for easier slicing. When ready to serve, remove the Pâté from the pan and transfer to a plate and serve at room temperature.

This recipe comes from:

Vegan Planet: 400 Irresistible Recipes with Fantastic Flavors from Home and Around the World

by Robin Robertson

Recipe can be found at Google Books.

Mushroom Wontons in a Light Ginger-Soy Broth

I love Wontons – actually make that any kind of filled Dumpling. I love biting into a Wonton and getting that hit of flavour from a delicious filling. It is like a present all wrapped up and enticing. Wontons are also incredibly easy to make but take a little time to fold. Wontons are a type of dumpling commonly found in a number of Chinese cuisines. However this particular recipe is an American-Chinese style recipe. In this cuisine wontons are served in two ways: in wonton soup (wontons in a clear broth), and as an appetizer called fried wontons. According to the Wiki, in most American Chinese restaurants, only wonton dumplings in broth are served, while native Chinese versions may come with noodles. Authentic Cantonese Wonton Soup is a full meal in itself consisting of thin noodles and several wontons in a broth. SO there is nothing very traditional about this recipe. The sauce for the dumpling mixture is very yummy yummy and flavour filled. These are some of the best dumplings I have ever had so you need to give them a try.

This recipe comes from Vegan Yum Yum and I modified it a little for our tastings and I used mushrooms rather than Seitan. Mushrooms are my general dumpling filler and I use different mushrooms depending on the cuisine of the dumpling.

Ingredients

Wontons

• 16 Wonton Skins
• 1 tbsp Oil
• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 1-2 tsp Fresh Ginger, minced
• 1 cup Bok Choy or Choy Sum, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup Oyster Mushrooms, chopped fine
• 1/2 tsp Hot Chili Sauce, more if desired
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp Tamari or Soy Sauce

Ginger-Soy Broth

• 4 cups Water
• 5-6 fresh Ginger slices
• 1 tbsp Mirin
• 2 tbsp Tamari (or soy sauce)
• 1 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Rice Vinegar
• 1-2 Star Anise
• 1/4 tsp Sesame Oil
• 1/2 tsp Salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 cup Bok Choy or Choy Sum, packed

Directions

Filling

Begin by chopping the Bok Choy or Choy Sum very thinly with a sharp knife, from the base of the stem up towards the leaves. Heat a large pan with oil and add the onion. Cook until soft and add ginger. Once the ginger becomes fragrant, add the broccoli and mushrooms, stirring well and cooking until the mushrooms are cooked. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust to your liking. Set aside while you make the broth.

Broth

Heat all of the broth ingredients together except the greens in a small pan, until sugar and salt is dissolved and the ginger has had time to infuse into the broth. Taste and add more salt if desired, but remember this is a mild broth that is only meant to be a complement to the wontons. Once the broth has begin to simmer, turn off heat and toss in greens. Cover and set aside.

Prepare the Wontons

We folded our dumplings Kylie Kwong style as the wrappers we had were not perfect squares.

Place 1-2 tsp of filling in the centre of the wonton. Wet the edges of the wrapper with water (a finger dipped in water works great) and fold the far end towards you into a rectangle, removing as much air as possible from the dumpling. Make sure edges are secured. Turn the dumpling round so the secured long edge is facing away from your. Fold this edge over again a little to ensure nothing falls out of the dumpling. Wet one of the bottom corners. Hold the corners, one between each thumb and forefinger. Begin to bend the wrapper, as if you were forcing it into a horseshoe shape. Don’t change your grip. Bring the two corners together, crossing them slightly, and press to seal (pictures of the whole process can be found at this pinoycook).

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Re-heat your broth to steaming, if necessary. Gently lower the wontons into the boiling water and cook until they become translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and place in a collider. Give them a gentle shake to remove excess water. Place in a serving bowl and ladle a small amount of broth over the dumplings, enough to half-way cover the wontons. Make sure to get some greens in there, too. Serve immediately.