Linguine con Finferli-Linguine with Chanterelle

We've just returned from an amazing vacation in the Dolomites, which are located in Alto Adige, the region in Italy that borders with Austria.  It was an inspiring vacation that I took with my husband and two of my dogs, Chardonnay and Bellone Benny Boo Boo.  There are incredible flower and vegetable gardens in every yard I saw, all perfectly groomed and manicured.  You can eat while on the run as well.  I hiked in one forest and picked wild strawberries for about 2 km.  These were wild uncultivated strawberries that changed my life in a serious way.  I now know what a strawberry really is and trust me; it ain't those giant cultivated ones you find in supermarkets such as Whole Foods.  No, these were tiny and had intense aromas and flavor.  Tiny strawberries on crack, in my opinion.  

Crackberries?

    Then, of course, there is the scenery.  Have you ever seen The Sound of Music?  The hills really are alive.  Every turn you make is like a picture perfect postcard.  So much green and so much clean fresh air invigorates the soul.  I had not been back to the Dolomites since 2008.  It was in the Dolomites that I made a connection with the cow that changed my life, when I was determined once and for all to make my life animal free.  I came back from this trip with more determination.  I feel healthy, reinvigorated and alive.  The Alps must be on a vortex!

       Alto Adige is the northern most region in Italy.  It has the Dolomites and also a great wine making tradition.  In fact, the lovely Gewurztraminer comes from Alto Adige.   In some ways the culture is more Germanic than Italian, but when it comes to the food, just like in every other region, they are experts with local ingredients.  In Alto Adige it was harder than most other regions in Italy to be vegan, because they rely on dairy for almost everything.  There are cows in the fields eating Alpine grass and you encounter cows on your walks up the mountains.  Luckily, it is a heavily forested area and gorgeous vegan local products are, in fact, readily available.  Unlike other regions in Italy, Alto Adige and, I suspect, most of the other Alpine areas, has a variety of fresh and delicious mushrooms available in the summer.  One night of rain and you're practically swimming in them.  We had an apartment rather than a hotel.  It was better for nights when I wanted to cook, and it was much better with for the dogs.  Please enjoy this yummy version of Linguine con Finferli

   Linguine con Finferli

Ingredients for 4 people

500 grams of fresh Chanterelle Mushrooms

6 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2 tbsn of dry vegetable broth

I can of peeled whole tomatoes

3-5 tbsn of olive oil 

Splash of white wine

Course Himalaya Salt for the pasta water

1 tbsn chopped flat leaf parsley to toss in at the end

1 packet of linguine

pot of boiled and salted water

Directions:  First, you will need a deep pan.  Put the olive oil, splash of wine, broth and garlic in the pan and sautè for a few minutes until  garlic softens.  Then add the can of tomatoes.  Fill the can with water and also put the water in the pan with the rest of the ingredients.  Let this simmer on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes.  Meanwhile bring water to a boil in a large pot, add the salt for the pasta and cook the linguine.  As soon as you place the linguine in the pot and have stirred in a few times, stir in the mushrooms to the pan along with the garlic, olive oil, wine and broth.  Simmer at a low to medium heat while the pasta is cooking at the same time.  When the pasta becomes al dente, drain and replace in the the pot.  Stir in about 3/4 of the mushroom recipe into the pasta and the parsley.  Serve in bowls and garnish with the rest of the mushrooms on top of the pasta.  You can also include a garnish of parsley.  Serve with a lovely Teraldogo.  

Buon Appetito!

Foradori 2008 Vigneti Delle Dolomiti IGT Teroldego

The Real Stars of the trip:

Chardonnay

Bellone Benny Boo Boo

What's on My Plate?

I have been super busy this season with work.  I feel like I need to set up camp at the Vatican so I can get a few more zzzz's in every night.  I have, however, managed to make time for my favorite activity, cooking.  I can tell you what is not on my plate:  decomposing flesh and animal secretions.  What is on my plate:  veganized healthy meals, zucchini from my garden, and lots of summer fruit.

 Four different types of zucchini (from my garden). From the left: Battered fried zucchini, spelt stuffed zucchini(spelt made with sun dried tomatoes, green olives, zucchini, mint, basil, and olive oil), grilled zucchini marinated overnight with olive oil, garlic, calabrian red peppers, and raw apple cider vinegar, and Zucchine agrodolce-sweet and sour zucchini with mint, garlic and olive oil. I am loving the bounty from my garden. Thanks to the awesome 

ladies for coming up!!

 Fresh Strawberries with 25 yr old Balsamic vinegar from Modena.  I broke the bottle yesterday.  A true crime against food.

 Some Zucchini from our garden.  We can't eat them fast enough.

My latest masterpice based on a wonderful dish I used to eat at Nemi.  Risotto alle Fragole-Strawberry Risotto.  This is a great dish that is not a dessert.  It is a savory risotto with a twist.  

     Recipes will soon follow.  I am sorry that I haven't had a minute to catch up my recipe writing with my cooking.  Stay tuned, and enjoy summer!

Super Yummy Aromatic Garlicky Green Beans

Maybe some of you are like me.  You love greens beans.  I love green beans.  They were always my favorite vegetable at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I love when they are fresh, but I will eat frozen.  I love their texture and when they freshly cooked but still crisp and the green, clean, and fresh flavors burst in my mouth.  They are quite neutral at times, and when fresh have a slight sweetness.  Unlike some of the other green vegetables I enjoy, they are not one bit bitter. 

My husband hates green beans.  I am the cook in this family.  I hate to make food that someone might not like, but I also do not want to deprive myself of one of the greatest vegetables on the planet.  Dilemma?  Yes.  Insurmountable?  No.  Unless there are allergies involved, with some creativity we can get our loved ones to share in our passion for green beans.  With this in mind, I had to get a little bit crafty.  I know that Ettore loves garlic and red Calabrian peppers.  I also happen to know that greens beans are one of the only vegetables his mom does not cook well.  That is saying a lot, I might add.  She is an excellent cook, and some of the best vegetable dishes I have had have been in her kitchen.  However, knowing this weakness and knowing that this is what Ettore is basing his prejudice on, I created these super delicious garlicky green beans.

Ingredients:

1 lb. green beans

5-6 sun dried tomatoes, chopped

6-10 cloves of garlic, crushed

1-3 tsp of crushed calabrian red peppers (depending on how hot you want them)

½ cup crushed almond or almond slivers

1 vegetable bouillon cube

5 tbs olive oil

Splash of white wine

1/2 of Celtic sea salt

1-2 cups of water

Directions:

    In a large deep pan pour in the olive oil and white wine.  Add salt, garlic, and red peppers.  Sauté together on medium heat for about 2 minutes.  Then add the chopped sundried tomatoes almonds, stir and sauté well until the almonds become slightly toasted.  Add one cup of water and simmer all the ingredients together as water with medium heat.  As the garlic begins to soften and break down, mash it down into smaller pieces.  Now throw in the green beans and the rest of the water.  Makes sure to stir well and makes sure the green beans are moist and covered with mix.  Stir and sauté for about 2 minutes on medium heat.  Make sure water is not totally evaporated.  Turn heat to low and allow the beans to simmer for about five minutes, stir occasionally until water has evaporated and the sauce is more like a thick sauce than a soup.  It is important to not allow the beans to become soggy and overcooked.  Beans should stay crisp.  I like to serve this on a bed of farro (Spelt) or Quinoa, which I boil with a bouillon cube and some salt.  Enjoy with an aromatic wine like a Riesling. 

Buon Appetito!!

P.S. My husband said they were the best green beans he had ever eaten. 

   

Pappardelle alle Lepre di Seitan=Ribbon Pasta with Seitan Hare Sauce

Pappardelle alle Lepre di Seitan=Ribbon Pasta with Seitan Hare Sauce 

Last night I came home from a long day of work hoping that the house would be clean, the table set, and dinner served.  The day before I had to haul myself all over Rome with drippy nasty pink eye, and 2 days into it, I was absolutely exhausted.  I was at the Vatican.  Not only was I at the Vatican, which even in good times tests my patience, it is Holy Week.  The busiest week of the year in Roman tourism, and it was not a pretty sight, I can assure you.  I sent Ettore a message with a list of ingredients, hoping that my later SMS messages  saying I would be late would inspire him to turn up the burners and cook my favorite meal, Pappardelle all Lepre.  This is MY Vegan Chicken Soup for the Tired Soul.  Whenever I feel like I may have a Crohn's flare-up, I feel tired and worn out, or I just want something warm and yummy, I make this.  Chicken soup is disgusting, but I suppose it refers to comfort food that makes you feel better when you are sick.  When I first became vegetarian I thought I would still eat this dish on special occasions, but I couldn’t stomach it.  In Italian, Lepre are hare, wild rabbits.  Even when I ate this dish I never actually liked the meat, I just liked the flavor of the sauce, and I finally learned how to replicate it in a non cruel way with a lot of practice.  I personally don’t need the texture of Seitan for this dish to be appealing, so the Seitan part of the recipe is really not necessary.  This dish is also simple to make, so, even though I arrived home late last night and the table was empty, the burners cold, and the man in bed with the dogs, I managed to whip this up in about 45 minutes.  

Ingredients:


Sauce-

2 500g(15oz) cans of whole Roma tomatoes
1 vegan boullion cube

4 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon dried rosemary, OR two sprigs fresh rsoemary

1 teaspoon dried whole red calabrian hot peppers

1/2 cup of white vinegar( I like to used filtered apple cider)

1/4 cup olive oil
5-6 1 inch long thin strips of Seitan for texture (optional)
Egg free Ribbon Pasta for 4 people, OR  egg free Fettucine

Tools:  Mortar and Pestle for crushing and grinding

Directions:

In a large deep dished pan, pour olive oil and whole tomatoes and add two cans of water from the tomato cans, turn burner on high.

Put the garlic, rosemary, red pepper, and vinegar in the mortar and pestle and grind everything for about 2 minutes.  You don't want to make a paste but you want the mixture to be chunky.  When it is chunky, mix it in, mix until the sauce starts to boil, and then turn down to a low to medium heat.  Let the sauce simmer for at least 45 minutes, stirring it every 5 minutes or so and occasionally using a masher to mash the whole tomatoes.  The longer you cook the sauce the more concentrated it becomes, but also more flavorful.   If you feel it is getting to dry, add 1/4 cup water and continue to simmer for at least 45 minutes.  If you are using the Seitan, you'll want to through the strips in when you start to boil the water, so they don't break up too much.

While the sauce is simmering you can make your vegan Pecorino.  I have tried all the vegan parmigiano recipes on earth, but I experimented a bit and whipped up a lovely cheesy sprinkle for pasta, to replace the pecorino (sheep cheese) on top..  Even my cheese loving husband loves it.    I suppose this could last in the fridge for about a week, but I eat it up in about a day!    Since vegans sometimes have issues with B12, why not use a fortified Nutritional Yeast here, like Red Star.  My dogs and cats LOVE this "Almondzano."  As a bonus, it keeps ticks and fleas away!

Ingredients:

200 g of blanched almonds

1 teaspoon agar agar POWDER

1/2 tablespoon Celtic sea salt (NEVER table salt, not even cheap sea salt from the grocer)

1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast

Directions:

Place everything into a food processor and blend until it is totally smooth with no chunks.  I process at least 5 minutes, but I also have a cheap ass food processor.  :)

I put this into a left over jar that I can close and store it in the fridge.  IKEA jars are also good. 

Now, back to the Pasta...

So the sauce has been simmering for at least 45 minutes, and you have been smelling all the amazing aromas of from the rosemary and vinegar, the tomatoes are no longer acid and the sauce is an aromatic masterpiece...it is time to boil your water.  In a large pot bring water to boil, add Celtic Sea Salt, or even the flavorful Himalayan salt(it's pink) and throw in your pasta, make enough for leftovers, because this dish is DELICIOUS fried up i the pan the next day.  It sort of reminds me of Thai food, as it is Aromatic, comforting, spicy, exotic, and tastes even better the next day.  

When Pasta comes to a boil drain, and put pasta back in pot, pour sauce over the  pasta and stir everything together and add some Almondzano while mixing.  Serve it in large Pasta bowls, and have a very quiet meal.  Nobody will talk because the dish is THAT delish!  Make sure to leave a small bowl of Almondzano on the table in case some people may want a more "cheesy" pasta.  

Buon Appetitto!!

Minestrone di fagioli

Minestrone di Fagioli

Beans, beans the magical fruit...

A vegan's best friend is the magical bean. From the bean we get much needed nutrition, including a way to combine with grains to make a complete protein. I personally couldn't live without my pressure cooker. I cook all my broths, beans, soups, rice, and grains with the pressure cooker. It is a money and time saver because in about 2 hours, dry beans can be made into a delicious and simple meal. The following recipe is for a pressure cooker, but you could easily substitute canned beans if you don't have a pressure cooker, or use a slow cooker after you have fried the onions in the olive oil.

Ingredients

1 cup of dried OR two cans Borlotti beans

1 cup of a small soup pasta, I use Ditalini Rigati Grandi

1 small yellow onion sliced lengthwise

2 dried Calabrian red peppers

1 tbsp of double concentrate

1/2 cup olive oil

splash of white wine

1-8 cups of water (depends on use of dry beans)

Salt to taste (will need at least 1/2 tbsp if using dry beans)

In this recipe I will refer to use of pressure cooker, but if you are not using one, then use a medium sized pot, canned beans, and only 2 cups of water.

Directions

In pressure cooker pot, put olive oil, splash of wine, onion, and red peppers on medium heat until onions become translucent. Remove onions and peppers when onions become translucent. Add concentrated tomato paste and one cup of water and stir. Stir in the beans and let simmer on medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Then add 5 cups of cold water, salt, and the seal the pressure cooker. I usually will simmer on high heat until pressure builds one time, and then I put the pot on the smallest burner and simmer on low heat for 2 hours, but you should follow the directions of your pressure cooker as every brand is different.

After 2 hours, I open the pot and make sure the beans are very soft, and taste the soup if the salt is adequate, if not, I salt to taste. Stir soup lightly on medium heat, and mash mixture with a masher, and stir again. Add 2 more cups of water and bring to a boil. When soup comes to a boil, add small pasta. Stir while the pasta cooks until al dente. When the pasta is ready, the soup is ready. This makes enough for 4 servings.