If you’re always on the lookout for creative ways to incorporate more vegetarian dishes into your family’s diet, search no further. Robin Asbell’s cookbook, New Vegetarian (Chronicle Books) contains a colourful selection of more than 75 fresh, contemporary recipes for pasta, tagines, curries, soup and stews, and desserts.
Asbell is a chef, food writer and cooking teacher based in Minneapolis who specializes in natural foods.
In New Vegetarian, Asbell shares a variety of inventive dishes that she has served to passionate omnivores. When served alongside the meat dishes that her guests were certain they preferred, her vegetarian specialties were quickly devoured, to rave reviews. She decided to compile a collection of recipes that any vegetarian can take to a feast where omnivores are present. Each savory recipe makes something that can stand in as a complete vegetarian meal and is certain to be shared by everyone.
New Vegetarian will take your palate on an international tour, with appetizers, soups, main dishes and desserts from Mexico to Greece, dishes rich with the flavours of India, Italy, Vietnam and Morocco. In this treasure trove of recipes, you’ll find Greek Vegetable Feta Pie in Phyllo, Szechuan Tofu in Spicy Black Bean Sauce with Whole Wheat Noodles, Spicy Italian “Meat” Loaf, Jamaican Veggie Patties, Mac and Cheese with Hidden Veggies, Big Salad with Caramelized Pumpkinseeds, Pears and Pomegranate, Pecan Shortbread, and Chocolate Cream and Raspberry Napoleons with Walnuts.
Asbell strongly believes in shopping for foods that are as unrefined and natural as possible. She writes: “Vegetarians, especially vegans, need to eat almost exclusively whole grain, with copious amounts of dark green leafy greens, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and beans in order to get the nutrients they need. Giving up meat is just part of the healthful veg diet – it has to be replaced with the most nutrient-dense plant foods to create the kind of vibrant health you want. Just because potato chips and beer are vegetarian doesn’t make them a nutritious dinner.”
The following recipe from Robin Asbell’s New Vegetarian is guaranteed to bring fresh, new tastes to your table! Enjoy…
This layered Sformato (see Norene’s Note below) is pretty and filling enough to be a centrepiece main dish. It can be made a day ahead and reheated, or made a few weeks ahead and frozen, then thawed overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the oven at 350.
3 large yellow bell peppers, or jarred roasted yellow peppers
1/2 cup olive oil
2 large eggplants, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 cups ricotta cheese
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
6 oz. Romano cheese, shredded
4 oz. Fontina cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup pistachios, shelled
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups whole wheat penne, cooked
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
basil leaves
Preheat the broiler or barbecue grill and roast the bell peppers until skins are blackened. Place them in a small airtight container and close tightly to steam for 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel, dice and drain the peppers in a mesh colander, pressing out excess moisture. (If using jarred peppers, drain, rinse and chop them.)
Brush an 11-inch springform pan with some of the olive oil, then set aside. Heat a grill pan or use the grill. Brush the eggplant with olive oil. Grill the slices until tender and decorated with black grill marks (running lengthwise), 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Put a small slice in the centre of the springform pan. Lay slices in a fan or flower design covering the bottom and sides and leaving an inch or so hanging over the edges to wrap around the top of the filled pan.
In a large bowl, mix ricotta, eggs, cheeses, salt and pepper. Remove half of the mixture to another bowl. Use a food processor to finely grind the basil, garlic and pistachios, then mix it with half of the cheese mixture. Dice the tomatoes and add it to the other half of the cheese mixture, then mix in the cayenne. Divide the cooked pasta between the 2 bowls and fold the contents of each bowl together gently.
Preheat the oven to 400. Into the eggplant-lined pan, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs and distribute the pasta and tomato mixture. Level the surface and top with yellow bell peppers and another 2 tablespoons crumbs. Top with remaining pasta mixture, level, and cover with the remaining crumbs. Fold the overhanging eggplant back onto the top of the peppers.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes and let stand for 20 minutes before serving to firm up. Run a sharp knife around edge of pan. Invert pan onto a serving plate and release springform, carefully removing bottom. Garnish with the basil and serve. Serves 8
Norene’s Note: A sformato is similar to a soufflé, but it is not as airy so you don’t need to worry that it will collapse. The word “sformare” means to unmould.
BAKED CREAMY SQUASH PASTA WITH ARUGULA
Tomato sauce is fine, most of the time. But even tastier is a creamy sauce with squash and chèvre, and serve it in a pasta al forno. This recipe calls for kabocha squash, but butternut or others will do – they are just a little more moist, so use 2 tablespoons less stock with them.
1 small kabocha, red kuri, or butternut squash
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups arugula
1/2 cup vegetable stock
4 oz. chèvre (goat cheese), at room temperature
1 tsp. salt
2 cups tubular pasta, fusilli or macaroni
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. chopped walnuts
Preheat the oven to 375. Halve, seed, and bake the squash for about 40 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a paring knife. Cool the squash, then purée it, reserving 1 cup for this recipe.
Put on a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sage, and cook until both are golden. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the arugula and toss it in the pan to wilt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the vegetable stock, the 1 cup pureed squash and salt. Add the mixture to the pan. Heat until barely bubbling, then remove it from the heat and stir in chèvre until melted.
Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions, testing a minute sooner than the package says, to make sure the pasta is just al dente. Drain well and toss with the squash mixture. Transfer the pasta mixture to a 2-quart casserole and top with Parmesan and walnuts. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Serve hot. Serves 4.
Tagine refers to the covered cooking vessel in which a dish like this would be prepared as well as the dish itself. You can use a heavy covered brazier or Dutch oven. This sweet and hearty version has slow-cooked whole shallots and garlic, prunes and squash chunks bathed in spices, and crunchy almonds.
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
10 small shallots, peeled
8 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1 1/2 pounds (4 cups) winter squash, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup slivered raw almonds
12 large pitted prunes, halved
2 tbsp. slivered lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 cup vegetable stock
1 (15-oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp. honey or agave syrup
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 pinch saffron, crushed
salt
cayenne
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Couscous
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water
1 cup whole wheat couscous
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
In a Dutch oven or other heavy pot with a lid over low heat, heat the olive oil and sauté the shallots and garlic. Cook until they are golden and sweet, at least 10 minutes. Add the squash to the pot and continue sautéing, stirring, until squash browns on the edges. Add the almonds, prunes, slivered lemon zest and ginger and cook until the almonds start to colour. Add the vegetable stock, garbanzo beans, honey, cinnamon and saffron, and cover the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
When the vegetables in the tagine are tender when pierced with a paring knife, the soup is done. Season with salt and cayenne pepper and sprinkle in parsley. Serve the tagine over couscous.
To make couscous: In a small heavy saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a boil. Add the couscous, olive oil and salt. Stir, cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 10 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork. Cover to keep warm until serving time. Serves 6.
Norene Gilletz is a cookbook author, food writer, culinary consultant and food spokesperson. For more information, visit www.gourmania.com, contact her at [email protected] or call 416-226-2466.
