Day 263 - Potato Latkes

Potato Latkes

Would you believe that I was commissioned to write a Hanukkah song for a middle school girls' choir? Well it's true. And I decided to write it about latkes! More specifically, a grandmother/granddaughter latke-making ritual (inspired by the ritual my friend Emily had with her mom, Karen). The song includes the grandmother's recipe (i.e. Karen's recipe), so in an attempt at chanson verité, I made the latkes according to the lyrics in the song. (Delicious!)

And while I was at it, I thought I should try I&T's recipe, so I could taste them side by side.

Unfortunately, I&T's recipe is not very distinguished. Right off the bat, they suffer from an overdose of matzo meal. Waaaaaay too much matzo meal to potato. And the seasoning? Way off, way under. These taste like bland, institutional latkes, I'm afraid.
Here's what I learned making them side by side: 

Karen's recipe uses Yukon Gold potatoes, and they perform very well. I'm wondering if I&T use all that matzo meal and corn/potato starch to soak up the liquid that the potatoes and onions give off. In Karen's recipe, you drain, i.e. squeeze out, the liquid from the potatoes/onions, so you only have to use a handful of matzo meal involved and one egg to bind it. The latkes are more like hash browns, a little shaggy, and beautifully crispy. There's also a lot more salt and pepper! In the vegan recipe, the russet potatoes plus the heavy dose of matzo meal make for a gummy, tasteless interior. Ah well.

Can't win 'em all...

SFO: 3

Day 171 - Panko-Stuffed Mushrooms and Asparagus and Lemongrass Risotto

It's always a sunny day when Celia's here. She's so game to eat my vegan creations, even when they're as poorly combined as they were in this meal. (This is not meant to be a reflection of the recipes, just a criticism of my pairing starchy with starchy.)

Panko-Stuffed Mushrooms

The concept here is very traditional - make a stuffing, then press it into mushroom caps and bake. The flavors of the stuffing are what is unique here. It's very Japanese: mirin, daikon, sesame, scallions. I'm not sure if the mirin I'm using is particularly sugary, but this stuffing leaned waaaay over to the sweet side. Not unpleasant, but strangely prominent.

We're using large mushrooms here, and I'm not sure how "done" I&T think they're going to get after 20m in a 350° oven, but I thought they were crazily underdone. I put them back in for about that long again, which seemed much more appropriate for this dish.

Overall, these were interestingly savory/sweet with not the best texture to the mushroom or the stuffing, but definitely tasty and edible.

SFO: 8

Asparagus and Lemongrass Risotto

I wasn't sure how risotto would behave in vegan land... there'd be no butter or cheese mounting at the end to ensure a deluxe result. Turns out, vegan risotto works just fine, thank you.

My disappointment with this recipe resides in the broth. The promise of this homemade lemongrass broth is big - fresh ginger, garlic and lemongrass should deliver vibrant flavors, right? Well, my broth came out dull, with an off smell. Hmph. And the lemongrass that was so fragrant on the cutting board essentially disappeared by serving time. Where did it go??

That said, this is a respectable risotto, with interesting Asian-slanted flavors. There's a notable absence of saltiness (again!). Those three tablespoons of soy sauce in the broth just don't provide much. We liked the lime-i-ness, and anything that's garnished with peanuts is a winner in my book. 

I liked this, but I don't see myself making it again.

SFO: 8

Day 162 - Greek-Style Tomato-Zucchini Fritters with Fresh Herbs and Mediterranean-Style Cashew-Cucumber Dip

Greek-Style Tomato-Zucchini Fritters with Fresh Herbs

This is not an easy recipe, but it is definitely worth the effort! Even with my mistakes, it still delivered a pretty yummy result.

My big mistake had to do with liquid removal. You're basically dealing with a lot of liquidy things, like chopped tomatoes, grated zucchini, and tofu. And if you don't drain them really well, I mean REALLY well, you're going to end up with an overly wet batter. Which I did. Which is not ideal when you're about to roll it in bread crumbs and fry it.

That said, they held together, and even though they were quite soggy, they were really delicious. 

I also tried baking a few to see if I could improve the situation, but no, the batter was just too wet to ever be crispy.

If you make these, don't give up until you've gotten every last drop of water out of the tofu, tomatoes, and zucchini. You will be rewarded, I'm sure!

SFO: 9
You'd never know there was any tofu in here, the other flavors are so vibrant!


Mediterranean-Style Cashew-Cucumber Dip

This is a perfect accompaniment to the fritters! Again, there's  water removal, this time from the cucumbers. I love the whole concept of using cashews for creaminess. And it's quite effective, although one issue I have with this dip is that upon sitting, it tends to separate a bit, i.e. creamy patches and watery patches.

As I&T say, it's delicious enough to serve on its own with pita bread, but with the fritters, it's heaven.

SFO: 10

Day 129 - Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Seed Rice Paper Rolls and MangoPear Pandowdy

Today I'm so happy to be entertaining Celia, who is one of the most fun and sparkly people I know. And she is so game in the food department! No restrictions - bring it on!

Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Seed Rice Paper Rolls

Here's one of those recipes that requires some intense early action, but once you have all the components prepared, it goes pretty quickly. But one of the components is a mother. One pound of butternut squash diced into 1/4 inch cubes. Think about it. You have to peel that thing, then slice it, then dice it into teeny tiny little cubes. We're talking roughly aspirin sized cubes. Endless. Oh, and then you have to roast them. Not easy, right?

The rest of the components are a breeze though: rice vermicelli, which cooks in minutes. Fresh cilantro. Roasted pepitas. And a sauce that is easily assembled, although beware the hot chile oil measurement. One tablespoon, as listed in the recipe, will set your hair on fire. I used a third of that, and it was plenty! (NB: I may be a wimp, but Celia also agreed.)

One tricky part of this recipe is the 'juicing' of the rice paper wrappers. First off, I recommend doing the rice paper rolling on a lint-free kitchen towel. Next, you want to figure out the perfect amount of time for the wrapper to be in the water so that it's malleable but not tearing at your touch. For me, that magical time is 30 seconds. It still seems like it's going to be too stiff to roll, but by the time you fill it, the residual water has softened it to a perfect consistency. 

Meanwhile, getting these stuffed and wrapped tightly is another challenge. Mine were a little loose and saggy. Workable, but not the snazzy, tight, tight rolls you see in Vietnamese restaurants.

Flavor-wise, these are really nice. A little sweet, a little crunchy, a little herby, with a perfect sauce accompaniment. We made a meal out of them, and it was yummy and filling.

SFO: 9
One point off for "Where's the beef?" concerns.

Mango Pear Pandowdy

Here's another dice-a-palooza. Two mangoes, and two pounds of pears, all cut into 1/2 inch dice. Not as bad as the squash above, but time-consuming.

A piece of advice: mix the filling ingredients together in a bowl. It's too crowded in the pie plate to properly toss everything to get it mixed well.

Now it's time to put yesterday's busted crust to the test!

I have to confess, I didn't know what a pandowdy was until reading this recipe. Midway through the baking process, you cut the crust into squares and mash it into the filling. The idea is to have some browned crust pieces and some mushy, soggy crust pieces. The cutting and mashing feels so strange and violent and sacrilegious, but it was kind of fun! Here are before and after shots.



Now, I don't know if it's because I overworked my dough so horribly, but this crust wouldn't brown/cook! I left the thing in the oven for about 20 minutes longer than it was meant to be in there, and the crust was barely brown in spots. Even though it seemed that I could/should cook it longer, the filling was bubbling over badly by that point, and I thought, enough already!

Unfortunately, my crust was pretty much a bust. I mean, it was edible, but it was so dense, not flaky at all, and there was NO magic to it. The filling, though, was fantastic. Mango and pear is not a combo I would have thought of, but this is a terrific pairing! 

Side note: When I ate this as leftovers, I reheated it in the toaster oven and let it go until the crust got good and brown, and it was delicious. I think with a better crust and longer cooking time, this could be a home run.

SFO: 10
Just needs a better crust.

Day 74 - Samosa Stuffed Baked Potatoes and 5-Minute Mango Chutney

Sue's here! She's such a good friend and easy-going eater. She came over once and tried some of my not-ready-for-prime-time food inventions, and she was so sweet about it.... Hopefully this will make up for that.

Samosa Stuffed Baked Potatoes

This is in the Snacks, Appetizers, Little Meals, Dips, and Spreads chapter, but I'm not clear which category it falls into, because these are Hearty with a capital H! I decided we would have a little Indian feast and that these would be the main attraction, and now I can't imagine serving them as anything but entree or side dish. I went with I&T's suggestions 100% and served them with Sautéed Spinach and Tomatoes and the chutney below. 

One good thing about this recipe is that you can pre-bake the potatoes the day before, which I did, letting them get to room temperature before starting the scooping out process. After that, it's pretty easy to put these together. I love the old Indian fried seed technique.

Here's a picture Sue took of me with the assembled potatoes about to go in the oven!

These are so filling and delicious! Two potato halves make for a very satisfying meal. Sue thinks that they are totally safe and friendly for all eaters, but I'm going to take a point off for this entree version, in honor of those omnivores who think the main attraction needs to have a protein presence.

SFO: 9



5-Minute Mango Chutney 

I appreciate that I&T acknowledge the inauthenticity of this recipe. It doesn't really resemble any classic chutney that I've had, which is not to say it doesn't taste great, especially with these potatoes. Mine came out rather watery, which was the biggest difference from the thick, marmalade-like chutney I'm accustomed to. I expected the asafetida to overwhelm the dish, but with this small amount, it's just an interesting background flavor. 

While this is a nice and relatively simple recipe, I think if I'm going to go to the trouble to dice a mango, grate ginger, mince garlic, and chop a jalapeño, I'd just as soon add all the other ingredients and cook it long enough to have a "proper" chutney.

SFO: 10


PS Sue was very happy with yesterday's Wheat-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies! Two thumbs up!

Day 46 - Spicy Tempeh Nori Rolls, Creamy Asian Pear and Tempeh Salad with Wasabi Dressing, Pear and Tempeh Roll, Elephant Roll, "Yamroom" Roll, Spinach Sesame Roll, and Rosewater Pound Cake

Sushi Fest 2013!

David and Trey and Alysha are here for my Sushipalooza. I figured since I was getting out the bamboo mat, I might as well just make every roll in the book at once!

First, though, let’s discuss this salad, since it deserves some special attention.

Creamy Asian Pear and Tempeh Salad with Wasabi Dressing

Stellar and simple. This is a fabulous recipe! I made a batch of the Silken Mayo Dressing for it. The first time I made the mayo, I used agave nectar, and it was overly sweet. This time, I used maple syrup, and the mayo was ON POINT! I mean, perfect doppelganger! I love when the vegan alternative is not only equally tasty but also way healthier.

Putting this salad together couldn’t be easier. A little dicing, a little steaming, stir and toss, voilà! The flavors/ingredients are amazing together – sweet, earthy, spicy, creamy, crunchy, oniony, green-y, toothy. What a great salad! And what a great idea to stick it in a sushi roll!

Note: I had to use extra wasabi powder. This is something you have to taste test.

SFO: 8

(I still think tempeh could be a stopper for some folks.)

Spicy Tempeh Nori Rolls

The boilerplate sushi recipe is terrific. Since David and Trey are still doing that “Get Snatched” thing, i.e. counting every calorie, I used brown sushi rice. I was making a guess about how much extra water to use, and I didn’t guess well. I went for a 1:2 ratio, rice to water. (The white rice ratio is 1:1.25, so I figured it would take more time and water.) If I were doing it again, I’d probably shoot more in the 1:1.66 range, as my rice was overly wet, sticky, and starchy. Definitely usable, but not ideal.

Since that night, I’ve made more sushi using white rice, and the recipe instructions are perfect. My rice needed a little more time than 10-15 minutes to cool down, though. About 20m was perfect.

Here are my thoughts about rolling sushi:

• It’s so easy! Why aren’t we all doing this all the time?
• Having wet hands is important. Otherwise, the rice will stick to your hands in a big bad way.
• I cut the rolls with a chef’s knife (i.e. not serrated), and it worked perfectly.

David likes "original recipe"

This filling is delicious!! It’s like spicy tuna without the tuna. FYI, I had to use more than the suggested ½-1 teaspoon chile sesame oil to get that spicy flavor in there, and I’m a spice wimp.

There’s a direction missing from the recipe, which lists sesame seeds in the ingredients but never tells you when to add them. I sprinkled them over the rice just before rolling.

All in all, this sushi makes a big impression, and it requires surprisingly little effort. What a great appetizer for parties or really any occasion!

SFO: 10

(People who are adventurous enough to want sushi are adventurous enough to deal with tempeh. Besides which, it’s so embedded in the roll, you’d be hard pressed to identify it, even if you were familiar with the flavor.)

Now for the variations!

Pear and Tempeh Roll

How cute is Trey?

Surprisingly, the amazing Tempeh and Asian Pear salad doesn’t shine as much as a sushi ingredient as it does on its own. That said, it tastes great. Not only did I serve this roll to David, Trey, and Alysha, I also made some for my book club a few nights later with the leftover salad. They were convinced that they were tasting fish in there, but I think what they were tasting is the “sea” in the seaweed. In any event, they loved it!

SFO: 10

Alysha is serving up yamroom realness

“Yamroom” Roll

This flavor combo really plays up a sweet/salty combination, which I love. I used fresh shiitakes, which I simmered in the water and soy liquid for a good half hour, until they were super tender. This roll is very easy to make and has a nice colorful appearance!

SFO: 10

Spinach Sesame Roll

This was the least popular of all the rolls I served, maybe because they were the “healthiest.” Steamed spinach is mixed with sesame seeds and oil and rice vinegar for light flavoring. I understand that all the sushi fillings have little or no salt because these rolls are about to get dunked in soy sauce, but this one tasted particularly unseasoned.

SFO: 10

Elephant Roll

Peanuts and avocado!? Who woulda thunk? This was the other most popular roll of the night. So easy to assemble, probably the easiest in that nothing other than the rice needs to be cooked. Just slice up some avocado and dump some peanuts in there! Or maybe it was the salt on the peanuts that everyone liked so much.

SFO: 10

The sushi event was a huge hit and a great reminder of the magic and ease of home sushi creation. I’ve made sushi twice since then, and I’m excited to think about what else I can stuff in future rolls!

Rosewater Pound Cake 

I have to confess, I'm a little scared of rosewater. I mean, it's water of roses, not meant for consumption. Not even meant for smellation. Roses should smell like roses, but should anything else smell like roses? I say no.

Lucky for me, I have a certain friend named Alysha who's obsessed with all things rose, so she's going to be the lucky recipient of all the rose-acious recipes in this book.

I'm happy to report that the proportions of this recipe are perfect, at least in the flavor department. This cake has a very delicate floral essence, not overwhelming at all. I actually liked it!

However, you will note in the picture that there was a doughy layer of uncookedness at the bottom of this cake, which stayed in the oven for over 75 minutes, 10 minutes more than the high end of the recommended baking time. The toothpick came out dry, but it didn't reach down to the bottom, clearly. I find the doughy layer disturbing, but it makes Alysha happy, so fine.

SFO: 10