Morels

Today my father gave me a bag of morel mushrooms which he had gathered on one of his farms. These are a delicious spring treat, and can be quite plentiful in Tennessee if you know where to look. Morels should not be eaten raw. Locally, they are usually split in half, battered or breaded, and then shallow-fried in oil or melted margarine.

As with all wild mushrooms, if you aren't extremely familiar with what you are seeking, start by accompanying someone who is or locating an experienced mushroom-hunting group. Mushroom identification is hard to learn from books, even very good books, and personal instruction is the safest way.

Spring Returns: Soy Curls & Pear Salad

After a last (hopefully!) bout of winter weather, spring is shining bright today. Recently on Facebook, a longtime friend from school days reminded of a chicken salad I used to make, pregan. It's a Jane Brody recipe that I clipped back in the 80s, and kept all these years because it is delicious. I think it appears in her Good Food Gourmet. It translates really well to a vegan rendition, as you can use the poaching liquid to rehydrate the soy curls.

1/2 package Butler's Soy Curls

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 t salt

1 T raspberry vinegar (for that 80s taste) or rice vinegar or white wine vinegar

1 t dried tarragon

1/4 t black pepper

1/3 cup rice vinegar or white wine vinegar

1 1/2 t sugar

1/4 t salt

3-4 large Bosc or Anjou pears

lettuce (Jane says red leaf, but I don't think I've ever done that)

chopped mint (she says 3 T - I probably put more)

Combine the water, salt, raspberry vinegar, tarragon, and black pepper. Rehydrate the soy curls according to package directions. (Today I used maybe 2/3 of the package, so I doubled the soaking liquid, as I was afraid it wouldn't be enough.) Drain really well. Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt (or just use seasoned sushi vinegar if you have it). Peel and slice the pears, and chop the mint. Combine soy curls, mint, pears, dressing, and lettuce.

It's a wonderfully fresh warm-weather dinner - try it!

Rainy but fun day in Asheville

I enjoyed the bread festival this morning at Greenlife (with class by Peter Reinhart to follow this afternoon) and a tempeh-lettuce-tomato bagel at Firestorm, the local anarchist, mostly-vegan cafe/bookstore/performance space. I'll have my anarchism with a big dollop of Vegenaise, please.

Cashew Cheese

Don't die of shock. I'm updating again. I really love fermented nut cheese. It has a complexity and depth of flavor that isn't found in most nondairy cheese. Living in Nashville, I can be lazy and buy the wonderful stuff made by Journey to Bliss - and I often do, especially the pistachio cheddar. However, it is easy to make. I learned from the amazing Laura Button, founder of Journey to Bliss. Here's how:

1. Make a grain-based rejuvelac: Put about 1/4 cup (I never measure this) of some whole grain (or grain-equivalent like quinoa) in a quart of water, cover loosely, and let it set on the counter for a couple of days, until it begins to bubble. I stir mine once or twice a day to help it along. This time, I used whole wheat, and left it three days. It gets stronger as it goes, so be mindful. Drain the liquid - this is your rejuvelac. The leftover grain will often sprout, or can be ground up to make crackers, or cooked as cereal, etc.

2. Grind up nuts or seeds. A coffee grinder does a good job. I used cashews, as they were on sale at the Indian grocery last week. You have to experiment to see what you like. Sunflower seeds are good, but will oxidize (so don't freak out that the cheese gets dark edges). Almonds can be grainy - so you may want to soak them really well before using. Mix the ground nuts with enough rejuvelac to get a texture close to what you want for your final result. It will lose some moisture while it hangs, but not a huge amount. You can add spices, salt, etc, at this point. I used some kosher salt, and 8th Wonder spice blend (which I discovered thanks to a high school friend who now does omni cooking videos - Ken Blevins).

3. Wrap in cheesecloth and hang over a bowl. I pass chopsticks through the knot - see photo. Leave this out at room temperature for a couple of days - again, it will get stronger with time, so you may want to sample as you go. When fermented enough for you, refrigerate and it will keep several weeks.

As you can see in the photo, my batch of cashew cheese is of the soft, spreadable sort. You can make a firmer block. I haven't tried to make a hard cheese like Dr. Cow Tree Nut Cheese - that's a project for another day!

Dehydrator Fun

I haven't blogged in forever. I fail. Anyhow.... Susie and I agreed to update our neglected blogs, so here I go:

When my tax refund arrived, I headed right to EverydayDish, my favorite source for amazing cooking equipment. One of my purchases was an Excalibur food dehydrator, which I bought with a mind to use it for some raw food recipes. However, I am discovering that it makes a great incubator for soy yogurt, tempeh, salt rising bread starter, and other fermented projects that need a warm temperature below what the oven can offer.

My mother used to dehydrate lots of apples when I was a kid. (We had a bunch of trees.) Yesterday, I processed two big bags of apples in the dehydrator. Not only are they tasty on their own, but they can be used to make a delightfully unhealthy treat - fried pies. Around here, THE filling for fried pies is based on dried apples. This is my great-aunt's non-recipe:

Take 1 quart of dried apples, add just a little water, and cook in a saucepan till tender. You can add sugar, cinnamon, or whatever else you like. Mash the results until you have a fairly thick paste.

Make a double batch of your favorite pie crust. Take a ball of dough (golf ball size or bigger), and roll out into a flat circle. Cover one side with the apple mixture (leave space around the edges), then fold over and seal with a fork.

To cook: Heat vegetable shortening in a dutch oven - maybe an inch or so of melted fat. Fry the pies until brown on one side, then flip, and fry the other side. The second side goes a lot faster. If this is too terrifying, brush with melted margarine and bake at 400 until they look done.

Enjoy!

More testing...

I know. It's mean to post testing photos, but I can't resist. Here is another biscotti recipe for Isa and Terry's cookie book, and a chocolate cinnamon babka (yes, vegan babka) for Peter Reinhart.

Faux Korean Noodle Lunch

I swear I haven't disappeared. My life was taken over by work and Thanksgiving for a few weeks. Today for lunch I made a fake Korean dish to use up some of the items in our kitchen, loosely inspired by ideas from Copeland Marks' The Korean Kitchen.

I was very happy with the results and am recording what I did as much for my future use as for the benefit of anyone reading this. Here goes:

Rehydrate half a package of Soy Curls according to package directions. Drain well and press out excess liquid. Mix the Soy Curls with sesame oil, soy sauce, and chili powder to taste. (Korean chili powder is really hot. As I was feeding someone who does not like incendiary food, I used not-hot-at-all American chili powder and it was fine.) Set aside.

Heat a small amount of oil in a large pot. Chop two small sweet potatoes and several ribs of celery (including the leaves). Stir fry these vegetables until they begin to soften. Meanwhile, combine 3 cups of water, 4 small scallions (white and green parts) and 3 cloves garlic in a blender and blend very well. Add this green liquid to the pot, bring to a boil, and cook 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Then add a small handful of somen (Japanese wheat noodles) and cook a couple more minutes until the noodles are done. Add salt and black pepper to taste, and stir in the Soy Curls (or put them on top if you are feeling fancy).