ONE RECIPE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
This recipe was developed for all the Jews who don’t want chopped liver, in gratitude for all the animal-free products they produce and manufacture in the USA.
IT AIN’T CHOPPED LIVER
A soy based pate that tastes like goose liver without the liver aftertaste and without the cruelty. See for yourself. Wow!
Makes 2-3/4 cups
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
3-4 Japanese (long, slender) eggplants, unpeeled ; cut off ends; cut in half from end to end, then cut each half in half again from end to end; cut all strips crosswise into 1/2-3/4 inch wide segments, about 6 c.
1 med. sized fresh green pepper, cored and cut into 1/2 inch squares 2 fresh med. sized Anaheim peppers, cored, cut from tip to tip into 4 long strips each, then cut crosswise into 1/2 inch wide segments
1/2 lg. sweet onion, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch squares
3 fresh garlic cloves, peeled, and finely chopped
1 t. salt lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 t. dried oregano, crushed
In extra large skillet, over medium heat, melt olive oil. Add all ingredients, up to and including oregano. Toss to coat veggies evenly with oil. Raise heat to medium-high and saute, stirring often, till eggplant softens.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, till all veggies are caramelized. If eggplant becomes dry, don’t add any liquid, simply cover with a lid and let it steam a little by its own juices. In the end, you want mushy and dry.
When done, mash with potato masher in skillet, till all veggies are pulpy, then cook a little longer to evaporate more liquid. Remove from heat and set aside.
16 oz. pkg. extra firm, water packed tofu, rinsed, drained and squeezed in tofu cloth or in several layers of paper towels till very dry
1 t. salt
3 T. sugar
1 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. turmeric
In large bowl combine tofu and seasonings. Mash with potato masher into tiny crumbles and till all seasonings are thoroughly incorporated.
To the tofu, add the eggplant mixture. Using sturdy spoon, stir well to evenly disperse all ingredients.
Place tofu-eggplant mixture in food processor and process 2-3 minutes till mixture resembles liver pate. Transfer to storage container and refrigerate till cold.
Serve on toast points, French baguette slices or bagels with a dab of Dijon mustard and a little extra freshly ground black pepper on top. Sweet gherkin (not bread and butter) pickles or dill cornichon pickles go well as an accompaniment.
Variation: If you want a mousse-like smoothness: Take a portion of the pate and mix it with a little Vegenaise (soy mayonnaise) and a little Dijon mustard. Stir till smooth and the pate is the consistency you want–not too thick, not too thin. Serve on top of crackers and garnish with a little piece of gherkin or cornichon pickle. M-m-m-m-m.
Notes: Serve as an hors d’oeuvre or sandwich, or as an accompaniment to salads. A ‘must have’ on all buffets.
Sandwich suggestion: Toasted mish mash (everything) bagel, spread with transfat-free margarine, top with thinly sliced ripe, juicy tomatoes, then with dollops of ‘It Ain’t Chopped Liver’; then sprinkle with cracked pepper and coarse sea salt. Makes a party for one. Serve open-faced, so you get two sandwiches–for seconds, or to make a party for two.
The eggplant in this recipe must be cooked till all parts of each eggplant cube are squishy. Don’t count on the processor to refine under-cooked eggplant. It will inject tiny hard bits into what is supposed to be a smooth pate. Now, there is some texture to this pate; it isn’t a mousse, but it’s the texture of processed liver. That’s what you wanted, right?
Don’t peel the eggplant; those skins are needed for color and texture.
ASIAN RISOTTO
This next recipe was developed for all Asians in appreciation of the 2008 Olympics. Any group of individuals who can make billions of individuals worldwide simultaneously feel good deserves a special recipe.
Fresh peaches, raisins and pecans simmered in a sweet sour, ginger, curry soy sauce. Mixed with Jasmine rice, then topped with fresh summer tomato cubes and green scallion. Wow!
Sauce makes 5-1/2 cups
4 fresh, ripe, juicy peaches, washed, then sliced around pit into 1/4 inch wide segments, while keeping segments around pit in the palm of your hand; now run knife around the equator of the peach, cutting all peach segments in half, then invert and separate into bowl
2 c. water
1/2 c. white sugar
1/3 c. light brown sugar, packed
2/3 c. light golden superior soy sauce
1/4 c. white vinegar
1/2 c. raisins
1 t. dry mustard
2 t. powdered ginger
1 t. mild curry powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1 heaping T. fresh mashed garlic
1/2 t. sea salt
sev. twists fresh cracked black pepper
1/3 c. water mixed with 3 T. cornstarch till smooth
2 T. transfat-free margarine
1 heaping c. peeled, cut sweet onion, 1/2-3/4 inch squares
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. pecan halves
3-4 fresh, ripe, juicy slicing tomatoes, cored and cut into 3/4 inch cubes; cut only what you’ll use as garnish, about 8-10 cubes per serving
1 bunch green scallion, thoroughly washed, inside and out; then cut crosswise into thin slices, to be used as garnish
Combine first 14 ingredients, up to and including black pepper in large saucepan. Stir well; turn heat to medium-high and stir till all seasonings are dissolved into the liquid. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, at a soft boil for about 5 minutes or till fruit becomes tender.
Add cornstarch dissolved in water. Stir continuously till thickened, then cook for 4 minutes longer, till taste and texture of cornstarch is gone. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in small skillet, saute onion in margarine with salt, over medium heat till golden throughout.
Add pecans and sauteed onion to sauce, stir and remove from heat immediately. Don’t continue cooking the sauce. If you make this sauce ahead, then keep out the onions and pecans till it’s reheated.
RICE:
3-3/4 c. water
1-1/2 t. salt
1 t. mild curry powder
1 T. sugar
1 heaping T. fresh mashed garlic
3 c. Jasmine rice.
Place water, salt, curry, sugar and garlic in large saucepan. Bring to boil, add rice, stir. Return to boil, stir well, then cover tightly, reduce heat to low and cook exactly 15 minutes. Remove from heat, spoon into large bowl and separate grains with chopsticks.
Note: The reason why sometimes when you make rice, the top layer remains crunchy when done, is because you didn’t wait till the rice returned to a boil, and then stirred again before covering to finish cooking.
To serve: In a separate mixing bowl mix as much rice and as much sauce for as many servings you want, Use, for example, 1 cup rice to 1/2 cup sauce. The sauce is the feature, so you want enough. Stir well, spoon into individual serving bowls or plates. Surround the edge of each serving with fresh tomato cubes, making a circle, then sprinkle cut scallion onto the middle of each serving. Serve, then listen for the o-o–h-h-h-s and a-a-h-h-s.
Notes: Use the finest ingredients and you’ll create a perfect dish. The strong flavors of the sauce make it perfect for mixing with the rice, rather than serving it over or under the rice. Most people don’t connect risotto with Asian rice dishes. This recipe changes the face of risotto. The fresh tomatoes make this dish complete. The sweet acidity creates an explosive flavor achievement in the mouth. In fact, if you leave out this one ingredient it changes the entire nature of the dish.
If peaches aren’t in season, substitute apples; peel, core and cut into 1/4 inch wide slices, about 4 cups. You can also substitute walnuts or cashews for the pecans.
THIS RECIPE IS FOR THE CHILDREN
SHARON LEE’S FRANCO AMERICAN LINGUINI AND BEANS
Baked beans, linguini and sauteed onions combined in a tomato, basil garlic tomato soup sauce. Easy comfort food, and good for you too!
Makes 6-1/2 cups
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 heaping cup, peeled, diced sweet onion, 1/2 inch squares
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 lb. dried skinny linguini (linguini fini, or thin spaghetti) pasta, broken in half
28 oz. can Vegetarian Baked Beans with Brown Sugar, including liquid from the beans
10-3/4 oz. can condensed tomato soup plus 1 can plain soy milk
1 t. dried basil, crushed
1 t. onion powder
2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. ground allspice
1/4 t. ground rosemary
1T. white sugar
1 T. dark brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
In small skillet combine oil, onion, salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat till translucent and a little brown-tinged. Set aside.
In salted, boiling water in large saucepan, cook broken linguini till tender. Drain and rinse. Set aside.
In large pot combine baked beans, tomato soup, soy milk and remaining ingredients. Stir well, over medium heat till seasonings dissolve. Cook, uncovered, over low heat at a fizzle of a boil, stirring often for about 4-5 minutes.
Add sauteed onion and cooked linguini to the beans. Stir well to disperse evenly. Serve immediately or set aside to reheat for service later.
Notes: Well, guess what? It does feel and taste like Franco-American, kicked up a few notches as Emeril would say. And, much better for you with the addition of beans and soy milk.
The pasta will plump up, making it soft, just like the canned variety, but wow, does it taste and feel good!
For the adults, serve up a portion on a plate, surround it with fresh tomato chunks drizzled lightly with Balsamic vinegar, then microwave till hot. Sprinkle with cracked pepper and serve. The heated fresh tomatoes soothes! Make sure they’re ripe and juicy.
A RECIPE FOR HUNTERS
EASY HUNTER BURGERS
An animal-free burger for all tastes! Everybody will identify with the taste and texture of this burger!
Makes 11 burgers
2 slices Texas toast bread or 3 slices white bread, 2-3 days old, torn into pieces, and set out to dry a little bit at room temperature
1 c. walnut pieces
1/2 t. liquid smoke
1/4 t. ground allspice
1/2 t. garlic powder
sev. twists freshly ground black pepper
14 oz. tube soy sausage, Gimme Lean brand
1/4 c. finely minced onion
1 c. chilled, cooked Jasmine rice
Place torn bread pieces, walnuts, liquid smoke, allspice, garlic powder and black pepper in food processor. Process into tiny well-mixed crumbs. Transfer to large mixing bowl. The mixture should make about 2 cups.
Break soy sausage into pieces as you drop them into mixing bowl. Add onion and rice. Using very clean hands and nails, mix and mash till all ingredients are evenly dispersed, and all rice grains are covered by the soy sausage. You don’t want any rice grains sticking out from the burgers. This will take a few minutes. Form into large ball, transfer to covered container and refrigerate for several hours or over night.
To cook burgers. Measure out 1/4 cup per burger. Roll into smooth ball in palms of hands. Flatten evenly into thin burger, then place on clean countertop and flatten further, while evening out the rounded edges. You want them very thin, but not so thin they fall apart. To make this easier, oil hands a little with vegetable oil, but it’s not necessary.
Heat a little oil in skillet till very hot. Lift burgers gently from counter top with pancake turner, and place in hot skillet, over medium high heat. Cook several minutes till crisped on one side, then turn, oil skillet a little more and cook the second side till crisped and burger is cooked throughout. Cook as many burgers as you’ll be using.
Set up your condiment tray, with burger buns, either plain or toasted. Lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, warmed roasted peppers, relish, mustard, ketchup, Vegenaise (soy mayo), and whatever else your guests would like to choose from to build their own burgers.
Notes: If you don’t use all of the mixture, refrigerate to use throughout week.
Obtain soy sausage in tubes in local whole foods markets. This product can also be sliced and fried as sausage patties for breakfast sandwiches. Follow directions on tube. If you pan fry the burgers in advance, microwave till heated through before serving–in a single layer on plate.
When I make rice, I always make 3 cups (dried), so that I can use it in the recipe I’m making and then use leftover throughout the week.
Rice: 3-3/4 c. water, 1 t. salt. Boil. Add 3 cups rice. Return to boil, stir well, cover tightly. Reduce heat to low and cook exactly 15 minutes. Transfer to bowl, fluff with fork and cool at room temperature before transferring to covered container to refrigerate.
WORD WARRIOR DAVIES-TIGHT™ 