Authors: Charlie Cascio
Esalen Cookbook (15 page)
Stir-fry for a few minutes, and then add the green onions, bean sprouts, and peanuts. Continue to stir-fry for a few minutes more until the sprouts look limp. Stir in the noodles and scrambled egg and toss together with the vegetables for a minute more. Pour on the sauce and toss everything until it is lightly coated. Spoon the Pad Thai into a serving dish, garnish with the cilantro, and squeeze the juice of ½ lime over the dish. Serve immediately.
ADDING PROTEINThis recipe is a base for Pad Thai Noodles. If you want more protein, you can add tofu, fish and seafood, or chicken breast to the ingredients list. Add about 1 pound of the protein, cut in bite-size pieces. Precook the fish and chicken and add the protein at the beginning of stir-frying along with the carrots.
SAUCE¼ cup tamari soy sauce
5 tablespoons Mirin rice wine
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
¼ cup coconut milk
Juice of ½ lime
2 tablespoons tamarind paste (optional)
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ cup crunchy peanut butter (use a good quality
made from peanuts only)
Place in a blender the soy sauce, wine, vinegar, oil, coconut milk, and lime juice and blend. Add the tamarind paste if using, honey, cayenne, and peanut butter while the blender is running. Blend until smooth.
This sauce has to be one of the most unique Thai sauces that I’ve encountered.
CASHEW & RICE VEGGIE LOAFThis recipe is a great way of using up leftover rice. The veggie loaf has a dense, meaty texture and a hearty meaf flavor. At Esalen, we serve this as the optional vegetarian main dish when Rachel’s famous meat loaf is on the menu.
Serves 6
1 cup cooked short-grain brown rice
2 cups cashews
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1¼ cups minced crimini mushrooms
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
2 large pieces dried porcini mushrooms
2 eggs
½ cup ricotta or cottage cheese
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon nutritional food yeast
2 cups finely grated Parmesan
or Asiago cheese
Roast the cashews in the oven at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes, and then pulse the nuts in a food processor until finely chopped, or chop them by hand. In a saute pan, saute the onion in a small amount of vegetable oil over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic, crimini mushrooms, and fresh herbs and saute until the liquid has evaporated from the pan. Set this aside and let cool.
Grind the dry porcini in a seed grinder or coffee grinder. This should yield 2 teaspoons of fine powder. Beat the eggs with the ricotta, salt, cayenne, yeast, and porcini powder. In a mixing bowl, place the rice, nuts, egg mixture, cheese, and the cooked veggies.
Lightly oil a bread pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Place the mixture in the pan, smooth with a spatula, and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 1 hour. The top should turn golden brown and a knife inserted in the loaf should come out clean. Let the loaf cool and set up in the pan for 10 minutes, and then slip it out of the pan and take off the parchment paper before placing it on a serving plate.
Quinoa & Veggie Soufflé
Quinoa has the highest protein content of any grain and is extremely rich in calcium. It was the basic staple of the Inca civilization and had been cultivated for over 3,000 years. In this recipe we have combined this nutritious grain with fresh vegetables and herbs and baked it with eggs and cheese to create a light and tasty soufflé.
Serves 4
¾ cup quinoa
1½ cups water
3 tablespoons oil, divided
2½ cups grated carrots
1½ teaspoons dried thyme, divided
2½ cups grated zucchini
1 medium yellow onion, diced into
½-inch pieces
1 cup grated Asiago cheese
2 cups ricotta cheese
1½ tablespoons sea salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
4 eggs, separated
Place the quinoa in a fine sieve and rinse. In a saucepan over high heat, stir in the quinoa. Continue to stir 5 minutes or until it has a nutty aroma. Add the water, lower the heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a saute pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil and saute the grated carrots with 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme. Set aside. Saute the zucchini and onion separately, using the same method as the carrots. Place the quinoa, carrots, zucchini, and onion in a mixing bowl. Add the Asiago and ricotta and stir well. Add the salt, pepper, and basil. Beat the egg yokes and stir into the mixture, making sure everything is well mixed. Beat the egg whites until they have stiff peaks, and then gently fold them into the mixture.
Oil a 6-inch soufflé pan and pour the mixture into it. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F, covered, for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 30 minutes more. The soufflé is done when a knife inserted into it comes out clean.
AUBERGINE (EGGPLANT)In northern Italy, there are almost as many variations of Eggplant Parmesan as there are villages. Although the city of Nice is in France, at one time it was part of a vast empire that included the rest of northern Italy under the rule of the King of Savoy. This Nice version of Eggplant Parmesan is a lighter variation of the classic dish from Parma. It consists of many thin slices of eggplant that are lightly oiled. When baked, the multiple layers reduce down and develop a savory taste and a soft, chewy texture that is similar to veal.
Serves 4 to 6
3 eggplants
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2½ cups grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
For this recipe, it is helpful to have a mandolin to slice the eggplants as thin as possible, but you can also use a knife.
With a vegetable peeler, peel the eggplants lengthwise in a stripe pattern by leaving a 1/2-inch gap of skin between each peeling. Slice the eggplants lengthwise from stem end to bottom. These slices should be as thin as possible. Dip both hands into the olive oil and hand-rub each slice of eggplant with a very light coating of oil. Redip your hands into the oil only after they become dry (approximately every 5 to 6 slices).
Cover the bottom of a well-oiled 9- x ll-inch baking dish with the oiled eggplant slices, making sure that the slices are touching but not overlapping. Sprinkle a thin layer of cheese over the top. Repeat with another layer of oiled eggplant followed by another layer of cheese, alternating the direction of the eggplant with each layer. Fill in any gaps between the slices with smaller pieces of eggplant so that the previous layer is completely covered. Continue layering until you reach a thickness of 2 inches, finishing with a thick layer of cheese.
Cover and place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour. It is done when you stick a fork into the eggplant and it gives like softened butter. Cut into slices and sprinkle with fresh basil. Serve with the Green Olive & Roasted Roma Tomato
Aubergine (Eggplant) Nicoise
ADDING PROTEINThis recipe can be made into a meat dish by adding 1/2 pound of thinly sliced Parma ham. After you have spread out the potato mixture, layer the potatoes with the slices of ham before you place the filling on top. Roll, bake, and slice as per the recipe instructions.
This is an elegant vegetarian main dish that is fun and easy to prepare. The filling is full of tasty shiitake mushrooms and fresh spinach. It is rolled jellyroll style between a mashed potato base. At Esalen, we always serve it with Porcini Mushroom Sauce (see page 177).
Serves 4 to 6
ROULADE BASE1½ pounds russet potatoes
2½ cups grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons soy bacon bits
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Pinch ground white pepper
Place potatoes, with skin on, in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower to a simmer and cook until potatoes are soft enough to mash but still hold their firmness. Drain potatoes, place into a mixing bowl, and mash while still hot. Mash until they are smooth but stiff; don’t over-mash. Stir in the cheese, oil, basil, bacon bits, salt, and pepper.
FILLING2 medium yellow onions
Olive oil
½ pound shiitake mushrooms
2 pounds fresh spinach or 1 pound frozen spinach,
defrosted
2 cups ricotta cheese
Pinch salt
The filling should be made while the potatoes are cooking. It is important to have the filling ready when you start to mash the potatoes. The potatoes should be warm so that they roll more easily.
Peel the onions and chop into half-moons. Preheat a small amount of oil in a saute pan over high heat, add the onions and saute until they turn golden brown, and then set aside. Chop the mushrooms into quarters and saute in a small amount of oil until the water has evaporated from the pan. Mix with onions.
If you’re using fresh spinach, remove the stems and chop leaves into 1/2-inch ribbons. With a small amount of oil, saute the spinach until it wilts, then place in a strainer and drain off all water. If you’re using frozen spinach, defrost and then place in strainer and press out as much water as possible. The vegetables in the roulade filling need to be as dry as possible.
Add the spinach to the onion and mushroom mixture, and then add the cheese and salt. Mix this well. Take a clean kitchen towel or a piece of 8- x 8-inch parchment paper. With a spatula, spread the hot potato mixture 1 inch thick onto the towel. Spread the filling evenly over the potato mixture. Gently lift the 2 corners nearest to you and slowly roll the roulade away from you. Roll into a tight roll, similar to a jellyroll. Then carefully take all 4 corners of the towel, and lift the roulade onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper; roll the roulade off the towel as gently as possible. It should roll off without any trouble.
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