Authors: Charlie Cascio

Esalen Cookbook (20 page)

BOOK: Esalen Cookbook

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Toss the fresh vegetables in a mixing bowl with the olive oil and salt. Place on a baking sheet and in an oven preheated to 450 degrees F and bake until they are slightly brown and have a shriveled look, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, pan-roast the pine nuts over medium heat. Be sure to flip or stir the nuts as they roast.

In a 2-quart saucepan over high heat, bring 1½ quarts of water with 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Stir in the pasta. When the mixture comes to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and cook for about 11 minutes. Remove from heat and strain in a colander. Place the pasta in a large mixing bowl with the Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto. Add the roasted veggies, pine nuts, arugula, and cheese to the pasta and toss.

DRESSING

ORANGE-BASIL VINAIGRETTE

This dressing enjoys a regular rotation on our salad bar in part because it is so easy to make. Although orange juice concentrate and fresh basil are not the most glamorous ingredients, they do help this dressing complement a bowl of greens.

Makes 1¾cups

¾ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
5 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
¼ teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients in a blender or with a whisk, or shake in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. This dressing will keep for several days if kept in a sealed container and stored in the fridge.

APPLE-DIJON SALAD DRESSING

This spinach-friendly dressing is great on other vegetables as well as salads. Try it with steamed green beans, Brussels sprouts, or kale. At Esalen, we used a sugar-free apple butter to make this recipe.

Makes 1½ cups

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup apple butter
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon red or brown rice miso paste
1 teaspoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend for 2 minutes until mixed well. (If you don’t have a blender, whisk all ingredients together in a mixing bowl until smooth.) This dressing keeps for several days if kept in a sealed container and stored in the fridge.

GINGER-MIS SALAD DRESSING

Silken tofu is a silky textured tofu that works great to thicken salad dressings, giving them a very creamy texture. In this recipe, it blends in with fresh ginger and red miso to create a creamy Asian dressing.

Makes about 1½ cups

1 block silken tofu
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Juice of 1 orange
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons red miso soybean paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
¼ teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients in a blender or whisk by hand. Keeps for several days in the fridge.

EGG LESS CAESAR SALAD DRESSING

For those of you who love a good Caesar salad but don’t enjoy the thought of eating raw egg, then you have found your savior. Actually, this is a great creamy dressing for lots of salads, including your favorite Caesar.

Makes about 2 cups

½ avocado
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
cup olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
2 fillets anchovies (optional)
1 tablespoon minced garlic

Put avocado, lemon juice, and vinegar in a blender and blend until you have a smooth paste. Add olive oil and blend until you have a creamy texture. Then add salt, garlic, and anchovies if using and blend until smooth and creamy. This dressing keeps for up to 2 days, covered, in the fridge.

SHIRLEY’S MIX SALAD DRESSING

This is a simple light dressing that serves as a complement to a salad mix without covering up the delicate flavor of the fresh greens. It’s an excellent dressing for bitter lettuces and greens.

Makes about 1 cup

½ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons tamari
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 clove garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients in blender or with a whisk. This dressing keeps for several days if sealed and stored in the fridge.

SPIRAL SALAD DRESSING

When 1 was in charge of the Esalen kitchen, this was by far the most requested recipe from diners. It’s an Asian-flavored salad dressing that blends sweet, sour, and salty. We have a steady production of Spiral Salad Dressing in the kitchen, mixing it up in 5 -gallon batches. It’s also tasty served over steamed broccoli or chard.

Makes =2 cups

½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1½ tablespoons mellow or white miso soybean paste
¼ cup grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons water
1 medium red onion, minced

Mix all ingredients in blender or whisk by hand. Will hold in the refrigerator for 1 week.

LITRE ASIAN SALAD DRESSING

This is Esalen’s lowest calorie salad dressing. It has almost no oil. It was developed by Jason Brodsky, an extended student who was determined to satisfy the diets of our calorie-counting guests. It soon became one of Esalen’s favorites.

Makes 1 cup

¼ cup rice wine vinegar
¼ cup tamari soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 scallions, minced
1teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon lemon juice

Place all ingredients in blender or whisk by hand. Add water to get the desired consistency. This dressing will keep for several days in the fridge.

ANGEL DREAM SALAD DRESSING

One of the Esalen chefs, Angela Karegeannes, created this recipe. She told me this story: “This dressing was created on a rainy day in the Upper East Side of Manhattan on the corner of 70th and 2nd streets with only the ingredients I could find in my boyfriend’s fridge. I brought it to Esalen and expanded it with my dear friend Maggie, who quickly became a huge fan of it. This dressing has a sneaky way of making a salad feel like a meal without being a heavy dressing. The combination of tahini, tamari, lime juice, and mint seems to evoke the essence of the Greece, Japan, Thailand, and the California coast all at the same time. The tarragon makes for an unexpectedly delicious complement.”

Makes 1½ cups

½ cup water
2 tablespoons tamari
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup sesame tahini
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill leaf
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint

Place everything into a blender and mix for 2 minutes until smooth.

If you don’t have a blender, follow these directions: In a bowl, mix the water, tamari, maple syrup, and lemon juice. Add the tahini and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the fresh herbs and enjoy!

This dressing will keep for several days if sealed and stored in the fridge.

ENLIGHTENED BALSAMIC SALAD DRESSING

Building your own salad at Esalen is quite a treat, especially in the summer when the salad bar overflows with an abundance of crisp vegetables and lettuces that have been freshly picked and washed just hours before by the Esalen gardeners. Our homemade salad dressings are a great complement to this abundance. This recipe is a sweet variation on the traditional balsamic vinaigrette.

Makes about 1¾ cups

¾ cup olive oil
¾ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 orange
2 teaspoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons dry basil
¼ teaspoon salt
Pinch cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients in a blender or with a whisk, or shake in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. This dressing keeps for several days in the fridge.

SOUPS

VEGAN VERSION

To make this into a vegan soup, replace the butter with olive oil.

FRESH TOMATO SOUP

This soup has the really fresh taste of summer. It’s a great recipe to make when tomato season has reached its peak and tomatoes are most flavorful. Try different varieties of tomatoes to bring out different flavors.

Serves 4

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium-size red onion, cut in ¼-inch dice
4 cups diced fresh tomatoes, cut in ½-inch dice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups vegetable stock or water
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill

In a 6-quart soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the onion until transparent. Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook 3 minutes more. Add vegetable stock or water, paprika, syrup, salt, and cayenne and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Smooth the texture of the soup by placing it, in batches, in a blender or food processor. Or you can use a hand immersion blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot over low heat. Bring up to serving temperature, but don’t let the soup boil. Garnish with fresh dill before serving.