The Bored Vegetarian

Moroccan Cous Cous with Blackened Red Pepper, Olives, Apricot and Toasted Pine Nuts

Last weekend I threw a dinner party at my apartment for six of my lovely friends.  Work has become increasingly busy as we head into wedding & events season (I’ll be helping seven awesome couples get married and four teens get bar/bat mitzvahed over the next three months), so I wanted to get people together for one last hurrah until I have more free time again in July.  I made a giant feast of Mediterranean & Middle Eastern inspired meze.  

On my search for ingredients, I visited Kalustyan’s in Flatiron.  The store is incredible and full of any sort of specialty item you could imagine and I’m in love.  

This cous cous dish is a nice balance of savory and sweet and can be tossed together as a nice side, or served layered like I did.  

2 cups cooked Moroccan Cous Cous (follow instructions on the box or bag. Use olive oil instead of butter if vegan) 
1 large Red Pepper
1/2 cup Dried Apricot
1/8 cup Moroccan Olives 
1/8 cup Pine Nuts
Cilantro (optional)
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt to taste 

Prepare cous cous as you’re prepping the other ingredients (should take about 10 minutes max.  Preheat oven to 350.  Toast pine nuts on a baking pan until they start to brown.  Remove from oven and set aside.  Remove top and seeds from the red pepper and cut into large pieces.  Toss with olive oil and season with salt.  Grill on a stovetop grill until soft and starting to blacken, grilling both sides of the pepper.  Remove from heat, chop into small pieces and put into a small bowl.  Chop olives (removing pits) and toss with the red pepper.  Chop up dried apricots into small pieces.  If using cilantro, chop into small pieces.  In a bowl toss cous cous with apricots, pine nuts and cilantro.  Season with salt.  Spoon cous cous onto plate or into a bowl and top with red pepper and olives.  You can toss everything together if you’d prefer.  Serve warm.  

Open-Faced Egg Sandwich inspired by the “Tomato Burger” from Blue Hill (via NYT’s Recipe)

As some of you may know, my day/night/weekend job is as an event planner for a catering company here in Brooklyn.  Part of what I do is discussing menu ideas with couples/clients and discussing how to bring their backgrounds, family recipes and inspiration from their favorite restaurants into their menu.  Recently a couple had mentioned how much they love Blue Hill Farm’s “tomato burger,” so I had our chefs do a take on it for their tasting.  I got to sample it myself and was so obsessed with the balance of sweetness from the “bun,” the savory tomato and the creamy goat cheese, I made a mental note to try it at home.  As someone who loves savory and sweet breakfast foods together (“don’t judge me!” I exclaimed as I dumped syrup all over my eggs and potatoes the other morning), I thought this would be perfect with a delicious sunny side up egg on top.  

Serves 4

For the “bread”

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp Almond Flour
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
2/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (honestly, I would recommend using less than their recommendation - it turned out a lot heavier and greasier than I would have liked.  Might reduce as much as half next time.) 
1/2 tsp Salt
4 large Egg Whites, lightly beaten 

Preheat oven to 325.  Coat a 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray.  In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  Pour in egg whites and whisk with dry ingredients until combined.  Continue to whisk and slowly add olive oil in a stream.  Pour into baking pan and bake on middle rack for 20-25 minutes or until golden yellow.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Tomato Filling:

2 pounds ripe Tomatoes
1 cup Sundried Tomatoes in oil, drained and finely chopped
1/4 Tbsp Shallots, finely chopped
1/2 Balsamic Vinegar

Cut a shallow x in the bottom of the tomatoes.  Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds.  Remove from heat and run under cold water.  Skins should easily slip off.  Remove seeds and chop into a small dice.  In a bowl, toss together diced tomato, sundried tomato, shallots, balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper.  

Goat Cheese Filling:

2/3 Goat Cheese, room temperature
6 Tbsp Mascarpone Cheese, room temperature 
2 Tbsp chopped Chives
pinch of salt

Stir together all of the ingredients and set aside.

Egg:

4 Eggs
2 Tbsp
Salt & Pepper to taste

Fresh basil

Melt butter in a pan.  Crack eggs into pan and cook on low/medium heat until whites begin to firm up.  Cover with lid until whites are about done.  Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble:

Cut a four rounds out of the “bread.”  Layer each with some of the goat cheese, a generous amount of the tomato filling, fresh basil and top with an egg.  Serve hot.  

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Sunny Side Up Egg with Quinoa, Sauteed Kale, Tomato and Basil & Scallion Puree

It’s a slow rainy Saturday in New York.

1 egg
1/2 cup dry Quinoa
1 cup Low Sodium Vegetable Stock
1 cup chopped Kale, large stems removed
1/4 cup Baby Heirloom Tomatoes
2 generous handfuls of fresh Basil
1/2 cup chopped Scallions
1 clove Garlic
4-5 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp Butter
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a saucepan 1/2 cup of water and 1 cup Vegetable Broth to a boil.  Add quinoa and season with a bit of salt.  Cover and bring down to a simmer until the liquid cooks off (about 15 minutes).  In a saute pan, saute minced garlic in a bit of olive oil until soft.  Add the cooked quinoa and toss.  Cook on low heat, continuing to cook off any remaining liquid in the quinoa.  In a blender, liquify basil, scallion and a 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.  With the blender going, slowly stream in the white wine vinegar, which will thicken the puree.  In a saute pan, saute the kale and tomato in a bit of olive oil until soft.  Add to quinoa and toss.  Season with salt & pepper.  In a saute pan, melt butter over low-medium heat.  Crack the egg into the pan and season with salt and pepper.  Cover with a lid until the whites have firmed up.  Serve quinoa in a bowl, top with the sunny side up egg and spoon some of the basil & scallion puree over the top.  Serve immediately.  

Cauliflower Soup with a Parmesan Crisp and Truffle Oil

When I’m feeling a little uninspired in the kitchen, sometimes all it takes is a visit to an amazing restaurant or two to get the wheels turning again.  Usually it’s because I’ve had a new combination of ingredients or take that I hadn’t considered, but sometimes I get inspired to recreate a dish that isn’t as good as I think it could have been.  Case in point the cauliflower soup I had a place in Bushwick recently.  While it wasn’t terrible, I thought it was missing the rich silkiness (ew, that word) that cauliflower can create.  I decided I should try my hand at it at home to see if I could make a version that captured the comforting and warm feeling that soup should give in the deep hellish depths of winter (also known as February in New York.)

1 head Cauliflower, trimmed of stalk and leaves
1 cup chopped Onion
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 cups Vegetable Stock
1 cup Half & Half
Salt and Pepper to taste
Truffle Oil (optional)

In a large pot, saute chopped onion and garlic on low/medium heat until translucent.  Chop cauliflower into small, manageable pieces.  Add to pot and cover with vegetable stock.  Turn heat to medium/high until cauliflower is very soft, about 15-20 minutes.  Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly.  Using an immersion blender, blend the stock and vegetables until smooth.  Add half & half and continue to blend.  Salt and pepper to taste.  If soup is too thick, you can add a little water or more half and half.  If it’s too thin, continue to cook until to desired thickness.  Serve hot in a bowl with a drizzle of truffle oil and a parmesan crisp

For the Parmesan Crisp

1 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

(for those asking, BelGioioso makes a rennet-free parm)

Preheat oven broil.  Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread cheese in an even layer so that you can’t see the area of paper, about 4-5 inches around.  Broil in oven until cheese melts and begins to crisp and brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Break into pieces and serve with soup.  

Thanks to Mardi of Sprout & Pea for coming over for dinner and to share an amazing bottle of First Fruit from Shinn Vineyard on Long Island that I’ve been holding onto for far too long.  It’s time I made a trip back there…  

Roasted Cauliflower Steak with Whipped Feta and Scallions

1 large Cauliflower head, trimmed
1/4 pound Feta Cheese
2 ounces Cream Cheese
2 Tbsp Heavy Cream
1 Tbsp fresh Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Scallions for garnish
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375.  Place flat side of cauliflower on cutting board and cut 3/4 inch “steaks” from the middle of the head.  In a pan, heat olive oil and sear each side of the cauliflower, flipping to brown each side.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and roast on a cookie sheet on the lowest rack of the oven until tender.  In a food processor, blend feta, cream cheese, cream cheese and lemon juice until smooth.  Spoon whipped feta onto plate with a cauliflower steak.  Garnish with scallion.    

Last week’s Valentine’s Market was a great time, even with the blizzard.  Thank you to everyone who stopped by our table and sampled or bought a jar of nutella.  Markets of New York did a nice post about our wares.  Check it out!

Poached Egg over Lemony Kale with Asiago and Crispy Shallot

While I have your attention, have you liked The Bored Vegetarian on fb? You should! It’s a lot easier to interact that way. Almost like real life, except not at all.

1 Egg
2 cups fresh Kale, chopped well
1/2 Lemon
2-3 Tbsp Asiago Cheese, finely grated (Bear Flag and Vella Cheese make rennet-free asiago)
1/2 Shallot, chopped in rounds
Cooking oil 
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a bowl, whisk together 1 Tbsp juice & zest from the lemon with the olive oil.  Toss with the kale until coated evenly, seasoning to taste.  Pile into the bowl you’re going to serve it in.  In a pan, heat cooking oil to between 365 or 375 degrees.  Toss in shallots and fry until they begin to crisp and brown.  Carefully remove (I used a fork, not the safest method) and place on a paper towel or paper bag to drain some oil off and cool.  Next, follow these instructions to poach an egg!  Once egg has been drained, place on top of kale.  Season with salt & pepper and top with a pile of crispy shallots. Serve immediately.  
 

Sriracha & Sesame Brussels Sprouts

1 lb Brussels Sprouts, trimmed
3/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
2-3 Tbsp Sriracha
2 1/2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds (I used bamboo smoked)
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt to taste

Depending on the size of your Brussels spouts, either cut in half, fourths or leave whole.  In a saute pan, heat olive oil.  Add Brussels sprouts, toss in olive oil and season with salt.  Begin to cook over medium/high heat, turning often to brown evenly.  It’s ok if they get a little crisp.  In a bowl, whisk together vinegar, Sriracha, sesame oil and sugar.  Once Brussels sprout are cooked through, turn down heat to medium/low and pour Sriracha mixture over the sprouts.  Toss to coat and turn up heat towards medium/high.  The sauce will begin to bubble, so be careful not too burn.  Once the sauce starts to reduce and get a little sticky to coat the sprouts, remove from heat.  Move to a serving dish and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

Roasted Fig and Ricotta Crostini with Sea Salt and Meyer Lemon Zest

5 Mission Figs
1/3 cup Ricotta
1 Meyer Lemon
Sea Salt
French Baguette
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the stems off of the figs and slice in half lengthwise. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with a bit of olive oil, tossing to coat.  Roast in oven for 5-10 minutes or until the sugars start to caramelize.  Remove from oven and set aside.  Slice 5 1/2 slices from french bread and place on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and toast in the oven until crunchy and starting to brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.  To assemble, spread each crostini with a generous amount of ricotta and spread two fig halves onto each one.  Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.  Using a microplane,  zest the lemon over the crostini.  

Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta with Shiitake Mushroom and Baby Spinach, topped with a Poached Egg

1/4 cup White Polenta (or grits, hominy)
1 cup Water 
1/4 cup Low Fat Milk
2 Tbsp Goat Cheese
1 1/2 cups fresh Shiitake Mushrooms
2 cups fresh Baby Spinach, stems removed
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Tbsp Butter 
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a saucepan, bring 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt to a boil.  Add in polenta and stir.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 12 - 14 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Once the polenta has started to thicken, add in 1/4 cup low fat milk and the goat cheese and stir until incorporated in.  Continue to simmer on low heat.  

Chop shiitake mushrooms in to pieces (not too small, they will reduce when you cook them).  In a small saute pan, melt the butter and 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil together over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and a bit of salt and toss.  Cook the mushrooms until they begin to brown and get a little crisp on the outside.  Room from heat and set to the side.  

Bring 2 inches of water to barely simmer in a saute pan.  Still to remove any air bubbles at the bottom of the pan.  Crack egg into a small bowl (I used a measuring cup) and ease into the water.  Set a timer for 4 1/2 minutes.

While the egg is poaching, heat the remaining 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil and saute spinach at medium heat until wilted.

Plate a the polenta and add the spinach and mushrooms.  With a slotted spoon, remove the egg from the water and top the polenta, spinach and mushrooms.  Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.