SALON

Cathy Elton

Tuesday, Mar 29, 2011 12:30 AM UTC

Barley risotto with asparagus and mushrooms

A vegetarian-, or vegan-, friendly risotto to shake you out of a starch-induced hibernation

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Barley risotto with asparagus and mushrooms

I love risotto, but I feel like a big starchy blob after eating it. But by making it with barley instead of rice, I can have my risotto and eat it too. Barley is a great source of soluble fiber, which can lower LDL cholesterol. So this really is comfort food you can feel comfortable with.

This vegan version is like springtime in a bowl, thanks to asparagus, mushrooms and — added just before serving — gremolata. (Gremolata, generally a mixture of parsley, raw garlic and lemon zest, is a frequent secret weapon in my cooking.)

The addition of some peas during the last few minutes of cooking would be a nice variation here. And, of course, if you’re not cursed with high cholesterol like I am, some grated parmigiano reggiano would be delicious.

See more of my heart-healthy recipes on my blog, What Would Cathy Eat?

Barley Risotto with Asparagus and Mushrooms

Ingredients

  • 1 pound thickish asparagus, tough ends snapped off
  • 2 teaspoons plus 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 shallots, finely minced (I recommend pulsing in a food processor)
  • 8 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 ounces shiitake or maitake (hen of the woods) mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 ½ cups pearled barley
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 6 cups vegetable broth, more if needed (use a gluten-free variety if you are gluten-sensitive)
  • ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • Grated zest of one lemon
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450. Toss the asparagus with 2 teaspoons oil and roast on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes, or until crisp-tender. When cool, cut diagonally into ½-inch pieces.
  2. Heat the remaining oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or dutch oven.
  3. Add the shallots and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the barley and cook for one minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it is evaporated.
  4. Continue to add the broth in half-cup increments, stirring nearly constantly until each addition evaporates. Continue until the barley is tender but chewy, about 40 minutes.
  5. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (You will not need salt if you used a commercial broth.)
  6. Add the asparagus. Combine the parsley, basil, lemon zest and garlic, and add to risotto just before serving.

Tuesday, Mar 29, 2011 12:30 AM UTC

Barley risotto with asparagus and mushrooms recipe

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Barley risotto with asparagus and mushrooms recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 pound thickish asparagus, tough ends snapped off
  • 2 teaspoons plus 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 shallots, finely minced (I recommend pulsing in a food processor)
  • 8 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 ounces shiitake or maitake (hen of the woods) mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 ½ cups pearled barley
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 6 cups vegetable broth, more if needed (use a gluten-free variety if you are gluten-sensitive)
  • ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • Grated zest of one lemon
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450. Toss the asparagus with 2 teaspoons oil and roast on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes, or until crisp-tender. When cool, cut diagonally into ½-inch pieces.
  2. Heat the remaining oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or dutch oven.
  3. Add the shallots and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the barley and cook for one minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it is evaporated.
  4. Continue to add the broth in half-cup increments, stirring nearly constantly until each addition evaporates. Continue until the barley is tender but chewy, about 40 minutes.
  5. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (You will not need salt if you used a commercial broth.)
  6. Add the asparagus. Combine the parsley, basil, lemon zest and garlic, and add to risotto just before serving.
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Tuesday, Mar 8, 2011 1:30 AM UTC

Cashew roasted garlic spread

"Vegan nut cheese" are hardly the most appetizing words, but the technique of softening sweet nuts is brilliant

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Cashew roasted garlic spread

Being an almost-vegan, the idea of vegan cheese should appeal to me, but to be honest, I think it’s silly. I’ve had nut cheeses made from cashews, and they tend to be bland and tasteless. The main flavor tends to come from the nutritional yeast often used in the process. Sorry, but if I want cheese, I’ll break my cardiologist-ordered diet and eat a bite or two of English farmhouse cheddar.

Having said that, I took one cue from the vegan cheeseheads in developing my rich and creamy Italian cashew spread: I soaked the cashews overnight to make them soft. But rather than going for a thick, cheeselike texture, I created a spread that’s more reminiscent of a white bean dip. The hefty dose of roasted garlic, along with lemon and olive oil, put it in a whole different league than faux cheese.

This would be good served on homemade crostini, or even cucumber slices. If you have it on crackers, be sure they don’t have a strong flavor or the crackers will overwhelm the lovely roasted garlic taste.

See more of my heart-healthy recipes on my blog What Would Cathy Eat?

Cashew Roasted Garlic Spread

Ingredients

  • 2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight in water, then drained
  • 1 whole head garlic
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 5 tablespoons water
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel off the outer papery skin of the garlic head. Slice along the top of the bulb (not the root end) to reveal a bit of the cloves.
  2. Place in a baking pan, drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
  3. Place the drained cashews in a food processor. Add the roasted garlic, squeezing out the contents of each clove. Add the remaining ingredients and process until very smooth.
  4. Serve on whole grain bread or crostini. If serving on crackers, make sure they don’t have a lot of salt or seasoning; you want the focus to be on the spread.
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Tuesday, Mar 8, 2011 1:30 AM UTC

Cashew roasted garlic spread recipe

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Cashew roasted garlic spread recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight in water, then drained
  • 1 whole head garlic
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 5 tablespoons water
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel off the outer papery skin of the garlic head. Slice along the top of the bulb (not the root end) to reveal a bit of the cloves.
  2. Place in a baking pan, drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
  3. Place the drained cashews in a food processor. Add the roasted garlic, squeezing out the contents of each clove. Add the remaining ingredients and process until very smooth.
  4. Serve on whole grain bread or crostini. If serving on crackers, make sure they don’t have a lot of salt or seasoning; you want the focus to be on the spread.
Tuesday, Feb 1, 2011 1:30 AM UTC

Smoky, spicy vegetarian chili

This spiced-up version of vegetarian chili is not for the faint of heart

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Smoky, spicy vegetarian chili

It’s disheartening to read most of the vegetarian chili recipes out there. Many of them are bean and vegetable stews with little depth of flavor. I wanted to create a vegetarian chili that is deeply flavored with real chiles, and spicy enough to make smoke come out of your ears. I think I’ve finally cracked the code with the recipe below. It includes six types of peppers, including smoky chipotles, along with pan-charred onions and serranos, beer and a hint of chocolate — resulting in a chili that is intense, complex and spicy.

Of course, you have to be dedicated to make this, as it involves making beans from scratch, and obtaining ingredients like dried ancho and guajillo chiles. But trust me, it’s worth it — and I’ve provided some links for mail-order sources for peppers, for those of you who can’t easily find them locally. Do make sure your ground cumin is fresh; this won’t be as good if your jar of cumin has been sitting in the cabinet for a year or more. Grinding your own from cumin seeds is best of all.

See more of my heart-healthy recipes at www.whatwouldcathyeat.com

Smoky and Spicy Vegetarian Chili

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cups dried pinto beans
  • 1 large or 2 small dried ancho chiles
  • 1 dried guajillo chile (or substitute pasilla or more ancho)
  • 12-ounce bottle of beer, divided
  • 1 very large white (or yellow) onion, thickly sliced
  • 4 fresh serrano peppers (or substitute jalapeños)
  • 2 tablespoons canola or high-oleic safflower oil
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 large stalk celery, diced
  • 2 medium green bell peppers, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, preferably Mexican
  • 1 package chicken-style seitan, well chopped (or substitute regular seitan)
  • 1 4-ounce can chopped fire-roasted green chiles, preferably Hatch
  • 1 chipotle pepper (from canned chipotles in adobo), minced
  • 2 ½ cups crushed tomatoes (about ¾ of a 28-ounce can)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups reserved bean cooking liquid
  • ½ ounce bittersweet chocolate
  • Fat-free sour cream and chopped red onions, for garnish

Directions

  1. Soak the beans, or use the quick-soak method. Drain, cover well with fresh cold water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Drain, reserving cooking liquid.
  2. Heat a cast-iron pan until very hot. Add the dried chiles and press down with a spatula and cook until the peppers begin to soften and are beginning to blacken, about 1 minute. Remove from pan, cut off the stems and shake out the seeds.
  3. Tear the chiles into pieces and place in a blender along with 1 cup of the beer, and purée until smooth.
  4. Reheat the cast-iron pan over high heat and add the onion slices and serrano peppers. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning the onions once, until they are well charred and soft.
  5. Remove the onions and chop. Cut the stems off the serranos and chop. (For a milder dish, slice the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds before chopping.)
  6. Add the prepared onions and serranos, cumin, black pepper and oregano and cook for 2 minutes.
  7. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven. Add the garlic, celery and bell peppers and sauté for about 10 minutes.
  8. Add the seitan, fire-roasted green chiles, chipotle and chile purée and cook 2 minutes more.
  9. Add the remaining beer, tomatoes, bean cooking liquid and salt.
  10. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add cooked beans and cook 10 minutes more.
  11. Stir in chocolate and serve, topping with fat-free sour cream and chopped onions if you’d like.
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Tuesday, Feb 1, 2011 1:30 AM UTC

Smoky, spicy vegetarian chili recipe

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Smoky, spicy vegetarian chili recipe

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cups dried pinto beans
  • 1 large or 2 small dried ancho chiles
  • 1 dried guajillo chile (or substitute pasilla or more ancho)
  • 12-ounce bottle of beer, divided
  • 1 very large white (or yellow) onion, thickly sliced
  • 4 fresh serrano peppers (or substitute jalapeños)
  • 2 tablespoons canola or high-oleic safflower oil
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 large stalk celery, diced
  • 2 medium green bell peppers, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, preferably Mexican
  • 1 package chicken-style seitan, well chopped (or substitute regular seitan)
  • 1 4-ounce can chopped fire-roasted green chiles, preferably Hatch
  • 1 chipotle pepper (from canned chipotles in adobo), minced
  • 2 ½ cups crushed tomatoes (about ¾ of a 28-ounce can)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups reserved bean cooking liquid
  • ½ ounce bittersweet chocolate
  • Fat-free sour cream and chopped red onions, for garnish

Directions

  1. Soak the beans, or use the quick-soak method. Drain, cover well with fresh cold water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Drain, reserving cooking liquid.
  2. Heat a cast-iron pan until very hot. Add the dried chiles and press down with a spatula and cook until the peppers begin to soften and are beginning to blacken, about 1 minute. Remove from pan, cut off the stems and shake out the seeds.
  3. Tear the chiles into pieces and place in a blender along with 1 cup of the beer, and purée until smooth.
  4. Reheat the cast-iron pan over high heat and add the onion slices and serrano peppers. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning the onions once, until they are well charred and soft.
  5. Remove the onions and chop. Cut the stems off the serranos and chop. (For a milder dish, slice the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds before chopping.)
  6. Add the prepared onions and serranos, cumin, black pepper and oregano and cook for 2 minutes.
  7. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven. Add the garlic, celery and bell peppers and sauté for about 10 minutes.
  8. Add the seitan, fire-roasted green chiles, chipotle and chile purée and cook 2 minutes more.
  9. Add the remaining beer, tomatoes, bean cooking liquid and salt.
  10. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add cooked beans and cook 10 minutes more.
  11. Stir in chocolate and serve, topping with fat-free sour cream and chopped onions if you’d like.
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