Transcendental Sandwich: Cinque-e-Cinque at Gagarin

On my second day in Italy, before my workshop began, I caught a train from Florence to Livorno to visit a dear old friend. I've known Nicoletta for 20 years now! Wow. That's half of our lives. She recently had a baby, and I was eager to meet her little sweetie pie. 

We spent the whole day visiting and catching up (there was a lot of catching up to do!). It was so wonderful. After a lovely lunch outside in the garden made by Nicoletta's mom (pasta with red sauce, veggies, fresh bread, home grown plums for dessert - ahh...) - we headed into the city center for a stroll with her sweet Mom, and her sweet little babe.

After a little roaming, we arrived (inevitably!) on the subject of Livorno's culinary specialty: "Cinque e Cinque." Literally, the translation is "five and five," and the origin of this treat is 5 Lire worth of bread and 5 Lire worth of "torta di ceci." (The lire was Italy's currency before the Euro, for you youngins). "Torta di ceci" is a thin, savory pancake/bread made with chickpea flour. In other areas of the Meditteranean, it is also known as "socca," "cecina," or "farinata."

Nicoletta and her mum led me to this unassuming local spot called De Gagarin. You wouldn't know it from the outside, but this is THE PLACE to have cinque e cinque in Livorno. It's all they serve. Inside was jam-packed with people, all happily grooving out on their delicious food.

Inside was so beautiful, but I chickened out and didn't take photos. It was tiny and rustic and the decor was as fancy as the exterior would suggest. But the emotional atmosphere was warm and inviting. Working the counter was a portly, friendly and efficient gal - serving up orders. Behind her was just one other fella, working the oven. The oven was enormous - a wood burning pit at eye-level, and with at least 3, maybe 4, huge round copper pans of torta di ceci baking inside. The pans were at least two-feet across. The oven was glowing with heat and torta di ceci potential.

Bread: Slab of Torta di Ceci: Eggplant Slices: Another Slab of Torta di Ceci: Bread

I went in thinking I would just have the classic bread-and-torta, but then I saw two ladies seated near the door who had EGGPLANT with their order. Hello! I asked Nicoletta and her mom and they said this was part of the specialty! So, obviously, I decided right then and there to get my sandwich with the additional grilled eggplant.

All of this together adds up to One Very Happy Amey. I was instructed by my pal that I had to get a drink with it: beer, iced tea, or a Coke. I chose a Coke. A rare treat! You'll see it poking out behind my bum in this pic.

I know this sandwich doesn't really sound like the most amazing thing - but it really was. I think it's one of those cases of just a few ingredients, each made perfectly and with care, coming together to create much more than the sum of their parts. I was pretty much levitating with joy and flavor appreciation with each bite. All that, and - best of all - it was a totally authentic culinary travel experience that was 100% vegan. Such a rare and wonderful treat when that happens.

We had such a sweet time. The little restaurant itself was already crowded beyond capacity, so we headed just across the street and sat on this little wall - each enjoying our treat, enjoying our time together, enjoying our new little baby friend in his stroller, enjoying the moment.

p.s. I've done some searching around online, in Italian, and have found a few good recipe sources for the bread and the eggplant, as well as the torta di ceci. You can expect a complete recipe/tutorial sometime soon.

MoFo Noshtalgia: Cinque e Cinque Sandwiches

The first time I ever had "cinque e cinque" was about 20 years ago, when I was a college student in Florence, Italy. A few years earlier, my parents had hosted an Italian exchange student and through that experience I had met lots of other Italian kids my age. It was great fun. So, when I arrived in Florence, I already had a friend in Livorno - about a one hour train ride away. That guy's name was Matteo - but that's about all I remember. What really matters is that Matteo introduced me to Nicoletta and she and I quickly became pals. We've been friends ever since! 

I just saw Nicoletta on my recent trip to Italy, and we realized that now we have been friends for officially over half our lives. Wow! Back in those university days, we used to see each other in Florence during the week, but on weekends, Nicoletta would travel back home to Livorno, and I would often see her there. (full disclosure: I also dated one of her friends during that time - thus I was frequently in Livorno. That boyfriend didn't last, but my friendship with Nicoletta did!). One thing she introduced me to in Livorno way back then, was their regional specialty, cinque e cinque. 

(you can read more about cinque-e-cinque in this old post)

I was determined to recreate this treat at home, and to share it with Mr. VE&T and with our friends... so we had a sandwich party! Even though cinque e cinque is really more like street food, we had a funny mixed-etiquette party with tapered candles and ginger ale out of cans. Ha ha! 

Based on my cinque e cinque experience this summer, and some online research, there are just a few critical components to an authentic cinque e cinque experience:

1. the bread

2. the torta di ceci

3. the eggplant

4. the beverage

5. putting it all together

 1. The Bread

I found one recipe online, but it was a pretty sloppy recipe full of things like "add some water," or "as much oil as you need," or whatever. My Italian pal Sara did some more skillful searching and found this recipe online - which I just translated with google translate (see below). The pictures on this site were helpful too. The recipe said it would make 10 sandwich rolls, but I only got 8, and they weren't huge. Maybe I didn't let it rise enough the second time? Either way, they were really yummy and I loved the salty hit from sprinkling coarse salt on the dough before folding it in half. I would like to try to make this recipe again. As you can see, a few of them turned out sorta lumpy, but a few of them were really perfect!

Pane Francese

for about 8 rolls 

500 grams of flour (I used half bread flour, half all-purpose flour)

400 ml. of water 

2 tsp active or instant yeast 

20 grams of Earth Balance 

1 tablespoon coarse salt 

1 pinch of salt

white flour and semolina flour

Dissolve the yeast in a glass with 100 ml. of water and a pinch of sugar. Let rest in a warm place and allow it to foam. 

Pour the flour and a pinch of salt on a work surface or in a large bowl. At the center pour the softened lard, the yeast mixture and the remaining water. Knead and work for about 15 minutes to obtain an even and elastic dough. Modeling a spherical shape, cover and leave to rise for at least an hour and a half before moving to the next step.

Spread the dough into a rectangle, keeping in mind that the smaller side of the rectangle will be roughly equal to twice the length of the rolls. Take coarse salt (if it’s too big, blend it up for a sec) and spread it on the dough. Fold the dough over itself from the smaller side. 

Then cut the strips, parallel to the shorter side, with a thickness of about two fingers. This will result in sandwiches shaped like a "u" Spread a cloth with white flour and semolina. In parallel to the short side of the canvas, creating folds in the center of which will be made ​​at a slight downward pressure on one or two rolls, depending on the length of the latter: raising the canvas to make another fold, flour, lay the sandwich and so on until you finish the dough. 

Cover with another towel and let re-rise for at least another hour and a half. Pick up the sandwiches with a spatula from the canvas and place them apart on a baking sheet sprinkled with flour. Bake in preheated oven at 350-375 F degrees for 15 minutes until in that the top starts to brown color.

 2. The Torta di Ceci

This recipe is direct from Nicoletta's mom. In fact, that torta pan in the back there is one that Nicoletta sent me, along with her mom's recipe, many years ago - when I asked her how to make torta di ceci. I love that chickpea flour is so easy to find nowadays. I love love love love love torta di ceci so much, and this batch came out super delicious. We didn't quite use all of it in our sandwiches, but every last morsel was eaten by the end of the evening - even the little crumbs out of the pan.

Torta Di Ceci 

(makes one pan)

• 1 1/2 c garbanzo flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp good olive oil (plus a little extra for the pan)
• 2 c water
• black pepper

Whisk together the flour & salt, then whisk in the water and olive oil. Let stand at least 2 hours, and as long as overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Lightly brush a 12-inch tart pan (or pizza pan with 1 inch rim) with olive oil. Pour in batter and bake for 40-50 minutes until the top is crusty, lightly golden, and possibly cracked.

Sprinkle on generous amounts of black pepper and eat hot (or at least warm!)

 3. The Eggplant

I found some good eggplant tips on this pdf - and there are also some really beautiful and evocative pictures there of the spot where Nicoletta and her mom took me for cinque e cinque this summer (called Da Gagarin).

Grilled Eggplants
(enough for 6 sandwiches)

1 big Italian Eggplant, sliced in 1/4-1/2 inch slices
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2-3 cloves minced garlic
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt

I mixed together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Then I quickly dredged both sides of each slice through the mixture. I put them all in a baking dish and let them sit for the whole day to marinate a bit more. The website suggested pouring olive oil over them, but that is beyond my oil threshold. If you are truly craving authenticity, knock yourself out.

Then, right before eating our sandwiches, and while the torta di ceci was baking, we grilled the eggplant slices over medium-low heat - so that they would be soft and cooked through without charring. They turned out great!

The slices on their own were pungent and spicy from the garlic and red pepper flakes, but together with the carby roll and torta di ceci, those flavors were much quieter.

4. The Beverage

It seems that there are just a few beverages of choice to go with your sandwich: a beer, iced tea (in a can!), a Coke, or - many websites mentioned this - Spuma Bionda. Spuma Bionda is an Italian soda that you can't find here in the States, but the closest thing to it is probably ginger ale. So I had two of my friends bring ginger ale - which we drank straight from the can for a more genuine experience.

5. Putting It All Together

Now for the whole sandwich. I am warning you know : this is a total carb out. So just be prepared. We wimped out a little on the authenticity and decided to have a green salad with our carbfest. No regrets at all. You gotta keep a little balance in this life.

Here's how it goes:
Bread
slice of torta di ceci - sprinkled generously with black pepper
eggplant slices
another slice of torta di ceci - sprinkled generously with black pepper
Other piece of bread.

It was a little dry, possibly because we hadn't soaked our eggplants in a 3-inch bath of olive oil, so we drizzled a little more olive oil on the bread, and that was deemed good by all of us.

that's me and Nicoletta up there on the right

- college-aged-me wore big round glasses and had her hair in pig tail braids.

This whole evening was super fun. It was so fun to recreate such a special travel treat, to remember my friend Nicoletta - and the various times we've enjoyed cinque e cinque together, and to share one of my favorite travel treats with my special friends at home.

Ricki's Delicious Quizza!!

Back in the day, I was doing my junior year of college in Italy. My Italian pals and I were out on the mean streets of Livorno, sometime around midnight, and our young tummies were growling for a snack. Luckily, they knew just the spot.  We drove across town to a little food cart in an empty parking lot, with about 10 people in line waiting for a hot serving of "cinque-cinque:" which is a slice of bread and a slice of "torta di ceci." Some people call it socca, some people call it farinata, but it will always be torta di ceci for me. Right then and there, I fell in love with this magical, savory little item made with chickpea flour.

And yet, somehow, I'd never thought of filling it up with veggies! Genius! So, when I saw Ricki's post on "quizza" - half quiche + half pizza - which was a giant torta di ceci stuffed full with veggies, I knew that I had to try it.

The only thing I changed was that I added a tiny bit more salt, and a whole bunch of black pepper. For me, black pepper and torta di ceci are like chocolate and peanut butter. Two great tastes that taste great together. I LOVED THIS STUFF. Also, it was super easy, almost zero effort, made great leftovers, is good any time of day, and is an awesome way to eat veggies and high-protein chickpea flour. This is definitely a new favorite recipe for me. Try it, you'll love it! 

p.s. don't be scared that the batter is so liquidy. It's supposed to be like that. :) 

Boiled Peanuts & Torta di Ceci (not together, though!)

Lots of varied & fun food activity today...

For lunch I made myself a salad with loads of goodies... baked tofu, kidney beans, red & green bell peppers, cucumbers, beets, carrots... Very tasty indeed!

Then, this afternoon I finally got around to cooking up some raw peanuts that I got at the farmers' market on Wednesday. I made BOILED PEANUTS! yum yum yum!! I hadn't ever had boiled peanuts until I went to North Carolina to visit family about 10 years ago or so. Now I am a real fanatic, and boiled peanuts are one of the things I most anticipate on trips to the South. If you have never had a boiled peanut, it's sort of like a peanut-flavored edamame.

To make your own boiled peanuts, it's best to have some fresh raw peanuts. Pop 'em in a big pot full of salty water and boil away for 1-2 hours. You'll have to add more water from time to time, and also start checking after an hour or so to see if they need more salt in the water or if the texture seems done to you. They should be soft & salty.

This batch turned out so perfect and delicious. I couldn't stop taking pictures.

For dinner tonight I made Quinoa Salad and Torta di Ceci. The Quinoa Salad recipe I used was from "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison. There's red bell pepper, pine nuts, golden raisins, chopped dried apricots, cilantro, quinoa and lettuce, all with a Lime-Cumin-Cilantro dressing. It's REALLY good!

Torta di Ceci is an amazing and delicious number that all vegans should know about! I first learned about it from my friends in Livorno, Italy. It's a bit of regional specialty there... and you can go out at 2 in the morning and find places selling warm slices. It's a torte made with garbanzo bean flour, water, salt and olive oil... and sprinked with black pepper. It's so insanely delicious, and also quite easy. Here's the recipe:

Torta Di Ceci (also called Socca in France)

• 1 1/2 c garbanzo flour
• 1 t salt
• 2 1/2 t good olive oil (plus a little extra for the pan)
• 2 c water
• black pepper

Whisk together the flour & salt, then whisk in the water and olive oil. Let stand at least 2 hours, and as long as overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush a 12-inch tart pan (or pizza pan with 1 inch rim) with olive oil. Pour in batter and bake for 40-50 minutes until the top is crusty, lightly golden, and possibly cracked.

Sprinkle on generous amounts of black pepper and eat hot (or at least warm!)

Enjoy!!

Gluten Free Dinner Party!

This weekend we had our really awesome friends B&D come over for dinner. It was an all-round excellent evening. Ms B is a gluten-free gal, and also she can't eat anything too spicy. It's not really that hard for me to plan a gluten-free meal, but I kept thinking of spicy ideas (enchiladas, south Indian, etc). So after much contemplation, I came up with a super yummy all xgfx (vegan+gluten-free) dinner menu. 

Things kicked off with one of my favorite salad recipes. It's a Wild Rice and Spelt Salad with Grapes, Toasted Hazelnuts, and a Citrus-Cumin Dressing (I think the recipe is from the cookbook The Healthy Hedonist). All I had to do to deglutenize it was use all wild rice and no spelt. Easy Peasy! As always, it was super, super delicious. It's a great recipe because you can do everything while the rice is cooking (35-40 minutes) - and it's great warm or at room temp. It's filling, hearty, and felt appropriately autumnal. 

With the salad, we all had a bowl of Creamy Broccoli Soup with Red Bell Pepper Creme (recipe from Real Food Daily Cookbook). Even though it was 80 degrees that day (for reals!), we all loved it. I haven't made this recipe for a while, but now I can't wait to make it again. It makes a TON, and it's full of 3 pounds of broccoli and almost a pound of spinach. With my magic Vitamix, I got a crazy smooth base, and then added in some lightly steamed florets for some bite. The Red Pepper Creme really makes the soup shine - it's based with cashews and has a bright lemony tang to it. We've already devoured the leftovers!

To go with the soup, I made a batch of Torta di Ceci (recipe here) - aka Socca. I got this recipe many years ago from my friend Nicoletta's mom. It's just so delicious... and I figured every gluten-free person NEEDS to know the glory of Torta di Ceci. It's pretty much just chickpea flour, water, salt, and a little olive oil... yet somehow it cooks up into something so delicious! For some strange reason, Mr. Vegan Eats & Treats isn't all that into it ~ but that's okay: More for the rest of us!!!

The real star of the show was the veggie side dish I made : Roasted Butternut Squash with Herbs, veganized from Plenty. I got my copy of Plenty quite a while back, but this was the first time I finally cooked something from it. Now I cannot wait to cook 1 million recipes from it. This recipe called for pumpkin (I used a butternut), called for parmesan cheese (I used the equivalent amount of Terry's Chickpea Parm from Vegan Eats World), and called for bread crumbs (and I deglutenized by using crushed up rice chex-type cereal). The end result was magically delicious. Seriously, you guys. 

For dessert I made the Butterscotch Amaretti Cookies from Great Gluten-free Vegan Eats. This is rapidly becoming one of my favorite cookie recipes of all time. They're easy, they're gluten free, and everyone can love on them. I served them alongside some Chocolate Gelato Sorbet, and it was a great combo. I packaged up all the leftover cookies and sent them home with the gals ~ since, based on my experience as a vegan, people probably don't make you cookies all that often when you're gluten-free.

It was a really super delicious - and super healthy! - totally gluten-free meal. Best of all though, we had a really lovely evening with our friends. Now I'm already scheming about another xgfx menu so we can have them over again!

 Bonus Dottie Bonkers Picture:

Just look at our little Dottie B! She made this set up all by her self! 

Also: By popular demand, the doodles will continue... even though MoFo is over!

I guess I'm enjoying all this amazing sunny weather we've been having... but I'm also sorta feeling ready for autumn to kick in. It feels wrong to be prancing around in shorts and flip flops while also thinking about what I'll cook for Thanksgiving. I wanna put on some socks and a cozy scarf!

VeganMoFo 11: Science!

Mr. Vegan Eats & Treats got to pick out TWO meals today, and he did a great job!

We had a great start to our day with a family waffle party. There was a pretty small turnout, but it was so nice. Waffles, fruit salad, OJ, coffee and nice visiting. It was a chilly, foggy morning, so it felt great to be drinking coffee and eating waffles together. These are the Raised Waffles from Vegan Brunch. Let me discuss these waffles with you. THEY ARE AMAZING. They are the best waffles I've ever made. After I made them the first time, I knew that I would never again need to make any other waffle. As Isa suggests, I make the batter the night before and then leave it in the fridge to rise overnight. They are Mr. VE&T's favorite special breakfast... and now I am pleased to report that my dad loved them as well. Let's just say that up until this morning, my dad has had a rocky relationship with vegan waffles. No More! Huzzah!

Also, a quick shout out to our local farmers market - check out this all-local fruit salad in mid-October?! It's crazy madness. Melons, oranges, pears, apples, strawberries, pluots, and raspberries. It was delicious.

And tonight's Mr. Vegan Eats & Treats dinner pick was "Charred Plum Tomato Soup with Corn and Crispy Okra Strips" from Vegan Soul Kitchen. Please notice that Mr. VE&Ts picked two different variations of tomato soup for his dinners this week! Maybe I should have a whole week of tomato soup variations! I served the soup with a toasted wedge of torta di ceci (aka socca). mmm.

This soup was totally freaking great. The tomatoes and garlic are roasted for 45 minutes and then added to a very fragrant Simple Corn Broth... oh man. These two factors alone had our kitchen smelling insanely good. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, except for reducing the oil and salt a bit. This soup, on its own, is a totally stunning tomato soup... I think it is now officially my favorite tomato soup ever. My Crispy Okra Strips were super tasty, but not totally crispy. This is completely due to my inability to use 1/2 cup of oil. So my okras were a tiny bit crispy, a lot sauteed, but still a lot deliciously good. They are dredged in some simple but flavorful flour first, and they are a really great addition to the soup. I highly recommend this recipe!

Good pickin' Mr. VE&T!

Fun Facts about Mr. Vegan Eats & Treats

- he was on his high school math team.

- he wears a pink headband when he plays tennis.

- his grandma Bubba used to make water with sugar in it for him (he says "yeah, sugar water!")

- he got yelled at by John McEnroe when he was 7 years old.

- he has a man-crush on Jacques Pepin.

- he loves to sing "She Blinded Me With Science" all the time. Science!

VeganMoFo Day5: Mouf Full of Yum

Today's MoFo Prompt: "Best Sandwich Ever"

Boy, this was a hard challenge! I mean, the "best sandwich ever" is probably just the one I am currently eating. Everyone knows that sandwiches are pretty much one of the best things ever.

from left to right, in my imagination:

BLT, Torta di Ceci, Reuben, Grilled Cheese, Panino, Bagel Sandwich

some of my favorites for sure... which I have blogged about with love and affection

Over the years of my sandwich-eating life, I have eaten and enjoyed so many exceptional sandwiches. In my pre-gan days, in rural Italy, there was a little shop that prepared us sandwiches with a fresh roll, a few pieces of sharp cheese, a few slices of tomato, and a few leaves of basil. In the heat of the Italian summer, with perfectly fresh and flavorful ingredients, and the budget of an art student, those sandwiches were so special.

Growing up, grilled cheese and PB&J sandwiches were always my favorites. I consider it a great gift of the vegan nostalgia gods that PB&J is naturally vegan. It took a few years, but these days it's also not hard for me to cook up a vegan grilled cheese sandwich that satisfies me gastronomically and emotionally. In fact, when I thought of the "best sandwich ever," three sandwiches came to mind right away: Peanut Butter & Jelly, Grilled Cheese, and the Herbed Tofu Sandwich from The Real Food Daily Cookbook

First, I went with the classic PB&J. I toasted the bread, used the best peanut butter (I'm on team crunchy), great grape jelly, and enjoyed a nice little PB&J experience. That was a good sandwich, worthy of mention. But, in my heart of hearts, I knew this was not a contender for The World's Best Sandwich.

So, I got back in the kitchen, and cracked open The Real Food Daily Cookbook...

perfect grill marks

The Real Food Daily Cookbook was one of the first vegan cookbooks that I really fell in love with. I always wonder why this excellent book doesn't get more attention. Even after so many years, and after so many (wonderful) new cookbooks on my shelves, these Herbed Tofus are one of my favorite tofu preparations ever. Usually I make a double batch, because the marinade goes a long way, and I am always stoked to have more yummy tofus sitting around in my fridge waiting to be eaten. Y'know? 

The Supplies: Tofus, Sundried Tomato Pesto, Baby Arugula, Grilled Red Onions, Yummy Bread

A lot of times I also add grilled summer squash to this sandwich, but I decided to stick with the recipe as it was written for this occasion. That sundried tomato pesto is so good and so easy. It's basically just that you make pesto with basil, and then you also add a bunch of sundried tomatoes that have been soaked in hot water for a little while. I know it's not really very pretty to look at, but I assure you, it is pretty to eat.

My beloved.

A lot of times, a good sandwich can become a great sandwich with just the right circumstance: a picnic with a special person, an especially good tomato, a memorable travel experience, or even just an avid appetite. All that said, this fine recipe from The RFD Cookbook does not depend on circumstance in order to be fantastic... It sure is nice to have a reliable sandwich friend! 

Happy New Year!!

Happy NoRooz! Happy New Year!

Yesterday was the Persian New Year, No Rooz, and as always, I hosted my annual No Rooz Party! Unlike my pal Bazu, I'm not even Iranian... but I have a true affection for No Rooz. It started for me after college when I had a job restoring antique Persian carpets, and had an Iranian boyfriend for 3 years. I loved learning about No Rooz from him and my Iranian co-workers... and even after Ali and I split up, I couldn't let go of lovely No Rooz! Here you see a picture of my beautiful sabzi, that I grew from some lentils in my cupboard. Aren't they sweet? Bazu's picture is better though!

Oh No Rooz, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways? I love celebrating the new year along with the natural world around me. I love cleaning the whole house, at the same time that all the trees have fresh green leaves. I love setting up my Haft Sin table with (fake) eggs, sprouts, hyacinth, sumac, apples, garlic, rosewater, vinegar, and other goodies. I love having a big springtime party with my family and friends. I love wearing new clothes at the precise moment of the Spring Equinox. AND I love having an excuse to cook up some delicious Iranian food!!

Last night we had about 15 people over to ring in the New Year with some fun and feasting. I made this lovely "Shirazi Salad" - tomatoes, cucumber, olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper, and fresh mint. It should have raw onion too, but I forgot. No one seemed to mind! I think that the olive oil should be rather liberal, but I have quite a few loved ones who aren't into oil, so I left it off.

I also made a nice version of vegan Kuku Sabzi. Kuku sabzi is a baked omelet packed with fresh herbs. Obviously, I'm not going to cook up an actual omelet. Last year I made it as a tofu scramble, which was great... but I wanted to try something different. This year I decided to work with my "torta di ceci" recipe, which has that eggy flavor that chickpea flour can have. I added in the fresh herbs and cooked it up. It turned out pretty well, but I think that the flavor of the ingredients was sort of overpowered by the chickpea. Which isn't to say that it wasn't delicious, just not precisely what I was looking for. Two and a half 10-inch pans of this stuff had disappeared by the end of the evening, so it was certainly popular! I think next time I'll just add even more herbs and flavorings. Here's the recipe I came up with:

Vegan Kuku Sabzi, version 2.0
1 1/2 c sifted chickpea flour, gently packed
2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 c water
1 Tbsp barberry/red currant (zershk) (optional if you don't have these)
1/3 c finely chopped walnuts
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 c finely chopped chives or green parts of scallions
2 c finely chopped parsley
1/2 c finely chopped cilantro
1/4 c chopped fresh dill

(*note: finely chopped, in the case of the herbs, means nearly obliterated, chopped and chopped and chopped some more)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, and salt. Then whisk in the water and olive oil. A few lumps are okay. Let sit for 2 hours (or all the way up to over night). Some time before you are ready to put it in the oven, let your barberries soak in warm water for 15 minutes. Then pick out any twigs and drain off the water. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400. Lightly oil a 10-inch tart pan or rimmed pizza pan. The batter will be liquidly, so a tart pan with a removable bottom will not work. Add the barberries, walnuts, pepper, and fresh herbs to the batter. Stir well. Pour into the oiled pan. Cook for 40-50 minutes until the edges are golden and crisped and the surface is lightly cracked. Enjoy!


I also made a huge batch of another traditional No Rooz item, Ash-e Resteh soup. It's a lovely noodle soup. According to the cookbook that my friend Laurie lent me, the Iranians eat noodles at the new year to symbolize the many different paths that life can take. How sweet! I've heard of this soup, but I hadn't ever had it before (or made it, obviously). I had two recipes, which had some similarities & some significant differences - both in ingredients and instructions. I read them over and took a few ideas from each recipe... and came up with a giant pot of soup that was a tremendous success. I made a 1 1/2 batch, and I should have made a double batch (or more) - this soup is CRAZY GOOD. It takes a long time, but it isn't much work. If you're just around the house, it's a great soup. You should really make it. Soon. Persian New Year goes on for 13 days, so technically, you've got until Monday the 31st to make it and still be celebrating NoRooz.

here's the recipe I came up with:

Aash-e Reshteh
1-2 T olive oil
2 large onions, halved & cut in thin half moons
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 c dry kidney beans
1/4 c dry navy beans
1/4 c dry chickpeas
10 c water
1 c lentils
4 c veg broth
1 c coarsely chopped chives or scallions (green parts)
1/3 c chopped fresh dill
2 c coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1 c coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
4-5 c fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1 fresh beet, peeled & cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar (or more to taste)
6 oz. linguine, broken in half

garnish:
1 large onion, halved & cut in thin half moons
2-3 Tbsp dried mint
1 Tbsp olive oil

Soak kidney beans, navy beans and chickpeas over night. Drain the beans and get rid of the bean water.

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion & garlic, and saute until golden colored, stirring from time to time. Stir in the turmeric and pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the soaked beans, 10 cups of water, bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Simmer for 1 hour.

Add the lentils and 4-5 cups veggie broth, and return to a boil, lower to a simmer. Simmer for 45 min - 1 hour. Stir from time to time to prevent anything sticking to the bottom. Add the parsley, scallions/chives, cilantro, dill, spinach, salt, lemon juice, and beet. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make your garnish. Heat the 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute until golden. Add 1 tsp turmeric and 3-4 Tbsp dried mint. Continue cooking until well browned. (if you don't mind more oil &/or time, cook them until they are crispy).

With the soup at a lively simmer/low boil, add the vinegar & noodles, and cook for another 10 minutes until the noodles are tender. Adjust salt, pepper, and vinegar to taste. Serve with garnish and eat hot!

Serves about 8-10 people.
Combination of recipes from "Serving the Guest: A Sufi Cookbook" and "New Food of Life"


I also made up a big pitcher of some nice Pomegranate Soda, but didn't get a picture. I used fresh pomegranate juice from the farmers' market, lime juice, sugar syrup (sugar melted in water), sparkling water, and fresh mint. So good!

"What about sweets??", you ask...
Well, there were plenty of sweets! In fact, as with so many celebrations, sweets are an important part of No Rooz. Here's what we had:


These are called "Tut" in Farsi, but I just call them "tasty!" Laurie brought these from the Persian grocer over in San Jose. They are basically marzipan with a heavy shot of rosewater, shaped like little mulberries. Mmmm.

I made a big batch of these Chickpea Cookies. They didn't turn out as well as last year's batch... not sure why. It's a tricky recipe. The ingredients are just chickpea flour, sugar, and oil. Better luck next time! Don't you love my little mousy platter? So cute!

I bought two different varieties of dates from the farmers' market... mmm! I especially like those dark little smoother ones. They are called "Bahri Dates" and they are smooshy and super super sweet.

And then, two No Rooz specialties! I made this fabulously fun sorbet, another recipe I've heard and read about but had never made before. It's a sorbet flavored only with sugar and rosewater, but it has rice noodles in it!! How crazy and fun is that? I think you can see one little rice noodle poking up by my spoon. We had a bit of trouble getting my little ice cream maker to freeze the stuff, since it was so liquidy to start with... plus we were just impatient and decided to eat it at "slurpee" texture. As according to the recipe in the "Food of Life" Persian cookbook that Laurie lent me, I served it with sour cherries, sour cherry syrup, and pistachios. Okay, okay, the cherries were from a can. So sue me! Isn't it beautiful?

And of course, it just wouldn't be No Rooz without a big yummy batch of Sohan Asali. Oh man, I love these little candies. Almond brittle made with rosewater and saffron and sprinkled with pistachios. So unbelievably good.

Hope you had a great first full day of Spring. What a lovely time of year!

Festive Holiday Eats & Annual Cookbooklette Giveaway!

Happy Holidays to You!

Happy belated winter-festivity of choice! Happy New Year! 

I've had a full and festive holiday season - cooking up homemade gifts, baking cookies for my yoga students, drawing and writing my holiday cards, drawing my annual cookbooklette (giveaway at teh the end of this post!), packing up packages and standing in line at the post office, decorating the house, hosting a holiday craft party, and lots more! I suppose now it's all winding down, and it's basically time to pack it all back up again! ha ha. 

Christmas Craft Party!

We had our annual Holiday Craft Party - it was so fun. We had a few super fun friends over to eat dinner, decorate gingerbread cookies, make paper snowflakes, and play with pipe cleaners. Good clean fun! 

Hummus Bites // Broccoli Soup // Farinata

For appetizers, I made a big platter of cuke slices with homemade hummus. I sprinkled them with some dukkah and then topped them with a tomato slice. Holiday colors, but healthy and light! 

For dinner, I made one of my favorite soups of all time - the Broccoli Soup with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Creme from the Real Food Daily Cookbook. This soup literally calls for 3 lbs of broccoli. And a huge ton of fresh spinach. It's so good for you, and it's also SO GOOD. It's one of my favorite dinners when I want something really satisfying and emotionally rewarding, but also healthy. Since we were going to be eating lots of cookies, I figured I had better make a dinner that wasn't too much of a gut bomb! ha ha. 

One of my best pals is gluten-free, so I decided to make a big batch of farinata (aka torta di ceci, aka socca). I used the recipe that my friend Nicoletta's mom gave me years ago... and, um, you guys, it was SO GOOD. I *literally* teared up when I took a bite!! Ha ha ha. I don't think I've ever had that reaction to food before, but this stuff is so nostalgic for me, I just love it so much. Here are some posts I've written about it in the past:  cinque cinque sandwiches from Italy, and recreation from home.

Look at all these cookie decorators!! 

I made a ginormous slew of gingerbread cookies, four colors of frosting, got out all the sprinkles, and made other cookies for us to eat while we were hard at work. Ha ha. It was so fun. I just love friendly fun like this - chatting, laughing, goofing around. It was a wonderful evening. If you look at the bottom of the frame, somewhere in the middle, you'll see the weird and hilarious grumpy little cookie man that Mr. VE&T decorated. Ha ha ha. Omg it made me laugh so hard. It was the only cookie he made! He blamed it on all French noir tv show he was watching!

festive supplies:

Fancy little chocolates with sprinkles on them, spice drops, two kinds of gluten free cookies (Snickerdoodles from Oh She Glows, and Ginger Chai Chocolate Chip Cookies from Plant Crush). I made so many gingerbread people, and I made a batch of gluten free gingerbread people too (on the small tray). I always use the recipe for Lower-Fat Gingerbread Men from The Joy of Cooking. It's easy to veganize and it's a really fantastic recipe. I really recommend it! 

Christmas Eve Dinner!

In our family we've always had our big family holiday dinner on Christmas Eve at my parents' house. A few years ago we decided to mix it up and we switched to an Italian-inspired Christmas theme. It's so fun! We all love it. See how my mom makes such a beautiful holiday display on the table? She made some beautiful platters of veggie antipasti - olives, eggplant, fennel, peppers, squash. Man, does she have the magic touch. My aunt Laura made a beautiful salad with pears and nuts and grapes. It was so delicious! I never put fruit in my salads, it was such a fancy touch.

Lasagne!

For our main course, we have lasagna! Is there anything more festive than lasagna?? One of my all-time most favorite foods. My brother's wife made a non-vegan lasagna, which shan't be mentioned again. I made TWO vegan lasagnas, using my own recipe (link here) - the smaller one is a vegan "SOS-free" lasagna, which means it has no oil and no salt (and no sugar). My aunt and her partner are vegan and they also eat a SOS-free diet. It's not much work to make an extra lasagna for them while I'm making my own, and I want them to feel included in the lasagna-fest!! 

My Christmas Dinner! 

Buccellati!

For dessert, I asked my Italian friend Sara for some traditional Italian Christmas dessert ideas, and one of her suggestions was these cookies called "Buccellati" (also called "Cucciddati"). She sent me a recipe in Italian, which I scanned and then also ran through Google Translate just to make sure. One of the ingredients in the batter that I was confused about was "ammonia" - baking ammonia!! I quickly ordered some on Amazon. What a crazy ingredient. I read about it online. Apparently ammonia was a common leavener before the invention of baking powder. It can only be used in doughs that aren't very moist, because it needs to evaporate during baking. But, while it bakes, it expands and makes little air pockets, resulting in an incredibly light and crispy cookie. 

It was quite a gutsy move to make such an adventurous dessert for the very first time for everyone's Christmas! ha ha. 

ta-da!

But I'm delighted to say that they turned out AMAZING. We all loved them! I'll definitely make them again! There are many different variations on the filling - I made the one filling in the recipe that my friend sent me, and I used a filling that my friend My Zoetrope generously shared with me from her grandmother! Looking around online, I see that there are infinite variations of filling for these cookies, but they all have dried figs, raisins, nuts of some sort, spices, maybe some orange zest, maybe some alcohol... but you can really do it to your own liking. 

The cookies are meant to have icing and sprinkles, but for a more sophisticated look (and to use what I already had on hand), I used sparkling sugar for the cookies that didn't have chocolate in the filling, and demerra sugar for the cookies that did have chocolate in them. We still have a few of these cookies left over and to our amazement, they still taste just as good this many days later. I chalk it all up to that secret ingredient of ammonia in the dough! 

If you're interested, I could share the recipe I used in a future post. But you'll have to track down some ammonia! Let me know. 

Christmas Morning Waffle Breakfast!

the gang's all here!

On Christmas morning, we all gathered at my parents's house again for a waffle breakfast. I made a double batch of the raised waffles from Vegan Brunch (our family favorite!), and my mom made a huge batch of Field Roast breakfast sausages. There ended up being some non-vegan offerings on the table too, but it was a very vegan friendly affair, and I feel lucky to have such a cool family to roll with the vegan punches! 

a few Christmas pics of our sweet little gang enjoying the holidays. 

Tasty Christmas Gifties! 

One of my pals stopped by on Christmas Eve and brought me this beautiful platter of vegan cookies!!! Isn't this amazing!?? I don't think I've ever in all my life had someone make me a big festive platter of vegan cookies like this before. I got so emotional. There were so many great cookies - peanut butter, ginger, fudge, wedding cookies, a fruity oat bar, and some chocolate coconut tasty biz. Plus fancy teas and little chocolates. Isn't it glorious!?

Over at the PPK, we had a holiday swap and I got one of my favorite swap pals from Munich. She and I were swap partners for a similar exchange several years ago, so we already knew that we were both committed to sending some seriously abundant packages. I asked for fun Euro Snacks, and BOY did she deliver!!! This vast supply of sweeties and savories should keep me going for quite a while!! ha ha. 

Homemade truffles

Swoon! Several of my students brought me delicious treats for gifts, and I wish I had taken more pictures. What a lucky teacher! But I did snap a picture of these amazing homemade truffles. Holy bonkers these were delicious!! I am so impressed. 

*** COOKBOOKLETTE GIVEAWAY! ***

  

This year's edition of my annual holiday cookbooklette features several of my favorite recipes that I discovered this year (and a few old favorites too!). I'd like to give out 10 copies to you all, my trusted and loyal blog readers. I'm especially impressed if you've actually read all through this long post, and if you've even bothered to check my blog after I unintentionally took such a long break!!

10 winners! Open to anyone, anywhere, in the whole world! To enter just leave a nice comment on this post - tell me about your holidays, a winter tradition you enjoy, or what you're looking forward to in the new year... (and PLEASE leave your email if your blogger account isn't linked, so I can tell you if you've won!). Good luck!