Special Requests
Last week was Heather’s birthday and her only special requests were that we do a low-key, intimate dinner and for it to be gluten and meat-free. We were happy to oblige, being that she is one of our nearest and dearest friends. So we had a bit of a challenge on our hands since we love our bread and gluten, but we’ve been meaning to try a vegan/gluten-free week soon so this was a good test. The dinner was successful and very grown-up, a small dinner party in our make-shift dining room.
We turned to our favorite vegetarian author/blogger, Heidi Swanson, and found many delicious recipes including one for Hummus and one for our beloved Lemon Cucumber Tofu Salad. After shopping for our ingredients at the farmer’s market we found some celery root and so we added fennel and celery root salad to the menu. I (Caroline speaking) first tasted this salad at Frankie’s Sputino, a really great restaurant in Carroll Gardens. After craving it for weeks, I realized it was a fairly simple salad with simple ingredients and vîola! Also to the menu, we added a garlic jalepeño shrimp from Martha Stewart Living for a little added protein. All of these are really simple recipes and the best part of all, require a one-time use of the stove. Seriously, in this heat who needs to be in a hot kitchen?
Hummus
(via 101 Cookbooks)
This hummus keeps nicely, refrigerated, for a few days, but is best served at room temperature. As Heidi notes in her recipe, the hummus might thicken in the refrigerator. If this happens, you can simply thin it with a splash of water. Adjust with salt and lemon juice if needed as well
Makes 4 cups
1 pound / 453 g dried chickpeas, soaked in water for at least 4 hours, drained
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup water
scant 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
1/3 cup / 80ml tahini
In a large pot cover the chickpeas with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the baking soda, and reduce the heat. Simmer, skimming any foam from the surface, until the chickpeas are soft but still structured, roughly an hour. Drain.
Place 4 cups / 1.5 pounds / 650 g of the cooked chickpeas in a food processor. You can set aside any remaining chickpeas and have them as a snack or use them in a stew or soup. To the food processor add the water, lemon juice, and salt. Process for three minutes or until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice along the way. If you like your hummus thinner add more water a small splash at a time. Add the tahini, process one more time. Taste and adjust the seasoning, add more salt or lemon juice if needed. Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl.
Lemon Cucumber Tofu Salad Recipe
(via 101 cookbooks)
Like Heidi, we served this over mungbeans. Lemon cucumbers aren’t in season yet so we used regular cucumbers.
2 lemon cucumbers, quartered then sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 handful of fresh dill (about 2/3 cup loosely packed)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 big pinches of salt
8 ounces nigari extra firm tofu
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 of a large, ripe avocado
Toss the cucumbers, dill, olive oil, lemon juice and salt together in a medium bowl. Let sit for at least 20 minutes tossing gently once or twice along the way.
In the meantime, cook the tofu. Cook the tofu and a pinch of salt in well-seasoned skillet (I’ve been trying to stay away from non-stick) over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the pieces are browned on one side. Toss gently once or twice, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy. Set aside.
Just before serving cut the avocado into cubes.
Spoon the cucumbers out of the lemon-olive oil mixture into a large salad bowl. Add half of the remaining dressing, the tofu, and half of the pine nuts. Gently toss. Taste. Add more dressing or salt if you like. Sprinkle the avocado across the top of the salad and gently toss once or twice to distribute it throughout the salad. Serve topped with the remaining pine nuts.
Serves 2 – 3.
Fennel and Celery Root Salad
(based off of Frankie’s Sputino’s salad)
1 medium sized Celery Root
1 medium sized Fennel
1 large lemon
2 tblsp Olive Oil
½ small red onion
¼ cup of chopped fresh parsley
Salt and Pepper
Peel the outer, rough layer of the celery root. Start slicing the celery root into matchsticks, if you have a mandoline that has this feature it would be really helpful with this salad. Chop the top off of the fennel and slice into matchsticks as well. Dice the red onion. Toss in a large salad bowl. Add parsley. Squeeze lemon juice and add olive oil to salad. You may want to add more or less lemon, so taste as you go along. And lastly, season with salt and pepper.
Garlic-Jalepeño Shrimp (via Martha Stewart Living)
Serves 4
- 20 large shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled and deveined (tails left intact; optional)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 jalapeno chile (stem, ribs, and seeds removed), finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- Toss together shrimp, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Marinate in refrigerator for 45 minutes.
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove shrimp from marinade, and add to skillet; cook through, about 2 minutes per side.
Happy birthday again, dear Heather!
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Thank you so much!! It was such a perfect evening – the table looked so beautiful and everything was absolutely delicious!
Comment by Heather — June 25, 2010 #