Tempeh reubens, lentil bolognese and Jason Momoa
Hello again! We've been thinking about summer at work and it has had me missing fresh local fruit – so to console myself, I bought some tamarillos and passionfruit in my latest Mama Earth delivery. Absolutely a terrible decision from a sustainability point of view but my taste buds approve. Eating local can be tough in a northern climate. Chocolate and coffee aside, what's the number-one imported food you would never give up?
A sandwich that's a meal
This winter I've rediscovered an old favourite from the Rebar cookbook: the Tempeh Reuben Sandwich. It's a good gateway dish for anyone who's new to tempeh, and I use packaged tempeh "bacon" (see below) as a shortcut rather than marinating it myself. The only make-ahead is roasted or boiled beets, but you could always buy them ready-made from the supermarket or use grated raw beets like the original suggests. You can also add pickle slices, though they're not my thing. Here's how it goes:
Lightly toast two slices of good bread (ideally a soft rye). Spread one slice with Dijon mustard and set aside, then layer the following onto the other slice: Russian dressing, sauerkraut, sliced beets, fried tempeh slices, and grated or sliced Swiss cheese. Broil until cheese is melted, then put the sandwich together and serve.
The endorsement
Tempeh typically comes in blocks that need to be sliced and marinated, which is a whole thing. Instead, a fridge staple for me is these Tofurky Marinated Tempeh Strips in Smoky Maple Bacon.
Surprisingly, I usually buy them at Freshco! So they are widely available. The package recommends using a cast-iron pan but that is just asking for a big mess to clean up IMO. I use them in the tempeh reuben but also as a side dish. Don't expect them to taste like bacon except in that they are smoky.
I found a recipe on the Tofurky website for vegan Maple Bacon Ice Cream, which I am highly skeptical about. But if anyone's feeling daring, give it a try and let me know?
I guess mushrooms are on trend?
Maria sent this Guardian article on how to make and eat the perfect mushrooms on toast. Then Daniela sent another Guardian link, this time a recipe for vegan mushrooms on toast.
Never one to ignore a good food fad, I have duly stocked my fridge with mushrooms, partly because I want to make this Ottolenghi recipe for broccoli with mushroom ketchup. (Mushroom ketchup!)
Is it a pasta sauce or is it a stew?
The other night I was craving pasta so I made this Black Lentil & Vegetable Bolognese. To speed things up I prepped the onions, carrots and celery in the food processor. I also increased the amount of lentils and tomatoes, and used capers instead of olives.
The flavour is great, but warning: my lentils took forever to cook and never got really soft. Maybe it's my fault for increasing them, and obviously the recipe works for some people sometimes, but funny enough, I had just read this CBC article covering, among other things, how legumes won't cook properly with anything acidic. So if you care about dinner being ready on time, I would cook the lentils in a second pot and mix them in when they're done.
The first night I had it on top of pasta, the second night on top of cooked amaranth, and the third with a side of buttered toast. Polenta would also be a good pairing.
Dal that should be quick & easy
Speaking of legumes that wouldn't cook, the same thing happened to me last night with this Smitten Kitchen/San Francisco Chronicle recipe for Everyday Yellow Dal.
My split peas were from last winter so that's probably why, but again, I might cut the risk and cook the tomato with the onions instead of with the peas.
Raisin avoiders, beware
When I was in Wales last summer I fell in love with Bara Brith, a raisin bread typically served slathered in butter. The surprising tweak is that the fruit is soaked in strong tea before you make the batter, which adds a lot of flavour.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bya5uE6hotZ/
I've been picking away at finding the perfect recipe to make this at home. The first recipe I tried was this one from Anna Jones, which worked out well although the lemon flavour and sweetness were very high when it was fresh – it benefits from sitting for at least a day. And then the other day I tried this gluten-free almond flour version, sweetened with honey. It is extremely delicious though very crumbly and honestly more of a cake than a bread, so I'm not sure you could really call it bara brith so much as bara brith inspired. (Looking again at the recipe, I think the pictures are actually of a standard bara brith, so ignore them. Mine was much more sunken and darker in colour.)
I'm an influencer
Jason Momoa was at Isshin this weekend. I recommended Isshin two newsletters ago. Coincidence?
The article to read
“I want to shift people away from thinking: Democracy, that’s for somebody else. That’s policy, wonky stuff. It’s not. Participating in democracy is the essence of a good life.”
I think I read Diet for a Small Planet in, oh, 1991? And even then it was already both a classic and way ahead of its time. So I was pleased to find this interview with author Frances Moore Lappé, who's now focused on improving democracy, in the New York Times.
The dinner date
I hadn't been to Richmond Station in years, and then Jenn and I went for lunch recently and I was pleasantly surprised to learn they have an entire separate vegetarian/vegan menu. The soy hummus and the beet salad were highlights, and the tofu was very good though kind of one-note so you want to be sharing it as part of a bunch of dishes – I would have been disappointed to have it as my only main. Do not skip dessert.
Off topic
Have you heard of a fibreshed? It's like a foodshed but for textiles – basically, a local textile economy. I really enjoyed this book on the subject by Rebecca Burgess, through which I learned about the existence of the Upper Canada Fibreshed here in Ontario. I'm weaving an Ontario shawl next month!
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