Mushroom and Butternut Squash Risotto


A perfect recipe to warm you up on a cold winter night. Use a short grain rice, specifically for risotto, as any other rice will not produce a creamy texture. Arborio rice is easily available in most super markets, whereas, carnaroli is a type you'll find at an Italian specialty food store. Once you've mastered making a basic risotto, you can create countless varieties using seasonal vegetables. 

Mushroom & Butternut Squash Risotto

Ingredients
6 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup good olive oil 
1 1/2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 shallot finely minced
1 lb. cremini or portabello mushrooms - cubed into bite size pieces
2 cups butternut squash - cooked and cubed into small pieces
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Parsley for garnish


Directions
To cook the butternut squash, peel, seed and cube into 1" chunks. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on it and toss. Bake at 400 degrees F. for about 20-30 min until tender. You may need to toss it half way through, so the pieces do not burn. Alternatively, you may steam the squash or even microwave it. 


For the risotto, bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan and keep at a simmer. In a separate, heavy bottomed pan, on high heat, saute mushrooms in 2 Tbsp. of olive oil stirring frequently until they are nicely browned. They will exude their liquid and then start to brown in about 8-10 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside. 


On medium high heat add the other 2 Tbsp. olive oil to the pan and saute the shallots until soft - about 2-3 minutes. Then add the rice and "toast" the rice for 1-2 minutes, or until it becomes nicely coated with oil and has taken a pale, golden color. Add the wine and stir until the wine has almost evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup broth at a time, stirring constantly. Make sure almost all the liquid is absorbed before each addition. The amount of liquid required varies on the rice, you may not need all 6 cups of the broth. Risotto usually takes anywhere from 15 - 20 minutes. Start checking for the desired "al dente" texture after 15 min.  Remove from heat and stir in the mushrooms, squash, parmesan cheese and taste for seasoning. Adjust seasoning according to taste. If the risotto is too thick, you can loosen it up by adding some more broth. Garnish with parsley and serve with a drizzle of good olive oil and more parmesan cheese. 

Potato and Onion "Vichyssoise" with Fried Onions


The classic Vichyssoise, is a french soup made with potatoes and leeks. I don't always have leeks in my apartment, so this is my version made with onions. This is a vegan recipe, but you can substitute veg. stock with chicken stock and add cream instead of soy yogurt. Serve this with some crusty french bread or croutons.

Potato and Onion "Vichyssoise" w/ Fried Onions

Ingredients
2 cups Yukon gold potatoes, or any other yellow potato - peeled and diced small. About 2-3 medium potatoes
2 cups Yellow onion - diced small. 
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 cups Vegetable stock - or more depending on consistency 
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
1/8 Tsp. Ground nutmeg
1 cup soy yogurt or 1 cup soy milk + 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Some fried onions and scallions to garnish.


Directions
In a medium size stock pot, on medium heat, saute the onions with olive oil, salt and pepper until translucent - about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, nutmeg and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10-15 min or until the potatoes are fork tender. Blend the  mixture in a blender in batches. Fill the blender jar half way up, be careful as the mixture is really hot and my explode. The soup should be very smooth, with no lumps. Return to low heat and add 1 cup of soy yougurt. Adjust the consistency to your liking by adding more stock. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with fried onions and scallions.


Fried Onions
Thinly slice one medium onion into rings and fry in vegetable oil, on medium to medium low heat. They will turn a deep golden brown in about 15 minutes. Drain on a paper towel. They will get crunchy as they cool. 

Fettuccine with raw avocado "Alfredo"


In my attempt to create a vegan version of Fettuccine Alfredo, I tried out many recipes that included nutritional yeast and a bevy of other ingredients in minuscule quantities to imitate the "cheesy" flavor. Well, the end result never really great and I ended up with an ingredient I wouldn't normally use. So this recipe came to me as a result of being too lazy to go to the market and too frugal to buy anything too exotic. The avocado and pistachios gives the sauce the richness and texture of the classic Alfredo sauce. Enjoy!

Fettuccine with raw avocado "Alfredo"

Ingredients

1 lb. Fettuccine or any long pasta

20-30 basil leaves

1/2 cup nuts - roasted and unsalted (if you only have salted ones, they are okay too, just reduce the amount of salt in the recipe)*

2 ripe but firm avocados - roughly chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic - roughly chopped.

1/4 -1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp lemon zest

1/4 cup unseasoned toasted bread crumbs 

Salt and Pepper to taste

Roasted red bell pepper (optional)

Directions

Put the basil, nuts, avocados, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper in the food processor and process until smooth drizzling in the extra virgin olive oil until it has reached the desired consistency. It should have the consistency of a thick mayonnaise. Reserve some basil leaves for garnishing the dish. Pour out into a large bowl and set aside.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add 1tbsp salt to it. Boil the pasta according to package instructions. When the pasta is boiled, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, and drain. Add the hot pasta to the bowl with the sauce and toss to mix. Add in the toasted bread crumbs and roasted pepper and toss.  If the sauce seems too thick, add some of the water used to cook the pasta, 2 tbsp at a time. The sauce should cling to the pasta and not be soupy at all. Serve with a sprinkle extra bread crumbs, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and garnish with basil leaves.

*I used pistachios in this recipe, but you may use whatever you have on hand. Walnuts, almonds, cashews or pine nuts are really delicious as well. 

Pasta e Fagioli
Pasta e Fagioli or Pasta Fazool is a rustic Italian soup that is perfect for a cold night. It is not only inexpensive and delicious, but also very nutritious. I am not Italian, and I don't claim to make the best Italian recipes. But, I've tried many different versions and come up with this version which I like the best. I have used dried beans here, but of course you may substitute 2 cans of beans for a quick 30 minute dish (just be sure to rinse the beans first!) Be creative with this recipe, if you like more heat, add more red pepper flakes. If you like basil, add it. Serve it with some grilled or toasted Italian bread. 

Pasta e Fagioli

Ingredients


2 cups dry beans - Soaked overnight in cold water and drained*
2-3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion - chopped
1 medium carrot - chopped
1 celery stalks - chopped
1 head garlic - coarsely chopped
2-3 bay leaves
2 tsp fennel seeds
Handful of parsley leaves- coarsely chopped
Crushed red pepper flakes - to taste (optional)
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1.5 cups pasta - ditalini or any small shaped pasta
6 cups water (you may use a combination of chicken/veg. stock and water)
Salt and pepper to taste.


Directions


Heat a heavy bottomed pot, with olive oil on medium high. Add the bay leaf, garlic and crushed red pepper and stir to ensure garlic does not burn. The raw smell of the garlic will evaporate in about a minute. Next, add the onions, carrots and celery with a pinch of salt and pepper until they are soft, about 5-8 min. Add, half of the parsley, crushed tomatoes, beans and water. Bring to a boil.

Let the beans cook on a medium low heat, covered for 45 minutes to an hour. Check them after 45 min to see if they are thoroughly cooked. They should be easily smashed by the back of a wooden spoon, without any "tooth" to them. When the beans are fully cooked, smash some of them with the back of a spoon. You can also adjust the amount of water at this point, if you like a lot of broth, add upto 2 more cups of water. Next add about 1 tbsp. of salt and the ditalini. Cook uncovered for 15 min. Adjust heat so that the soup is at a simmer. Taste and adjust seasonings by adding more salt, pepper or more crushed red pepper flakes. Serve with a fresh drizzle of olive oil and chopped parsley.


* I used Northern and Garbanzo, but you may use whatever you have available. I would refrain from using dark colored beans as they bleed their color into the soup and discolor the pasta.


Making ahead

Make the soup up to the point of adding pasta and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for 6 months. When ready to serve, bring to a boil and proceed with the recipe. 

Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Tostones


I LOVE this recipe, which is why I decided to post it as my first post. I make this soup at least 2-3 times in the fall and winter months. Obviously you don't have to make all the components of this recipe, I just used the tostones as my "crouton" here and added the seeds for extra crunch. You can also use regular croutons or even tortilla chips. I do suggest however, to roast the squash instead of just boiling or steaming it. The roasting process really concentrates the sugars in the squash and yields a much complex tasting soup. 

Curried Butternut Squash soup with Tostones

Soup:

Ingredients

1(medium) butternut squash - peeled and cubed into 1" pieces, seeds reserved.

1(medium) onion - peeled and diced.

2-3 garlic cloves - peeled.

1" ginger Piece - peeled and minced.

4 cups vegetable stock.

1 cup of soy milk or coconut milk (use less if using coconut.)

1 tbsp virgin olive oil plus some extra for roasting the squash.

2 tsp corriander powder.

1 tsp cumin powder.

Salt and pepper.

1-2 tsp garam masala (optional.)

Vegan sour cream to garnish (optional.)

Parsley to garnish (optional.)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400F.

I've found the best way to peel a butternut squash is by using a vegetable peeler. It helps if you cut the squash in half, crosswise, so you have the elongated part and round part separate. Then cut each section in half, then strips and cubes. Using a sharp spoon (like a grapefruit spoon) will help scrape out all the seeds and membrane. Do not discard the seeds. They are delicious toasted, as a snack.

Place the cubed butternut squash, onion and garlic on a baking sheet. I usually line it with aluminium foil for easy clean up. Drizzle with about 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 20 min or until the squash is tender. Toss the vegetables once half way during the cooking. The squash may stick to the pan; if it does, just pour some veg. stock in the pan while still hot and scrape gently with a wooden spoon. All the caramelized bits on the pan will add flavor to the soup, so do not discard the liquid. 

Heat 1 tbsp virgin olive oil in a soup pot with a heavy bottom. Saute the ginger in the butter for about a minute, just so the raw taste of the ginger cooks out. Add the roasted vegetables along with the vegetable stock and bring it to a boil. Blend it in batches in a blender or using a hand blender. How smooth and thick you want the soup depends on your taste. Use soy milk, coconut milk or more veg. stock to adjust the consistency of the soup. Be careful when adding any liquid. You can always add more, but if you add too much it will be a hassle to let it cook out. After blending, add the spices and bring it to a simmer. At this point, taste the soup. It should have subtle flavors of every component. If you don't taste the spices, add a little more salt, this will bring out all the flavors. Serve it hot with a garnish of vegan sour cream, tostones and toasted squash seeds. 

Toasted Squash Seeds:

Ingredients

Seeds from 1 squash - rinsed.

Olive oil - 1 tbsp.

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

Directions

Turn down the oven to 350F.

Clean the squash seems under warm running water in a sieve. Remove all of the membrane, pulp and any  sliminess. It may take a while but just be patient, it will come off. Pat them dry, and place them on a cookie sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil or use cooking spray. Season with salt, cayenne pepper powder and toss. (For a non-hot version, use a spice of your choice) Toast them until they are crunchy. This will take anywhere from 15 to 20 min. Make sure to move them around and toss them during the cooking time. They will get crunchier as they cool. 

Tostones:

Ingredients

1 Green plantain - peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces.

Vegetable oil for deep frying.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

Put the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. The oil should be about an inch deep.

This recipe requires green plantain, not ones that are yellow or black. If they have JUST started to turn yellow but are still green for the most part, they will be easier to peel, but they won't get as crunchy.

So, here is how you peel them. Take a sharp paring knife or a steak knife (a smaller knife works better) and score just the skin, along the length of the plantain. Score the skin 2-3 more times. Now use the back of your knife to dig into the incision and pry the skin off of the plantain. The scoring will help you to keep the flesh intact. If some of the skin membrane stays on the plantain you can easily scrape it off with a knife or use a vegetable peeler. 

Check the temperature of the oil, it should be around 350F. If you insert the back of a wooden spoon or a tooth pick, you should see tiny bubbles coming off the side of the wood. Cut the plantain in 2 inch rounds and put them in the pan, cut side down, so they lay flat. turn the heat to medium high and fry them for about a minute on each flat side. They should turn a yellow color with specs of brown.

Drain them out on a paper towel. Now comes the fun part. Take one of the pieces of plantain, put it on one of its flat side on a cutting board, and using a plate or another board, smash it gently to flatten it to about 1/8th of an inch. If you do this too hard, your plantain will fall apart. Repeat the process with all the pieces and fry them again for about one minute on each side until they become crispy. Don't over crown the pan. Drain them on a rack with paper towel underneath so they don't get soggy. Season with salt and pepper as soon as they come out of the oil so that it adheres better to the tostones.