Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant - Brossura

Moosewood Collective

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0671679902 ISBN 13: 9780671679903

Casa editrice: Atria Books, 1990

Riassunto

Since its opening in 1973, Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York, has been synonymous with creative cuisine with a healthful, vegetarian emphasis.

Each Sunday at Moosewood Restaurant, diners experience a new ethnic or regional cuisine, sometimes exotic, sometimes familiar. From the highlands and grasslands of Africa to the lush forests of Eastern Europe, from the sun-drenched hills of Provence to the mountains of South America, the inventive cooks have drawn inspiration for these delicious adaptations of traditional recipes.

Including a section on cross-cultural menu planning as well as an extensive guide to ingredients, techniques, and equipment, Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant offers a taste for every palate.

Moosewood Restaurant is run by a group of eighteen people who rotate through the jobs necessary to make a restaurant work. They plan menus, set long-term goals, and wash pots.

Moosewood Restaurant contributes 1% of its profits from the sale of this book to the Eritrean Relief Fund, which provides food and humanitarian assistance to the Eritrean people.

Moosewood Restaurant supports 1% For Peace, an organization working to persuade the government to redirect 1% of the Defense Department budget towards programs that create and maintain peace in positive ways.

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L'autore

Moosewood Restaurant is run by a group of 18 women and men who rotate through the jobs necessary to make a restaurant go. We plan menus, set long-term goals, and wash pots. Our ranks are bolstered by about half a dozen employees.

Major decisions are made collectively, and while democracy at work and at meetings has required effort and determination, the payoffs have been rich. Most of us have worked together for nearly ten years, and some of us since the restaurant's inception in 1973. Personally, we are an assortment of individuals who have become a family -- caring deeply for one another, striving for fairness and consensus, and putting-up-with and letting-go-of various human foibles. Professionally, our collective process has worked well for seventeen years. Come visit!

If you have enjoyed Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant, you will want to read The Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden by David Hirsch.

Estratto. © Riproduzione autorizzata. Diritti riservati.

Africa South of the Sahara

By Nancy Lazarus

SOUPS

West African Peanut Soup

If you're a person who loves peanuts, but thinks they were made to eat at baseball games or on bread with jelly, think again and get ready for a culinary adventure.

This peanut soup is rich and spicy. The chopped scallions or chives are an integral element, not just a garnish.

Serves 6 to 8

2 cups chopped onions

1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon cayenne or other ground dried chiles (or to taste)

1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger root

1 cup chopped carrots

2 cups chopped sweet potatoes (up to 1 cup white potatoes can be substituted)

4 cups vegetable stock or water

2 cups tomato juice

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

1 cup chopped scallions or chives

Sauté the onions in the oil until just translucent. Stir in the cayenne and fresh ginger. Add the carrots and sauté a couple more minutes. Mix in the potatoes and stock or water, bring the soup to a boil, and then simmer for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

In a blender or food processor, purée the vegetables with the cooking liquid and the tomato juice. Return the purée to a soup pot. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth. Taste the soup. Its sweetness will depend upon the sweetness of the carrots and sweet potatoes. If it's not there naturally, add just a little sugar to enhance the other flavors.

Reheat the soup-gently, using a heat diffuser if needed to prevent scorching. Add more water, stock, or tomato juice for a thinner soup.

Serve topped with plenty of chopped scallions or chives.

Cape Verde Vegetable Soup

Coastal West Africa is a land of green mountains, white sands, turquoise skies with immense thunderclouds, spectacular sunsets, and dark, starry nights. Cape Verde is the westernmost point on the continent. It was created by volcanic activity and southwesterly winds keep it warm and lush. This soup tastes fresh and uncomplicated and makes a good beginning for any African meal. Served with crisp French bread and fresh fruit, it is a satisfying lunch or supper.

Serves 6

1 cup chopped onions

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

2 tablespoons peanut oil

pinch of summer savory or thyme

1/4 teaspoon ground dried red chiles (or to taste)

2 cups diced potatoes

2 cups sliced cabbage (cut into 1-inch lengths)

1 cup sliced okra

3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (or 2 cups canned tomatoes with juice)

3 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

juice of 1 lemon

chopped fresh parsley

chopped fresh cilantro

Sauté the onions and garlic in the oil for 10 minutes. Add the summer savory or thyme and the ground chiles and sauté gently, stirring often, for another 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the lemon juice.

Serve topped with chopped fresh parsley or more fresh cilantro or both.

East African Sweet Pea Soup

This rich, spicy soup is typical of Indian fare in East and Southern Africa. There is a large Indian population in Nairobi, the cosmopolitan capital of Kenya. Nairobi is called "the city of flowers" because many of its streets are lined with the rainbow colors of bougainvillea, hibiscus, oleanders, and jacaranda. "Nairobi" is Masai for "place of cool waters." Cool water and poppadums seem the best accompaniment for this tasty, satisfying soup.

Serves 6

2 cups chopped onions

1 teaspoon minced or pressed garlic

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh peeled ginger root

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne or other ground dried chiles

1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds

1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 sweet potato, diced (about 2 cups)

3 1/2 cups water

3 cups fresh green peas (or 1 pound frozen)

Sauté the onions and garlic gently in oil in a covered pot, stirring frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onions are just translucent. Mix in the ginger, salt, and all the spices and sauté for a couple of minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes and sweet potato. Stir well. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and stir to dissolve the spices and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of the peas and simmer, covered, for another 10 minutes, or until the peas and sweet potato are tender.

Remove the soup from the heat and add the remaining 2 cups of water. Purée the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return to the pot, add the remaining cup of peas, and gently reheat.

MAIN DISHES

Groundnut Stew

All over West Africa, today and every day, thousands of groundnut stews will be cooked and eaten. A few of them might be indistinguishable from others, but the rest will all be different. Very thick here, almost a soup there. Fiery hot or mildly piquant with lots of fresh ginger root, a hint of ground dried ginger, or no ginger at all. Garlic or not. Maybe one of those stews was made with only okra, others with many different vegetables, including some that most of us in the United States have never tasted or dreamed of. The liquid used may be coconut milk, water, stock, or fruit or vegetable juices.

West African groundnut stew was the first African dish served at Moosewood, and it's a great favorite. This recipe is for my own favorite version, made with cabbage, sweet potatoes, and okra, as in the maffes of Senegal and Mali. Make it with eggplant and plenty of ginger, and it will be hkatenkwan as in Ghana. Served with tender steamed greens, it is dovi in Zimbabwe. Experiment to find your favorite version. Just be sure to remember the groundnuts and cayenne.

Always serve groundnut stew on one of the West African starches -- rice, millet, or stiff porridge (ugali). And alongside serve any of the following: hard-boiled eggs, chopped scallions, chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, cubed papaya, sliced bananas, mangos, pineapples, or oranges, grated coconut, whole or crushed peanuts.

Serves 6

2 cups chopped onions

2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon cayenne or other ground dried chiles

1 teaspoon pressed garlic cloves

2 cups chopped cabbage

3 cups cubed sweet potatoes (1-inch cubes)

3 cups tomato juice

1 cup apple or apricot juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger root

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

2 chopped tomatoes

1 1/2-2 cups chopped okra

1/2 cup peanut butter

Sauté the onions in the oil for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cayenne and garlic and saute for a couple more minutes. Add the cabbage and sweet potatoes and sauté, covered, for a few minutes. Mix in the juices, salt, ginger, cilantro, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender. Add the okra and simmer for 5 minutes more. Stir in the peanut butter, place the pan on a heat diffuser, and simmer gently until ready to serve. Add more juice or water if the stew is too thick.

Senegalese Seafood Stew

The main attraction in the many fishing villages along the coast of West Africa is the arrival of the fishing boats after a long day at sea. Most of the fishing is traditional -- done with man-powered boats and hand-controlled nets. In Senegal (the Wolof first called this land Su nu Gal, "our canoes"), much of the fishing is done in fleets of long, wooden pirogues. All along the coast, when the fishermen return, they're eagerly greeted by women and children who help unload the boats and nets.

This seafood stew is peppery and exotic. The bananas taste like some strange and unusual vegetable, not recognizable as our familiar and most popular fruit in the United States.

Serves 6 to 8

1 teaspoon salt

2 green (unripe) bananas, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds

4 cups chopped onions 3 cups vegetable stock or

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cayenne or other ground dried chiles (or to taste)

1/4 teaspoon summer savory or thyme

2 potatoes, chopped

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/4 small head of cabbage, chopped (about 2 cups)

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (or 3 cups chopped canned tomatoes with juice)

3 cups vegegable stock or water

1 pound fresh shrimp, rinsed, shelled, and deveined

1 pound fresh fish fillets, cut into chunks

salt to taste

Dissolve the salt in enough water to cover the sliced bananas. Soak the banana rounds in the salt water for about 15 minutes and then drain them and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are just translucent. Stir in the cayenne and summer savory or thyme and sauté for a couple more minutes. Add the potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, parsley, tomatoes, and stock or water. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the bananas, shrimp, and fish. Simmer gently for another 10 minutes or until the fish is opaque and the shrimp are pink. Add more stock, water, or tomato juice if the stew is too thick. Add salt to taste.

Serve Senegalese Seafood Stew on rice or Steamed Millet or with Ugali. Garnish with wedges of lemon or lime.

Variation To make a soup, add more stock or water. Serve with plenty of crisp French bread and fresh fruit.

Casamance Stew

The sea and rivers of West Africa are abundantly blessed with fish, an important food source. This stew is inspired by Yassa, a popular specialty of Casamance, the southernmost coastal region of Senegal. Yassa is a spicy marinated dish prepared with poultry or fish. I've added sweet potatoes, because I think it's even more delicious with that soft sweetness providing a counterpoint to the lemony tang of the onions and fish.

The fish caught in West Africa's warm, shallow waters tend to be firmer and more substantial than our usual cod or flounder, so look for a firm, even chewy, fish that won't be lost in this tasty stew.

Serves 6

Marinade

1/2 cup fresh lemon or lime juice

1/2 cup white vinegar

2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 large garlic cloves, minced

2 or more seeded chiles, minced

1 1/2 pounds firm fish steaks or fillets, such as monkfish

4 cups sliced onions

2 cups 1-inch cubed sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
salt to taste

Combine the marinade ingredients. Rinse the fish well. If you're using a large fillet, cut it into serving-sized pieces. In a large glass bowl, layer about half of the onion slices. Pour some marinade over them. Then add the fish and the rest of the onions and marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight or all day.

When you're ready to cook, lift the fillets out of the marinade and set them aside. Pour the marinade off the onions and set the marinade aside. Cover the cubed sweet potatoes with cool, salted water, bring them to a boil, and then simmer for a few minutes until they are just barely tender. Drain any excess liquid. Meanwhile, in a heavy, nonreactive skillet, gently saute the onions in the peanut oil for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the red bell pepper, if used, for the last 5 minutes of sauteing. Combine the sautéed onions and bell pepper with drained sweet potatoes and marinade and simmer for about 20 minutes.

While the vegetables simmer, briefly grill, broil, or sauté the fish until lightly browned on both sides. Add the fish to the simmering vegetables and continue to simmer for 15 minutes more or until the fish is just cooked through. Salt to taste.

Serve Casamance Stew in wide, shallow bowls on plenty of rice or Steamed Millet. If you like, garnish with chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, or scallions. Extra tamari at the table might be appreciated. Gombo and Maize Pudding or Banana Chutney would make this meal a feast.

Capetown Fruit and Vegetable Curry

The culinary traditions of Southern Africa not only include the dishes of the African continent, but also the influences of the colonial powers and the immigrants from Malaysia and the Indies. This sweet and savory curry incorporates all of those influences.

Serves 6

4 cups coarsely chopped onions

2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger root

Curry Spices

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin seeds

1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cayenne or other ground dried red chiles

1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup cut green beans

2 firm tart green pears or apples, cored and cubed

1/2 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1 cup chopped dried apricots (unsulfured)

1/2 cup currants or raisins

1/2 cup apricot conserve

fresh lemon juice (optional)

6 cups cooked brown rice

1 cup raw or roasted peanuts

2 bananas

Sauté the onions in the peanut oil for 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger root, and curry spices and continue to sauté, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes.

Add the zucchini and water and stir well so that the spices won't stick to the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Mix in the green beans, pears, red bell peppers, and dried apricots. Simmer gently, covered, for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and add a little more water if needed to prevent sticking. When the fruit and vegetables are quite tender, stir in the currants and the apricot conserve. Taste the curry and adjust the flavor to your liking. Add cayenne or Garam Masala if it's not spicy enough, lemon juice if you'd like more tartness, or more apricot conserve to intensify the sweetness. Keep the curry warm on a heat diffuser, to prevent scorching, until ready to serve.

Serve on a bed of rice, topped with peanuts and sliced bananas, with Minted Cucumber-Yogurt Refresher alongside.

Tofu Bobotie

Bobotie is one of the dishes described as most typically South African. In much of Africa today, meat is a luxury. That was also true for the Malay cooks of South Africa in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, who developed bobotie as a delicious way to "stretch" meat with bread. Now bobotie is a widespread supper dish regularly enjoyed by all the racial groups of South Africa at home and in restaurants.

I first heard of bobotie from Russell Groener and Beverly Oskowitz, South Africans who visited Ithaca. They had been o...

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Atria Books
• Data di pubblicazione: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0671679902
• ISBN 13: 9780671679903
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero edizione: 1
• Numero di pagine: 733