Baked Pasta Florentine

Cassio: I humbly thank you for't.
I never knew a Florentine (pasta)
More kind and honest.
~ Othello, 3.1.43-45

While it is true that - in this particular case - "Florentine" is really just a fancy way of saying "with spinach," the fact remains that this casserole is not only kind and honest, but delicious and filling; it was the perfect dinner on a recent, unseasonably cold and rainy evening. Of course, "...to vouch this is no proof, Without more wider and more overt test," so you'll want to try it out for yourself. But it's very sobering to think of the tragedy that might have been avoided, if Desdemona had spent less time listening to Iago and more time thinking about pasta!

The dinner made, the meal is to ensue;
That pasta's yet to come 'tween me and you.
(Good night.)


Baked Pasta Florentine
Ingredients
~ 1 lb. pasta, cooked and drained according to package directions (I used fusilli)
~ 1 cup raw cashews
~ 2 cups vegetable broth
~ 2-3 tbsp. Earth Balance or other vegan margarine
~ 1 large onion, diced fine
~ 1 tsp. each: paprika, marjoram, onion powder, dried mustard
~ 1/2 tsp. salt (optional, depending on how salty your broth is; I use Better Than Bouillon, and don't add any salt)
~ 1/2 tsp. turmeric
~ 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
~ 1 tbsp. each: prepared mustard, vegan Worcestershire sauce
~ 1 tsp. each: Marmite, hot sauce
~ 1 cup nutritional yeast
~ 3 cups plain, unsweetened soy milk
~ 1 16 oz. package chopped, frozen spinach
~ 1/2 - 3/4 cup panko crumbs
~ 1 tbsp. Earth Balance, melted
~ 1 tsp. paprika

Directions
~ Bring the vegetable broth to a boil, then add the cashews, cover, and allow to soak for at least an hour. After they have cooled, puree the cashews and broth in a food processor until completely smooth. Set aside.
~ In a large, deep pot, melt the margarine and saute the onion over medium heat until very soft, about 10 minutes, being careful not to let them brown.
~ Add the dried seasonings, mustard, Worcestershire, Marmite, and hot sauce.
~ Pour in the pureed cashew mixture, then gradually begin adding the nutritional yeast, stirring constantly.
~ Add the soy milk, and continue cooking about 7-10 minutes more, until the sauce has thickened a bit.
~ Stir in the chopped, frozen spinach, and combine thoroughly. Cook another few minutes, until the spinach has wilted and become incorporated into the sauce.
~ Remove from heat and mix the sauce with the cooked pasta.
~ Coat a 9 x 12" casserole with cooking spray, and fill with the pasta mixture.
~ In a small bowl, combine the panko, melted Earth Balance, and paprika. Sprinkle this mixture over the pasta, cover the casserole with foil, and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
~ Remove the foil, raise the heat to 425, and bake another 10 minutes, until browned and bubbling.
~ Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Egyptian-Style Red Lentil Soup

Cleopatra: Give me some music; music, the moody food
Of us that trade in love.
Or else...how about some soup? Soup, the tasty food
Of us that feed on lentils.
~ Antony and Cleopatra, 5.1.1-4 (sort of)

Okay, I added that last part. But that's what she might have said, because even the serpent of old Nile must occasionally have fed herself with something other than delicious poison. And what could be more welcome at the end of a long day of intrigue, seduction, and spectacular barge outings than a hot, nourishing bowl of soup? This one was inspired by the version served at Zooroona, an excellent Middle Eastern restaurant in Kalamazoo, MI (where we frequently attend the annual Medieval Congress), and I have to admit that I pretty much nailed it on the first try. Unlike most lentil soups, this one is pureed until mostly smooth, and the usual earthy flavors are brightened with fresh parsley and lemon juice, making for a hearty but surprisingly light repast. Or as Enobarbus might have put it,

...other soups cloy
The appetites they feed: but this makes hungry
Where most it satisfies.

So the next time you have immortal longings in you, forget about ordering that basket of asps and whip up a batch of this fine Egyptian cookery instead. That way, you shall have the fame - minus the unsightly snakebites - and a damn fine dinner, too!

Egyptian-Style Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
~ 1-2 tbsp. olive oil
~ 2 cups chopped yellow onion
~ 1 cup each: diced celery, carrot
~ 1 large potato, cubed
~ 2 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 2 tsp. each: cumin, dill
~ 1 tsp. each: sweet paprika, smoked paprika
~ 1/2 tsp. each: salt, turmeric
~ 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
~ A few grinds of fresh black pepper
~ 2 cups red lentils
~ 1/2 cup chopped, fresh parsley
~ 4 cups chopped, fresh baby spinach (or 1/2 lb. frozen chopped spinach, thawed)
~ 8 cups vegetable broth (I recommend Better Than Bouillon's "No Chicken" flavor)
~ 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
~ 2 tsp. za'atar
~ Extra parsley and lemon wedges to serve (optional)

Directions
~ In a large, deep pot, heat the oil and saute the onions, celery, carrots, and potato over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
~ Add the garlic and the dry seasonings, and cook another minute or two.
~ Stir in the lentils and the broth, and raise the heat to high. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for an hour (stirring occasionally), until all the ingredients are very soft.
~ Add the baby spinach and fresh parsley and cook until just wilted.
~ Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the lemon juice and za'atar and puree with an immersion blender until mostly (but not totally) smooth. If it looks too thick, add a little water until you have the consistency you want.
~ Reheat the soup and serve hot with a sprinkle of parsley and lemon wedges. (A few glasses of "the juice of Egypt's grape" wouldn't come amiss, either; you know Cleopatra would have wanted it that way!)

Banana Blueberry Pancakes

These sweet, fluffy pancakes are not only an excellent use of the overripe bananas that always seem to accumulate at this time of year, but a perfect summer breakfast (especially if you get up and make them early, before it gets too hot to eat anything). I'm pretty generous with the blueberries, but you can adjust the amount to your own taste. Served with Earth Balance and maple syrup, a stack of these babies is guaranteed to satisfy all of your hungry piggies, big and small.

Banana Blueberry Pancakes

Ingredients

~ 1.5 cups all purpose flour

~ 2 tbsp. corn starch

~ 1 tbsp. baking powder

~ 1/2 tsp. each: salt, cinnamon

~ Pinch of nutmeg

~ 2 very ripe bananas, mashed until smooth

~ 2 tbsp. canola oil

~ 2 tbsp. maple syrup

~ 1 tsp. vanilla extract

~ 1.5 cups plain, unsweetened soy (or other non-dairy) milk

~ 2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and stemmed

Directions

~ Preheat the oven to 200 degrees fahrenheit and place a nonstick baking sheet inside.

~ In a large bowl, sift together the flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

~ In a separate bowl, combine the bananas, oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and milk.

~ Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the wet mixture, and stir to combine. (If the batter looks too thick, you can add up to about another 1/2 cup soy milk to thin it.)

~ Coat a skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat.

~ Add the batter by large spoonfuls (I usually do just one at a time). As the pancake begins to set around the edges, sprinkle a handful of blueberries into the batter. When the surface begins to bubble, flip the pancake and cook another minute or two on the other side. Remove the cooked pancake to the baking sheet in your warm oven and continue until the batter and blueberries are used up (you may have some extra berries left over).

~ Serve hot with Earth Balance, maple syrup, and maybe those extra blueberries.

(Not Elvis Presley's) Memphis BBQ Tofu

Sorry to have been such an infrequent poster lately; things have been busy, and thus not super-conducive to blogging. I have been cooking, but we've had a bunch of parties, graduations, and cookouts to attend, so it's mostly been garden variety, crowd-feeding stuff like pasta and/or grain salads that get thrown together with no thought of measuring, quantifying, or other types of rationalization. But today I have an actual recipe, and it's a pretty good one, too: a sort of happy mash-up of Vegan Dad's Memphis BBQ Tofu and my own Sweet & Spicy Tempeh Wings, improved by the addition of some whisky.

Now, I realize that there may be some who find a certain degree of incongruity in the idea of a Memphis-inspired "dry rub" for pressed bean curd, but I feel constrained to point out that A. it's really more a flavorful coating than a "rub," per se, to be applied before the tofu gets pan-seared, doused in smoky, boozy sauce, and baked until sticky and delicious; B. my version includes nutritional yeast, which confers upon it unimpeachable hippie street cred; and C. it's totally pig-friendly, which is more than can be said for more "traditional" renditions. So fire up the stove, crack open the Jim Beam, and let's cook us some tofu!

The Tofu

Ingredients

~ 1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained and pressed

~ 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast

~ 1 tsp. each: smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder

~ 1/2 tsp. each: salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper

~ Oil or cooking spray

Directions

~ Slice the tofu in half horizontally, then divide into eight equal slices (this should give you 16 pieces). Pat dry.

~ In a shallow dish, combine all the dry ingredients, then coat each piece of tofu thoroughly with the mixture. Set aside for at least 30 minutes (I made the sauce during this time).

~ Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and coat with cooking spray or a very thin layer of oil. Cook the tofu for about two minutes on each side, until you get a nice sear on the outside. Remove to a plate.

The Sauce

Ingredients

~ 2 tbsp. olive oil

~ 1 medium onion, chopped fine

~ 2 tbsp. minced garlic

~ 1 tsp. each: smoked paprika, chili powder,

~ 1/2 tsp. salt

~ A few grinds of black pepper

~ 2-3 tsp. hot sauce (or to taste)

~ 1 tbsp. each: prepared mustard, vegan Worcestershire sauce

~ 1/3 cup maple syrup

~ 1/3 cup ketchup

~ 1/4 cup bourbon

Directions

~ In a saucepan, heat the oil and saute the onions and garlic over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, until softened.

~ Add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine, and raise the heat to medium until the mixture bubbles.

~ Reduce the heat to low and cook another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened (if it gets too thick, you can add up to 1/2 cup of water, but remember we want a coating for the tofu, rather than a lake for it swim in).

And now...

~ Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit, and coat a baking dish with cooking spray.

~ Arrange the fried tofu pieces in the baking dish, and then pour on the sauce, flipping them over to coat.

~ Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, turning the tofu over once or twice to make sure the sauce gets cooked on. Ovens vary, so keep an eye on it; it's okay if the sauce gets ever so slightly charred around the edges, but you don't want it to burn.

~ Serve hot with the accompaniments of your choice. (We had ours with mac & cheeze and creamed spinach, for that old-school, south of the Mason-Dixon vibe: highly recommended!)

Open Sesame Couscous

I love couscous: it's versatile, easy, and super quick, which makes it especially nice during the warmer months, when you don't want to steam up the kitchen too much. The warm weather has yet to reach us here in New England (we're currently on the eighth in a series of cool, rainy days), but this one-dish meal arose from one of those all-too-familiar situations when both time and supplies are in limited supply. The sesame seeds added a nice touch to an otherwise pretty standard empty larder, "make a virtue of necessity" dinner; in fact, this

turned out so well that it deserves to make regular appearances. I happened to have smoked tofu on hand, but you could subsititute plain, or use cubed tempeh, or just leave it out altogether; the best part is that the whole thing comes together really quickly, so whether you want it for a main dish or alongside something else, you'll be out of the kitchen in about fifteen minutes. Open sesame, doc!

Open Sesame Couscous

Ingredients

~ 1-2 tbsp. vegan margarine (or oil; I just like the "butteriness" of EB here)

~ 1 tbsp. sesame seeds

~ 1 small onion, diced

~ 2 stalks celery, diced

~ 1 carrot, diced

~ 1 tsp. each: salt, dill, marjoram

~ A few grinds black pepper

~ 6 scallions, sliced thinly

~ 8 oz. smoked tofu, cubed

~ 1 cup couscous

~ 2 cups vegetable broth

Directions

~ In a saucepan, melt the margarine over medium-high heat, and stir in the sesame seeds. Cook for about two minutes, until they turn a pale golden color, and start to give off a yummy aroma (don't let them brown!).

~ Add the onions, celery, carrots, and dry seasonings; cook about 5 minutes, until vegetables are getting soft.

~ Add the scallions, tofu, and the couscous; stir to combine.

~ Raise the heat to high, pour in the vegetable broth, and bring just to a boil.

~ Cover the pot, remove from heat, and allow to stand 5-7 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork and serve hot.

Crispy Oyster Mushrooms

“But wait a bit,” the Oyster [mushroom]s cried,

“Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!”
“No hurry!” said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.

“A loaf of bread,” the Walrus said,
“Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed—
Now if you’re ready, Oyster [mushroom]s dear,
We can begin to feed."

One of our favorite places to get a non-home-cooked meal these days is a terrific vegan restaurant in Somerville called True Bistro (and since I'm doing my PhD right around the corner at Tufts, they'll see a lot more of us in the upcoming; coincidence?!). Among their many offerings is an appetizer of cornmeal crusted oyster mushrooms, which is exactly the sort of thing with which I'd like to be left alone with an inexhaustible supply. Failing that scenario, I'd be perfectly happy to get several orders and make a meal of them (except that it might be embarrassing for my dining companions when I refused to share. At top volume).

Anyway, I love those things with a burning passion, so imagine the excitement when - several days after celebrating my birthday at TB, with fond memories of crispy, shroomy goodness dancing in my head - I spotted some fresh oyster mushrooms at the local health food store. Suffice to say that a little impromptu dance was performed as into the cart they went. Upon getting home, I started looking for recipes that might approximate TB's approach, and this is what I came up with. Obviously, my home kitchen lacks some of the accoutrements of a professional establishment, but if you happen to have a deep fryer, by all means go for it and report back (as it was, I used a deep skillet with excellent results). And in the end, it must be said that our oyster mushrooms had a pleasant run; although when asked,

"Shall we be trotting home again?”

...

answer came there none.

And this was scarcely odd, because

They’d [been] eaten every one.

The Mushrooms

Ingredients

~ 1 lb. oyster mushrooms, cleaned

~ Egg replacer for 5 eggs, prepared according to package directions (I used Ener-G)

~ 1 cup chickpea flour

~ 2/3 cup fine cornmeal (not the coarse, polenta-style stuff)

~ 1 tsp. each: salt, chili powder, garlic powder

~ A few grinds of black pepper

~ Pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes (optional)

~ Oil for frying

Directions

~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit, and place a nonstick baking sheet inside.

~ In a mixing bowl, prepare the egg replacer.

~ In a separate bowl, sift together the chickpea flour, cornmeal, and dry seasonings.

~ Dip each mushroom in the egg replacer, shake off the excess, then dip into the flour mixture. (It helps to have a "wet" hand and a "dry" hand during this part of the process.)

~ As each mushroom is coated with flour, shake off any excess and place on a platter. Repeat with remaining mushrooms until they are all coated and ready to fry!

~ In a large, deep skillet, heat about an inch of oil (I used canola) over medium-high heat, until a mushroom placed in the pan sizzles and rises to the top.

~ Working in batches, fry the mushrooms for about 2 minutes on each side, removing to the baking sheet to keep warm as each batch is completed.

~ Transfer the mushrooms from the baking sheet to a platter lined with paper towels (an old brown grocery bag works just as well). Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and some extra red pepper flakes if you like, and serve, accompanied by...

The Sauce

Ingredients

~ 1 cup vegan mayonnaise (I used Vegenaise, but use whatever you prefer)

~ 1 tsp. each: dill, hot sauce

~ 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

~ A few grinds of salt and pepper

~ Plain, unsweetened soy milk, as needed

Directions

~ In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients. If you want a thicker, more tartar sauce-like consistency, omit the soy milk; if you prefer something more akin to a salad dressing, add about 1/4 cup plain, unsweetened soy milk until you get the texture you want.

Tofu Scramble Royale

Intellectually, all good liberals know that as an institution, the monarchy is an outmoded, exploitative, archaic, imperialist throwback with no meaningful place in a modern democratic state. That said, to a person who spends a fair bit of time reading, writing, and thinking about "Englishness" in general, and about Shakespeare in particular (a writer who spilled his own share of ink on the subject of his homeland), the subject remains compelling, if only for its limitless dramatic potential. More viscerally, as the daughter of an English GI bride and a WWII veteran, there's something oddly stirring about the ceremonial occasions at which the British so excel. Especially since my mother's passing last year, I confess to feeling an emotional thrill at the sense of cultural continuity evoked by a coronation, a wedding, or even a state funeral. (To say nothing of the hats!)

That being the case, I was more than happy to enter into the spirit of the recent nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton, at least insofar as it entailed switching on the television and cracking open a bottle at an hour when most people are readying themselves for more virtuous endeavors. To ensure that we were properly fortified for the length and breadth of the spectacle that lay before us, I whipped up this rather fancy tofu scramble, along with some steamed asparagus, toasted crumpets, and our own home-made marmalade. Washed down with a few glasses of cheap champers, it was the perfect wedding breakfast. In fact, it was better than being there: all the pomp and circumstance, without ever having to get out of our pajamas. Cool Britannia!

Tofu Scramble Royale

Ingredients

~ 2 tbsp. Earth Balance or other vegan butter

~ 3-4 large scallions, chopped 

~ 1 pkg. firm tofu, drained and mashed

~ 1 tsp. each: black salt, dill, marjoram

~ 1/2 tsp. each: turmeric, dry mustard

~ A few grinds of fresh black pepper

~ 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast

~ 2 cups baby spinach, chopped
~ 1/4 cup plain, unsweetened soy milk

~ 1/2 cup vegan cream cheese (I used Tofutti)

~ A sprinkle of veggie "bacon" bits (optional)

Directions

~ In a large skillet, melt the butter and saute the chopped scallions over medium heat until soft; about 2-3 minutes.

~ Add the tofu, dry seasonings, and nutritional yeast; cook another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. If things start to stick, you can add up to 1/4 cup of plain, unsweetened soy milk to keep things moving.

~ Add the spinach and stir until wilted.

~ Stir in the soy milk and cream cheese; mix until combined. Continue cooking another few minutes and serve hot, sprinkled with veggie bacon bits, if desired.