Bobotie and Milk Tart, several weeks later (oops)

As per my menu plan, I made vegan versions of Bobotie and Milk Tart several weeks ago. And then I forgot all about the blog and moved on to other things like Coursera and True Blood and Christmas. Oops!

Bobotie is sort of like shepherds pie, except it has an eggy-custard layer instead of a mashed potato layer, and the mince is spiced with curry. I followed the recipe from SA Promo here, however I substituted some cooked lentils and some broken up vegan burgers for the mince, and made a white sauce with a a little extra silken tofu for the topping. There is also a vegan recipe you could follow over at veggie.buntch.net.

Vegan bobotie just out of the oven

Vegan bobotie

The bobotie made for a satisfying, tasty meal, but I wasn’t super keen on the sweet+curry thing. I know that  sweet and savoury tango in most of the cuisines of the world but still I’m not entirely convinced.

I served the bobotie up with yellow rice (using this recipe) and some easy tomato salad.

Yellow rice and tomato salad

I also had a shot at creating a vegan milk tart. I used pretty much every damn vegan custard-replacement in the book, and was delighted with the results. I was less delighted with the pictures, but I did what I could in my dark house with my little camera.

Baked vegan milk Tart (milktert)

Short bread base

• ½ cup spelt flour
• ½ cup rice flour
• ¼ cup plain flour
• 1/3 cup icing mixture
• ¾ vegan margarine

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2. In a large mixing bowl mix the flours and icing mixture together until well combined.
3. Rub the margarine in until the mixture resembles a crumbly dough.
4. Press the dough into a pie plate or tart dish and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Allow to cool.

Filling

(This made too much for just the pie, and I had an extra cup of just filling – if you’re playing along at home, only work to about 2/3 of this recipe)

• 1/3 cup sago (or seed tapioca)
• a litre of water to the boil
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbs agar agar powder
• 1 1.3 cup bonsoy soy milk (in my eyes it’s the only brand that still tastes decent after boiling)
• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 2 Tbs agave
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• nutmeg and icing sugar, for dusting

1. In a large saucepan bring the water to the boil and add the sago. Cook until the sago is just translucent and drain and set aside.
2. In another saucepan stir the bonsoy, sugar and agar agar powder over the heat until the bonsoy starts to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Remove from heat and quickly stir the sago, coconut cream,  agave and vanilla into the milk and agar mixture.

For an uncooked Tart

1. For an unbaked tart, pour the mixture into the cooled tart shell and refrigerate for several hours.
2. Dust with icing sugar and nutmeg before serving.

For a baked Tart

1. For a baked tart, pour the filling into the tart shell and dust with icing sugar and nutmeg
2. Put a tray under the pis dish to catch any filling that bubbles over, and bake at 180 degrees celsius for 20 minutes.
3. After baking, grill for 4 minutes or until brown on top.
4. Allow to cool completely before serving.

 

As it happens this may be where I leave South Africa, for now anyways, because I have too many exciting Christmas related posts to write!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Food of Romance

We don’t do Valentine’s day at our place, but we do celebrate our love! (too cheesy?)

Every now and then I get a fit of vegan gourmet wrapped in a lovegush for Mr, and this usually turns into some heart shaped food.

Last week I had an exceptionally large lovegush/fooddream collision, and the results were fresh tomato soup, beet ravioli, strawberry carpaccio and a caramelised onion, pear and walnut tart. All with some pink or some hearts, of course.

Fresh tomato soup

Fresh Tomato Soup

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 very ripe tomatoes
• tomato paste, as needed
• filtered water
• pepper and salt, to taste

This is so easy to make. Fry the onion in some oil, until translucent (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic, and fry for a further 3 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, adding water if it dries out a little. Add about 1 cup of water, and blend. Taste – if the tomatoes are not super ripe, or if they’re from the supermarket, you’ll need to add some tomato paste. Then heat, stir and season.

Home made vegan beet ravioli

I borrowed this concept from Flavours of Venice, by Rosalba Gioffre, and borrowed from the Moreland Library. I made many changes to the recipe in order to veganise it.

I used my own pasta recipe, rather than the egg pasta suggested. For the filling I used some boiled beetroot, a teensy bit of cheesly, some mashed tofu, and some nutmeg. I had intended to make heart shapes, but my rolling was a little off, and I settled for any basic polygon instead.

I served the ravioli with just some margarine, olive oil, salt, and herbs from the garden.

Strawberry and Zucchini Carpaccio

Strawberry and Zucchini Carpaccio

Carpaccio is usually raw meat, cut very thinly. I think its better this way.

• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 small zucchini
• small bunch mint leaves
• 1 tbs agave syrup
• 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbs olive oil

Slice the zucchini very thinly and set aside. To make hearts, cut a triangle underneath the strawberry “cap” to remove it, leave a pointy heart. Very carefully, slice the strawberries.

Mince the mint, and combine in a bowl with the oil, agave and vinegar. Muddle, then gently toss the zucchini and strawberries in it, and set aside for the flavour to develop for at least 30 minutes (60 if you can).

Heart Tart

Caramelised Onion, Pear and Walnut Tart (makes 4)

• 2 sheets vegan pastry
• 1 large red onion
• oil
• 2 tbs agave syrup
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbs raw sugar
• 1/3 cup beetroot water (from boiling the beetroot for the ravioli – can be replaces with water or juice)
• 1 pear
• 4 tbs crushed walnuts
• 4 tbs vegan cheese

1. Pre-heat the oven at 160 degrees. Take the pastry out of the freezer to thaw.
2. In a frying pan heat a little olive oil, then add the onion. Fry for 5 minutes, then add the vinegar, agave and sugar.
3. Continue to cook, stirring as necessary, until the sugar begins to dissolve. Add the beetroot water a little at a time, over 20 minutes of cooking.
4. If your pear is firm, add slices into the onion mixture at about the 15 minute mark. If it is soft, don’t add it.
5. Cut the pastry sheets in half so they each form 2 triangles. Chop the acute corners (the two corners on the long edge of the triangle) to blunt them. Roll the edges in, little by little, and press into the middle to form a heart shape. You will have to do some molding to form the top.
6. Arrange the onion and pear mixture (or pear slices) onto the pastry. Sprinkle with walnuts and cheezly, and place in the oven.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, and allow to cool a little before serving.

Whatever you’re making, have a crack at making shapes – its fun, and definitley worth the effort to make your dining partner smile.

tart n stuff

On the menu this post is a tart, a salad, and some paté (i totally just worked out how to add accent I might be slow to the game, but I’m still pretty pleased with myself).

First, the mushroom pate. I sort of made this up as I went. I ground walnuts and green onion with some cooked mushroom (wiped dry after cooking), a dash of lemon juice, some dried thyme, lots of pepper, 300g of silken tofu, vegie salt, and about 4 tablespoons of Tofutti Better then Cream Cheese. I blended the lot, tasted and adjusted, then stuck in a bowl to set up in the fridge for an hour or so.

mmm paté

It was divine! I had intended that we eat it with crusty French bread, but we had already polished it off the night before, so instead we ate it with Vita-Weats. Only the best will do at our place.

Next up was the tart of leek, caramelised onion, pesto, olive and roast pumpkin. This is easy to prepare, but looks and tastes like a knock-out dish. You could make it a day ahead and serve it cold, too, though we ate it warm.

The Finished Tart

You need:

• 2 sheets puff pastry
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pumpkin
• tiny bit of oil
• 4 tbs pesto
• 2 leeks, chopped
• 3 red onions, chopped
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• another tiny bit of oil
• 1/2 cup green olives, halved

1. Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees
2. Defrost the pastry.
3. Bake the diced pumpkin in a tiny bit of oil, until it is soft.
4. Cook the leek in a little olive oil for about 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
5. I the same pan (remove the leek) fry the red onions  on medium to high heat for about 5 minutes.
6. Lower the heat, and add the brown sugar. Continue to cook the onions, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. You may add more oil if necessary, but do not add any water (it should seem obvious, given the recipe doesn’t call for water, but I’ve seen someone do it – it turns to toffee).
7. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
8. Line a tart tin with pastry. Cover the pastry with the pesto, spreading it out in a thin layer.
9. Add the cooled pumpkin.
10. Top with the leeks, then the caramelised onion.
11. Finally, scatter the olives across the top.
12. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until pastry has browned a little.
13. Cool in tin for at least 10 minutes before cutting to serve

The salty and sweet flavours in this tart work well together, and I like that way the bland, slightly sweet pumpkin benefits from the sugar, olives and pesto.

Last, we had a fennel and orange salad. This one’s easy, tastes light and fresh, and looks gorgeous.

Fennel and orange salad

• 1 fennel bulb
• 2 oranges
• 1 red onion
• juice of 1/2 an orange
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp apple juice concentrate
• 1 tbs flaxseed oil

1. Prepare the fennel bulb by removing any stringy bits, and chopping into thin strips, across the stalks.
2. Prepare the oranges by segmenting them. This involves removing the tops and bottoms, then the peel with a parking knife, then gently cutting between the membrane to produce orange segments without any pith. I’ve added photos at the end to explain, though note, I use my ‘everything’ knife, as I don’t actually own a paring knife. Careful if you do this, there is a high risk of cutting your hand if you’re not VERY careful.
3. slice the onion into thin half crescent slices.
4. Arrange the onion, orange and fennel on a plate.
5. In a small cup, mix the vinegar, mustard, orange juice, apple juice concentrate and oil. Pour this dressing over the salad, and serve.

How to segment an orange… in pictures

Please forgive the photo order, I have so little control over where they go!

1. Cut off the top and bottom.

2. Remove the pith and peel.

3. keep going

4. Until it looks like this.5. Carefully cut down one side of a segment6. trim down the other side of the segment until it pops out. This is what you should have left at the end.7. pretty, pithless segments