Two Peas from Different Pods

Garbanzo beans, those humble little legumes, have miraculously managed to rise within the ranks of standard beans to celebrity status. They’ve worked hard to get to the top of the heap, and considering their versatility and culinary potential, they certainly deserve their time in the spotlight. Appearing in curries, stews, salads, spreads, and breads alike, their agent must work tirelessly, securing them top billing on menus that span every cuisine across the globe. Though I’m a lifelong fan of their work, it becomes somewhat tiring to see garbanzos starring in yet another feature, week after week, month after month. After all, why should chickpeas have all the fun? There are plenty of other peas in the sea, so to speak.

Exploring the vast array of bean flours now readily available on the market, for one reason or another, I latched onto green pea flour in particular. Without ever having cooked with it prior, I plunged in blindly and ordered an entire case. Though I’ll likely have a decent supply of pea flour for a solid decade now, that wild purchase brought me on of the most delicious snack mash-ups just waiting to happen: Wasabi pea panisse.

Prepared exactly the same way as standard chickpea panisse, the hot bite of wasabi is added to the subtly sweet base of green peas. A cult classic in its traditional format, this study in flavor contrasts is only enhanced when expanded upon to include a crispy, lightly salted exterior concealing a soft, almost creamy center.

Addictive as that combination was, I couldn’t leave well enough alone. Instead of a mere sprinkling of salt, an extra layer of spice and flavor via shichimi togarashi was the cherry on top of this savory sundae. Pairing the green pea fries with an umami-packed miso aioli simply sent this snack over the top. No longer just a midnight munch, it’s a snack that could entice hordes of party goers at any function, fancy or casual. Sorry chickpeas; You’ll have to sit this one out.

And in case you’re wondering…

…Yes, they really are delightfully green on the inside!

Yield: Makes about 40 Panisse; about 1 Cup Aioli

Wasabi Pea Panisse with Miso Aioli

Ingredients

Wasabi Pea Panisse

4 Cups Vegetable Stock
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 – 1 1/2 Tablespoon Wasabi Paste*
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 1/4 Cups Green Pea Flour
Mildly Flavored Olive Oil or Peanut Oil, for Frying
Coarse Sea Salt
Shichimi Togarashi (Optional)

Miso Aioli:

1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Plain Greek-Style Coconut Yogurt**
1/4 Cup Shiro (White) Miso Paste
1 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Mirin
2 – 3 Cloves Roasted Garlic
1 Teaspoon Tamari or Soy Sauce

Instructions

Lightly grease a 11 x 7-inch baking dish and set aside.
Place the vegetable stock, oil, wasabi paste, and salt in a medium or large saucepan, and whisk thoroughly to incorporate the wasabi. Set over medium heat, and bring the liquid just to the brink of boiling. When the bubbles threaten to erupt on the surface, add in the green pea flour, whisking vigorously the whole time to prevent lumps from forming. As the mixture begins to think, you’ll need to switch to a wooden spoon to continue stirring, as it will become quite stiff in no time at all.
Continue to cook and stir for up to 10 minutes, until the batter is thick enough to hold its shape. In my experience, this took much less time, but it will vary depending on your stove and how much moisture is in the air, so stay connected to the process at all times.
Transfer the pea batter to your prepared pan, and smooth out the top with a spatula. Let cool completely before proceeding. If making this for a specific function, it’s helpful to prepare this a day in advance and refrigerate it overnight.
Meanwhile, prepare the miso aioli simply by placing all of the ingredients in your blender or food processor, and puree until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
Once the pea mixture has cooled and solidified into a block, turn it out onto a cutting board and slice it into fingers about 3/4 inch x 3 inches- But please don’t break out the ruler, the exact measurements aren’t critical! Heat your oil of choice in a high-sided saute pan, and set out a landing strip of paper towels nearby to rest the finished panisse on.
When the oil is hot and shimmering, fry just a handful of panisse at a time so as not to crowd the pan. Use tongs to turn them, and cook so that each side is golden brown. Remove and drain on the paper towels, sprinkling them with salt and shichimi togarashi if desired while still hot. Serve immediately with miso aioli on the side.

Notes

*Beware of less than savory wasabi pastes that include sneaky stabilizers and curious fillers, such a milk derivatives. Wasabi pastes can vary greatly in intensity, so add it according to your tastes and the brand you have on hand. You can also use reconstituted wasabi powder in a pinch, but I’ve found that they tend to taste dusty and can never reach the same heat level.

**If you can’t get a hold of this, you can also use regular vegan yogurt, but bear in mind that the consistency of your aioli will be considerably thinner.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 38Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 174mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 1g

August 10, 2012February 25, 2019

Hannah (BitterSweet)41 Comments

Practically Raw, Completely Delicious

Summer, with the rainbow of produce and borderline tropical climate it brings, is the best time to explore raw foods. Easier said than done in many cases, where recipes can drone on like novels and preparations easily stretch across numerous days, the whir of the dehydrator becoming white noise in the backdrop of every waking moment. It’s understandable why some people find raw “uncooking” intimidating, and given these serious hurdles to making a meal, I don’t blame them at all. It doesn’t have to, and shouldn’t be this way, though! Thank goodness Amber Shea Crawley finally broke out of her blog format and wrote us an all-inclusive book featuring her more flexible take on raw foods.

Practically Raw welcomes newcomers to this radical concept with open arms. Rather than drawing a line in the sand at 115 degrees, Amber invites us to do what makes sense, and even (gasp!) turn on the oven briefly if one desires. There’s no need to purchase new equipment or make insane investments in time- As promised, it is a very practical approach that leaves a cook feeling confident in their abilities to prepare health meals on the fly. The best part of all these tasty formulas is that they’re easy enough for the most cooking illiterate or harried housewife to muster.

A perfect example is the Mango Lassi (page 40.) Composed of only coconut meat, mango, and a dollop of agave, it’s so simple that it doesn’t truly need a precise recipe, but without one, you may not think to try it. This is just the push so many of us need to try something new, and take away the fear of exploring out into the vast unknown of culinary wilderness. Thick enough to eat with a spoon, it’s a far more satisfying drink than one might imagine, and the flavors couldn’t be fresher or brighter. Proof positive that nature needs only a little coaxing to yield something even more delicious than its original parts.

Almond Butter Sesame Noodles (page 141) are a foolproof dish any way you serve them, but I relish any opportunity to use kelp noodles. Adding in a handful of pea shoots for color and crunch, it couldn’t have taken more than 10 minutes start to finish, washing and chopping included. Balanced beautifully between the salty, sweet, sour, and spicy ends of the spectrum, it made for an incredibly satisfying yet lightweight lunch.

Collard greens always score big points with me on restaurant menus, but whenever I get those giant paddle-like leaves home, my inspiration runs dry. Amber’s Athenian Deli Collard Wraps (page 139) finally gave me the push I needed to do more than just juice or blend those luscious greens. Creating a neat little parcel stuffed with zucchini-based hummus, nut cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and cucumber, those collard greens have finally found their true calling. Surprisingly cooperative, they were no more difficult to roll than the average flour tortilla. The richness of the “cheese” and hummus offset that inherently earthy essence, and the contrasting textures made each bite exciting. Though this particular bundle was a delightful snack, I can easily see the wraps cut into smaller pieces to become impressive party appetizers, too.

Craving sushi but not the labor involved in rolling up maki? Skip the hassle and just drop all the fillings into a dish with the Deconstructed Sushi Bowl (page 152)! Admittedly, I was highly skeptical of raw cauliflower-based rice, but this recipe truly impressed in the end. Lightly seasoned with rice vinegar, it really did have the flavor profile of sushi rice, but somehow managed to be much fluffier and lighter in texture. Nori adds that vital oceanic essence, so although it’s only written as an optional addition, I would insist that you make it mandatory in your own rendition.

With an eye towards both flavor and health, each recipe also includes nutritional information, so you know exactly what you’re getting with each meal or snack. Plus, Amber outlines about a thousand and one variations and alternate suggestions for switching things up. Instructions include both raw and cooked version of many dishes, plus different veggies that would work well for a change of pace, or substitutions in case of allergies or hard to find ingredients. Truly, Practically Raw is the raw cookbook that everyone can to enjoy.

August 1, 2012

Hannah (BitterSweet)26 Comments

Minty Fresh

Sparse vines reach weakly upward towards the sunlight filtering in between the thick blanket of leaves above, gently yellowing despite their youth. Choked out by the tall trees overhead that greedily suck down all the rich solar nutrition, our fragile, immature tomato plants never had a chance. Careful weeding and daily watering be damned- Not a drop of those efforts show. For reasons unknown, this will be our worst harvest ever, if you can even call it a “harvest.” It would be a joy to pull even a solitary ripe, red orb from those sagging knots of greenery, but I’m not so optimistic about even that kind of yield.

While I can only look on with envy as friends effortlessly produce vegetables of all colors and shapes from their own backyard gardens, I have but one tiny success to brag about: The mint. Known for being aggressively prolific, spreading like a weed and reseeding itself for years to come, ours finally broke the curse of our sad patch of dirt and actually followed suit. Sprouting and outgrowing the small patch originally allotted to them, the herbaceous leaves now cover nearly half of the paltry expanse, growing like a full, unruly mane of hair, much in need of a trim. And so, with no vegetables to temper my enthusiasm, trim I did.

After batches of mint chocolate sorbet, mint tea, and minted snow peas, the mint still kept coming with no end in sight. Fully confident that the supply would not run short, I went for the gusto and gathered as much as I could before the rain clouds above burst once again, snipping off every viable leaf to make up a fresh take on pesto. Before that quick spread could even finish whirling about the blades of the food processor, I already had a full recipe planned out to put it to work.

Borrowing from a Middle Eastern palate of flavors for inspiration, pomegranate proved to be a perfectly tangy match to this bright and herbaceous paste. Not only do the crunchy arils make an appearance to lend textural contrast, but the foundation of the salad itself, chewy pearls of Israeli couscous, are cooked in pure pomegranate juice as well. Cool, crisp cucumbers punctuate the mixture, lightening the whole dish considerably- And because, as we’ve established, I can’t go a single summer day without getting my cucumber fix.

Even if you don’t have ground cover of mint threatening to take over your entire yard, it’s well worth the effort to forage through the farmer’s market to make the pesto, if not the whole couscous salad. Consider tossing it into potato salad, spread it over crostini, or pack it into sandwiches. The recipe makes enough for leftovers, so you can easily spare enough explore all those delicious options, and then some.

Yield: Makes About 3/4 Cup Pesto; 6 – 8 Side Servings Couscous

Pomegranate Mint Couscous

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

Mint Pesto:

1/4 Cup Roasted, Unsalted Sunflower Seeds
1 – 2 Cloves Garlic
1 Teaspoon White Miso
Zest of 1/2 Lemon
2 Cups Loosely Packed Mint Leaves
1/2 Cup Loosely Packed Basil Leaves
1/4 Cup Flax or Hemp Seed Oil
Big Pinch Cayenne Pepper
Salt, to Taste

Pomegranate Couscous Salad:

2 Cups 100% Pomegranate Juice
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Dry Israeli Couscous
1/2 Cup Frozen or Fresh Green Garbanzo Beans, or Frozen Green Peas
1/3 Cup Mint Pesto (See Recipe Above)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, if Needed
1 Cup Diced Seedless Cucumber
1/2 Cup Pomegranate Arils
Pinch Ground Black Pepper

Instructions

In a food processor, pulse the sunflower seeds and garlic lightly to break them down a bit, and add in the miso and lemon zest to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and introduce the mint and basil. Pulse again to incorporate, and then with the machine running, stream in the oil. Puree until mostly smooth but still slightly coarse in texture, and season with cayenne and salt to taste. Use right away, or store in airtight container in the fridge. The mint pesto can be made ahead of time refrigerated for up to a week.
For the couscous, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the pomegranate juice and salt to a boil. Add in the couscous, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the green garbanzo beans or peas while the pasta is still hot, thawing or gently cooking the beans with the residual heat. Transfer to a large bowl, and thoroughly mix in the pesto. Add in the oil if needed to loosen up the pesto and more evenly distribute it throughout. Toss in the cucumber, arils, and season with pepper to taste. Stir well, and chill thoroughly before serving.

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