Entertaining in the Raw - Matthew Kenney [31]
Harissa
4 fresh red chiles
Sea salt
1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1 clove garlic
1 red pepper, cored, seeded, and roughly chopped
1 plum tomato
1 tablespoon red wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Flatbread
1 cup flax meal
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
2 yellow squash, roughly chopped
1-1/2 cups walnuts, soaked 6 hours
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons raw agave
1 tablespoon sumac
Asparagus and Tomatoes Cut and slice asparagus, then toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread asparagus in a half sheet pan and dehydrate 3–4 hours. Halve pear tomatoes and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread prepped tomatoes on Teflex sheets for 30 minutes to marinate.
Vegetable Stock Juice the celery and carrot. Blend remaining ingredients, add celery and carrot juice, and strain. Dehydrate 1 hour.
Fava Beans and Mushrooms Toss fava beans with olive oil, salt, and pepper; spread in half sheet pan with 1-1/2 cups vegetable stock, then dehydrate for 4 hours.
Slice oyster and cremini mushrooms. Toss mushrooms with olive oil and salt, then spread on Teflex sheets to dehydrate 1 hour. Add remaining vegetables and stock as needed just to cover.
Couscous Process jicama and pine nuts until very fine. Add remaining ingredients.
Harissa Blend all ingredients except salt in a Vita-Mix until very smooth. Season with salt as needed.
Flatbread Place flax meal, basil, and oregano in a medium-size bowl and set aside. Process remaining ingredients except sumac in a food processor until smooth. Add to bowl with flax meal and stir until well combined. Spread on Teflex sheets to 1/2-inch thickness; sprinkle with sumac. Dehydrate 6–8 hours until almost completely dry but still pliable. Transfer bread to dehydrator screens and dehydrate 24 hours.
Assembly To one side of plate, fill a ring mold with couscous. Gently (with mold still on) cascade vegetables over and around the couscous. Garnish with harissa and flatbread. Remove the ring mold. Serves 6–8
Orange Blossom Water Tart with Star Anise “Ice Cream”
During an unforgettable culinary journey through the Atlas Mountains of Morocco with a large group of New York chefs, we made a stop at a country store/café in the middle of the desert. We had just stopped to photograph some camels beside the road and came upon a quaint sandy-looking building a bit off the highway and backed by the breathtaking façade of the mountains and sunset behind it. It had been a long day, and that called for mint tea and Moroccan pastry. Although we had enjoyed several delicious meals during our visit, I will always remember the orange blossom–scented pastries that we were served with our tea. I felt as if I were a character in The Sheltering Sky, and that flavor will forever remain with me.
Crust
2 cups pecan crumbs (process pecans until crumb-like consistency)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon finely chopped orange zest
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon date paste
Filling
3 cups cashews, soaked 1–2 hours
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons orange blossom water
3/4 cup raw agave
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 vanilla bean, scraped
2 teaspoons orange zest
“Ice Cream”
1/2 cup cashews, soaked 4–6 hours
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, soaked 1–2 hours
1/2 cup young coconut meat
1/2 cup raw agave
1-1/4 cups water
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
Pinch sea salt
2 teaspoons ground star anise
1/2 cup coconut oil
Garnish
Ground star anise
Thai basil leaves or spearmint leaves
Crust Mix ingredients together by hand until well combined. Line one large tart pan or four small ones with plastic wrap. Press dough very thinly into tart shells. Optional: dehydrate 24 hours. Chill crust in freezer for 15–30 minutes before filling.