Great Chefs Cook Vegan - Linda Long [27]
Vegetable Carousel Torte with Pomme Soufflés filled with Peas
Makes 4 entrees, depending upon molds used
Vegetable Torte
1 cup broccoli florets, blanched and shocked
1 cup cauliflower florets, blanched and shocked
2 zucchini, sliced on the bias 1/4 inch
2 squash, sliced on the bias 1/4 inch
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 large leeks, well cleaned and diced (white parts only)
2 red peppers, roasted and sliced
1 cup spinach, stems removed, blanched and shocked
To make the Vegetable Torte: Set aside the blanched and shocked broccoli and cauliflower florets. Toss zucchini and squash with oil until well-coated and then season with salt and pepper. Grill on each side for 1 minute, do not mark; reserve warm. Sweat leeks in a little oil until tender and purée in a blender with about 2 tablespoons oil until smooth; reserve.
Mashed Potatoes
4 large potatoes, peeled and boiled
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
To make the Mashed Potatoes: Rice potatoes, or hand beat, or use low-speed setting on a mixer. Add oil until creamy. Season with salt and pepper; reserve warm.
Basil Oil
3 cups basil, blanched and shocked
3 cups extra virgin olive oil
To make the Basil Oil: Squeeze excess water from basil. Purée in a blender with oil until warm to the touch. Strain through double layers of cheesecloth and reserve for plating.
NOTE: This will make more than needed for this recipe and can be used for other meals as a substitute for butter, pasta dishes, and seasoning for vegetables.
Pomme Soufflé
2 potatoes, peeled, shaped into an oval, and sliced on a mandoline
2 pots canola oil, 3 inches deep, one at 300 degrees F and the other at 400 degrees F
12 ounces garden peas, blanched and reserved warm (frozen can be substituted)
To make the Pomme Soufflé: Slice potatoes 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick on a Japanese mandoline. Rest in ice water for 30 minutes. Remove from water and with extreme care place potato slices in a pot of oil at 300 degrees F. Shake constantly and fry for 6 to 7 minutes. They should rise to the top after 5 minutes. (The ice-cold potatoes added to the hot oil will cause the potatoes to steam, brown, and soufflé.) Place the potatoes into a pot of oil at 400 degrees F to crisp. They will puff up; continue to fry until golden brown. Be extremely careful as the hot oil will spit; drain. Serve, stuffed with peas as soon as torte is unmolded.
To assemble Torte: Grease a 2-1/2 x 4-inch mold lightly with oil. Place on the dinner plate. For the base, press 3 zucchini slices and 3 squash slices into the mold with back of a spoon or a spatula. Follow with broccoli and cauliflower florets, followed by red pepper slices. Press 1/4 cup spinach on top of peppers. Spoon leek purée over top. Fill mold to the top with Mashed Potatoes and flatten with a spatula. Bake in a 425-degree F oven for 10 minutes.
How to Plate: Carefully unmold Vegetable Torte onto a plate. Drizzle Basil Oil around the base and top with 3 Pomme Soufflés filled with garden peas. To save a step, skip making the Pomme Souffles and simply line a row of nicely spaced peas around the top edge of the mashed potatoes. Serve immediately.
Sweet Pea Ravioli with Sautéed Pea Leaves
Serves 6 as an appetizer or 4 as an entrée (yields 20 ravioli)
Ravioli Dough
1 pound all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons tapioca starch
1 cup water
6 tablespoons olive oil
To make the Ravioli Dough: Mix the dough ingredients together to form a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Ravioli Filling
3 shallots, minced
3 cups English peas, blanched
4 ounces soft tofu
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
To make the Ravioli Filling: Sweat shallots in a light covering of oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until soft and translucent. Add peas and tofu and slowly heat. Purée in a food processor with oil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
To assemble the Ravioli: Roll out Ravioli Dough on a flour-coated surface until paper-thin. Cut into 1-inch strips. Spoon 1 tablespoon filling onto strips of