The Meat Lover's Meatless Cookbook - Kim O'Donnel [9]
Smoked paprika: Also known as pimentón de la vera in Spain, smoked paprika is made from peppers that have been slowly smoked, resulting in a sublime mixture of heat, sweet, and smoke. This is probably my most beloved spice. Increasingly available in conventional supermarkets or through spice resources that follow.
Tahini: Made from ground sesame seeds, tahini has the look and feel of creamy peanut butter. It is a staple of Middle East cuisine, including hummus (page 87). Keep in the fridge, as the oils will eventually oxidize and go rancid. Available in some supermarkets and in Middle East groceries.
Tempeh: Native to Indonesia, tempeh is a “cake” of fermented soybeans. Its texture is toothy and appealing to meat eaters. Brand recommendations: Lightlife, SoyBoy, Wildwood, and WestSoy, all organic; choose from plain, rice, or flax varieties. Available in many conventional supermarkets, health food stores, and Asian groceries.
Thai red curry paste: A pounded mixture of herbs, spices, and chile peppers, this paste is ready made and available in conventional supermarkets and Asian groceries. I like Mae Sri brand curry paste, sold in a can; Thai Kitchen brand is sold in a small jar. Leftover paste can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Tofu: Made from soybean curd, tofu comes in a variety of textures, from silken to extra firm. For the recipes in this book, firm or extra firm is preferred, organic whenever possible. Available in most conventional supermarkets, Asian groceries, and health food stores.
Udon noodles: Japanese wheat flour noodles, udon are about the same thickness as linguine. Available in conventional supermarkets and Asian groceries.
Winter squash: “Winter” refers to larger, thicker-skinned varieties that must be cooked (unlike the tender zucchini). Flesh comes in various shades of yellow or orange, rich in disease-fighting beta carotene. For the recipes in this book, I recommend exploring a world beyond the same ole acorn squash with the following: butternut (beige and shaped like an elongated pear, somewhat sweet); delicata (yellow with green stripes with a thin, edible skin, shaped like a cucumber, flesh a cross between sweet potato and corn); Hubbard (thick, green/ blue skin, ball shaped, “meaty” orange flesh); and kabocha (orange or green, sometimes striped, pumpkin shaped, yellow, creamy/custardy flesh).
RESOURCES
It’s not always easy to get your hands on pantry staples that are so readily available in big cities. For details on where and how to find them, check out my list of go-to favorites on page 215.
Spring...
... can really hang you up the most.
One minute, you’re admiring the popped-up crocuses, the next minute, a lionlike gust bites your collar, a reminder that it ain’t quite sandal time. There’s still a need for belly warmers, such as a tray of lasagna and a potful of beans, but in anticipation of breaking ground and brighter days, you can fluff up the pasta pillows with emerald leaves of arugula and lighten up those beans with early-season leeks and the zest of sunny lemons.
While Mother Nature moves the furniture and whistles in the birds (and the bees) from down south, we mere mortals clean house, take stock, and wait for her cue that spring is here in earnest.
Meanwhile, we are brooding, simultaneously giddy and melancholy. We anticipate (farmers’ markets) and procrastinate (Tax Day). At the Easter or Passover table, we might get our first taste of green garlic with the ham or asparagus spears alongside the charoset, and maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll fete Mom with the first batch of strawberries.
And what is it about spring that makes us hopelessly yearn for summer and all the requisite outdoor feasting? Ants in the pants be damned; instead, let’s turn up the radio and whip up a Jamaican-style spread—jerk tempeh, peas and rice, and a kicky salad of sunny-side-up pineapple—that melts away the remaining chill and reroutes us to the land of sultry eves