Announcing: The "Herbs and Herbivores" Cookbook Project

Those of you who have been following this blog will not have failed to noticed that it has been, well, mostly dead for the past 18 months or so.  Between a toddler, an international move, a new job, and the other stuff that make up life, for a while there I wasn't cooking very much at all. If I made something more exciting than scrambled eggs for dinner, it felt like a special occasion. Venturing beyond the four or five regular dishes that I know how to make by heart took a great deal of effort.

But I opened this blog because once upon a time, I actually found cooking exciting. I wanted to try new things, explore new flavors, and expand my culinary knowledge. So in that spirit, and in order to challenge myself to rediscover the joys of cooking and baking, I have decided to embark on...

The "Herbs and Herbivores" Cookbook Project

A lot of people these days are getting rid of cookbooks, because "you can find any recipe you want online." In many ways, this is true. I love the vast array of cooking sites and blogs, and I do often use online recipes. But the problem with online recipes is that they are mostly good if you know what you want to cook. If you're looking for a recipe for beer battered onion rings, or a 3-bean casserole, or gluten free ravioli, then Google is your best friend. But it can't replicate the magic of a good cookbook. A good cookbook doesn't just tell you how to make something. It seduces you into trying new things. Even if you never cook a single recipe from a book, reading through it will open up your culinary imagination and encourage you to consider new foods and new flavor combinations. And that's something that an internet search doesn't do nearly as well.

As you have no doubt gathered by now, I'm a fan of cookbooks. In fact, one of the first things people notice about my kitchen is that I have books. Lots of them. As of this morning, there were 119. (Yeah, I know. Time to buy one more book to round up the number. Or another 81, as my husband suggested). I have vegetarian cookbooks, gluten free cookbooks and general cookbooks. I have books dedicated to Indian, Thai, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Israeli and Persian cuisines. I have a perhaps disproportionate number of books dedicated to baking (of those an even more disproportionate number dedicated to chocolate). I have books dedicated to specific products, such as squash or tomatoes, and books with as broad a mandate as you can imagine. The one thing most of my books have in common is that they are gorgeous. I like my cookbooks to be glossy, shiny, and full of pictures. I know there are some fabulous books out there with no pictures whatsoever, and I own a small number of them, but like I said - a cookbook should seduce the reader into trying new things, and beautiful book just does that better.

Over the past couple of years, my books have been largely abandoned. But in an effort to rekindle my cooking, I'm going to start this simple, low-key project. Over the next few months, I am going to go over every cookbook I have, and I am going to cook at least one NEW (and vegetarian, of course) recipe from each book. That is, I'm going to make at least one recipe I have never made before. I will then post the recipe on this blog, with a short review of the book from whence it came.

And I will start in just a minute, with a simple and delicious Cinnamon, Sour Cream and Hazelnut Cake.

Cinnamon, Sour Cream and Hazelnut Cake

The first participant in the cookbook project is a lovely cake that would go great with tea or coffee in the afternoon.

The sour cream gives it a lovely moistness, and the cinnamon and brown sugar make it sweet and yummy.

I made it here with Cup4Cup gluten free flour and it came out great. If you have a GF flour mixture that you trust, give it a try. 

The book: "The Sweet Collection" (HaOsef Hamatok), by Israeli food empire "Al Hashulchan".
Language: Hebrew
Genre: sweet pastries and desserts
Veg Status: All of the recipes in the book are vegetarian. A few are vegan, but they are definitely in the minority.
GF Status: Like most baking books, it is not GF friendly, although there are some recipes for fancy, rich, mousse-type cakes that are naturally gluten free. Other recipes will require substitution with a good gluten free flour.

Cinnamon, Sour Cream and Hazelnut Cake

Ingredients: 

- 1 and 1/4 cup all purpose flour (or a gluten free equivalent that you trust)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup (200 grams) white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 125 grams/about 4 oz butter, softened
- 200 ml/6.5 oz sour cream (I didn't have enough, so I used a combination of sour cream and a low-fat cream cheese)

For the filling
- 60 grams/1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 100 grams/1 cup hazelnuts, lightly roasted and finely chopped (I used a combination of hazelnuts and almonds)
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Preparation: 

1. Preheat oven to  200 C/390 F. Lightly grease a loaf tin or a small bundt cake tin.
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder.
3. In a mixer, mix sugar, eggs and butter until smooth. Slow the mixer down and add the sour cream and flour gradually: 3 tbsp of flour, allow to mix, 1 tbsp of sour cream, allow to mix, and so on, until they are all mixed in and there is a  smooth batter.
4. Combine all of the filling ingredients together.
5. Put half of the batter in the baking tin. Top evenly with the filling. Top with the remainder of the batter.
6. Bake in preheated oven for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Corn and Cheese Muffins

These savory muffins are full of delicious corn and cheesy goodness. They are easy to make and delicious for both adults and kids. They freeze quite well, so you can make a bunch and defrost when you want them.

They have so little flour that it's easy to make a gluten free version by using any neutral GF flour. 

Corn and Cheese Muffins

Ingredients (for 18-20 muffins):

- 800 grams (about 1.5 lbs) frozen sweet corn kernels or canned corn (not cream corn).
- 250 grams/8 oz cottage cheese (in most places this is a standard small container, but you may want to check your measurements).
- 200 ml/about 8 oz sour cream (again, a standard small container will usually be fine).
- 200 grams/7 oz grated cheese (you can use any mild semi-hard cheese such as a mild cheddar or mozzarella).
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup regular flour (you can use any gluten free flour of your choice).
-  1 tbsp canola oil
- salt

Preparation: 
1. Prepare a muffin tin (preferably a large one with 20 spaces, but you can also make this in batches) by spraying it with oil or otherwise greasing it. Preheat oven to 180 C/350 F.

2. Place the corn (frozen or canned) in a sieve and rinse to defrost/wash. Drain and put in a large bowl.

3. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well to create a batter.

4. Spoon the batter generously into the muffin tin (the batter will not rise very much, so you want to fill the 'cups' of the tin to capacity).

5. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, until golden-brown and firm. Allow to cool a bit before removing from tin.

The muffins can be stored in the fridge or frozen.

Enjoy!

Gazpacho (chilled tomato soup)

Gazpacho is the ultimate summer dish. It's not only cold and refreshing to eat, it's also cold and refreshing to make, as it doesn't require turning on the oven or stove.
It is quite an easy dish as long as you have a good blender or food processor. Without either one, it's quite a lot of work and won't have quite the right texture.

There are lots of versions of gazpacho out there, but I used this one as my base.

Here I garnished it with finely diced cucumbers and onions as well as some lightly browned almond slivers, but you can garnish it with lots of other things.

Gazpacho is at it's best if allowed to rest overnight in the fridge, so that all the flavors combine. But you can eat it as soon as it's ready if you like.

Gazpacho

 

Ingredients (for 4-6 portions): 

- About 6 medium tomatoes (1 kilo/2 lbs), preferably very red and ripe. 
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 medium or 2 small cucumbers, peeled.
- 1/2 red onion, peeled
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 medium Jalapeno or other hot pepper, deseeded
- 1/3 cup of olive oil, preferably extra virgin
- 1 handful of almonds and 1 slice of bread (gluten free is fine) OR 2 slices of bread OR 2 handfuls of almonds
- 3 tbsp of lemon juice or a light vinegar such as sherry vinegar or cider vinegar (but not balsamic).
- Salt and pepper, to taste.
- Water or ice cubes, as needed. 
- For garnish (choose any combination of these, or nothing at all): finely diced cucumbers, finely diced tomatoes, finely diced onion, finely diced hard-boiled egg, croutons, lightly browned almonds.

Preparation: 

1) chop all of the vegetables into a large chunks. If using bread, cut the bread into small chunks.

2) Put the tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion, garlic, jalapeno, olive oil, almonds/bread and lemon juice/vinegar into a food processor or blender, and blend until you get a relatively smooth mixture (although it will still have a bit of texture, especially with the almonds).

3) Season with salt and pepper. If you would like a slightly runnier texture, add a little bit of water (but not much!) at this point. If you plan to eat the gazpacho right away and would like it to be really cold, add a few ice cubes (but only if your blender can handle them!). Blend some more to get the seasoning mixed in and the ice (if using) fully crushed.

4) Serve with the desired garnish and a drizzle of olive oil.

Wine Poached Pears with a Chocolate Bottom

Poached pears are a classic dessert, but this versions adds a lovely chocolate surprise that makes them even more delicious. It also has the advantage of being both vegan and gluten free.

Wine Poached Pears with a Chocolate Bottom

Ingredients (for 6-8 servings): 

-  6-8 smallish pears
-  1 bottle wine, preferably medium-dry. You can use red or white. If you use red, the pears will take on the color. I used white here.
- 1/2 cup sugar(with a bit extra as needed)
- 1 tsp cinnamon (or one stick cinnamon)
- a pinch of ground cloves or a few whole cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger (or some slices of ginger)
-  200 grams/7 oz high quality dark chocolate (if you want to make this vegan, make sure you use a vegan chocolate)
- Almonds or other nuts of your choice, finely ground (optional)
- Finely shredded coconut (optional)

Preparation: 

1. Make the wine syrup: in a wide flat pot combine the wine, sugar and spices. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Check if the syrup is sweet enough and add a bit more sugar if not. It should be somewhat sweet but not overly so.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the pears: slice the bottom off of each pear, so that they can stand. Using a paring knife or a melon-baller to take out the core of the pear from the bottom, trying to leave as much of the flesh intact as possible. Peel each pear from the top down, leaving the stem.

3. Place the pears in the pot, bottom down, and poach for about 10 minutes, then plop the pears on their sides so that the tops cook properly as well. The pears are ready when you can easily stick a toothpick or fork into the flesh, but they do not fall apart and still retain their shape. Do NOT overcook them. Remove from heat and allow the pears to cool down inside the liquid. When the pears are cool enough to touch, remove them with a slotted spoon (or by gently taking them out with the stems) - reserving the liquid -  and place them on a plate to dry off. Take a clean empty plate and place it in the freezer to use in prepping the pears.

4.  Reduce the syrup: put the pot with the liquid back on a medium flame, and cook until it is somewhat thickened and reduced by about half. Remove from heat and reserve the liquid.

5. Melt the chocolate in a relatively small heat-proof bowl, either in a double boiler or in the microwave. (You want to make sure that the bowl is small enough that you can easily dip the pears in the chocolate). In a bowl or on a plate combine the almonds/nuts and coconut.

6. When the pears are relatively dry, take the clean plate out from the freezer. Gently take each pear by the stem or top, and dip the bottom in the chocolate. Try to make sure that the chocolate not only covers the bottom of the pear but also fills the hollow core. Dip the chocolate covered pear in the nut mixture, and place on the cold plate to harden. Do this for all the pears.

7. Allow the pears to harden on the plate. If it's a warm day or the chocolate won't harden, refrigerate the pears for a bit to help the process. Serve each pear on a plate with some of the reduced syrup. You can also add some nice ice cream to make it even better.

Personal Tartlets with various fillings

These little mini-tarts are a perfect party dish, because they are very easy to make, taste great, and are very easy to serve. These are just a few suggested fillings, but you can use whatever you want with the same technique.

I also made a gluten free version of these using Cup4Cup flour and the recipe here. It came out great (the tarts in the picture are gluten free).

Personal Tartlets

 

 To make these, you need to start out with a sheet of thinly rolled puff pastry, and a cupcake tin (one standard American pack of puff pastry made between 9-12 tarts for me).  Cut the puff pastry into squares, and line each hole of the cupcake tin with one square, to make little pastry "cups".  Fill the cups with whatever filling you want, and bake in a hot oven (430 f/200 C) for about 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden-brown and fully cooked.

Sweet Potato Filling (for 12 tartlets):
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks
- 1 pack of soft goat cheese
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme
- salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes in plenty of salted water, until soft. Drain and put in a bowl or return to pot. Mash the potatoes until quite smooth. Add the goat cheese and continue mashing until the cheese is fully incorporated into the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and thyme leaves.

Potato filling: 
- 3 medium potatoes (or 2 very large), peeled and chopped into large chunks
- 2 tbsp milk (optional)
- handful grated cheese (cheddar or whatever you like) (optional)
- 2 eggs
- Salt, pepper, paprika

Boil the potatoes in plenty of salted water, until soft. Drain and put in a bowl or return to pot. Mosh the potatoes until smooth, adding the milk to help with creaminess. Add the cheese and eggs and mix well until incorporated. Season with salt, pepper and paprika.

Cheese filling:
This really isn't so much a recipe as an idea. Basically, take a bowl, and in it combine a mixture of softer and harder cheeses, as well as an egg or two and some seasoning, to create a thick liquid filling which you can pour into the cups. For my filling I use: 1 medium package of 2% greek yogurt, 1 small package of cream cheese or mascarpone, 2 eggs, and a couple of handfuls of a mixture of grated Parmesan and mozzarella, seasoned with salt and pepper. You can also add fresh herbs to the mix.

Southern Style Rice and Beans

This colorful dish is perfect for potlucks and dinner parties, because the carnivores treat it as a nice side dish, while us veggies know that with rice, beans and vegetables, this actually works as a satisfying entree.  It's just as delicious at room temperature as it is warm, and you can make it more or less spicy based on your preferences. The recipe is from The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook.

Southern Style Rice and Beans

Ingredients (for 4 entree portions): 

- 1 cup white rice, uncooked
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 small tomatoes, diced
- 1 chili or jalapeno pepper, de-seeded and finely chopped (if you don't like heat, you can leave this out. If you like more heat, leave some or all of the seeds and ribs in the pepper)
- 1 can kidney beans, rinsed
-  Salt and pepper
- Seasoning: you can either use about 1 tsp of a prepared cajun-spice mix, or you can mix together any or all of the following spices and season to your taste: garlic powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, dried oregano, dried thyme.
- Fresh basil, chopped, to garnish (optional)

Preparation: 

1. Cook the rice according to instructions either in a rice cooker or in a pot with water, until just tender. When it's cooked, place in a large serving bowl or dish.

2. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large pan. Cook the bell peppers and onion for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften (but they shouldn't get really soft), stirring occasionally.

3. Add the tomatoes and chili pepper and keep cooking for another 2 minutes. Add the kidney beans and keep cooking just to heat the beans.

4. Add the vegetables to the rice and mix well. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cajun spice/spice mix.  Garnish with fresh basil if desired.