Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Cooking Class Recap – October 14, 2009

Tonight’s topic at cooking class was vegetarian meals. Yeah! That meant I knew the dishes were going to be easily veganizable. In fact they were vegan except the cheese garnish. I will revise the recipes and put my own twist on them.

The dishes from class tonight were:

Ciambotta



Barley Risotto with Butternut Squash and Kale



Mushroom Ragu over Polenta



My favorite dish tonight was definitely the ciambotta. The dish was clean, fresh and light but at the same time substantial. It was the perfect dish for a cold rainy night. I make ciambotta but haven't posted that recipe yet.

If you are interested in a mushroom ragu my favorite recipe is posted here.

Also, I have posted my version of a North African Barley Risotto, and a Sun Dried Tomato Barley Risotto. I prefer to make barley risotto because it is a whole grain and has more fiber and cholesterol lowering properties than even brown rice risotto. It is a time consuming dish, but one I consider worth the additional effort.
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9 comments:

  1. blessedmamaOctober 15, 2009 at 2:10 AM

    Hi, I just wanted you to know that I'm putting you in my favorites. I've been to your site many times and am always impressed with it. I am going to try my hand at making some of your seitan recipes, especially the sausages. Thanks for your creativity!

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  2. Jen TreehuggerOctober 15, 2009 at 4:59 AM

    That mushroom ragu looks gorgeous - it all does. I still haven't tried polenta.....

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  3. Vegan EpicureanOctober 15, 2009 at 9:33 AM

    blessedmama,

    Thanks! The seitan sausages are some of our favorites too. Although, the buffalo seitan from yesterday was pretty good.

    Jeni,

    Being Italian I have made polenta for years (okay decades, but whose counting). All the chefs tell you to start with boiling water and rain the polenta into the water. However, we learned in cooking class to start with cold water and dump the polenta in and whisk thoroughly to combine. Once the polenta has been whisked into the cold water then turn on the heat. I was quite skeptical but it works like a charm. I haven't started with boiling liquid and rained in the polenta since. It never gets lumpy when you start with cold water. Since you have not made it before try the cold water method. It is easier and won't lump if you whisk it thoroughly before you turn on the heat.

    Sorry for the long response. I am a little passionate about my polenta.

    Alicia

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  4. Vegan EpicureanOctober 15, 2009 at 9:40 AM

    blessedmama,

    Please let me know how to find you when you get a chance. I wanted to check out your blog and you aren't at blogger.

    thanks!
    Alicia

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  5. DebraOctober 15, 2009 at 10:27 AM

    They all look soooo good! Thanks for sharing!
    Debra @ Vegan Family Style

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  6. Vegan EpicureanOctober 15, 2009 at 10:30 AM

    Debra,

    I am probably going to make my version of ciambotta tonight. Assuming I do, that recipe will go up late today. The weather here today is cold and raining again so warm veggie stew is very appealing to me at the moment.

    Alicia

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  7. RoseOctober 15, 2009 at 3:18 PM

    The food looks great.

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  8. Vegan EpicureanOctober 15, 2009 at 3:27 PM

    Rose,

    It was quite good. A little higher in fat than I make at home, but very tasty. I will be posting my reduced fat version of ciambotta later today. It is so cold, dreary and wet here I want a warm "stewy" thing for dinner tonight.

    Alicia

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  9. UnknownOctober 16, 2009 at 2:02 PM

    Pretty photos! I did a double-take when I saw them!

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