Appetite for Reduction (21 page)

A
plate of piccata is like an instant fancy dinner with all the stops. One second you’re just sitting there, all normal-like, but the moment that first forkful of lemony wine bliss touches your tongue, you’re transported to candlelight and tablecloths, even if you’re sitting in front of the TV watching
Dancing with the Stars
. This version is made with chickpeas, which make it super fast, and it’s served over arugula for some green. I know lots of people are accustomed to piccata with pasta, and that is the Italian tradition, but my first piccata was as a vegan and we vegans love our mashed potatoes, so that is what I suggest serving it with. Try it with the
Caulipots
(page 54).

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 scant cup thinly sliced shallots
6 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
2 cups vegetable broth
⅓ cup dry white wine
A few pinches of freshly ground black pepper
A generous pinch of dried thyme
1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¼ cup capers with a little brine
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 cups arugula

Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Sauté the shallots and garlic for about 5 minutes, until golden. Add the bread crumbs and toast them by stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. They should turn a few shades darker.

Add the vegetable broth, wine, salt, pepper, and thyme. Turn up the heat, bring the mixture to a rolling boil, and let the sauce reduce by half; it should take about 7 minutes.

Add the chickpeas and capers and let heat through, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice and turn off the heat.

If you’re serving the piccata with mashed potatoes, place the arugula in a wide bowl. Place the mashed potatoes on top of the arugula and ladle the piccata over the potatoes. The arugula will wilt and it will be lovely. If you are serving the piccata solo, just pour it right over the arugula.

SERVES 4 ∙ACTIVE TIME: 20 MINUTES ∙ TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES

CAN BE MADE GLUTEN FREE, SOY FREE (LEAVE OUT THE WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE)

I
often make shepherd’s pie for company, but if no one’s coming over why bother with the formality of baking an actual pie? In this version, du Puy lentils and shiitake mushrooms team up to create a meaty bite. I kept the seasoning super simple, using a dash of Worcestershire sauce at the end to give the dish a little air of mystery. The nutritional info here is for the lentils only, not the potatoes, just in case you decide you’d like the lentils over rice or a baked potato or something altogether different.

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions in the oil until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the shiitakes, zucchini, garlic, tarragon, thyme, salt, and pepper; sauté for 5 more minutes.

Add the carrots, lentils, and broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. By this point, the lentils should be tender and most of the broth should be absorbed. If that hasn’t happened yet, then cover and simmer for a bit more. Conversely, if the broth has evaporated and the lentils are not soft, then add a bit of water and simmer for a bit longer.

Once the lentils are soft, stir in the Worcestershire sauce and peas. Let sit for 10 minutes or so for maximum flavor. Taste for salt.

To serve: Scoop a cup of Caulipots into a bowl and serve a cupful of lentils over it.

SERVES 6 ∙ ACTIVE TIME: 20 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 30 MINUTES

I
t’s hard for me to imagine having black-eyed peas without greens. They’re forever linked in my taste buds, thanks to my idea of what Southerners eat every day, even though they probably eat portobellos and arugula, just like the rest of us.

Anyway, sometimes I just don’t feel like using two pans. This dish works on so many levels because you don’t need to saute the greens in a ton of oil and you don’t need another sauce for them; everything comes together in one pot. The vegan bar called the Bye and Bye, here in Portland, puts what I suspect is a lot of hot sauce in their black-eyed peas, so that’s where this flavor profile comes from. I love to use Cholula hot sauce, but use your favorite medium-heat hot sauce (like, don’t use Sriracha, but Tabasco or Frank’s would be fine).

Serve with
Ginger Mashed sweet Potatoes & Apples
(page 63), and enjoy the sweet Southern air, y’all.

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale or collards, coarse stems removed, shredded
(about ½ pound)
¼cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
2 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained and
rinsed
1 cup tomato sauce
½ cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon hot sauce
¼ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional; a smidge of
smoked paprika would be great, too)

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion in the oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Use a little nonstick cooking spray if needed. Add the garlic and saute for a minute more. Add the greens, 1/4 cup of water, and the salt. Cover the pot and cook down the greens for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the black-eyed peas, tomato sauce, and broth, and mix thoroughly. Cover the pot and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the hot sauce and liquid smoke, then use a potato masher to mash some of the beans, about one-quarter of them, to thicken the sauce. Cook for about 5 more minutes, uncovered. Taste for salt and seasoning. You may want to add more hot sauce.

MAKES 12 FALAFEL, SERVES 4 • ACTIVE TIME: 20 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES

O
f course, we all love deep-fried foods, but so long as your falafel has plenty of flavor, it won’t lose too much in the low-fat baked translation. My version uses pureed chickpeas, as well as a little chickpea flour to give it extra of that savory chickpea flavor. I love fresh herbs in falafel, Israeli style. Use either flat-leaf parsley or cilantro; it’s all up to your personal preference.

When baking falafel, it works best to form them into patties instead of balls; that way they cook evenly. I forgo the traditional pita because I love to serve them over salad, especially arugula, sprinkled with a little freshly squeezed lemon juice and coarsely ground kosher salt. You can also pile on the veggies; tomatoes, cucumber and red onion are all natural choices. Any variation on the hummus makes a great accompaniment, so go ahead and double your chickpea pleasure.

And if you would like pita, there are some wonderful whole wheat brands on the market, and even whole wheat mini pitas. But if you’re looking for something lighter, try making a lettuce wrap instead.

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic
½ small white onion, chopped roughly (about 3 tablespoons)
½ cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons hot sauce
3 to 4 tablespoons chickpea flour
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Several pinches of freshly ground black
pepper