The Sexy Vegan Cookbook (22 page)
Read The Sexy Vegan Cookbook Online
Authors: Brian L. Patton
1 cup warm water
2¼ teaspoons or one 7 g package active dry yeast
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed and to coat the bowl and dough
1 tablespoon agave nectar
Salt
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
In a bowl, combine the water, yeast, the 1 tablespoon of oil, agave nectar, and a healthy pinch of salt. Gently mix it all together and let it sit for 5 minutes, until it starts to froth. This ensures the yeast is active and has not expired. Add 2 cups of the flour, and mix it up (I do it by hand, but you could use a stand mixer with a dough hook). Continue to slowly add the rest of the flour until you have a slightly sticky ball. Then knead the dough by hand or in your stand mixer. You can add a little flour if the dough starts to stick to your hands. You’ll need to knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic; this will take about 10 minutes by hand (or 5 minutes on medium speed if you’re using a stand mixer). After kneading, form it into a ball.
Coat a large bowl with oil. (The dough is going to double in size in that bowl, so make sure the bowl is big enough.) Also coat the dough with olive oil. Put the dough in the bowl, cover it with a damp kitchen towel, and stash it someplace warm for 90 minutes for its first rise. I find that turning my oven on to 200°F for 2 minutes, then turning it off, creates the perfect environment for rising dough. After the first rise, give the dough a couple of light, open-handed slaps to make it collapse so that it’s flattened out. Then let it rise for 40 more minutes. To make three 14-inch thin-crust pizzas, divide the dough into thirds. If you like a thicker crust, use half of the dough instead of a third for each pie. PIZZA TIME!!!
Mangia!!!
There have been two great Italian men in my life. From the time I was a little boy, they showed me many things. From basic activities, such as running and jumping, to advanced life skills, like using turtle shells as weapons and punching bricks in a way that makes them yield coins and mushrooms, these two guys gave me an education I could never get in school. In fact, I often neglected my schoolwork in favor of hanging out with them…but I turned out kind of okay anyway. The first two pizzas of this chapter are dedicated to, and named after, my great Italian mentors.
½ recipe Caponata (see recipe,
page 130
)
1 Basic Pizza Dough (see recipe,
page 158
), rolled out to a 14-inch diameter
1 cup Not-zzarella Sauce (see recipe,
page 214
) or other vegan cheese
1 small handful baby arugula, for garnish
2 teaspoons Parmesan Topping (see recipe,
page 211
)
1 tablespoon Balsamic Glaze (see recipe,
page 199
)
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Spread the caponata evenly across the pizza dough. Then add the not-zzarella sauce (using a squeeze bottle to do this in a fancy spiral fashion is pretty sweet, so try that). Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, or until the crust browns. Remove from the oven, and top with the arugula leaves and parmesan topping. Finally, drizzle on the balsamic glaze in an artful manner.
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
20 cloves garlic
Salt
3 leaves kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 cup Cashew Ricotta (see recipe,
page 213
)
1 Basic Pizza Dough (see recipe,
page 158
), rolled out to a 14-inch diameter
1 cup Not-zzarella Sauce (see recipe,
page 214
) or other vegan cheese
2 teaspoons Parmesan Topping (see recipe,
page 211
)
1 tablespoon fresh basil chiffonade (see WTF,
page 103
)
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Put the olive oil and garlic in a small pot. Make sure there is enough oil to completely submerge the garlic cloves. Gently simmer the cloves in the oil over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly browned and soft. Turn off the heat, and when the oil cools, remove the cloves and set aside. You also now have garlic oil, which is very tasty, so store it in a sealed container or mason jar in the fridge for up to a week. You can use it in place of olive oil in salad dressings and sauces.
Prepare an ice bath by adding cold water and ice cubes to a wide bowl. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add a healthy pinch of salt, and drop in the kale. Let cook for 30 seconds, remove, and cool immediately in the ice bath. When it’s cooled, remove the kale from the ice bath with a slotted spoon, squeeze out as much water as possible, and set aside.
Spread the ricotta evenly across the pizza dough. Then add the not-zzarella sauce (using a squeeze bottle to do this in a fancy spiral fashion is pretty sweet, so try that). Top with the kale and the roasted garlic cloves. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, or until the crust browns. Top with the parmesan topping and the basil.
This is a classic combo that takes me way back. Reminds me of that fat little 12-year-old who was terrible at every sport, played video games all day, and couldn’t get that one girl to like him. I used to beat the crap out of that kid, take his lunch money, and go buy a sausage-and-pepper slice with it. I hope he’s doing all right now.
One 14-ounce block extra-firm tofu, drained (see Tip,
page 35
)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (see WTF,
page 27
)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for coating the baking dish
1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (see WTF,
page 12
)
1 red bell pepper, sliced
½ yellow onion, sliced
¾ cup Tomato Killer (see recipe,
page 200
) or other tomato sauce
1 Basic Pizza Dough (see recipe,
page 158
), rolled out to 14-inch diameter
1 cup Not-zzarella Sauce (see recipe,
page 211
) or other vegan cheese
Parmesan Topping (see recipe,
page 211
)
6 leaves fresh basil, torn
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, combine the tofu, oregano, basil, thyme, fennel, chili flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, salt, the 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the Worcestershire. With your very clean hands, blend the ingredients by mashing the tofu until it is completely broken up into a ground meat–like texture. Then mix in the bell pepper and onion. Lube up a casserole or baking dish with some olive oil, and spread the tofu mixture evenly in the dish. To ensure that it browns properly, make sure the layer is no more than ½ inch thick, using a second dish if necessary.
Bake the mixture for 30 minutes, then remove it from the oven. The top of the mixture should be lightly browned at this point. Toss it around with a spatula to allow the other side to brown. Return the mixture to the oven, and cook for 30 more minutes, or until the mixture is mostly browned with some moist, white tofu-looking parts remaining. Set aside to cool.
Raise the oven temperature to 450°F. Spread the tomato killer evenly across the dough, and top it with the not-zzarella sauce, then the cooked tofu mixture. Bake in the oven for 7 to 9 minutes, or until the crust begins to brown. Remove from the oven, and top with a sprinkle of parmesan topping and the basil.
1½ cups Smoked Cheddar Sauce (see recipe,
page 215
)
1 Basic Pizza Dough (see recipe,
page 158
), rolled out to a 14-inch diameter
1 beefsteak tomato, thinly sliced
Salt
8 strips Tempeh Bacon (see recipe,
page 32
), chopped
½ medium avocado, thinly sliced