This chapter includes only main-course vegetable dishes. The next chapter will cover both recipes for side dishes made from vegetables that we all enjoy and those starches that I use instead of wheat-based dishes.
There are hundreds of recipes based on poached eggs. This recipe is inspired by Eggs Florentine (page 18), a classic in which the eggs nestle in a bed of creamed spinach. It has been made even more luscious by replacing the original béchamel sauce with Roe Sauce. More detailed instructions on egg poaching can be found on page 19.
2 pounds fresh spinach or 1½ packages (15 ounces total) frozen chopped spinach
4 eggs
½ teaspoon olive oil
½ cup Roe Sauce (page 191)
If using fresh spinach, stem, wash well, and cook in a heavy pan until limp. Drain thoroughly in a sieve, pressing to remove as much water as possible. Pulse in a food processor until coarsely chopped and strain again. If using frozen spinach, defrost in a sieve under hot running water. Press with the back of a spoon to remove as much water as possible.
Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a 9-inch saucepan. Break each egg into a demitasse cup with a rounded bottom. Smoothly pour the eggs into the water and poach for 2 to 3 minutes, until as firm as desired. Using a slotted spoon, remove each to a bowl of warm water.
Grease the inside of a 9-inch pie plate or quiche dish with the oil.
Heat the broiler with a rack at the highest level of the oven. Make a smooth layer of the spinach in the oiled pan. With the back of a kitchen spoon, make four depressions that do not touch and that are about 1 inch from the edge of the pan. Drain the eggs. Place one in each depression. Divide the sauce to cover the eggs. Do not let sauce touch the sides of the pan. Place the pan on a cookie sheet and broil for 4 minutes.
SERVES 4
This vegetarian dish can be served as a main course, as a pasta course, or, without pasta, as a side dish.
I was very lucky to find tiny sugar snaps that didn’t need stringing, but most will.
¾ pound green beans, tipped and tailed
½ cup olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
½ pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced across ¼ inch thick
¼ cup dried morel mushroom (porcini also work well)
½ pound sugar snap peas, trimmed and strings removed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound gluten-free spaghettini, capellini, or other thin pasta (see page 39), cooked
Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the beans. Cook until tender enough to be split with a fork, 8 to 10 minutes (cooking time will vary depending on the age of the beans). Drain. Set aside.
Pour the oil into a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the fresh mushrooms and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Set aside.
Place the dried mushrooms in a 2-cup glass measure with ½ cup water. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Drain. With scissors, cut the dried mushrooms into ¼-inch pieces. Add with the snap peas to the onion-mushroom mixture and cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the snap peas are almost cooked through, add the cooked string beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with the pasta.
SERVES 4 AS A MAIN COURSE, 6 AS A PASTA COURSE
The thickener in this superb stew is okra, the vegetable kingdom’s version of gelatin. As it cooks, it releases a viscous substance that binds together disparate ingredients. It is the keystone of gumbo (whose name stems from the Bantu word for okra), where a hodgepodge of ingredients hangs together thanks to okra.
Okra works especially well in this vegetables-only stew, which evokes the Caribbean more than Cajun country in its seasoning.
To season the vegetable stew, add the lime juice before adjusting the seasoning and adding more salt. Because the stew is so thick, with barely any liquid, the rice should be cooked separately and added at the end. The rice also makes the whole dish taste less spicy, but those with fragile taste buds can reduce the amount of hot pepper.
2 tablespoons safflower oil
1 large yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
3 medium cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and coarsely chopped
2 medium bunches chard (about 1¾ pounds), leaves removed and cut across into ¼-inch strips, stems cut across into ¼-inch slices
1 bay leaf
Large pinch ground allspice
2 medium dried hot red peppers, crumbled
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1 pound fresh okra, trimmed and cut across into ¼-inch rounds
2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 tablespoon kosher salt, or to taste
4½ cups cooked white rice
In a medium stockpot, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until the onion and garlic are translucent.
Stir in the chard stems and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add 3 cups water, the bay leaf, allspice, and hot peppers. Cover and bring to a boil.
Stir in the squash and sweet potatoes. Cover and return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Add the chard greens and the okra. Cover and return to a boil, pushing the greens and okra down into the liquid once in a while to aid the wilting.
Lower the heat slightly, cover the pot, and boil gently, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the chard and okra are cooked through. There will be very little liquid left at the end, so be careful not to let it burn. Season with lime juice and salt. Serve over the rice.
SERVES 6
Increasingly, I seem to have friends who are vegetarians. This robust dish is beautiful and a treat. For those who like spicier food, some harissa stirred into the vegetable stew before the eggs are added gives a good jolt. Vegans can omit the eggs.
2 bunches spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
1 cup whole roasted almonds
1 bunch scallions, trimmed, cut across into ¼-inch pieces including some of the greens (about 1 cup)
Kosher salt
2 cups gluten-free dried penne pasta
1 bunch mint (about 1 ounce), stemmed and coarsely chopped (about ½ cup)
1½ tablespoons dried oregano
½ cup olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
One 19-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed, or 2½ cups cooked chickpeas (see page 221)
6 eggs
Pour 2 cups water into a 4- to 5-quart saucepan over medium heat. When the water begins to steam, drop in the spinach. Cook until the spinach is dark green and wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, almonds, and scallions. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Bring 3 quarts water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Drop the pasta into the pot and cook for 7 minutes. While the pasta is cooking, add the mint, oregano, oil, 1 tablespoon salt, and pepper to taste to the vegetables, along with the chickpeas. Drain the pasta and add to the vegetables. Stir well and cook for a minute. (The dish can be made ahead until this point. To finish, put the stew in a 14-inch skillet and return to a simmer. Proceed as follows.)
Put the stew into a 14-inch skillet. Make sure the tomatoes and almonds are distributed evenly throughout the pan. Using the bottom of a soup ladle, make 6 deep indentations along the edges of the stew. Carefully crack an egg into each of the indents. Cover the skillet and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the whites have set but the yolks are still runny.
SERVES 4 TO 6
When I first ate the flat, browned omelets, I was confused. In Spain they are called tortillas and are not like the Central American flatbreads. They are good at breakfast, at lunch, or as a first course at dinner. A good tomato sauce (see page 193) goes well.
1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon olive oil
½ bunch spinach (3 ounces), stemmed (about 2 cups)
1 small potato (Yukon Gold or new potato works nicely), peeled and sliced ⅛ inch thick on a box grater or mandoline (about 1 cup)
6 eggs
¼ cup chopped chives (about ½ bunch)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle. Heat 1½ teaspoons of the oil in an 8-inch nonstick ovenproof sauté pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook until the leaves wilt and turn dark green, about a minute. Move the spinach to a plate.
Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan and arrange the potato slices in an even layer. Cook until the edges begin to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the potatoes over and cook for 2 minutes more, until almost fully cooked. Whisk the eggs together in a medium bowl until well combined. Spread the cooked spinach evenly on top of the potatoes. Pour the eggs over the vegetables. Cook until the edges of the egg mixture have turned opaque and begun to brown, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the chives over the eggs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Slide the tortilla out of the pan, cut into wedges, and serve. It can also be inverted onto a plate, cut, and served. The golden brown potatoes look just as inviting as the bright green spinach. The tortilla can be eaten warm or at room temperature.
SERVES 3 OR 4 AS A MAIN COURSE, 6 AS A FIRST COURSE
Feijoada is a Brazilian dish that is usually rich with every part of the pig, including the ears. This is a vegan version—still very good.
BEANS
2 cups dried black beans
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced
1 tablespoon safflower oil
6 cups Vegetable Broth (page 206) or water
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 oranges, whole or halved
Kosher salt
2 stalks celery, peeled and chopped
RICE
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
2½ cups cooked brown rice
SAUCE
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tomatoes, peeled
1 small onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon chili sauce
1 fresh hot green chili, stemmed (optional)
¼ cup wine or cider vinegar
Kosher salt
COOK THE BEANS: Soak the beans in stock or water overnight or at least for several hours.
In a large flameproof bean pot or Dutch oven, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil until the onion is tender. Add the drained beans, broth, bay leaf, and pepper.
Bring the beans to a boil, add the oranges, salt to taste, and the celery, and simmer, covered, for 2 to 3 hours. After the first hour, remove the lid and simmer uncovered.
When the beans are tender, remove about one-third of them and mash. Return the beans to the pot and continue cooking until the mashed beans thicken the mixture. Set aside.
PREPARE THE RICE: Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until the onion is tender and golden, about 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes, then stir in the cooked rice and mix well. Keep warm over low heat until ready to serve (unless you make it far in advance—then just heat over medium heat shortly before serving).
MAKE THE SAUCE: When ready to serve, put all the sauce ingredients, including salt to taste, in a blender and liquefy. Stir into the feijoada and serve over the rice.
