Week 1: Soups, Stews, & Chilis - Hungarian Goulash

It looks like the powers that be at /r/52weeksofvegancooking have started numbering weeks from one again for 2014, which is probably a good thing for me as I had fallen behind in the lead up to the holiday period and now I can pretend like I'm just starting and haven't missed anything.

This week is a "cold weather" winter challenge of soups, stews and chilis... I'll just have to imagine the cold weather, as this was the view from just out my back door around 8:30pm as my meal was finishing cooking - http://i.imgur.com/PAGszrl.jpg. I had to take a few shots before getting this one, partly because I'm pretty crap at taking panoramic photos with my phone but mainly because there was too much sunlight and I had to try to get some of it blocked out by the trees.

Although the challenge states to share my favourite soup, stew or chili I've decided to cook something I've never made vegan before - Hungarian Goulash. I haven't eaten goulash in many years, but I love the flavour of good paprika so I decided to veganise a goulash recipe using large TVP chunks in place of meat (or Soya Vadi as they are called at the Indian market I bought them at).

Goulash normally thickens as the collagen in the meat breaks down and becomes gelatin. In the absence of meat I've added a potato which thickens in the same way it might in a soup. As you can see in the picture above there are still some julienned potato bits in the finished dish which add a nice texture contrast to the soy chunks. Common accompaniments to goulash include rice and spätzle, so I decided to meet somewhere in the middle and served it with orzo.

Hungarian Goulash

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 Cups Onions, diced
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 5 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp Caraway Seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Sweet Paprika
• 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Tbsp Dried Marjoram
• 1 Tsp Dried Thyme
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 4 Cups Soaked TVP Chunks (about 2 1/2 Cups dry)
• 1 Medium Potato, julienned
• 3 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 4 Cups Vegetarian Beef and Chicken Stock (see note below)
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Pepper

1. Soak TVP chunks for about 10 minutes in water or vegetarian beef stock.
2. Caramelise onions with oil and sugar in large saute pan over medium heat (about 20 minutes).
3. Add garlic and caraway seeds and saute for about a minute.
4. Add paprikas, cayenne, marjoram, thyme and bay leaves and saute for another minute.
5. Add drained TVP chunks and saute for a few minutes.
6. Add potato, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, vegetarian beef and chicken stock, salt and pepper.
7. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for about an hour until thickened. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Note: In the four cups of vegetarian beef and chicken stock I used enough beef stock powder for four cups and enough chicken stock powder for a further two cups to account for the TVP not having a natural beefy flavour. You could make it with just enough stock powder for four cups of either beef or chicken, but I think adding a little extra adds to the richness of the dish.

Week 10: Raw - Chocolate Banana Coconut Tartlets

Hmm... falling behind with this thing, which is not entirely unexpected considering my ability to actually complete things I start ;) This weeks effort was inspired by a friend who has been making an effort to eat raw vegan as much as possible over recent months, and has introduced me to a great brand of dried figs and brought some amazing dates around to dinner which I promptly forgot about then found, untouched, in the fridge the next morning. Rather than just eat all the dates in one sitting I decided to use them as a raw pie crust, but by the time I had eaten most of the box I'd scaled my plan down to tarlets. These are great from the fridge, however if you throw them in the freezer for 20-30 minutes before eating them both the filling and crust solidify and make for a much more convincing pie experience.

Chocolate Banana Coconut Tartlets

• 5 Dates
• 3 Dried Figs
• 2 Tbsp Ground Cacao Nibs
• 1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 Cup Mashed Banana
• 1 Tbsp Ground Chia Seeds (optional, but helps the filling set)

Crust

1. Process 3 dates, figs, 1 tbsp cacao nibs, shredded coconut (reserve a small amount to top the tarlets) and salt until combined. The mixture will start out looking quite white from the coconut but will turn brown as the figs and dates are broken down.
2. Line four small tartish containers with greaseproof paper. I use small glass bowls, about 2.5" in diameter, that I normally use to keep measured spices in while preparing food.
3. Press a quarter of the crust mixture into each bowl and place them in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

Filling

1. Process 2 dates, 1 tbsp cacao nibs, mashed banana and chia seeds until combined.
2. Put a quarter of the mixture into each crust, top with a little more coconut, and chill in the fridge until 20-30 minutes before you want to eat them, and which point put them in the freezer so they harden up slightly.

Week 9: Your Cultural Background - Mince on Toast, Tomato Soup and Mother Mary's Apple Rolls

Rather than the taste of my cultural background, which would probably taste like colonisation and oppression of pre-european settlers, I've gone for food I remember eating as a child that I haven't had in a long time. The tomato soup and mother mary's apple rolls recipes were adapted from hand written recipes in my mother's recipe binder, which I remember her cooking out of as I started to learn to cook around 25 years ago. The minced 'beef' on toast is a traditional New Zealand dish (and according to Google, often served out of US Navy and Marine Corps kitchens among plenty of other locales).

Mince on Toast

• 1 Onion
• 1 Celery Stalk
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Small Parsnip
• 1 1/2 Cups Fine TVP
• 2 Cups 'Beef' Stock
• 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1 Tbsp Braggs Seasoning Sauce or Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
• 1 1/2 Tsp Dried Thyme
• 2 Tbsp Fine Chopped Fresh Parsley
• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Heat some oil in a skillet over medium heat; add onion, celery, carrot and parsnip and cook for about five minutes, until the onion softens.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, other than parsley, salt and pepper and cook for about 15 minutes until the liquid has reduced considerably. You can add 1 tsp corn flour mixed in 1/4 cup of hot water to help thicken if it is not reducing to a gravy-like consistency.
3. Add parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Toast some sourdough bread and rub with a half clove of garlic; serve topped with mince.

This tomato soup is an enduring memory of my childhood and, paired with freshly baked bread, was a standard lunch after my brother and I had played games of soccer on a wet winter's Saturday. My grandparents used to preserve a lot of fruit and veges, managing to stuff a store cupboard by their backdoor with enough food to feed a family for months, and this tomato soup was my favourite from the selection we would bring back from holidays to their house. The original recipe, which yields 3-4 times as much as the recipe below, is available here.

Tomato Soup

• 2 Kg Tomatoes, cored and quartered
• 4 Small Onions, diced
• 1/2 Heart Celery, diced
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
• 10 Cloves (in bag)
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Boil all ingredients for about 30 minutes, until all ingredients are soft.
2. Allow to cool, remove bag of cloves, then put through a food mill/mouli, discarding leftover solids.
3. Bring back to a boil, add sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes.
4. Season with Salt and Pepper, and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and more fresh parsley.

Mother Mary's Apple Rolls were my favourite dessert as a child and it always seemed like such an effort to make when watching my mother, but in reality there's not that much to it. It's basically apple sections wrapped in scone dough baked in butterscotch sauce. I asked my mother who Mother Mary was, but she wasn't sure and couldn't remember where she got the recipe from. Whoever she was, thanks for the tasty dessert! The original recipe is available here.

Mother Mary's Apple Rolls

Butterscotch Sauce

• 55g Spread with a neutral flavour, such as a sunflower or canola based spread
• 110g Soft Dark Brown Sugar
• 110ml Soy Milk
• 140ml Water
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Scone Mix

• 2 Cups Self Raising Flour
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 3/4 Cup Soy Milk
• 1/4 Cup Oil (Canola or Grapeseed are good)

• 4 Apples, Cored, Peeled and Quartered

1. Make up scone mix by combining ingredients in scone mix list.
2. Roll out scone mixture thinly on a floured board, until about 3mm thick.
3. Cut scone dough into squares about 10cm square, and wrap each apple quarter in a square of dough before pressing into a pie dish.
4. Combine all ingredients for butterscotch sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil then take off the heat.
5. Pour butterscotch sauce over apple rolls.
6. Bake, uncovered, for about 45 minutes at 200C/400F. The water should be absorbed and the rolls brown.
7. Serve with a non-dairy ice cream.

When I made this I was convinced there was too much liquid, but you can see from the photos below that the liquid amount was just right.

Week 8: Lentils - Brown Lentil Patties, Baba Ganoush, Garden Salad and Pita Bread, with Puy Lentil and Baby Fennel Salad with Lemon and Parsley

Normally when I cook with lentils it's dal or some other Indian dish, so I was pretty light on inspiration when it came to lentil week. My other go to lentil dish, in that it's super cheap and my kids love it, is Mujadara but that recipe post would be very short (cook rice and lentils with cumin and cinnamon, mix in a touch of lemon juice, some salt and pepper and serve topped with caramelised onions) so I thought I would make something a bit more substantial.

Browsing the /r/52weeksofvegancooking subreddit I came across mzglitter's post with a recipe for Baba Ganoush, and was instantly taken back to visiting my mother in the United Arab Emirates where we would eat in a cafe full of locals, and spending only a few dollars could get a heaping platter of fresh salad veges, falafel, hummus, baba ganoush and pita bread. Having a couple eggplant sitting on the bench at home, it was settled; I wanted to make an approximation of that meal with lentil patties. The pita bread is quite important in this dish... a local lebanese place (Alamir Bakery) make very good pita that is thin and light, unlike the fat and filling pita I often see at the supermarket, which make the whole meal much better. I served the patties and baba ganoush on a bed of mizuna, yellow bell pepper and red onion... but the presentation doesn't really matter, as it quickly gets destroyed when things get wrapped in pita and devoured.

As lentil patties and baba ganoush are quite earthy, I also decided to make a puy lentil salad with the fresh tastes of fennel and lemon as a counterpoint (and because decent Le Puy green lentils are amazing). Also, in my defence, I'm not the sort of 'foodie' who specifies you must use baby fennel or it just wont work... I looked for mature fennel at my supermarket and they didn't have any, so I had to by the baby fennel - honest! ;-)

Brown Lentil Patties

• 3 Cups Brown Lentils
• 4 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Shallots, diced
• 2 Zucchini, grated
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Curry Powder
• 3 Tbsp Fresh Chives, roughly chopped
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

1. Process half the lentils in a food processor to a smooth paste.
2. Put the paste and the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl, and mix.
3. If the mixture is not quite thick add something flour like to thicken. I added about 1/2 a cup of chickpea flour... the amount required will depend on the water content of the lentils.
4. Heat a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat, and spooon two tablespoons of the patty mixture in per patty and pat down with the spoon until it's roughly patty shaped. They should take about 1 to 1 1/2 mintues per side to turn golden brown, before being put on a paper towels to absorb any extra oil they picked up.

Baba Ganoush (almost exactly this recipe - http://mzglittersvegan.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/recipe-baba-ganoush)

• 2 Eggplants
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Tahini
• 5 Cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 Tsp Cumin
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 1 Tbsp Parsely, chopped finely
• Salt and Cayenne Pepper, to taste
• Smoked Paprika, to dress

1. Heat oven to 200C/400F.
2. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise, puncture eggplant skins with a fork, brush cut side with olive oil and place on an oiled baking tray.
3. Roast eggplant for 30-45 minutes, until very tender, then leave to cool for 15 minutes.
4. Scoop eggplant flesh into a bowl with a spoon.
5. Mash eggplant flesh with a fork so it's fairly smooth, but still retains some texture.
6. Add the rest of the ingredients, other than the paprika, and mix to combine.
7. Dress with paprika. I did this after it was on the plate, but if serving in a bowl then dress it in the bowl and perhaps drizzle with some high quality extra virgin olive oil as well.

Puy Lentil and Baby Fennel Salad with Lemon and Parsley

• 1 Cup Puy Lentils
• 8 Baby Fennel
• 1 Medium Red Onion
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 3/4 C Parsley, chopped finely
• Juice and Zest of of 1 Lemon
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

1. Chop red onion into large chunks and cut 4 baby fennel in half lengthwise.
2. Put red onion, 4 cut fennel, lentils, bay leaves and 2 cups of water into a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce temperature and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the lentils are cooked but not soft.
3. Drain lentils and let cool, then remove onion, fennel and bay leaves.
4. Trim ends of remaining baby fennel, retaining fronds to dress the salad, and slice finely lengthwise.
5. Add sliced fennel and remaining ingredients to the lentls, and mix to combine.
6. Chop fennel fronds finely to dress salad when served.

Week 7: New To Me - BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich

I'd heard of jackfruit being used as a meat substitute before, but I'd never come across it outside of a blog before I ended up having trouble finding chat masala in my local Indian market for last week's cauliflower meal. Luckily for me, I strayed into the cans of fruits I've never tried before section and found some cheap cans of unripe jackfruit which blogs had assured me could become a tasty sandwich.

Once I got home I found I'd need nearly a cup of BBQ sauce but only had about a quarter cup. This seemed a pretty good excuse to try my hand at making some, so I mashed a few ketchup rcipes, BBQ sauce recipes and the Tuatara Aotearoa Pale Ale I was drinking together... and not long after had the pot below bubbling away on the stove. Many recipes include worcestershire sauce which is generally not even vegetarian, let alone vegan. I've replaced it with some tamarind chutney which I picked up at the Indian market.

BBQ Sauce (about 3 cups)

• 200g Tomato Paste
• 2 Cups Brown Sugar
• 1 Cup Tuatara APA (or some other inferior beer)
• 1/2 Cup White Wine Vinegar
• 1/2 Tsp Liquid Maple or Hickory Smoke
• 1 Tbsp Dry Mustard
• 2 Tsp Paprika
• 2 Tsp Tamarind Chutney
• 2 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp Pepper
• 1 Tsp Ground Cumin
• 1/2 Tsp Cayenne
• 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 Tsp Ground Cloves
• 1/4 Tsp Allspice

1. Throw all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

While the BBQ sauce was cooling I rinsed the jackfruit a few times to try and wash out as much of the salty brine as I could, then patted them dry with a paper towel. The recipes I've seen for pulled jackfruit use a crockpot or some other slow cooking device, but as I don't have one I just threw the jackfruit in a Dutch oven with 3/4 Cup of BBQ Sauce and 1/2 Cup of water, covered the pot and put it in the oven at 100 C / 212 F.

After six hours, the sauce had darkened a little but it looked much the same.

Using two forks, the jackfruit can be pulled apart into strands and then after a few minutes on the stove top over a medium heat the sauce had reduced a little and was looking a lot more like pulled pork.

Once the pulled jackfruit was finished, all that was left to do was make up a sandwich with a kaiser roll, cabbage in tofu mayo and plenty of sliced jalapenos.

Week 6: Cauliflower - Cauliflower and Eggplant Coconut Curry, Cauliflower with Potatoes and Fenugreek Leaves, and Tomato and Mung Bean Dal

A couple weeks ago I got an email from a friend at a job I recently left letting me know that the Bhut Jolokia/Ghost Pepper plant we had been grown from seed was now producing fruit and I should take a few peppers to sample. The Bhut Jolokia has a scoville rating around 850,000 - 1,000,000 and was the hottest chilli in the world until the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion took its title in 2012. Almost a year to the day from the seedling showing itself for the first time we had pods for eating, and calling me a little bit excited by this would be an understatement! Because I'm sure you all love pictures of plants, here's a gallery showing what happened before the chilli pods below arrived http://imgur.com/a/t6Eam#0

The pods arrival pretty much settled that this week's Cauliflower challenge was going to be something Indian and spicy. As one of the guests had a bike race the next day, and didn't like the idea of riding the day after a meal full of very spicy food, I made three dishes ranging from very mild, to medium to fairly hot. The recipe order below reflects the order, with the medium and fairly hot dishes being the ones that include cauliflower.

If you don't have any Bhut Jolokia pods, or aren't that big a fan of heat, you can substitute mild green or red chillies. The Aloo Gobi would look good with some yellow chilli powder for provide some colour as well.

There are some ingredients used that are less than common in many western kitchens, including amchoor/dried green mango powder, asafetida powder, curry leaves, fenugreek leaves and three dals (moong/mung bean, chana/chickpea and urad/black dal). This is a perfect excuse to hunt out an Indian supermarket if you live in a city that has one... here in Wellington, New Zealand we have Moshim's in Newtown which has an amazing range of products, smells completely amazing and don't appear to be interested in making a profit if their low prices are anything to go by. I can't recommend the store enough, and also highly recommend buying random things you don't recognise and googling them when you get home as a sure way to find a crazy culinary adventure.

Tomato and Mung Bean Dal
Moong Dahl, centre of picture above

• 3/4 Cup Mung Beans
• 7 Cups Water
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1/8 Tsp Asafetida Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Cumin Sseeds
• 1 Medium Oonion, Finely Chopped
• 2 Cups Tomatoes, Chopped
• 1 Tbsp Ginger, Peeled and Grated
• 1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Tsp Garam Masala
• 1 Tsp Lime Juice

1. Wash and then soak beans for four hours.
2. Combine drained beans, 7 cups water, salt and turmeric in a large pot. Bring beans to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 60 minutes.
3. While the beans cook, heat oil in pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add the asafetida and cumin seeds and cook for a few seconds, until cumin seeds are golden brown.
5. Add onion and fry 2-3 minutes, until golden brown.
6. Add tomatoes, ginger and cayenne pepper and cook for two to three minues, until tomatoes are soft.
7. Add ingredients from pan to the beans and add more water if dal is too thick.
8. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer dal for five to ten minutes.
9. Stir through garam masala and lime juice.

Cauliflower with Potatoes and Fenugreek Leaves
Aloo Gobi Methi ka Tuk, bottom of picture above

• 2 Medium Potatoes, Cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 Medium Head Cauliflower, Separated into florets
• 6 Tbsp Oil
• 1 Ttsp Mustard Seeds
• 20-25 Curry Leaves
• 3 1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
• 1 1/2 tsp Garlic Paste
• 3 Cups Fenugreek Leaves, Chopped
• 1 Bhut Jolokia Pod, Chopped finely
• 1 tsp Amchoor / Dried Green Mango Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
• Generous Pinch of Dried Fenugreek Leaves, Crumbled
• Salt

1. Cook the potato cubes in boiling water for about 5 minutes, until still quite firm. Drain and set aside.
2. Blanch the cauliflower in boiling water for a few minutes to par-cook. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat oil in pan over a medium heat, add the mustard seeds and stir-fry for about a minute until they start sputtering.
4. Add the curry leaves and stir-fry for a few seconds before adding the ginger and garlic pastes and bhut jolokia. Stir-fry for a couple minutes until the moisture has evaporated.
5. Add the fenugreek leaves and cauliflower then season with salt.
6. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about five minutes.
7. Uncover, increase the heat, add the potatoes and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
8. Sprinkle over the amchoor, cumin, black pepper and crumbled fenugreek leaves.

Cauliflower and Eggplant Coconut Curry
Adapted from potato dish Uralaikizhan Sagu, right of picture above

• 2 Medium Eggplants, Cut into 1 inch cubes
• Half Medium Head of Cauliflower, Separated into florets
• 3 Onions, Chopped
• 2 Bhut Jolokia Pods, Chopped
• 1 Tsp Fresh Ginger, Grated
• 4 Tomatoes, Chopped
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric
• 1 1/2 Cups Coconut Cream
• Salt

Spice Paste:

• 1 Tsp Poppy Seeds
• 2 Dried Habanero Pods
• 1 Tbsp Chana Dal, Roasted
• 1 Tbsp Coriander Seeds, Roasted
• 1/2 Tsp Fennel Seeds, Roasted
• 1 Cinnamon Stick, About 1cm long

Tempering:

• 6 Tbsp Oil
• 1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 Tsp Urad Dal, Rinsed and Drained
• 1 Tsp Chana Dal, Rinsed and Drained
• 1 Sprig Curry Leaves

1. Put all ingredients for spice paste in food processor with a little water and process to a paste. Set aside.
2. Add all spices for tempering to vegetable oil over a medium heat and stir-fry for a minute. Add the onions and stir-fry for about 5 minutes, until golden.
3. Mix in bhut jolokia chillies, ginger, tomatoes, turmeric and salt and fry for two to three minutes.
4. Pour in 1 cup water and add the eggplant and cauliflower.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Mix in the spice paste and coconut milk and simmer until sauce thickens and eggplant and cauliflower is cooked.

Week 5: Halloween - Edible Graveyard

Last week I was in too much of a hurry to bother with typing anyhing up, so just uploaded the Halloween meal as an imgur set at http://imgur.com/a/NKC8i#0