O'zbek somsalari tayyorladim!

In case you're an uneducated loser who can't read Uzbek (you know who you are), the title of this entry means "I made Uzbek somsas!"  What is a somsa, you ask?  I described it to my roommate as what might result if a samosa and a knish got married.  Monday was my last day of my beloved Uzbek class--not to mention the date of our final exam--and so I resolved on Sunday to try my hand at Uzbek cookery in recognition of the occasion/to cushion the blow of screwing up the test (as I was sure to do).  

Seeing as Central Asian food may be the least vegan-friendly cuisine on the planet, my somsa-making marked a truly historic occasion--they were quite possibly THE FIRST VEGAN UZBEK FOOD EVER.  It can be done!  Whether or not it actually is done, unfortunately, I'll have to find out the hard way--if I'm not back in Ann Arbor next semester, you may safely assume that I died of malnutrition in Kyrgyzstan.  Remember me well, and may this recipe be my epitaph.

Uzbek Somsas

Ingredients:

For Dough:

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup soft silken-style tofu

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

warm water

2 tablespoons margarine, melted

2-3 tablespoons soymilk (original or unsweetened)

Directions:

Make the dough first.  Start by sifting together the flour and salt in a large bowl.  Whiz the tofu and olive oil in a blender or food processor until smooth; add tofu mixture to flour and mix to combine.  Then add warm water a little bit at a time, mixing until a dough starts to form.  When the dough gets too stiff to mix with a fork, knead it with your hands.  Add enough warm water that the dough is soft and flexible, but not so much that it becomes sticky (if this happens, add a bit more flour).  Let the dough rest for 30-45 minutes.

On a well-floured surface, roll the dough out into a rectangular shape.  It should be about 1/2-3/4" thick.  Pour melted margarine onto the sheet of dough and, using your hands, spread the margarine until the entire surface is greased.  Then, starting at one of the rectangle's short edges, tightly roll up the dough into a log (margarine-side in).  Wrap the dough log in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours.  Make your filling during this time (see recipes below).

Once the dough has chilled, unwrap the log and place in on a well-floured surface.  Slice the dough into coins about 1 1/2"-2" thick.  Making sure the surface is very well-floured, roll each coin out into round, 1/3"-thick circle.  Your circles should be about 5" in diameter--a little larger or smaller is okay.  In the center of each, drop a heaping tablespoon of the filling of your choice.  Now would be a good time to preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Now for the creative part: shaping your somsas.  Uzbek somsas come in three traditional shapes: round, triangular and square.  Having read in some probably-completely-unreliable online source that triangular somsas are considered the most authentic and aesthetically pleasing in Uzbekistan, I opted to take the triangular route with my first batch.  This involves folding in three sides of the dough circle till they meet in the middle and the dough has a roughly triangular footprint.  Then pinch the edges together, completely sealing the filling inside the dough.  Make sure the edges are sticking together well; if they look like they're coming apart, wet your fingers a little to make the dough a bit stickier and try again.  Once the somsa is shaped, use a pastry brush dipped in soymilk to lightly paint the top and sides.

As you may have guessed, you follow the same general procedure to make the other somsa shapes.  To make squares, fold in four of the sides of the dough circle; to make round somsas, just gather and pinch together the dough edges above the filling.  Round ones are the easiest to make, but the other shapes aren't much harder.  Remember to glaze each one with a little soymilk.

Place somsas on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes, until the dough is golden and lightly browned around the edges.  Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then move to a wire rack.  These can be served hot or cold, and are definitely intended to be finger food.

Pumpkin Filling:

1 small sugar pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and seeded

1 small onion

salt, pepper, sugar to taste

Dice pumpkin into small cubes, about 1/4"-1/2".  Dice onion small.  Combine pumpkin and onion in a small mixing bowl; season to taste with salt, pepper and sugar.  Mix well.  If you intend to make the filling in advance, don't add the salt until right before you assemble the somsas.

Spinach Filling:

Approximately 4 cups fresh spinach

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1 small onion

a splash of oil (I used olive)

1-1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

salt and pepper to taste.

Dice onion small  Heat oil in a medium frying pan; add onion and cook over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes.  Add spinach and saute until just wilted.  Add cilantro, coriander, salt and pepper; saute until greens are well-wilted but still verdant (don't let them turn brown and slimy).  Remove from heat.

Somsas are most often filled with meat (usually mutton), but pumpkin- and spinach-filled varieties are also traditional and common.  Looking at my recipe, you might think that somsas seem pretty vegetarian-friendly and wonder what I was complaining about earlier in this post.  For the record, skeptics, I should note that the recipe from which I adapted mine called for butter, 2 eggs and 5 ounces of lamb fat (yes, lamb fat).  Oh, and it was the only recipe I could find that didn't contain meat and/or mayonnaise.

Kyrgyzstan, here I come.

Vegan Pho--My New Favorite Meal

Man, am I ever glad I had Vietnamese food for lunch one day last week--it got me thinking about how much I wanted a big bowl of pho. Tragically, it's hard to come by vegan pho in Ann Arbor (it's at times like this, Chicago, that I miss you most!), but I didn't let that faze me. Instead, I combined the potent forces of my ingenuity and the internet and came up with my own recipe. And guess what? I think it was the best pho I ever had!

Vegan Pho Broth

Ingredients:
6 shallots, peeled and halved
2 2-inch chunks of ginger, halved
8 cloves garlic, halved
2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
2 pods star anise
2 bay leaves
4 whole cloves
1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and outermost layer discarded, chopped
8 cups beef-flavor veggie stock (like Better Than Boullion)
3 Tbsp. soy sauce

Directions:
Stick the cloves into the shallots. Place the shallots, garlic, star anise, and cinnamon sticks onto a foil-lined cookie sheet and broil until charred. While broiling, char ginger pieces over a stovertop burner (you can do this in a skillet if you have an electric stove). I speared mine on a long knife with a plastic handle and held the pieces in the flame until visibly charred.

Place charred ginger, shallots, garlic, cinnamon and anise into a stockpot. Add lemongrass, stock, soy sauce and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, at least 25 minutes.

Vegan Pho

Ingredients:
Pho broth (see above)
Roasted unsalted peanuts (about 1/2 cup)
Fresh mint
Fresh basil
Fresh cilantro
Fresh bean sprouts
1 carrot, shredded with vegetable peeler
1 lime, sliced into wedges
Sugar-snap pea pods (you could also use napa cabbage, broccoli, etc.)
1 package udon noodles (I used Eden brown rice udon noodles)
2 scallions, finely chopped
grilled seitan (optional, but really good!)

Directions:
If you want to make the seitan: slice seitan thinly. Place slices in a single layer on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with toasted sesame oil and soy sauce. Broil several minutes, flipping halfway through, till both sides of seitan are cooked to your liking (but not burnt).

Pulse peanuts in food processor till coarsely chopped. Cook udon noodles. On a large plate or tray, arrange fresh basil leaves, fresh mint leaves, fresh cilantro leaves, bean sprouts, shredded carrot and lime slices in attractive piles.

Divide udon noodles among bowls. Ladle strained broth over noodles; top with seitan, chopped scallions and chopped peanuts (use as much or as little as you like). Serve alongside tray of fresh herbs and veggies. When you sit down to eat, add as many fresh herbs and veggies as you like to your bowl of hot broth; squeeze fresh lime over your assemblage. If you want, you can add chile sauce, hoisin sauce, or sprinkle with rice vinegar. Pho is fun because everyone at the table can tailor their bowl to their own taste!

I promise you won't regret trying out this recipe. It's so, so awesome! I'm really proud of it, actually. If you do make it, please leave a comment to let me know what you think!

Lavender-Rosewater Cookies

Tonight, I undertook two excursions into previously-uncharted vegan-culinary territory: I made my own seitan (from the amazing VeganYumYum's recipe) and baked up a batch of lavender-rosewater sugar cookies. The seitan was great! It's slated to be the base of tomorrow night's dinner. The cookies were also a big hit, and I'll share that recipe here.

Vegan Lavender-Rosewater Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 + 1/3 cup white sugar
1 /2 cup (1 stick) margarine
1/4 cup soft silken-style tofu
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. rosewater
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender
sugar for rolling cookies in (1/2 cup or so)

Directions:

Cream together sugar and margarine in large bowl. In a food processor, blend together tofu, rosewater and vanilla till smooth. Add to sugar-margarine mixture and mix well.

In a (well-cleaned!) coffee grinder, grind lavender into a powder. In a separate bowl, mix together ground lavender with other dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well. Refrigerate dough for half an hour or so.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll into walnut-sized balls. Roll the balls in the extra sugar till well-coated. Arrange on a cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on cookie tray, then transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy!


Pictures are coming, I promise! My camera is in Chicago, but I'll get it back this weekend. In the meantime, I'll try to get some of my cookie-testers to comment about how good these lavender-rosewater ones taste and how pretty they look!

Vegan Portuguese Kale and Soyrizo Soup!

This veganized recipe from Epicurious may change your life, along with your friends' feelings about vegan cooking.


Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
3/4 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
4 cups veggie stock (I use Better Than Boullion No-Chicken Stock)
1 package Soyrizo
8 cups chopped kale, packed
1 pound small Yukon Gold potatoes (or Red Bliss, in a pinch), chopped into 1-inch cubes


Directions:
In a large stockpot, cook the garlic, the onions, and the carrot in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened. Add the russet potatoes, the broth, and 4 cups water. Bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Puree the stockpot contents with an immersion blender (or transfer to a regular blender if you don't have an immersion blender).

While the potatoes are cooking, cook the soyrizo in a skillet over moderate heat until browned, stirring occasionally. Add browned soyrizo and cubed Yukon Gold potatoes to stockpot, cook till potatoes become slightly tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in chopped kale and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until kale has become wilted--then serve!

Vegan Carrot Cupcakes

I've always had a thing for carrot cake, so while everybody knows that even for non-vegans, cream cheese is pretty much disgusting in almost every other context, I missed me some cream cheese frosting when I went vegan. I know it's hard to believe, but nasty Tofutti, which usually manages to be even grosser than real cream cheese, makes an incredible cream cheese-ish frosting that my omnivorous friends said was the best they'd had.



These are from the immortal Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. This is from way back in the summer, but I wanted my first post to have pictures!!

Ingredients

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup soy yogurt (plain or vanilla)
1 teaspoon vanilla (I used vanilla paste)
1 cup finely grated carrots
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together sugar, vegetable oil, yogurt, and vanilla. Sift in the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices), and mix until smooth. Fold in carrots, walnuts and raisins.
3. Spray the cupcake liners with non-stick baking spray. Fill the liners 2/3 full. Bake for 26-28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted through the center of one comes out clean.
4. Once fully cooled, top generously with cream cheese frosting.

Sorry I don't have the frosting recipe up... I'll post it as soon as I find it.

Here's the raisin exposure shot:


The texture was fantastic, really moist and full of great chewy stuff. If you're wondering about the "fancy" coiled frosting effect, that was achieved by a ziplock bag with the corner cut out. Just make sure the frosting is firm and properly chilled before you embark on a similar adventure.

Earl Grey Sugar Cookies!

This post represents the figurative ribbon-cutting for our new recipe blog. To get things rolling, I'm going to post my newest invention: vegan Earl Grey sugar cookies. These totally delicious but, alas, slightly weird-looking. Since they are, after all, Earl Grey cookies, maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised that they turned out so...well...gray. After some initial trepidation vis-a-vis their stone-like appearance, however, my roommate couldn't stop scarfing these up. We agreed that they look like rocks because they rock.

Vegan Earl Grey Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance or Willow Run)
1/2 cup + 1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup soft silken-style tofu
zest of one lemon
zest of one small, smooth-skinned orange (I used a Temple orange)
a splash of soy milk (vanilla or plain)
4 tablespoons loose-leaf Earl Grey tea
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Extra sugar to roll the cookies in (1/2 cup or so)


Directions:
Put the lemon and orange zests in a food processor with a splash of soymilk. Process till the zest has been reduced to tiny bits. Add the tofu and vanilla extract and process till relatively smooth (you'll still see little pieces of zest).

In a large bowl, cream together room-temperature margarine and sugar. Add the tofu mixture and mix till incorporated.

Place 4 tablespoons of Earl Grey tea into a (well-cleaned!) coffee grinder and process till very finely ground. In a separate bowl, combine ground tea, flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Mix well.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least half an hour. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Remove the cookie dough from the fridge and roll into balls, using about one teaspoon of dough per ball. Roll the balls in sugar till coated and press them lightly onto a cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches between them. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly on cookie sheet. Remove carefully from cookie sheet with a spatula and transfer to wire rack.

These cookies will keep cooking as they cool, so don't worry if you eat one right off the baking sheet and it seems a little undercooked in the center. Once cool, these will be delicious, floral, perfumey, and elegantly gray and rock-like. All in all, a very sophisticated, grown-up cookie.


If you try these, let me know what you think. To come: finished-product pictures, my recipes for lemon-thyme and orange-cardamom cookies, plus more baking experiments involving lavender, rosewater, matcha powder...and maybe some weird extracts from this rad site! I definitely want the bergamot, but the question remains: will I be seduced by the jasmine, rose and lavender? Tune in next time for the resolution of this cliffhanger...