Giada's Feel Good Food (31 page)

This is my much lighter version of a pulled pork taco. I opt for tenderloin instead of pork shoulder, which is fatty and takes a long time to cook. This still has the citrusy flavors and crunchy slaw, but instead of serving it all in a tortilla, I take a few baked tortilla chips and sprinkle them over the top.
serves 4

for the slaw:
Cut the ends off one of the oranges and then use the knife to slice off all of the peel and white pith underneath. Using a paring knife, and holding the orange in your hand, slice between the membranes to release the segments. Cut the segments into ½-inch pieces and put into a bowl. Squeeze the juice from the membranes and reserve. Repeat with the remaining orange and the grapefruit.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, 1 tablespoon of the reserved citrus juice, the agave, vinegar, horseradish, salt, and pepper. Add the citrus segments and cabbage. Toss until coated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

for the pork:
Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a heavy rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix together the cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer the pork to the prepared baking sheet and bake until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 160°F, about 30 minutes. Allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before slicing into ¼- to ½-inch-thick slices.

Divide the slaw among 4 plates. Arrange the sliced pork on top and sprinkle with the crushed tortilla chips.

This is so yummy! I created this dish because I was catering a charity dinner with Alice Waters, Nancy Silverton, and Suzanne Goin for Alex's Lemonade Stand and we needed a vegan dish. Rather than just taking cheese out of a pasta dish, I wanted to dream up a whole new recipe. This is loaded with flavor and gorgeous to look at. It's creamy, spicy, sweet, and just as good as anything loaded with cheese.
serves 6

In a medium saucepan, combine the vegetable broth and sliced ginger. Bring to a boil. Add wild and brown rices, and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is just tender, 50 to 55 minutes (the wild rice will still have a slight bite). Drain if necessary. Discard the ginger slices.

Meanwhile, position the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400ºF. Lightly oil a 9 × 13-inch glass baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the oil.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and the onion is golden, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and minced ginger and stir for 1 minute.

Add the raisins, tofu cubes, 1½ teaspoons of the curry powder, and the cumin and stir gently to coat the tofu with the spices. Mix in the scallions. Pour in the coconut milk and simmer just until the
coconut milk is reduced and coats the vegetable mixture thickly, about 1 minute. Stir in the rice mixture and season with the salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool while preparing the chard leaves.

Using a sharp knife, cut away and discard the thick stems from the center of each Swiss chard leaf. Cut each leaf in half lengthwise. Trim the wide ends from the leaves to make each leaf half about 10 inches long. Using tongs and working with 1 leaf half at a time, dip the leaf half into the pot of boiling salted water for 10 seconds and then transfer to paper towels to drain.

Put 1 Swiss chard leaf half on a cutting board. Spoon ⅓ packed cup of the rice filling onto one end of the leaf. Fold the sides of the leaf up over the filling, then roll up the leaf, enclosing the filling completely (like a burrito). Repeat with the remaining leaf halves and rice filling for a total of 12 rolls.

Mix the remaining ½ teaspoon curry powder into the tomato sauce. Spread 1 cup of the sauce onto the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange the filled rolls, seam side down, in a single layer atop the sauce in the dish. Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the rolls. Bake until the rolls are heated through, 25 to 30 minutes. Garnish with sliced scallions, if desired, and serve.