Super Natural Every Day (19 page)

1 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin coconut oil or
Clarified Butter

1 brown onion, chopped

Fine sea salt

2 zucchini (courgettes), cut into 1 cm pieces

2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste

160 ml coconut milk

225 g firm tofu, cut into 1 cm cubes

225 g cauliflower, chopped

12 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 2.5 cm pieces

120 ml vegetable stock or water

Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onions and a big pinch of salt. Sauté until the onions starts to become translucent at the edges, a couple of minutes. Stir in the zucchini and cook for 1 minute more.

In the meantime, in a small bowl, mash the curry paste with a few tablespoons of the coconut milk. Add this to the pot and stir until the onions and zucchini are well coated. Stir in the remaining coconut milk. Bring it to a simmer, then add the tofu, cauliflower, and asparagus. Cover and cook just long enough for the tofu to heat through and the asparagus and cauliflower to lose its raw edge, a couple of minutes. Uncover and add the stock. Stir and taste. Now here’s the crucial part: you need to salt appropriately. If your stock was salty, you will need less than if you used a less salty stock. Add a little at a time until the flavours in the curry really pop.

SERVES 4

Summer Linguine

ZUCCHINI, GARLIC, PARMESAN, CHILLI FLAKES

	This was the first recipe I set aside for inclusion in this book. And now every time the shock of garlic hits a hot frying pan before being combined with shredded zucchini, delicate thin strands of pasta, and a flurry of grated cheese, I’m reminded of why. Thank you, Lori Narlock, for serving this to a tiny houseful of friends one night deep in the Mendocino woods in northern California.
I like to make this with a blend of wholemeal pasta and standard pasta. It keeps the dish light and summery. Half spinach pasta and half regular pasta is another option as well.
You can make nearly every component of this recipe ahead of time. For the pasta, cook, drain, and toss the noodles with a splash of olive oil to keep them from sticking. Allow them to cool and store in an airtight container or plastic bag. Similarly, you can grate and drain the zucchini, and grate the parmesan a day or two ahead of time, and store in separate containers.

450 g zucchini (courgettes), coarsely grated

Fine sea salt

115 g wholemeal linguine or other thin pasta

115 g regular linguine or other thin pasta

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

20 g unsalted butter

30 g freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more to serve

Freshly ground black pepper

Put the zucchini in a colander, sprinkle with a few generous pinches of salt, and let sit over a bowl or in the sink for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, cook the pasta in separate pots or sequentially. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Salt generously, add the linguine, and cook according to the package directions, or until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving a little cooking water.

Just before you are ready to eat, heat the olive oil, garlic, and chilli flakes in a large frying pan over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant and the garlic just begins to brown. Squeeze the zucchini between your hands, over the sink, to eliminate any excess liquid and add to the pan. Cook until tender, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes.

Add the pasta to the pan and add a little cooking water if the zucchini mixture seems on the dry side. Toss to distribute the zucchini throughout the pasta. Add the butter and cheese and toss again.

Season with salt and black pepper and divide among bowls. Top with more cheese if you like.

SERVES 2–4

Stuffed Tomatoes

WHOLEMEAL COUSCOUS, HARISSA, BASIL, SHALLOTS

A couple pointers here: don’t attempt to stuff underripe tomatoes; it’s a challenge to carve them, and the flavour will disappoint. Use any great tasting, ever-so-slightly overripe ones you can find. You can stuff the tomatoes up to a day ahead of time, and bake at your convenience. I should also mention, harissa differs from brand to brand; some are quite a bit spicier than others. Have a taste of the paste first and adjust the amount of harissa in the recipe to your liking.

6 medium–large, ripe tomatoes (about 140 g each)

115 g plain yoghurt

Scant 1 tablespoon harissa, plus more if needed

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus a drizzle, to serve

12 fresh basil leaves, chopped

2 shallots (eschalots), finely chopped

Fine sea salt

85 g wholemeal or barley couscous

Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 4) with a rack in the middle of the oven. Generously butter or oil a medium baking dish or gratin pan. You want the tomatoes to nestle together in the dish without much room between them.

Use a serrated knife to cut the top 10 per cent from each tomato. Working over a bowl, use a spoon to scoop the flesh from each tomato, letting the juice and tomato chunks fall into the bowl. Do your best to avoid piercing the walls of the tomatoes. Use your hands to break up any large chunks of carved-out tomato flesh. Arrange the tomato “shells” in the prepared baking dish.

To make the filling, combine 140 g of tomato chunks and juice, the yoghurt, harissa, olive oil, most of the basil, shallots, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning—maybe a bit more harissa or salt. Add the couscous and stir until combined. Use a spoon to stuff each tomato nearly full.

Bake for 50–60 minutes, until the couscous is cooked and the tomatoes start to wrinkle a bit and brown near the pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining basil just before serving.

SERVES 6

Black Pepper Tempeh

CAULIFLOWER RICE, GARLIC, GINGER, NATURAL CANE SUGAR

The challenge here is slow-cooking the shallots and garlic as the first step. But your patience will be rewarded with butter-soft garlic that’s mellow in flavour. Despite the tamed garlic, this recipe isn’t for the faint of heart; it’s a substantial meal-in-a-pan exploding with spicy, peppery, gingery madness. Finely chop the cauliflower into quick-cooking pieces, not quite as small as grains of rice, but in that ballpark. And if you don’t have coconut oil on hand, substitute clarified butter or extra-virgin olive oil.

60 ml extra-virgin coconut oil

3 shallots (eschalots), thinly sliced

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

15 small garlic cloves, smashed

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

60 ml shoyu, tamari, or soy sauce

30 g natural (unrefined) cane sugar or soft brown sugar

2 tablespoons water, plus more if needed

225 g tempeh, sliced pencilthick

340 g cauliflower, very finely chopped

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more if needed

In a large frying pan over low heat, combine the coconut oil, shallots, chilli flakes, garlic, and ginger. Cook slowly, taking care not to brown the ingredients and stirring occasionally, until the shallots and garlic have softened, about 15 minutes.

While the garlic is cooking, whisk together the shoyu, sugar, and water in a small bowl.

Increase the heat to medium–high and add the tempeh. Gently stir to coat the tempeh. Add the shoyu mixture and stir again to coat. Cook for a minute or two, then add the cauliflower. Stir and cover. Cook for about 3 minutes. Uncover, dial up the heat even more, and cook until the cauliflower and tempeh starts to brown a bit. If you need to add a bit more water to the pan, carefully do so, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove from the heat and stir in the black pepper. Taste, add more pepper if you like, and serve immediately.

SERVES 4

Dilled Green Beans with Seitan

SEITAN, LEEKS, SEA SALT

I should mention there are times when I toss a handful of both sliced cherry tomatoes and toasted hazelnuts into a pan of these green beans at just the last minute. But really, if you have the six ingredients listed below, you have all you need for a hearty, substantial one-pan meal. When green beans are out of season, broccoli florets or asparagus pieces work well in their place.