Breads, Pasta & Rice
Polar Bread
Makes: 6 breads
Prep time : 15 min
Cook time : 10 min
This is a Scandinavian flatbread with a soft texture, excellent for sandwiches . If you like, you can add fennel or anis seed.
Ingredients
1 2/3 c white flour
1 2/3 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c oats
1 1/2 tsp yeast
Pinch of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 c plant milk
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
Method
In a large bowl mix the white and whole wheat flours with the oats, the yeast, sugar and salt.
Boil 1/3 c of water and add it to the plant milk and oil then pour the liquids over the flour and mix to form a dough.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until you have a supple and soft dough, approximately 8 to 10 min.
Lightly oil a clean bowl, roll the dough in the oil to coat it and leave the dough to rise in a warm place, covering the bowl with plastic wrap, until it is doubled in size, 1 to 2 hrs.
When ready to make the breads, preheat the oven to 220° C and prepare a large cookie sheet by sprinkling it with semolina.
Cut the dough on a lightly floured surface into 6 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. Flatten each ball into a 15 cm circle approximately and leave to rise, while the oven is heating, covered with a kitchen towel.
When the oven has reached the desired temperature, poke the surface of the breads with a fork to prevent a great big bubble from forming, and put the breads on the prepared baking sheet (you probably have to bake the bread in two batches). Bake the bread for 8 to 10 min until lightly golden.
Tahini Rolls
Makes 6 rolls
Prep time : 15 min
Cook time : 20 min
Breakfast rolls from Turkey, these rolls are flaky and nutty and are delicious with sour cherry jam for example. Toast them the next day for another treat.
Ingredients
1 2/3 c flour
1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c tahini
2 Tbsp olive oil
Nigella seeds
Sesame seeds
Method
Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a bowl and add 1/2 c + 2 Tbsp warm water, mixing to form a dough. Knead the dough until it is smooth and put in in a lightly oiled bowl, covering the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 h or until doubled in size.
Prepare a baking sheet and put a piece of parchment paper on it.
Divide the dough into 6 pieces.
Mix the tahini and the olive oil in a bowl.
Roll each piece of dough on a lightly floured surface into a very thin circle (about 25 cm in diameter). Drizzle 1 Tbsp of the tahini and oil mixture on the dough and spread it using a brush. Roll the circle into a snake shape and roll that between the palms of your hands until it is about 3 times the length it was (that will make for a flaky dough).
Coil the snake around itself tucking the end under the roll and place on the prepared baking sheet.
When all the rolls are shaped, cover them with a dampened kitchen towel and leave them to rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 min. 15 min before the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 180° C.
When ready to bake the rolls, brush them carefully with the a little of the tahini/oil mixture and sprinkle nigella and sesame seeds on top.
Bake the rolls for 20 min until lightly browned.
Soda Bread
Makes: 1 loaf
Prep time : 5 min
Cook time : 30 min
Originally used with wheat that did not rise well with yeast, soda bread is a great bread to make: ready in very little time, with a nutty taste and delicious buttered with sweet or savory toppings (even better toasted the next day!).
Ingredients
1 1/2 c white flour
1 1/2 c whole meal flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1 1/4 c buttermilk*
*If you don’t have buttermilk, add 4 tsp lemon juice to 1 1/4 c of plant milk (soya is best) when preheating the oven to give it time to curdle, then use in the recipe.
Method
Preheat the oven to 220° C.
Prepare a baking sheet and put a piece of parchment paper on it.
In a large bowl, put the white flour, the wholemeal flour, the salt and the soda and toss well with a fork.
Make a well in the centre and pour the buttermilk. Use the fork to incorporate the buttermilk into the flour gently until the mixture starts clumping. Use your hands to form into a dough and make sure that the liquid is all incorporated.
With lightly floured hands, shape the dough into a circular loaf (around 16 cm diameter).
Sprinkle a little flour on the prepared parchment paper and place the loaf on it. Slash a deep cross into the dough (that makes sure the heat gets to the middle of the dough).
Bake for 30 min until risen and browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
If you like a crispy crust leave the bread to cool on a rack, otherwise wrap it in a kitchen towel to keep the crust soft.
Grain Rolls
Makes: 10 rolls
Prep time : 10 min
Cook time : 15 min
Made with white flour, these bread rolls are full of flavour and texture while still having a soft and chewy dough. They’re great with cheese or jam (or just butter to get the most of their natural goodness).
Ingredients
3 1/3 c flour
2 1/2 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 Tbsp millet
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
A little semolina
Method
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast, salt and grains (if you have a processor with a dough hook do all the preparation work using that).
Add the vegetable oil and 1 1/3 c lukewarm water and stir to form a dough.
Knead the dough (flour the work surface lightly only if needed) until the dough is supple.
Drizzle a little extra oil in a clean bowl, roll the ball of dough in it and leave to rise in a warm place, covered with plastic film, until doubled (1 to 2 hrs).
Prepare a baking sheet by sprinkling a little semolina on it.
Divide the dough into 10 pieces and shape the rolls by tucking the dough on the underside towards the center of the roll to achieve a taut surface. Put the rolls on the baking sheet and cover them with a dampened towel. Leave them to rise in a warm place for 30 min.
Preheat the oven to 220° C leaving the rolls to continue to rise while the oven gets to temperature. When the oven is ready, spray some water in it on all the surfaces and set the rolls to bake for 15 min (slash the rolls with a sharp blade if you like right before baking).
Sesame & Nigella Bread
Makes: 2 loaves
Prep time : 10 min
Cook time : 20 min
This bread is deliciously flavoured with nigella that gives a light oniony flavour and sesame that gives a nutty flavour. The slurry it is coated with will trap the moisture in the dough while it cooks and help the seeds adhere.
Ingredients
4 c flour + 1 tsp
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt
4 tsp olive oil + 1 tsp
1 c + 7 Tbsp lukewarm water
Sesame seeds
Nigella seeds
Method
Make the dough: In a bowl, mix the flour with the yeast and the salt.
Add the oil and the water and mix to form a dough. Knead the dough until it is supple and smooth.
Put a little oil in a clean large bowl, roll the ball of dough in it and coat the sides of the bowl using the dough. Leave the dough covered and in a warm place until doubled in size (1 to 2 hrs).
When the dough is well risen, put it on your work surface and divide it in half.
Prepare two pieces of parchment paper on two baking sheets and stretch and flatten the dough gently so as not to deflate it entirely into 2 oblong shapes of around 16 x 35 cm. Cover them with a dampened kitchen towel and leave to rise for at least 30 min.
Preheat the oven to 220° C.
Make a slurry by adding the tsp flour and tsp oil to 1/8 c cold water, mix well. Bring it to the boil, the slurry will almost instantly thicken, turn off the heat.
Brush the slurry gently on the top of the loaves. Sprinkle sesame seeds and nigella seeds on each loaf then dimple them by pushing your fingers all over. Bake for 20 min or until golden. Put the bread on a rack to cool.
Repeat with the other loaf.
Pissaladière
Makes: 1 large
Prep time : 20 min
Cook time : 45 min
Typical specialty of the south of France, the pissaladière is a pizza dough topped with sweet melting onions contrasting with sharp tasting salted anchovies, which we will avoid and replace with black olives. It makes an excellent picnic fare or can be cut into bite-size pieces and served with drinks.
Ingredients
dough:
2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp yeast
2 tsp olive oil
topping:
1 kg onions
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sugar
Pepper
Black olives
Method
Prepare the dough:
Mix the flour with the salt and the yeast in a large bowl. Add 3/4 c lukewarm water along with the olive oil and mix until a dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth, about 5 min.
Lightly oil a bowl and roll the dough in the oil to coat it, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hrs until doubled.
Peel the onions and cut them into thin wings. Put them in a large pan with the olive oil and cook on very low heat, covered, for 15 min sprinkling some salt over them. Continue cooking, uncovered for about 10 min, mixing very regularly until they are completely wilted. Finally, sprinkle the sugar over the onions and set on medium-high heat to caramelize the onions slightly. Be sure to stir them so they do not stick to the pan. When done, grind some pepper over the onions and reserve until the dough is ready.
Preheat the oven to its highest temperature. Sprinkle some semolina on a cookie sheet (or pizza mold).
Put a tsp of olive oil in your palms and shape the dough and stretch it to fit the cookie sheet. Spread the caramelized onions evenly over the dough leaving a 1 cm border uncovered.
Lay the olivees in a decorative pattern over the onions.
Cook for 20 min or until the pissaladière is lightly browned along the edges.
Naan
Makes 7 breads
Prep time : 5 min
Cook time : 10 min
Naan bread is soft and perfect for mopping up sauce when you’re making curry. It is incredibly easy to make and you’ll never want to buy it readymade once you’ve tested the recipe yourself.
Ingredients
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
125 to 150 ml lukewarm water
Vegan butter
Fennel, nigella, poppy or sesame seeds (optional)
Method
Put the flour, yeast, sugar and salt into a bowl and mix well.
Add the vegetable oil, the lukewarm water and mix to form a dough. Knead the dough until it is soft and supple. Add a little more water if needed and put a teaspoon of oil on your hands to make kneading easier.
Oil the bowl lightly, roll the dough in it and leave to rest and rise for 1 h in a warm place, covered with plastic wrap.
When ready to make the naan, divide the dough into 7 pieces. Make small balls with the pieces and leave them to proof for 15 min covered with a kitchen towel.
Roll them into an oblong shape and sprinkle the seeds of your choice on top if using any, pressing them to the dough.
Heat a cast iron or heavy frying pan on high heat (you can put the heat on medium high after 2 or 3 naans) then cook the naan, individually for a few min, turning once when the top has bubbled, until browned on both sides.
If you wish, you can pass a stick of butter on top of each hot naan as you take it out of the pan. Keep the naan covered with a kitchen towel until ready to eat.
Spaghetti Alla Norma
Serves 3
Prep time : 15 min
Cook time : 25 min
So called in homage to Bellini’s opera, this Sicilian dish concentrates the flavours of the Mediterranean in each mouthful: aubergines, tomatoes, herbs, garlic and olive oil. Don’t hesitate to double the recipe.
Ingredients
2 aubergines
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 or whole chili pepper
3 medium ripe tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt + extra
1/4 tsp sugar
Pepper
2 tsp fresh chopped oregano (or 3/4 dried)
200 g spaghetti
Sharp vegan cheese
Method
Peel alternate strips of skin from the aubergines, slice crosswise thickly and then into dice. Salt the aubergines and set them in a colander to render some of their moisture for 15 min.
In the meantime, peel the garlic and slice it thinly and seed and chop finely the chili pepper.
Put water to boil in a large saucepan for the spaghetti.
Peel the tomatoes and cut them into chunks.
Rinse the aubergines and squeeze them dry between the palms of your hands.
Heat the olive oil in a medium sized saucepan on high heat and put the aubergines to fry, stirring them regularly, for 10 to 12 min until golden. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set them in your serving dish.
Turn down the heat to medium and add the garlic and chili and stir around the pan for a min until lightly golden.
Add the tomatoes, the salt, sugar and pepper and leave to cook for 10 min mashing the tomatoes with the back of the spoon as it softens. After 5 min of cooking, add the oregano to the sauce.
Cook the spaghetti following the instructions on the packet when the water is boiling in the saucepan. Keep some of the cooking water.
When the tomato sauce is ready, put back the aubergines to heat them in the sauce, and add the cooked spaghetti mixing to coat the strands with the sauce (add 1/4 c or more pasta cooking water to the sauce to get the right consistency).
Serve with a generous amount of grated cheese.
Tagliatelle with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 min
Cook time : 20 min
Creamy with an added mushrooom depth to it, this sauce is quick to make and very satisfying.
Ingredients
3 Tbsp margarine
250g Cremini mushrooms
2 Tbsp dried Shitake mushrooms
1/2 c chopped shallots
2 tsp corn starch
Salt
Pepper
250ml soy cream
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
500g Tagliatelle
Method
Clean and trim the cremini mushrooms and chop.
Soak the dried Shitake in 1/2 c boiling water.
Heat the margarine in a skillet on medium heat.
Soften the shallots for a few min until translucent.
Add the chopped Cremini mushrooms and cook them until they lose their water.
Add the Shitake with their water.
Add the soy cream and mix.
Season with the salt and pepper and leave to simmer for a couple of minutes.
Dilute the corn starch in 1 Tbsp of water and add to the skillet. Simmer while stirring for another couple of minutes.
Check the seasoning and add the parsley to the sauce.
Keep the mushroom sauce warm while you make the tagliatelle.
Sauces
Pesto
Makes: 1 cup
Prep time : 10 min
A few fresh ingredients make up this flavourful sauce that can liven up your pasta, infuse your soups with lovely aromas or be a delicious spread on crostini with drinks. Do make more of it while the basil is in season and freeze it for later use.
Ingredients
1 3/4 c loosely packed basil leaves (35g)
1/3 c + 1 Tbsp pine nuts (50g)
1 clove of garlic
3/4 tsp salt
Pepper
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/3 c olive oil
Method
Put the basil leaves, the pine nuts (or substitute another kind of nut, walnuts are particularly good too!), the garlic, salt, pepper and yeast in a food processor and process until you get a paste (of course you can do all this by hand too for example using a mortar and pestle).
Drizzle the olive oil gradually while processing.
Store the pesto sauce in the refrigerator for a few days entirely covered with a layer of olive oil to prevent it from spoiling.
Pizza Tomato Sauce
Makes: 1 1/2 cups
Prep time : 5 min
Cook time : 25 minutes
Simple and flavourful, this tomato sauce is ideal when you are making pizza at home. Any leftovers will go well with pasta !
Ingredients
2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 large garlic cloves
Pepper
1 1/2 tsp herbes de Provence
500 g tomato coulis (strained, puréed tomatoes)
Method
Heat the olive oil over medium low heat in a small saucepan.
Press the garlic cloves into the saucepan and add a good grinding of pepper as well as the herbes de Provence. Cook just until the garlic starts colouring.
Add the tomato coulis and bring to the boil (careful of any spattering when adding the tomato sauce to the hot oil).
Turn down the heat to let the sauce simmer, cover only with an anti-spattering mesh cover, and leave to let the flavours develop and the sauce thicken for 15-18 min.
Leave the sauce to cool and use as needed.