Robin Robertson’s Global Kitchen

Burmese Tea Leaf Salad

by Robin Robertson on January 19, 2010

I never thought I could be enchanted by a salad, but from my first bite of Burmese tea leaf salad, I was under its spell. This addictive salad has it all: good looks, great taste, fabulous textures, and, due to the high concentration of caffeine, it also has an incomparable “energizing” after-effect that can have you bouncing off the walls, depending on your caffeine tolerance.

After my first encounter, I knew I’d need to make it at home, since the nearest Burmese restaurant is, well, not very near. However, the main ingredient proved difficult to find. The Asian market I shop in doesn’t carry fermented tea leaves, so I asked my friend in Philadelphia to try her bigger/better store. Still no luck. I finally tracked down the elusive tea leaves online and ordered them from a source in New York. Within a few days, they were delivered to my door.

If you order the salad in a Burmese restaurant, chances are it will look much like the one in my photo (I’m a sucker for composed salads anyway, and this one is as composed as it gets.) In a restaurant, the server may bring it to your table and then mix it for you tableside, ala Caesar-salad style, with the fermented tea leaves (in the center of the salad) being tossed with the other ingredients.

You can find the recipe for this amazing salad (and more info about Burmese cooking) in my Global Vegan column in the current (January/February) issue of VegNews Magazine.

By the way, if you don’t tolerate caffeine well, you’ll be happy to know that the tea leaf salad has a close cousin that can be made with pickled ginger in place of the fermented tea leaf mixture. The ginger salad is equally beautiful and delicious as the tea leaf salad, but without the caffeine kick. Anyone who ever thought salads were boring needs to try one of these!

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Red Bean Jambalaya … and a Book Giveaway

by Robin Robertson on January 11, 2010

Since the Tabasco sauce was still near the front of the refrigerator shelf from the New Year’s Hoppin’ John, it reminded me that I hadn’t made jambalaya in a long time. So before my sriracha sauce elbowed the Tabasco to the back of the fridge again, I thought I’d better make some. I decided on the Red Bean Jambalaya from 1,000 Vegan Recipes.

Beginning with the N’awlins “trinity” of onion, celery, and bell peppers, the spicy tomato-based sauce was simmering in minutes. The wonderful aroma wafted through the house and made me wonder why I waited so long to make it. In addition to the red beans, I added a few sliced vegan sausage links and, of course, the requisite Tabasco. Since I had some rice already cooked, I didn’t add any to the jambalaya, preferring instead to spoon the jambalaya over the rice. It really hit the spot in this cold weather.

Book Giveaway:

If you still haven’t snagged your copy of 1,000 Vegan Recipes, head on over to Vegan Appetite where Tami is giving away a copy of the book. Tami was a tester for 1,000 Vegan Recipes and shares her photos of some the dishes she made.

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Collards Stuffed with Hoppin’ John

by Robin Robertson on January 4, 2010

It’s only fitting that my first post of 2010 should be about Hoppin’ John. A Southern tradition, this tasty rice and black-eyed peas combo served with collard greens has been a New Year’s Day fixture in my house since the 1980s, when I lived in Charleston, S.C. What’s not to love about a dish that is delicious, cheap, easy to make, and also holds the promise of good luck in the coming year?

This year I made my usual Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day (you can find the recipe here), but I also wanted to break from tradition, so, the next day, I stuffed several steamed collard leaves with some of the Hoppin’ John — kind of like stuffed cabbage, Southern-style.

In anticipation, I had made a double batch of Hoppin’ John and bought extra collards, reserving several of the cooked leaves to use for stuffing. Since the ingredients were prepared ahead of time, it was a simple matter to stuff and roll the collards. I arranged them in a shallow baking dish and poured a small amount of vegetable broth over them. I then covered them with foil and baked them until hot.

Served with vegan sour cream, Tabasco, and a side of applesauce, the stuffed leaves have a wonderful flavor and they also make a gorgeous presentation. Those beautiful flat leaves are so much easier to work with than cabbage leaves — and much prettier too. I think these Hoppin’ John Stuffed Collards will be in a regular menu rotation throughout 2010.

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Too Good Tiramisu

by Robin Robertson on December 29, 2009

Desserts are a rarity in my house — I usually only make them when we’re having company, or if I need to test a recipe. This can be a problem when your husband happens to have a sizeable sweet tooth. So, for Christmas this year, I told Jon I’d make him any dessert he wanted. He chose tiramisu.

I have long been tinkering with making a vegan tiramisu that captures the decadent richness of the non-vegan version and I think the one in 1,000 Vegan Recipes does the trick. The secret is in the filling: I combine tofu with vegan cream cheese and vegan vanilla ice cream to get just the right balance: firm yet light, sweet yet not-too-sweet. For the cake, I use the pound cake recipe also found in 1,000 Vegan Recipes. It works beautifully, but you can use another white or yellow vegan cake, if you prefer.

Here’s the tiramisu recipe, and I hope you enjoy it as much as Jon did. By the way, the recipe is easily doubled, if you need a dessert to serve a crowd on New Year’s Eve.

I want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year. See you in 2010!

Vegan Tiramisu

Serves 6

For extra decadence, add a layer of vegan whipped cream and chocolate curls. This recipe is from my latest book, 1,000 Vegan Recipes (where you will also find the recipe for vegan pound cake).

1 cup firm tofu, drained and pressed dry
1 (8-ounce) container vegan cream cheese
1/2 cup vegan vanilla ice cream, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
1/2 cup brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature
3 tablespoons Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
1 vegan pound cake (or other white or yellow cake), cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1. In a food processor, combine the tofu, cream cheese, ice cream, vanilla and 1/3 cup of the sugar. Process until smooth and well blended.
2. In a small bowl, combine the coffee, the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, and the coffee liqueur.
3. Arrange a single layer of cake slices in an 8-inch square baking pan and brush with half of the coffee mixture. Sprinkle with half of the cocoa. Spread half the tofu mixture over the cake. Arrange another layer of cake slices on top of the tofu mixture. Brush with the remaining coffee mixture, and spread evenly with the remaining tofu mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cocoa. Chill 1 hour before serving.

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Pasta Fagiole… and More

by Robin Robertson on December 23, 2009

There’s something about a 24-inch snowfall that makes you want to cook hearty, comforting food. For us, it was pasta fagiole, the classic Italian pasta and bean soup. As the snow fell relentlessly for 24 hours straight, we were warm and cozy inside, cooking up a storm to rival the one outside. We’ve lived in the South so long, we don’t even own a snow shovel.

I hadn’t made “pasta fazool” in ages, and suddenly Jon and I were both craving it. I usually make it with cannellini beans and elbow macaroni, but with the snow raging, I had to make due with pinto beans and tiny tri-color shell pasta. It may be a new favorite combination. I sautéed some onion and garlic, added diced tomatoes and a little tomato sauce I had on hand, some basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper. Within 20 minutes, it was ready. I especially love the way the pasta absorbs much of the flavorful broth, making the finished dish less a soup, but no less delicious. Let it snow!

Speaking of snow, one of the ducks who shares our property with us decided to make his very own “snow angel.” How cute is that?

1,000 Vegan Recipes News:

1,000 Vegan Recipes has been popping up all over lately and thanks to everyone who has blogged, commented, or written such great things about my new book. There are two in particular that I would like to share here. The first is from the December e-newsletter of cookbook author Nava Atlas and the second is from this month’s e-newsletter of Howard Lyman, the “Mad Cowboy” himself. (They both also posted sample recipes!)

from Nava’s e-newsletter:
“Okay, vegans, here it is—your very own Joy of Cooking. Covering every culinary angle under the sun, Robin’s tome is a great resource and reference for every vegan kitchen. Robin has been a great colleague for many years and is a prolific and talented food writer. Her recipes reflect the way I like to cook, with creative variations on easily available ingredients and streamlined procedures. …The Soy-Tan Dream Cutlets, made from both tofu and gluten, cooked up quickly and were indeed a dream for my sons, who love “meaty” items made from these ingredients; I paired these cutlets with Golden Mushroom Gravy, which has a hearty base of pureed chickpeas. I inadvertently increased the quantity for this, which made for quite a lot of gravy, but no matter—tonight I used the leftovers as a base for really good soup Chocolate Chip-Banana Bread was every bit as good as Robin’s testers claim it to be.” — Nava Atlas

from Howard’s e-newsletter:
“Robin Robertson’s 1,000 Vegan Recipes is the perfect book for a start towards a healthy new diet. Robin has created a must have for everyone interested in not only tasty food, but food that is good for you. 1,000 Vegan Recipes is the crown jewel of cook books.” —Howard F. Lyman LL.D., “The Mad Cowboy”

(Thank you, Nava and Howard!)

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Stove Rags and Book Giveaway

by Robin Robertson on December 15, 2009

Nothing says comfort food like potato pancakes. After all, they’re made from potatoes, they’re pancakes, and they’re fried!

My mother used to make two kinds of potato pancakes: one from raw grated potatoes and another that used leftover mashed potatoes combined with flour, which were known as “stove rags” in the coal region of Pennsylvania where I grew up. They got their name because they were cooked directly on the coal stove, which is how my grandmother made them.

Although “stove rags” may be the most colorful name for potato pancakes I’ve ever heard, it’s certainly not the only one. In Eastern Europe, potato pancakes are known as latkes or latkas. In Sweden, they’re called raggmunk or rarakor. Potato pancakes are also found in many other countries including Korea, India, Russia, and Ireland. Naturally, every culture has a unique spin that makes them their own.

At my house, we usually enjoy them served with applesauce, although I sometimes put out small bowls of vegan sour cream, chutney, chow-chow, and even cranberry sauce. I’ve even served them doused with sriracha sauce, which takes them to an entirely new level. My current favorite condiment for them is sour cream with some sriracha blended into it (as seen in the center of the condiment tray in the photo, flanked by chutney and applesauce).

I wonder what my grandmother would think of stove rags with sriracha.

Book Giveaway: For a chance to win a copy of 1,000 Vegan Recipes, head on over to Cafe VegNews where the VN staff is cooking up a recipe from the book every day this week — and also giving away a copy of the book each day. That’s five chances to win!

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