Isa Chandra Moskowitz (probably my favorite cookbook author, in all honesty - not trying to curry favor!) challenged the PPK's Facebook fans to a vegan version of the Food Network's Chopped. As soon as I heard about it, I was really excited to participate. Then
when I read the four ingredients she'd picked (fresh blackberries, fresh
mint, bittersweet chocolate, and canned black eyed peas) and learned
that they had to be used in an entree prepared within 40 minutes, I was stumped. Challenge was an
appropriate word, but I came up with a game plan and ran out to buy chocolate, blackberries, and black-eyed peas (I used mint from the backyard).
The dish!
I made Jackfruit, Black-Eyed Pea, and Quinoa Bowls (or Wraps) served with Mole, Cashew Cream, and Blackberry-Mint-Mango-Avocado Salsa
The process!
I was trying to work as quickly as possible and didn't write down my ingredients or quantities, so I'll do my best to describe my process:
I put two dried chiles in very hot water and set them aside (for the mole).
I sliced up two small yellow onions, about four shallots, and two cloves of garlic and sautéed them in a little olive oil. While they were cooking, I drained (and squeezed) two cans of young jackfruit and a large can of black-eyed peas. I washed the ingredients for my salsa.
Once the onions were soft, I took about a third of them out and put them in a small saucepan, which I put on another burner. I added a little broth powder, about a cup and a half of water, a large chunk of bittersweet chocolate, a little oregano, olive oil, and the soaked chiles, and brought it to a boil.
I added the drained jackfruit and peas to the large saucepan with the rest of the onions. I stirred in about two thirds of the kernels of an ear of sweet corn, some ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, a little more olive oil, and a pinch of salt, and cooked the mixture on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until everything else was done.
I rinsed some quinoa, added water, and cooked it in a medium saucepan on a back burner. (Without the 40-minute time restriction, I might have opted for brown rice instead, but the quinoa was good.)
I washed about a cup and a half of blackberries, sliced them each in half, and put them in a bowl. I sliced and added two small avocados, three small mangos, about a third of a shallot (finely chopped), about fourteen mint leaves, a few sprigs of cilantro (also finely chopped), and stirred everything together, along with a pinch of salt, some chopped up preserved banana peppers I had in a jar in the fridge, some vinegary juice from the jar of peppers (1 or 2 tsp?), and the juice of one lime.
I added some whole wheat flour (about 2 tablespoons) to the mole saucepan and stirred it with a fork until it thickened, then poured the saucepan's contents into a blender and puréed until smooth.
I washed and sliced some romaine lettuce.
This meal can be served as a bowl or as a wrap. Because I wasn't sure whether tortillas were allowed in the competition, so I tried two versions and was happy with both.
I assembled the bowl with a bed of sliced lettuce on the bottom, quinoa on top of it, the black eyed peas and jackfruit on top of that, and then poured the mole sauce on top, along with some cashew cream I'd made earlier and had in the fridge. The salsa was served in a bowl on the side. The wrap was made pretty much the same way, but everything was put in a whole wheat tortilla and wrapped up tightly.
The writeup!
I rarely make dishes that combine sweet and savory, so I wasn't at all sure how this would turn out. I'd also never made mole* or thought to put blackberries in a salsa, but I'm really happy with how everything turned out! If I do say so myself, all of the flavors went together really well, and there was a nice balance of texture as well as sweetness vs savoriness. Sean praised it effusively, had three helpings, and wants me to make it again.
It was really fun to make a quick fire meal with specific restrictions. I never would have thought to combine those ingredients otherwise, and I'm super happy with how the meal turned out. I'm looking forward to the next assignment. Thanks, Isa!
*For the mole, I checked a recipe on vegweb.com just to get a sense of ingredients and general proportions, but then just kind of winged it. I didn't use or refer to a recipe for anything else I made.
The dish!
I made Jackfruit, Black-Eyed Pea, and Quinoa Bowls (or Wraps) served with Mole, Cashew Cream, and Blackberry-Mint-Mango-Avocado Salsa
The process!
I was trying to work as quickly as possible and didn't write down my ingredients or quantities, so I'll do my best to describe my process:
I put two dried chiles in very hot water and set them aside (for the mole).
I sliced up two small yellow onions, about four shallots, and two cloves of garlic and sautéed them in a little olive oil. While they were cooking, I drained (and squeezed) two cans of young jackfruit and a large can of black-eyed peas. I washed the ingredients for my salsa.
Once the onions were soft, I took about a third of them out and put them in a small saucepan, which I put on another burner. I added a little broth powder, about a cup and a half of water, a large chunk of bittersweet chocolate, a little oregano, olive oil, and the soaked chiles, and brought it to a boil.
I added the drained jackfruit and peas to the large saucepan with the rest of the onions. I stirred in about two thirds of the kernels of an ear of sweet corn, some ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, a little more olive oil, and a pinch of salt, and cooked the mixture on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until everything else was done.
I rinsed some quinoa, added water, and cooked it in a medium saucepan on a back burner. (Without the 40-minute time restriction, I might have opted for brown rice instead, but the quinoa was good.)
I washed about a cup and a half of blackberries, sliced them each in half, and put them in a bowl. I sliced and added two small avocados, three small mangos, about a third of a shallot (finely chopped), about fourteen mint leaves, a few sprigs of cilantro (also finely chopped), and stirred everything together, along with a pinch of salt, some chopped up preserved banana peppers I had in a jar in the fridge, some vinegary juice from the jar of peppers (1 or 2 tsp?), and the juice of one lime.
I added some whole wheat flour (about 2 tablespoons) to the mole saucepan and stirred it with a fork until it thickened, then poured the saucepan's contents into a blender and puréed until smooth.
I washed and sliced some romaine lettuce.
This meal can be served as a bowl or as a wrap. Because I wasn't sure whether tortillas were allowed in the competition, so I tried two versions and was happy with both.
I assembled the bowl with a bed of sliced lettuce on the bottom, quinoa on top of it, the black eyed peas and jackfruit on top of that, and then poured the mole sauce on top, along with some cashew cream I'd made earlier and had in the fridge. The salsa was served in a bowl on the side. The wrap was made pretty much the same way, but everything was put in a whole wheat tortilla and wrapped up tightly.
The writeup!
I rarely make dishes that combine sweet and savory, so I wasn't at all sure how this would turn out. I'd also never made mole* or thought to put blackberries in a salsa, but I'm really happy with how everything turned out! If I do say so myself, all of the flavors went together really well, and there was a nice balance of texture as well as sweetness vs savoriness. Sean praised it effusively, had three helpings, and wants me to make it again.
It was really fun to make a quick fire meal with specific restrictions. I never would have thought to combine those ingredients otherwise, and I'm super happy with how the meal turned out. I'm looking forward to the next assignment. Thanks, Isa!
*For the mole, I checked a recipe on vegweb.com just to get a sense of ingredients and general proportions, but then just kind of winged it. I didn't use or refer to a recipe for anything else I made.
4 comments:
Looks delicious! I've never cooked with jackfruit, but sounds really interesting. Love the cat photo!
Thanks! I recommend giving it a try. you can buy inexpensive cans of it in most Asian grocery stores. Be sure to get young/green jackfruit, since ripe jackfruit (which they also sell) is sweet!
That looks so amazing Lisa! I keep meaning to make something with jackfruit - but still haven't.
Love your ideas! The Blackberry-Mint-Mango-Avocado Salsa sounds (and looks) especially spectacular!
This is all just fantastically crazy. It was a delightful read -- and I loved the pictures!
Post a Comment