Only Recipes, by Alessandra Zecchini ©

These were the side vegetable dishes of my  Vegan Japanese dinner . For those of you who missed some 'episodes', the antipasto was raw  avocado sashimi , and the main  Fried tofu puffs simmered in vegetable broth . I wanted to have a cooked and warm side vegetable dish, and a raw one. Of course variety, colour and difference in texture were as important as taste. For the warm vegetables I used broccoli and cauliflowers with a very easy miso sauce (click here for the recipe) and some easy pickles. Quick Japanese Cucumber and Radish Pickles 1 cucumber (possibly the short Japanese type) A few young radishes, with leaves Salt (best to use unrefined salt) Wash the cucumber and cut the into slices, and then into quarters. Clean the radishes well and then cut them into halves or quarters (depending on size). Leave the young leaves whole but trim excess stalk. Place the radishes, leaves and cucumber pieces into a bowl  and add 1 tsp of salt . ...

These were the side vegetable dishes of my  Vegan Japanese dinner . For those of you who missed some 'episodes', the antipasto was raw  avocado sashimi , and the main  Fried tofu puffs simmered in vegetable broth . I wanted to have a cooked and warm side vegetable dish, and a raw one. Of course variety, colour and difference in texture were as important as taste. For the warm vegetables I used broccoli and cauliflowers with a very easy miso sauce: Broccoli and cauliflowers with easy miso sauce A few broccoli and cauliflower florets Hot vegetable stock  (I used the broth strained from cooking the  Fried tofu puffs simmered in vegetable stock  - recycling is everything in Japanese Vegetarian Cuisine!) Miso paste Steam the broccoli and cauliflowers for a few minutes (they should be cooked but not mushy, nor too crunchy). In a small ball thin down about a tbsp of miso paste with some hot vegetable broth to make a thin paste...

This is the second recipe of my  Vegan Japanese dinner . The starter was  avocado sashimi , and this is the 'main' (I am using the word main as this is the 'main' protein course). Then there will be two vegetable dishes (one cooked and one raw) to accompany the tofu, and to finish in traditional Japanese style, the rice and the soup. But now for the recipe: 1 bag of fried tofu puffs (in NZ they are available in Chinese stores) 1.5 l vegetable stock 1 celery stalk 1 carrot Onion weed (or garlic chives) to finish Soy or tamari sauce to serve (optional) If you don't know what onion weed is you can find it  here , now that it is spring it grows wild everywhere in Oratia, and I forage heaps of it!. Wash the onion weeds and chop finely. Keep aside (the flowers too). Chop the celery and peel and cut the carrot into thick irregular pieces, I like to make them look a little 'geometric' to look pretty alongside the tofu puffs. Br...

This is the first course of my  Japanese Vegan and gluten free dinner ...  Raw food is better as a starter, apparently it gets the digestion going, and this is easy to make and really delicious. For each person you will need: Half avocado, not mushy Lemon juice A little wasabi paste Japanese pickled ginger Soy or Tamari sauce Slice the half avocado like in the picture, not to thin and not to thick (diners need to be able to pick up the slices with chopsticks) then spray with lemon juice. Serve with wasabi, pickled ginger and gluten free soy or tamari sauce on the side.      Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini  ©

For the Custard: 3 free range eggs 4 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp flour 1.5 l full cream milk Vanilla essence Mix the eggs with the sugar and flour and add the milk slowly. Simmer until the custard thickens then add the vanilla essence. I pour some in a large bowl, then once cool I topped it with whipped cream, some lime and passion fruit curd (made by Ken) fresh raspberries and cherries, and ground pistachio. I had lots of custard left and I put some in some shot glasses. I added some 72% dark chocolate to the remaining hot custard and made some chocolate mini puddings for more shot glasses. I topped some of the chocolate puddings with pistachio, and other with cream and fruit of blackcurrant powder (from  Fresh As ). Some of the vanilla mini puddings were also topped with cream and fruit, and others with the lime and passion fruit curd.  I had some extra custard so I also made a quick trifle with lots of red fruit! Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini...

I have been so busy lately that I had no time for blogging, or visiting other blogs much (sorry!). And no time for taking photos of food either, or preparing photogenic dishes, for that matter. The other day I cooked some silver beet (chard), leaves and stalk separately. We had the leaves as a side, hot and dressed with some Japanese soy sauce and lemon juice, and I kept the stalks for the day after. I love lemon juice and have plenty of lemons now, this recipe is so simple that it is not even a 'recipe' but it is all I have time to post now, and I can assure you that it is magic! Lemon and Thyme Halloumi with Chards Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil 1 block of plain halloumi cheese A few chard stalks, boiled in salted water and drained Fresh lemon juice Fresh thyme Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and then sauté the holloumi on both sides until the edges start to colour. Remove the Halloumi from the pan and add the chard stalks. Sauté them q...

A little twist to my usual tiramisù with coffee: Italian Amarena cherries! I mixed a few cherries and their syrup with whisky (I usually mix coffee with whisky, I find it to be the best booze for tiramisù). Ingredients: 3 tbsp Italian Amarena cherries (with syrup) 2 tbsp whisky (a good one or, like in my case, what your husband let you use) 1 packet of savoiardi biscuits 3 large free range eggs 3 tbsp sugar 300 ml cream Cocoa to dust Mix the Amarena cherries with whisky: this is the syrup to soak the savoiardi. Use only half of the savoiardi, making your first layer in a 20 x 20 cm square and at least 5 cm high (or similar size rectangular) serving dish.  Please note: it is important not to over-soak the biscuits or the base will be too soft. Just dip them quickly on one side only (the sugary side is better), and place them in the serving dish with the soaked part facing up: this way the juices will slowly go through the biscuits. A...


 Ingredients
  (for my basic vanilla cupcake recipe)
 120 g butter 
3 eggs
 130 g sugar 
A few drops of pure vanilla essence 
200 g self-rising flour
 60 ml milk
  And then optional:
  Fresh As  Blackcurrant powder
 Fresh As  Dried blueberries slices
 Makes 12 cupcakes
 Preheat the oven to 175°C. Line a 12-muffin tray with cupcakes paper cups. Melt the butter in a jug, either in the microwave or in the oven (while the oven is warming up for the cupcakes). Place the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk, using an electric beater, until the mixture looks light and pale yellow in colour. Slowly add the melted butter and the vanilla essence.
 Keep beating at a low speed now; add half of the flour followed by half of the milk. Add the rest of the flour and milk and keep beating making sure that there are no lumps. Divide the mixture into three and 'colour' on part with some blackcurrant powder (to mak...

Ingredients: 1 red onion 2 tbsp olive oil 2 kg pumpkin flesh 1 celery stick with leaves 2 l vegetable stock Salt and pepper to taste A few sprigs of thyme A few rosemary flowers Instructions  Chop the red onion and sauté with olive oil. Add cut and peeled pumpkin, a celery stalk with leaves and some vegetable stock. When the vegetables are cooked blend the soup, adjust with salt and pepper and then decorate with fresh thyme and rosemary flowers (these can be eaten and will give the soup a lovely rosemary flavor without any of the woody leaves!). Photos and Recipe by Alessandra Zecchini 

Photo and Recipe by Alessandra Zecchini  © My thin cut roast potatoes looked like Matryoshka dolls, so I decided to "dress them up".  What do you think?