Portobello ‘prosciutto’
Melon coexists perfectly with smoky, savoury flavours. This is because the melon gives an umami-like aftertaste and therefore works very well with a savoury component. The smoked portobello is very tasty (get yourself a little stovetop smoker for Christmas!), and the crispy, cheeselike wafers and sweet-sour balsamic vinegar make all ingredients come together beautifully. This dish is a perfect, not too heavy start of your Christmas dinner.
Ingredients
- 25 g nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tbsp wheat flour
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- pinch of salt
- 1 large portobello mushroom
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cantaloupe melon
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 twig of mint
- 1 peeled and crushed garlic clove
- 2 tbsp dark treacle
- 4 small hands full of rocket salad
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- a dash of freshly crushed red peppercorns
- stovetop smoker with wood chips
- (recycled) aluminium foil
Instructions
Make wafers by mixing nutritional yeast with flour, olive oil, water and salt. Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium high heat. Spread a tsp of batter in the pan and spread as thinly as possible. And with thin, we mean really thin! Make sure the wafer is crispy and fully cooked before getting it out of the pan. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Let the wafers cool down and break possible bigger ones into smaller pieces.
Slice portobello as thin as possible. Season with salt and pepper. Prepare stovetop smoker and wood chips. Arrange mushrooms in the smoker on a piece of (recycled) aluminium foil. Smoke for 10-15 min until the portobello slices seem cooked and tast perfectly smoky! Turn heat off and keep mushrooms in the smoker for another 15 min (lid on).
Prepare melon. Get rid of the peel and slice the meat in thin wedges.
Then prepare the balsamic-syrup by heating balsamic on low heat with mint and crushed garlic clove. Steep for a few mins. Add treacle and stir until combined. Let simmer for just one or two minutes, turn off heat and get rid of the mint and garlic.
Arrange slices of melon on each plate. Divide the ‘prosciutto’ over melon and add rocket leafs on top. Drizzle some olive oil and balsamic syrup over the dish and serve with pieces of wafer and crushed red peppercorns.
Smoky tofu platter
This dish is as colourful as it is tasteful. The cranberry-port compote goes really well with the tofu roast. The beautiful purple puree is just a sight for sore eyes. The slightly bitter chicory is lifted to a higher level by caramelising it and the slaw serves as a refreshment in the midst of all these flavour bombs.
Ingredients
- 1/4 head red cabbage, finely sliced with a mandoline, foodprocessor or with a real sharp knife
- 2 large carrots, cleaned and grated
- 1 orange, flesh segmented
- 1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp vinegar (apple or wine)
- 2 tsp mustard
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp agave syrup
- black pepper and salt to taste
- 250 g cranberries
- a piece of orange peel (only the orange part)
- 100 ml (1/2 cup) port
- 100 ml (1/2 cup) water
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 8 tbsp plain flour
- 8 tbsp water
- 50 g bread crumbs/panko
- 50 g shelled pistachio’s, finely chopped or ground to bits with foodprocessor
- 1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
- pinch of salt
- 500 g smoked tofu (1 big log or 2 smaller ones. F.e. Viana)
- 4 tbsp oil
- 750 g purple potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- salt to taste
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
- 60 g (1/4 cup) vegan butter
- 175 ml (3/4 cup) unsweetened oat or soy milk, warmed up a bit
- 1/4 nutmeg seed, grated
- black pepper and salt to taste
- 4-6 heads of chicory (1 per person)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp agave syrup
- leafs of 4 sprigs of thyme
Instructions
Mix veggies, orange and parsley together. Make dressing by whisking vinegar, mustard and oil. Season to taste with pepper and salt. Drizzle over veggies and toss. Let sit/marinate for ca. 30 min before serving.
Rinse cranberries. Get rid of soft berries that may have gone bad. Put cranberries in a saucepan with orange peel, port, water and sugar. Let sit on low heat until cranberries fall apart and the mixture resembles a jam-like consistency. Serve hot or cold.
Make a ‘lane’ out of 3 deep plates or bowls. Put 4 tbsp flour in one bowl. Put 4 tbsp of flour and 8 tbsp water in the second bowl and mix into a batter. Put bread crumbs, pistache bits, parsley and a pinch of salt in the last bowl and mix. Dip tofu in plain flour, then dip into batter and finally coat with crumb mixture. Make sure the tofu is evenly coated. Heat oil in frying pan. On medium heat, fry tofu on all sides until it is warmed up completely on the inside and crunchy on the outside. To be sure, let sit in the pan for ca. 10 min on low heat, while preventing the crust from burning.
Bring potatoes to a boil in a layer of water (they should be half under water), some salt and garlic clove. Cook with lid on until fully cooked (ca. 20 min). Drain and mash into a smooth puree. Add vegan butter, and stir in. Add milk, heaps of nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper. Season to taste with extra salt if needed.
Halve the chicory heads. Heat oil in frying pan. Fry heads, inside down, for a few minutes on high heat until they start to colour. Turn around and fry for another minute. Add balsamic vinegar and agave syrup, and turn the chicory around (inside down again). Also add thyme leafs. Let syrup caramelise a bit. Turn around one more time (inside up) and turn heat off. Serve straight away.
Prepare each plate with a scoop of rainbow ‘slaw’, a couple of slices of tofu with some cranberry compote, purple puree and a few chicory halves. Finish the plate with some freshly ground black pepper.
Chocolate volcano cakes
These devilish chocolate cakes are the definition of food porn. Who doesn’t like melted chocolate ganache oozing out of a fluffy cake? The added smoked salt, which pairs really well with the earthy tones of chocolate, makes it extra special and a beautiful finale of a smoky dinner party.
Ingredients
- 150 g dark vegan chocolate, in pieces
- 240 ml (1 cup) water
- 60 g (1/4 cup) + 1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
- 100 g (1/3 cup) treacle
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 200 g (1 cup) flour
- 4 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch smoked salt
- zest of 1/2 organic orange, plus extra for serving
- optional: pinch of edible golden glitter
- optional: vegan ice cream
Instructions
Start by making the liquid ganache centers. Melt 50 g of dark chocolate with 40 ml water and 10 g coconut oil in a saucepan on low heat. When just melted, divide over 8 mini cups and let set in the fridge. You can also put mixture in fridge and scoop out 8 balls later on.
Preheat oven to 175 C/350 F. Grease 8 individual cake molds. Mix 100 g chocolate, 200 ml water, 50 g coconut oil, 100 g treacle and 3 tbsp sugar in a pan and melt together on low heat. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Stir in wet mixture. Divide mixture over cake molds. Put a piece of ganache in each center. Make sure it’s ‘under water’. Bake cakes for ca. 12-15 min, not any longer or centers will not be liquid. Gently remove cakes from molds. Serve with extra pieces of orange zest, an extra pinch of smoked salt, edible glitter and a scoop of vegan ice cream if you prefer.
