soup class on Saturday, January 15

We are back with classes! :)

In the Mood for Food
presents

Date: Saturday, January 15
time: noon till approximately 2:30
fee: $50/person
limited space for 8

Hands on cooking class. All students will be involved in the creation and then consumption of each dish.

We will explore a few winter soups made from fresh winter vegetables along with the finest dried grains and beans.

We will learn to make Japanese dashi from kombu (seaweed) and dried mushroom and use this stock to make 2 soups; miso soup and  ochazuke, a rice and seaweed and pickled plum soup made with a stock that combines dashi and green tea.

other soups we will create will be
mung Dal soup with pumpkin

We will make a vegetable stock and with that stock create the following soups
pozole  (Mexican hominy and bean soup)
garbanzo bean/tahini soup


for more information or to reserve your spot please contact me at vegshaku8@gmail.com

wild mushrooms

Matsutake to be split, grilled and sprinkled with yuzu and shoyu

Hedgehog mushrooms for polenta

45 pieces of yuzu and 45 pieces of kafir limes

The yuzu will be used as "bowls" for a Thai red curry stuffed with homemade tempeh, long beans and lotus root (all diced).
The kafir will be stuffed with kafir lime sorbet!

finger foods for a garden opening party in Berkeley Hills, December 4

various dips and breads
homemade Pita bread
homemade pumpkin, mulitgrain, seed breads
hummous, beet-nut, pate, herbed cashew "cheese"

-sope (fried homemade corn tortillas) topped with black bean puree, guacamole and persimmon salsa.

-polenta grilled with wild hedgehog mushrooms and basil (hopefully we will forage our own chanterelles for this!)

-Grilled matsutake mushrooms with shoyu and wasabi

 -yuzu stuffed with Thai red curry. Homemade red curry paste with diced lotus root and long beans with diced homemade tempeh served in a yuzu cup

-yellow mountain  chipotle bean balls in pomegranate-dried tomato sauce (from tomatos i dried earlier in the fall)

-buckwheat knishes with mustard
-
tempeh and kabocha  kabobs (pomegranate miso glazed homemade tempeh)

deep fried brussel sprouts with smoked salt and yuzu


-chocolate pasta shell stuffed with pecans cranberries and pears
(homemade chocolate pasta shaped into a shell and fried)

-sichuan peppercorn-yuzu truffles

-kaffir lime sorbet served in kaffir limes

3 day catering for a meditation retreat

Weekend of November 26-28
menus


Day one
lunch
pozole
quinoa pilaf

dinner
tempeh terriyaki
seaweed salad
sweet potatos, purple cabbage and kale stir fried with ginger
rice

day 2
lunch
wild rice/basmati rice salad w/ dried cranberries, pine nuts and mixed greens
dal/pumpkin soup

dinner
tofu dengaku
burdock/lotus kinpira
carrot/beet/daikon/hijiki salad w/ umeboshi sesame dressing
rice

day 3
mixed bean soup
whole oats with mushrooms and peas and mixed greens

dinner
adzuki bean/kabocha stew
dandelions with walnut miso dressing
lotus root pickled with shoyu
daikon pickled with sencha
burdock pickled with sichuan peppercorns and sesame

end of retreat, treat

pear/pecan tart with vanilla oolong ice "cream"

Asian fusion menu in Concord, Nov 21, 2010

appetizer
tempeh char siu (homemade tempeh)
pan seared tofu with spicy lemongrass-cranberry glaze
yuba marinated with shaoshing wine, mirin, shoyu and sesame oil, steamed and fried


soup
Lemongrass ginger soup with tofu and seaweed

salad
mushroom tofu laab in lettuce wrap

entree
Thai red curry with tempeh, lotus root and long beans served in an edible pumpkin bowl (homemade curry paste)
rice

dessert
kafir lime sorbet
grilled marinated persimmon

mexican dinner in the berkeley hills, November 12

In the Mood for Food Presents

Dinner for 18 at Erin and Anthony’s
Friday, November 12, 2010

passed appetizers
tempeh and persimmon skewers grilled with lime, cumin
empanadas stuffed with saged butternut squash and almond “cheese”
sope (cornmeal “bowl”)stuffed with wild mushrooms and herbs

Soup
Pozole
Hominy, beans, vegetables in a rich tomato/ chili broth

entree
enchiladas stuffed w/ kale and potatos with red mole sauce
black bean puree
quinoa pilaf
guacamole
green beans sauteed with olives
pickled vegetables

dessert
Mexican chocolate cake
chocolate serrano ice “cream”
chocolate madeira sauce

Roasted pepper sauce

My other area of fascination for me recently has been the cuisine of Spain. Inspired in part by my love of the Spanish approach to futbol and the absurd amount of time watching La Liga games that i spend in this underemployment period during the Bush-Obama economic plan. This is a version of a Romesco sauce that i am playing with.
Pepper harvest was quite late this year in Northern California. Like most of the world, we are experiencing some truly whacked out weather patterns and of course, the local harvests are greatly affected. So rather than a bount of August chilis coming to market, we are seeing them appear in late September and early October. Fresh chilis are always welcome and then we can dry the rest of the harvest to enoy throughout the year.

4 red bell peppers
2 red New Mexico peppers
4 red gypsy peppers
1 red serrano pepper

rub the peppers with oil and place in roasting pan, cover and roast at 425 for 1 hour. Turn the peppers 1/4 way each 15 minutes.

After roasting, place peppers in a paper bag, close tightly for 2 minutes. Then remove and discard the skins and seeds.  Put the peppers into a food processor.

Add to the food processor the following:
1/2/ cup raw almonds, skins removed
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sea salt or more to taste
1 tbsp parsley
blend till smooth

Indian style Mustard greens dish

Lately, i have been fascinated by Indian food.  Trying to learn new styles and dishes from friends, videos and from books. It is truly an amazing cuisine, endless combinations of incredible spices. As always the key is quality of ingredients. Use very fresh, highly fragrant, flavorful spices.  I get most of mine from Penzey's online. They do not last indefinitely; 6 -12 months is maximum shelf life for most spices.

Take 2 medium potatos, dice them and steam them for 10 minutes. Set aside

Take a big bunch of mustard greens and a bunch of spinach. Clean them up, chop them up and steam them for 10 minutes.

In a food processor, put the greens, a chili, and a small piece of ginger and 1 tsp salt.  Puree this mixture, adding water as needed to make a thick puree. Set aside for a moment.

In wok, place 1/4 cup coconut oil and heat up over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp cornmeal and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, keep stirring. This will thicken very much. Cook for another half a minute, constantly stirring.

Add the greens to this, mix very well, lower heat and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Serve hot, immediately

menu for dinner for 6 in Concord on September 19

will be presenting another dinner at the home of a wonderful photographer on Sunday, September 19.

The Japanese inspired menu will be

appetizers
tempeh kabobs (homemade tempeh)
taro croquettes

soup
first course
seaweed salad w/ yuzu dressing

second
homemade tofu with spicy sesame sauce, sauteed snow peas and sprouts

third
eggplant and portabella dengaku (grilled with miso sauce)
stir fried burdock, lotus and carrots with ginger and garlic
dandelion greens with walnut miso dressing
beets pickled with umeboshi
rice

dessert green tea raspberry cake
matcha ice “cream”

sichuan/chinese class Saturday, september 12 at Noon

sunday. September 12
noon
$50/person
limited space for 8
for more information or to make reservations;
...phil at philipgelb (dot) com
510 393 6096

Sichuan and chinese flavors

hands on class with all participants creating the dishes. I will supply the highest quality ingredients for you to cook with. Demystify one of the great culinary traditions; Chinese! There are many culinary traditions within China and this class will be focusing on styles from sichuan province and Beiing. Explre a variety of knife techniques and various cooking techniques:steaming, stir frying, braising, baking, frying with some delightful summer dishes.

sichuan chili oil
spicy cucumber and peanut salad
green onion pancake
tempeh char siu
steamed chinese buns
stir fried green beans
marinated baked tofu
tofu with spicy sesame sauce

lunch for 6 in San Ramon, August 25 2010

italian menu

Caprese salad (homemade tofu, heirloom tomatos, basil, olive oil, herbs, spices, balsamic)
trufled mushroom ravioli with basil pesto
eggplant rolled with almond cheese and pine nuts w/ tomato sauce
raw nectarine-blueberry pecan tart
blackberry ice "cream"

dinner for 13 in Oakland hills, October 18, 2010

poblano peppers stuffed with roasted corn salad
flat tofu cut into noodles with spicy sesame sauce
hummous
red lentil pate
...homemade pita bread
roasted vegetable platter (eggplants, green beans, summer squashes)
cucumber yuzu pickles
raw nectarine-blueberry-walnut tart
blackberry ice "cream"

Jewish New years cooking class

Thursday, September 2
7 pm
limited space for 8
$50/person

A hands on class, focusing on some Jewish new years dishes. Learn to cook like a Jewish grandma!!
These classes are designed to demystify food. Learn to create delightful dishes, some quite simple and some fairly complex, so all levels of cooking skills are welcome.  I supply the highest quality ingredients for the classes, often sourced directly from the farms.
Learn about ingredients, kitchen tools and meet some other fun, friendly food enthusiasts in the process.

buckwheat cabbage sauerkraut soup
apple-celery root-fennel salad
stuffed collard rolls in tomato sauce
schlischkes (a very rare Hungrian Jewish potato dish that will blow your mind)
beets roasted with horseradish

plus more

you do not have to be Jewish to love this cuisine and learn how to make it. However, if you have a Jewish grandma, some of these flavors will be very comforting to you.

some recent food shots

homemade tempeh crusted with pistachios, roasted and pickled vegetables, apricot sauce

Ochazeuke (rice with green tea, umeboshi, kaiware, nori

home made tofu, stir fried snow peas and carrots, kaiware and spicy peanut sauce

2 kinds of heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo farms, roasted yellow squash, pecan pate

Yuzu menu with http://yuzupassion.com Friday, August 27

Yuzu, the amazing Japanese citrus will be the feature of this menu. Recently was introduced to Tomoko Sato, owner of Yuzu Passion, http://yuzupassion.com
They are bringing to the US, some very high quality yuzu juice and other yuzu products from excellent, artisan farmers in Shikoku Island, Japan.
For this 6 course menu, i will create many dishes, traditional and unique, using yuzu as an ingredient.

Later in the fall when yuzu is in season, we hope to collaborate with a California yuzu grower to produce an even more complex yuzu menu, using the fresh zest as well as the juice. Any Yuzu growers out there, please contact us!!


apertif
yuzu watermelon sorbet

soup
Yuzu flavored gazpacho
the traditional Spanish cold soup infused with yuzu instead of lemon or lime, providing a unique and Japanese taste to this classic summer dish

salad
daikon and mizuna with yuzu dressing

small plate
yuzu blue cornbread with roasted corn and chilis with yuzu

entree
homemade tofu served cold with yuzu soy sauce,
cucumbers pickled with yuzu and sichuan chili oil
green beans with walnut miso yuzu dressing
daikon pickled with yuzu and shoyu
okra tempura
rice

dessert
matcha yuzu raspberry cake
yuzu peach ice "cream"



Friday, August 27
8 pm
limited seating for 10 (can expand to 20 if there is enough demand)
$45/person, byob

menu for dinner for 6 in Concord on August 25

Will be preparing this menu for a dinner for 6 in Concord, next Sunday. This may be a monthly event, assuming they like what i present. Wonderful photographer is presenting these for his colleagues and supporters.

Soup
gaspacho
heirloom tomatoes, heirloom cucumbers, heirloom peppers, lime, spices and herbs

salad
fresh cranberry beans sauteed with romano beans.
Summer squashes, roasted
quinoa steamed w/ morels
plum mustard dressing

entree
peach roasted tempeh
corn roasted with chilis
ong choy stir fried with garlic

dessert
raw chocolate pudding w/ berries

menu for dinner for 7 in SF, August 1

Just hired for this 7 course dinner in San Francisco.

august 1
dinner for 7
70/person


apertif
peach rosewater kanten

soup
cold cucumber miso with wakame

1st small plate
steamed buns stuffed with tempeh char siu
cucumbers pickled with yuzu and chili oil
Tung Ting high mountain oolong tea

2nd small plate
homemade tofu served cold with spicy sesame sauce

salad
roasted peaches
salted daikon and cucumber
plum mustard dressing

entree
peach roasted tempeh
corn with chilis
ong choy stir fried with garlic
Kukicha Japanese green tea

dessert
raw peach  tart with walnut (or pecan) date crust
peach vanilla ice "cream"
raspberry sauce

Summer desserts class August 19

Thursday, August 19
7 pm
limited space for 8
$50/person
For more information or to register, phil at philipgelb dot com
This hands on class will develop this menu together as well as sit down afterwards and enjoy our creations in a delightful, freshly made meal. Like all my classes, this class assumes you already enjoy cooking and have some experience and love of cooking. Here you will learn new techniques, learn about new vegetables and ingredients and demystify many culinary traditions. Come and enjoy cooking in a friendly environment with a handful of other food lovers. The food is always vegan but the participants are often omnivores and all is good.
Summer time desserts!
blueberry ice "cream"
raw chocolate mousse
raw peach tart with raw pecan-date crust
summer fruit and berry kanten
peach sorbet
and more to be added

no sugar ever in any of my desserts but plenty of flavor abounds!

encore of corn class on Thursday August 12

due to the corn class in July filling up so quickly, we are offering another one in August! Thursday, August 12 7 pm limited space for 8 ...$50/person For more information or to register, phil at philipgelb dot com This hands on class will develop this menu together as well as sit down afterwards and enjoy our creations in a delightful, freshly made meal. Like all my classes, this class assumes you already enjoy cooking and have some experience and love of cooking. Here you will learn new techniques, learn about new vegetables and ingredients and demystify many culinary traditions. Come and enjoy cooking in a friendly environment with a handful of other food lovers. The food is always vegan but the participants are often omnivores and all is good. For this class we will explore one of the great native american ingredients, corn! We will make many dishes with corn from around the world including: Japan: Roasted Corn with Saikyo miso/yuzu glaze Mexico: Pasilla chilis stuffed with roasted corn/chili salad Thailand: Thai corn fritters with sweet chili sauce Southeast United States: corn, okra and tomatoes

Eggplant class, August 7

This hands on class will develop this menu together as well as sit down afterwards and enjoy our creations in a delightful, freshly made meal. Like all my classes, this class assumes you already enjoy cooking and have some experience and love of cooking. Here you will learn new techniques, learn about new vegetables and ingredients and demystify many culinary traditions. Come and enjoy cooking in a friendly environment with a handful of other food lovers. The food is always vegan but the participants are often omnivores and all is good.

For this class we will explore another one of the great summer vegetables, eggplants! An international culinary tour of this versatile ingredient.
We will be looking at and playing with a variety of different eggplants and using them in various cuisines.
Japan: Eggplant dengagku Eggplant fried and then roasted with a miso sauce
China : eggplant and tofu sichuan style
Middle Eastern: Eggplant, red peppers and leeks, roasted and chopped with herbs and lemon
Italian: eggplant tomato sauce

and more to be announced

Saturday, August 7
noon
$50/person
limited space for 8 cooks

for more information or to make reservations
510 393 6096
phil at philipgelb dot com

cherry cabernet kanten

the 1st course of a dinner i served, earlier tonight was a cherry cabernet kanten made with Bartalotti winery's delightful wine

wine and Italian menu, Monday, June 28

We continue our Monday night dinner series with a summer Italian menu celebrating the new harvest of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, homemade pasta, homemade nut "cheeses" and other summer ingredients.

And our friend Gino Baralotti will join us! Pouring from his 2 new cabernet releases from his family winery
http://bartalotti.com/

Location: private loft in Oakland
cost $40/person
limited seating for 10
for more information or to reserve a space, phil "at" philipgelb (dot) com

apertif
cherry cabernet kanten

salad
vegan caprese
homemade tofu, tomatos, basil, olive oil, balsamic

small plate
ravioli
Homemade pasta pockets stuffed with a beet-nut pate and smothered in basil pesto

entree
eggplant rollatini in tomato sauce (Stuffed with our homemade almond ricotta)
sauteed rappini with garlic and olives

dessert
Peach pie
peach ice "cream"
brandied cherries

Peach class Tuesday, July 27

Come and learn some amazing dishes with peaches!!

Tuesday July 27
7 pm
limited space for 8
...$50/person
For more information or to register, phil at philipgelb dot com

This hands on class will develop this menu together as well as sit down afterwards and enjoy our creations in a delightful, freshly made meal. Like all my classes, this class assumes you already enjoy cooking and have some experience and love of cooking. Here you will learn new techniques, learn about new vegetables and ingredients and demystify many culinary traditions. Come and enjoy cooking in a friendly environment with a handful of other food lovers. The food is always vegan but the participants are often omnivores and all is good.

One of the world's greatest fruits! And for this class we will be using heirloom peaches from the renowned Masumoto family farm! David Mas Masumoto is a third generation, Japanese American farmer in the central valley known for his writing and lecturing as much as his farming. One of the truly great organic farm stories in our state!
come and explore this incredible diverse fruit and learn to make a

full course meal from this delightful treasure.
cold peach soup (peach yuzu gaspacho!)
roasted peach salad with daikon and cucumber
eggplant rollatini rolled with almond "cheese", peaches and basil, sauteed in brandy
raw peach pecan tart
roasted peach salad with salted daikon and cucumber
peach ice "cream"

and more

Tuesday July 20 corn class

Tuesday July 20
7 pm
limited space for 8
$50/person
For more information or to register, phil at philipgelb dot com

This hands on class will develop this menu together as well as sit down afterwards and enjoy our creations in a delightful, freshly made meal. Like all my classes, this class assumes you already enjoy cooking and have some experience and love of cooking. Here you will learn new techniques, learn about new vegetables and ingredients and demystify many culinary traditions. Come and enjoy cooking in a friendly environment with a handful of other food lovers. The food is always vegan but the participants are often omnivores and all is good.

For this class we will explore one of the great native american ingredients, corn!
We will make many dishes from corn including:
skillet corn bread
my signature roasted corn salad stuffed into pasilla chilis
a sichuan style corn and seaweed soup
Thai style corn fritters
and much much more

July 13 sea vegetable class

Tuesday July 13
7 pm
limited space for 8
$50/person
For more information or to register, phil at philipgelb dot com

This hands on class will develop this menu together as well as sit down afterwards and enjoy our creations in a delightful, freshly made meal. Like all my classes, this class assumes you already enjoy cooking and have some experience and love of cooking. Here you will learn new techniques, learn about new vegetables and ingredients and demystify many culinary traditions. Come and enjoy cooking in a friendly environment with a handful of other food lovers. The food is always vegan but the participants are often omnivores and all is good.

For this class, we will explore a variety of sea vegetables, used widely in the cuisines of Japan and other parts of the world.
We will create some soups, salads, sushi rolls and other dishes from
kombu, hijiki, wakame, nori and other tasty and nutritious
sea vegetables, including:

kombu-shitake dashi (broth)
wakame fava bean salad
hijiki carrot salad w/ almond miso dressing
variety of sushi rolls: pickled plums, natto and tempeh terriyaki

July 6, cooking class: summer salads

Tuesday July 6
7 pm
limited space for 8
$50/person
For more information or to register, phil at philipgelb dot com

This hands on class will develop this menu together as well as sit down afterwards and enjoy our creations in a delightful, freshly made meal. Like all my classes, this class assumes you already enjoy cooking and have some experience and love of cooking. Here you will learn new techniques, learn about new vegetables and ingredients and demystify many culinary traditions. Come and enjoy cooking in a friendly environment with a handful of other food lovers. The food is always vegan but the participants are often omnivores and all is good.

For this class we will explore a lot of different summer salads and salad dressings including:
quinoa morel  pilaf
fresh and dried bean salad with marinated and roasted vegetables
roasted peach salad with umeboshi pickled daikon  and cucumber salad w/ plum mustard dressing
3 miso salad dressings:
creamy herb miso
lime cilantro miso
lemon poppyseed miso

tsukemono

daikon pickled with shoyu and mirin

cucumber with wakame and carrot

kale with umeboshi

tofu with walnut-miso dengaku with my homemade red miso

Mark Dresser solo dinner/concert, August 22!

Mark Dresser- bass

Saturday, August 21
8 pm
Limited seating for 20
$55/person
byob

oup
gazpacho
roasted heirloom summer vegetables with herbs, spices and lime

salad
fattoush
homemade pita breads, heirloom cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, romaine, red onion, herbs, olive oil, lemon

small plate
roasted squash blossoms stuffed with homemade almond ricotta, homemade pecan pate
heirloom tomato sauce

entree
Eggplant stuffed with summer squash and walnuts
rice with heirloom beans, herbs and scallions
romesco sauce

dessert
"Cheese"cake
walnut date crust, custard made from silken tofu and yuzu, with blueberry sauce

for more information or to make reservations please email phil (at) philipgelb  d o t (com)

Pauline Oliveros & Ione dinner/concert August 8

Thrilled to have one of the great musical minds of our time, Pauline Oliveros return to the dinner/concert series along with her long time partner, Ione! Enjoy listening to some beautiful music in a very intimate setting along with 5 courses of gourmet, handcrafted cuisine.

Pauline Oliveros - digital accordion
Ione - spoken word/sonic vocals

Sunday, August 8, 2010
8 pm
limited seating for 20
$55/person

soup: gazpacho
heirloom tomatos, heirloom peppers, heirloom cucumbers, heirloom squashes, lime, spices, herbs

salad
cucumber cups stuffed with seaweed salad and almond miso dressing

small plate
blue corn bread
roasted corn and chili relish
fried okra

entree
blueberry roasted tempeh
quinoa-corn pilaf
ong choy stir fried w/ garlic and fermented bean curd

dessert
expect a berry-stone fruit extravaganza



for more information or to reserve seats, please email phil (at) philipgelb (dot) c o m

Monday night June dinners for 10/ June 28 italian menu now including wine sampling!

We continue our Monday night dinner series with a summer Italian menu celebrating the new harvest of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, homemade pasta, homemade nut "cheeses" and other summer ingredients.

And our friend Gino Baralotti will join us! Pouring from his 2 new cabernet releases from his family winery
http://bartalotti.com/

Location: private loft in Oakland
cost $40/person
limited seating for 10
for more information or to reserve a space, phil "at" philipgelb (dot) com

Soup
summer minestrone
wild mushroom stock with heirloom beans and summer vegetables and herbs

salad
vegan caprese
homemade tofu, tomatos, basil, olive oil, balsamic

small plate
ravioli
Homemade pasta pockets stuffed with a beet-nut pate and smothered in basil pesto

entree
eggplant rollatini in tomato sauce (Stuffed with our homemade almond ricotta)
sauteed rappini with garlic and olives

dessert
Peach pie
peach ice "cream"
brandied cherries

Monday night dinners for 10 in June/ Pan asian menu Monday June 14

Our Monday night dinner series continues.

Limited seating for 10
$40/person
for information or to reserve seats, please contact
phil at philipgelb (dot) com

starter
tempeh char siu (homemade tempeh)
cucumbers marinated in mirin and sichuan chili oil

salad
favas and wakame (seaweed) salad

small plate
Fried dumplings with spicy plum sauce
homemade pasta filled with a variety of vegetables, mushrooms and spices and a tangy plum dipping sauce
daikon pickled with salted cherry blossoms

entree
lettuce wraps with
lemongrass tofu
fresh herbs and sprouts
burdock pickled with sesame and sichuan peppercorns
heirloom rice

dessert
aprikan (aprikot kanten)
strawberry sorbet

youtube links for the 3 part video

parts 1-3 of videos produced and directed by Mischa Hedges

July Saturday dinners for 8 Spanish Futbol tribute menu, July 31,

Saturday, July 31, 2010
Time:
8:00pm - 10:30pm
Location:
Oakland
for more information or to sign up:
phil at philipgelb dot com
510 393 6096
$45/person
byob

A Spanish menu with tributes to some favorite futbol players from Spain :)
Celebrating the Spanish victory in the world cup, this summer! And of course, Catalonia has just banned bullfighting. Let us not forget it was a mostly Catalan team that won the cup for Spain!

soup
Guardiola's Gazpacho
heirloom tomatos, heirloom cucumbers, heirloom peppers, spices, lime
(Pep Guardiola, formerly a great player for Barcelona and Spain and currently amazing coach

salad
bean salad
Bojan's beans. Bojan is a 19 year old whizkid, yet another futbol genius from the Barcelona youth program with a serious future of entertaining playing ahead.
heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo farms as well as other local, fresh beans marinated in olive oil, herbs and spices and lemon adorned with roasted summer squashes and smoked nut "cheese"

small plate
Etoo's eggplant (Why didBarcelona trade Samuel Etoo, last year?
amazing striker and great smile form this Cameroonian international)
Eggplant rolled with heirloom peaches, almond "ricotta" and basil, simmered in brandy

entree
-Puyol's Paelle. mushroom/pea/saffron (for Carles Puyol, el Capitan for Barcelona, one of the greatest centerbacks to ever play the game!)
-Lionel's lentil stuffed pepper (for Lionel Messi, European football player of the year)
-Raul's romesco sauce. Ok, you are asking what is a Real Madrid player, let alone their captain doing here? Well, i respect Raul, despite the fact that he had a career playing for a fascist team and am glad he is coming to the US this summer to play in the MLS. The classic Spanish roasted red pepper sauce


dessert
peaches poached in Spanish wine and spices
yuzu saffron sorbet

July dinners for 8, Saturday, July 24, Peach menu with Matsumoto farms peaches!

We are taking a waiting list in case of last minute cancellations for this one.


Special treat for this one!

We will create a 6 course menu from David Mas Masumoto's heirloom peaches!
for several decades, the Masumoto family farm has producing incredible, heirloom peaches. Mas converted the farm to organic over 2 decades ago and his daughter will soon become the 4th generation to take over the farm.
Their suncrest peach is one of the finest pieces of fruit you will ever come across. Large, upwards of 2 pounds each, with a bright gorgeous sunburst color, dripping with juice. These peaches are amazing to cook with.
Come celebrate my favorite fruit from one of my favorite regional farmers with 5 courses

Saturday, July 24, 2010
Time:
8:00pm - 10:30pm
Location:
Oakland
for more information or to sign up:
phil at philipgelb dot com
510 393 6096
$50/person
byob


appetizer
peach rosewater kanten

salad
roasted peaches with daikon, cucumber and shiso-yuzu dressing

small plate
eggplant rolled with peaches, almond "ricotta" basil, sauteed in brandy

another small plate
Rancho Gordo Yellow Mountain bean burgers
peach chipotle sauce
roasted corn relish
grilled raddichio

entree
peach roasted tempeh (homemade tempeh, of course)
rice (from Massa Organics)
stir fried choy sum with garlic and ginger

dessert
peach pecan tart
peach rosewater ice cream
raspberry sauce

July Dinners for 8, Saturday, July 17 Japanese menu

Date:   
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Time:   
8:00pm - 10:30pm
Location:   
Oakland
 for more information or to sign up:
phil at philipgelb dot com
510 393 6096

July, Saturday night dinner for 8 series

Japanese menu

starter
iced matcha
a nice brisk bowl of whisked matcha served iced cold

salad
soba salad
our own homemade soba noodles with summer vegetables and mushrooms in a tangy dressing

small plate
eggplant, tempeh (homemade) and zucchini dengaku (roasted with miso glaze)

entree
apricot glazed roasted tofu
shoyu dakon pickle
wakame cucumber pickle
fried satsuma imo - lotus root cakes
burdock pickled with sichuan peppercorns and sesame seeds

dessert
matcha cake
cherries stewed in rum
maple matcha ice cream

Tempeh class, June 29

Tuesday, June 29
7 pm
limited space for 8
$50 ($40 if you are buying more than 2 classes at a time)

This hands on class will develop this menu together as well as sit down afterward and enjoy our creations in a delightful, freshly made meal. Like all my classes, this class assumes you already enjoy cooking and have some experience and love of cooking. Here you will learn new techniques, learn about new vegetables and ingredients and demystify many culinary traditions. Come and enjoy cooking in a friendly environment with a handful of other food lovers. The food is always vegan but the participants are often omnivores and all is good.

Tempeh class!

About 5 years ago i started producing my own tempeh for myself, my business and recently for friends and some other chefs. There is no comparison between freshly made tempeh and the pasteurized, frozen and shipped kind we find in stores. Since there is no artisan tempeh business in the bay area, if you want the fresh kind, you will need to learn how to produce your own. In this class we will learn how to make our own tempeh as well as a handful of amazing dishes with tempeh.

Tempeh breakfast scramble
tempeh marinated and baked with stone fruits, red miso and spices
Fried tempeh with tamarind -jalapeno sauce
tempeh with peanut sauce

and more

For those, not familiar with tempeh, it is a very ancient food from Indonesia made from soybeans.

to register with this class or for more information:
phil at philipgelb dot com
510 393 6096

July Saturday dinners for 8 Arabic menu July 10

uly, Saturday night dinner for 8 series

Saturday, July 10
8 pm
limited seating for 8
$40/person
byob

5 course Arabic menu

apertif
aprikan (apricots in kanten)

salad
fattoush
homemade pita bread, cucumbers, heirloom tomatos, romaine, olive oil, lemon, herbs

small plate
falafel, beet-nut pate, homemade pickles

entree
Basmati rice baked with herbs and fresh cranberry beans
eggplant simmered with tomatos and herbs
tempeh (homemade) roasted and marinated with apricots, pomegranate mollasses and spices
roasted brocollini

dessert
peach rosewater cake
saffron peach ice "cream"

another rave review

http://eatswellwithothers.blogspot.com/2010/05/in-mood-for-food-yet-another-wonderful.html

Kaoru Kakizakai dinner/concert Saturday, July 3

 Ending the fourth year with one of our favorite performers, returning for the third time.
Visiting us again from Tokyo is one of the great shakuhachi players and teachers of our time, my friend, Kaoru Kakizakai

Saturday, July 3
8 pm
$55/person
byob
limited seating for 20
location: Oakland

soup:
homemade angel hair pasta in wild mushroom broth with minced summer heirloom vegetables

Salad
grilled nectarines, cherry blossom salted daikon,  umeboshi pickled cucumbers

small plate
squash blossoms stuffed with homemade almond "ricotta"
tomato relish
pomegranate vinegar

entree
peach roasted tempeh
rice pilaf (rice from Massa organics)
sauteed ong choy with garlic

dessert
peach tart in pecan-vanilla-date crust
black berry ice cream

Kaoru Kakizakai dinner/concert Friday, July 2

Added a second night!!
Ending the fourth year with one of our favorite performers.
Visiting us again from Tokyo is one of the great shakuhachi players and teachers of our time, my friend Kaoru Kakizakai

appertif
peach kanten
peaches from Masumoto family farms

salad
Roasted: baby summer squashes,
sauteed: romano beans, peas
steamed: red, yellow and black quinoa (from La Yapa)
raw: mixed baby lettuces, heirloom carrots
dressing: plum mustard

small plate
fried dumplings filled with corn, peas, mushrooms and herbs
cucumber salsa
cilantro pesto

entree
eggplant rolled with almond "ricotta" baked in tomato sauce
sauteed brocollini with olives, capers and garlic

dessert
peach pie
peach ice cream
peaches from Masumoto family farms

Friday, July 2
8 pm
$55/person
byob
limited seating for 20
location: Oakland

Lori Goldston dinner/concert, June 19

Our ever popular dinner/concert series pairing world renowned musicians with vegetarian cuisine is nearing the end of the 4th year!
For this evening, visiting from Seattle is the brilliant cellist, Lori Goldston. For many years, she has led her own ensemble, Black Cat Orchestra as well as playing in various ensembles from Nirvana to orchestras. She is very active doing soundtracks to films and she and i recently collaborated on the Ozu film, "Passing Fancy" which we are performing in Oakland, 2 nights after this solo appearance.


soup
bean thread, flat tofu, gai lan in a lemongrass/keffir lime broth

Salad
sake/mirin braised peaches, fried parsnip strips, mizuna, basil oil, yuzu juice, salted daikon & cucumber
(made with heirloom peaches from the Masumoto family farm!)

Small plate
round zucchini stuffed with La Yapa Quinoa, Rancho Gordo brown tepary bean, morels and green onion, herbs
plum sauce

Entree
tempeh marinated and roasted in cherry infused marsala wine, herbs, spices
(homemade tempeh made from soy, wild rice and basmati rice)
roasted pureed root cakes
rappini
pickled beets

dessert
peach rosewater kanten
peach brandy sorbet
(made with heirloom peaches from the Masumoto family farm!)

$55/person
limited seats for 20
location: loft in Oakland
Saturday, June 19
8 pm

Asian greens class, June 15

Tuesday evening
June 15
7 pm - 9:15 pm
limited space for 8
$50

For this class we will explore some of the many green vegetables from the Asian continent.

This hands on class will develop this menu together as well as sit down afterwards and enjoy our creations in a delightful, freshly made meal.  Like all my classes, this class assumes you already enjoy cooking and have some experience and love of cooking. Here you will learn new techniques, learn about new vegetables and ingredients and demystify many culinary traditions. Come and enjoy cooking in a friendly environment with a handful of other food lovers. The food is always vegan but the particpants are often omnivores and all is good.

We will create dishes from a variety of cuisines including Japanese, Chinese Korean  and Thai,


Gai lan with tempeh in tamarind sauce
Chinese watercress soup
Choy sum stir fried with shitake in mushroom flavored sauce
dandelion greens with walnut miso dressing
chrystanthemum greens with mustard miso dressing
Steamed, rolled cabbage rolls w/ plum dipping sauce
kim chee

For more information or to register, phil at philipgelb dot com

cooking class series

Would there be interest in this series that i am thinking of putting on the schedule.
Cost would be $50 per class or $480 for the whole series, a discount of $120.

i am tweeking the idea but am starting with

12 part series, class meeting once a week, either a weekend early afternoon or a weekday evening.
The idea is that over the 12 part series, numerous culinary traditions will be explored via a variety of techniques, using local, seasonal organic ingredients. The focus on the class is to create exceptional, high quality food from scratch, using no packaged or processed ingredients.

8 students per class. Everything is hands on, so all dishes will be prepared (and consumed) by the members of the class and leftovers from the class work will be distributed among the students to take home.

1 knife skills, kitchen safety, work stations, kitchen set

2 stocks and soups
-dashi
-vegetable stock
-simple dal soup
-seasonal vegetable soup (spring- pea/cashew cream; summer-gazpacho)
-miso soup

3 sauces
"cheese" sauce
mushroom sauce
seasonal fruit sauces, savory and sweet
black bean sauce
sichuan chili oil

4 raw salads and salad dressings
mixed green salad
seaweed salad
bean salad
grain salad
herb miso dressing
lemon poppyseed dressing
pomegranate-date dressing

5 sauteeing, frying, deep frying
-tempura

6 stews and thai curries

7 pickling
sauerkraut
variety of Japanese quick pickles such as burdock with sesame peppercorn dressing, turnips with yuzu, daikon tea pickles.
seasonal vegetables pickled
amazake
miso
tempeh


8 yeast breads, pizzas, rolls and loaves
a long day class where we will prepare bagels, bialys, pizza, multi grain rolls and breads

9 pasta noodles and dumplings
noodle dough
almond "ricotta"
ravioil
Thai style curry noodle soup

10 greens
sauteed italian greens with olives and capers and pine nuts
stuffed cabbage rolls
stuffed collard rolls
stir fried choy sum with mushrooms

11 root vegetables
exploration of beets, celery root, turnips, sweet potatos, turnips, potatos, carrots, radishes
-
12 throwing it all together
students are given ingredients and told to go for it. (only open to those who have attended several other classes, if the series does not sell out)

Japanese 5 course meal in the mission on May 22

For the first time, we are hosting one of our renowned dinners in San Francisco. This will be taking place in a loft in the mission district.

Saturday, May 22
8 pm
seating for 14
$40/person
 please contact me for reservations

Soup
asparagus miso chowder
asparagus puree sauteed asaparagus and asparagus tempura
turnips pickled with salt and lemon

salad
hijiki, collards, daikon, carrots, sprouts with umeboshi cherry dressing

small plate
homemade tofu with peas, shitake, shimeji and enoki mushrooms served in seaweed dashi
chrystanthemum greens with mustard miso dressing

entree
homemade tempeh marinated and roasted in red miso, pomegranate mollasses and spices
green bamboo rice
burdock and lotus root kinpira
cherry wasabi sauce
dandelion greens with walnut miso dressing
lotus root pickled in homemade sichuan chili oil
favas and wakame braised in sake
beets pickled in umeboshi

dessert
yuzu matcha cake
mple matcha ice "cream"
red bean strawberry sauce

burger and fries menu May 31

Continuing our Monday night dinner for 8 series.
an American style menu for memorial day.

Monday, May 31
7 pm
limited seating for 8
$40/person
To make reservations, please email phil at philipgelb dot com or contact me on facebook.

soup
pea soup with sweet potato puree, cashew cream and smoked paprika

salad
Grains: wild rice, basmati rice
beans: fresh favas, Rancho Gordo Vallarta beans
Roasted: fennel, baby zucchini
raw: red oak lettuce, red carrots
dressing: olive oil, pomegranate vinegar, herbs

small plate
Steamed collard rolls:
collard greens stuffed with our renowned tempeh (made from soybeans, wild rice, basmati rice) which will be marinated and roasted in a spicy fruity miso glaze, along with wild rice pilaf and caramelized spring onions. Served with plum sauce and chili oil

entree
Chipotle Rancho Gordo Yellow Indian Woman Bean Burgers served on a homemade multi grain roll with avocado, sauteed mushrooms, batamptke mustard and homemade sauerkraut
french fries
sweet potato fries
homemade sun dried tomato ancho chili ketchup

dessert
banana splits
vanilla ice "cream"
chocolate ice "cream"
maple glazed walnuts
cherry sauce

kind words from a collegue about last nights dinner and business in general

Very nice to receive a serious plug from Colleen Patrick-Goodreau, renowned veg cookbook author and food activist.

She posted this note to facebook, last night, following our Monday night dinner for 8.
much thanks to Colleen!!

San Francisco Bay Area Folks: Don't Miss These Great Vegan Dinners!

Share

 Yesterday at 11:35pm

For several years, musician and chef extraordinaire Philip Gelb (of In the Mood for Food) has been delighting people with his delicious fare and music, hosting unique Dinner/Concerts, preparing intimate meals for two or catered affairs for up to 200, and teaching cooking classes.

His dishes are prepared with seasonal, local, sustainable ingredients and lots of attention to detail. We were lucky enough to experience his cuisine tonight as part of his Monday-Night Dinners for Eight, and I highly recommend you do the same. Tonight's menu was Japanese, and subsequent menus for the month of May are Italian, Thai, and Burgers & Fries, respectively.

I've included photos of some of the dishes we had tonight, but here is the actual menu:

We are hosting Monday night dinners for 8, the month of May. These are some of the last events i am hosting in the bay area as i am planning to move this summer. We will host one dinner/concert in May as well on May 15th with the amazing trombone player, Stuart Dempster

5 courses of handmade sustainable cuisine.

Monday, May 3
6:30 pm
Location: loft in Oakland
price: $40/person byob
for reservations, email phil at philipgelb dot com or 510 393 6096

Soup
asparagus miso chowder
(asparagus puree, sauteed asaparagus, and asparagus tempura)

salad
(hijiki, collards, daikon, carrots, sprouts with umeboshi sesame dressing)

small plate
(homemade tofu with peas and shitake, shimeji, and enjoke mushrooms served with cherry sesame umeboshi dressing)

entree
(homemade tempeh marinated and roasted in red miso, pomegranate molasses and spices, green bamboo rice and Forbidden rice
cherry wasabi sauce
dandelion greens with walnut miso dressing
burdock and carrot kinpira
lotus root pickled in homemade sichuan chili oil
favas and wakame braised in sake, beets pickled in umeboshi)

dessert
(yuza matcha cake
maple matcha ice cream
red bean strawberry sauce)

Those of you who know and love Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco will recognize the intricacies of the menu, similarly created with ingredients that are in season and locally grown.

I highly recommend you take advantage of Philip's culinary creations while you still have the chance. He's threatening to leave the SF Bay Area, which would be a great loss for all of us. I, for one, am determined to do what I can to help him stay, but that won't be possible without the support of those of you who love good vegan food and want to show it off to all your friends.

Visit http://philipgelb.blogspot.com/ for a peek at the menu for the upcoming dinners (though they're apt to change based on what's available at the farmer's market that day), and sign up for the Monday dinners now. Four Dinner/Concerts are also on the schedule, so inquire about those as well.

Also, keep Philip in mind for any event you need catered. His food is not to be missed - and it doesn't hurt that he's an incredibly lovely person.

matcha yuzu cake

dry mix:
2 cups and 6 tbsp flour
2 tbsp matcha
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
(if in season, use zest of 1 yuzu. i am making it in spring so using bottle juice, only)

wet mix
1 cup water
1 1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp yuzu juice
1 tbsp vanilla

mix wet in one bowl
mix dry in another

add wet to dry, careful not to overmix.

bake at 350 for 25 minutes

~ Insert toothpick into cake middle if it comes out clean it is done!

1st cooking video

directed by Mischa Hedges

http://vimeo.com/11287902

chocolate chip cookies

One of the great comfort foods for many people are chocolate chip cookies. Back in grad school, my roomate Phil Ballman and i worked our way through a book with the title, "100 of the worlds greatest chocolate chip cookie recipes". Must have tried at least 1/3 of them with the orange one and double chocolate being our faves. However, there were well over a dozen, truly exceptional recipe in that book of a wide variation of approaches to this kind of delightful late night snack. Of course all of these involved copious amounts of ingredients i no longer consume; eggs, butter and sugar. Thus the problem that i have dealt with for years, never finding a recipe online or in any book that i truly liked that was vegan and devoid of processed ingredients. Nor had i ever tasted a vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe that i liked.
After much experimenting, i started with a recipe, though altering some things such as using coconut oil instead of margarine from  the New Now and Zen Cookbook by a great chef, Miyoko Nishimoto (http://veganmanifesto.blogspot.com/). Maple sweetened but it came out very crumbly. Added some yamaimo (Japanese mountain yam) to the batter, and binding occurred and the cookie was no longer crumbly.

Arigato Miyoko san for once again helping me out with a culinary problem and leading me in some great directions to explore!

mexican dinner, May 24

We are hosting Monday night dinners for 8 all through the month of May. Featuring as always, everything hand made. These are some of the last events i will host as i plan to leave the bay area this summer.

Monday, May 24
Loft in Oakland
$40/person byob
limited space for 8
for reservations: phil at philipgelb dot com or 510 393 6096

Mexican menu

soup
coconut cucumber "ceviche"

salad
tba
small plate
chipotle bean burgers (rancho gordo yellow indian beans)
arugula radichio sautee

entree
enchiladas filled with homemade almond ricotta and spinach
with red mole sauce
rancho gordo pinquita beans
heirloom rice pilaf
marinated pea sprouts
cucumber salsa

dessert
Chocolate strawberry cake
cinnamon ice cream

Thai dinner, May 17 for 8

We are hosting Monday night dinners for 8 all through the month of May. Featuring as always, everything hand made. These are some of the last events i will host as i plan to leave the bay area this summer.

Monday, May 17
Loft in Oakland
$40/person byob
limited space for 8
for reservations: phil at philipgelb dot com or 510 393 6096

Thai menu

soup
clear red curry soup with homemade tofu, glass noodles and gai lan
(homemade red curry paste)

salad
green papaya
green papaya, with roasted peanuts, cilantro, ginger, garlic, shallot, tamarind, green bean, lime and more

small plate
Thai style crepes
rice flour/coconut milk crepes filled with tofu, sprouts, chives and a spicy dipping sauce.

entree
Massamum curry (homemade coconut milk, homemade curry paste) with homemade tempeh, peas, lotus root
rice
more tba

dessert
TBA

Italian dinner, May 10

We are hosting Monday night dinners for 8 all through the month of May. Featuring as always, everything hand made. These are some of the last events i will host as i plan to leave the bay area this summer.

Monday, May 10
Loft in Oakland
$40/person byob
limited space for 8
for reservations: phil at philipgelb dot com or 510 393 6096

Italian menu

soup
black lentils in wild mushroom stock

salad
roasted baby spring vegetables with olive oil, herb dressing

small plate
canneloni
homemade pasta stuffed with homemade almond "ricotta" with sun dried tomato sauce
roasted asparagus with lemon and herbs

entree
morel risotto
marsala tempeh (homemade tempeh marinated and baked in marsala wine and herbs)
sauteed rappini with olives, pine nuts and capers

dessert
assortment of homemade truffles and cookies and cashew based ice creams

May 3 Japanese menu, dinner for 8

We are hosting Monday night dinners for 8, the month of May. These are some of the last events i am hosting in the bay area as i am planning to move this summer. We will host one dinner/concert in May as well on May 15th with the amazing trombone player, Stuart Dempster

5 courses of handmade sustainable cuisine.

Monday, May 3
6:30 pm
Location: loft in Oakland
price: $40/person byob
for reservations, email phil at philipgelb dot com or 510 393 6096

Soup
asparagus miso chowder
asparagus puree sauteed asaparagus and asparagus tempura

salad
hijiki, collards, daikon, sprouts with umeboshi sesame dressing

small plate
homemade tofu with shitake and maitake mushrooms served in seaweed dashi

entree
homemade tempeh marinated in red miso, pomegranate mollasses and spices, roasted with tangerines
mixed heirloom rice pilaf
dandelion greens with walnut miso dressing
beets pickled with sakura (cherry blossoms) and salt
sauteed burdock and lotus root

dessert
vanilla ice "cream"
green tea ice "cream"
red bean sauce
toasted rice
our renowned cashew based ice creams will be the focus of this Japanese style sundae

Monday night dinners for 8 in May

Now that i tell people i am leaving the bay area this summer, many people are saying, "i wish i had a chance to hire you or attend one of your events that you host". This is a rather odd thing to hear being that i have been here and in business for many years and hosting my own events for 4 years. So chances were there!
Anyways, i am available for catering gigs till August 1 and at that point i will be homeless and living out of my car, surviving by playing shakuhachi on the street to make food and gas money. Before then i will host some events.

In May, every Monday we are hosting a small, intimate dinner for 8 in a loft in Oakland. As always, everything is handmade from local, ultra high quality organic ingredients (tea, spices and coconuts are the non local exceptions).

May 3 Japanese menu

May 10 Italian menu

May 17 Thai Menu

May 24 Mexican menu

all are $40/person, byob. No live music for these but we are hosting one dinner/concert in May on May 15 with the renowned trombone player, Stuart Dempster which is $55/person.

if you want to come, please contact me, soon as i imagine these will fill up quickly.

another curry paste

Thai food is one of my favorites! And i have been making my own curry pastes for a couple of years, studying the various kinds and here is a version i came up with. Not sure what to call it, sort of a cross between panang and massamum.
Since it is winter, i am using dried chilis. In summer or fall, when they are in season, i would use fresh ones!

In a mortar and pestle of a food processor, place the following:
3 stalks lemongrass
10 cloves, garlic
2 tbsp ginger
10 kaffir lime leaves
i small piece fresh tumeric root
40 dry red thai chilis, reconstituted
6 dried guajillo chilis, reconstituted
2 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted
1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted
1/2 cup peanuts, toasted
3 cloves
1 leek
1 stick cinnamon
1 clove nutmeg
seeds from 5 cardamom pods
1 tsp sea salt
2 cubes, chinese fermented tofu

Grind everything down till it makes a smooth paste. Add a little bit of water, if needed

multi grain seed rolls

1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup corn flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1 cup semolina flour
3 cups white flour
1 tbsp rosemary
1/3 cup poppy seeds
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp agave
2 cups water

Place all ingredients in a stand mixer and let knead for 20 minutes.

Cover dough with a small amount of olive oil, and cover with towel and place in a draft free, warm place.

Let rise for 4 hours or till doubled.

Divide dough into 18 equal part. Round each piece to form a roll. Cover with towel, place in a warm, draft free place for 1 hour.

Preheat oven and baking stone for 1 hour. Bake at 500 for 20 minutes

ruggelach opus 2

ok, let us get rid of this earth balance, corporate PVC (Processed vegan crap). Who knows why it behaves the way it does but to put it simply, i do not trust it. So today, we replaced it with coconut oil. Amazing results in the crust! Absolutely wonderful texture and no pvc in site, no silly corporations to have to give money to, thus life is better.
of course, it gives a bit of a coconut flavor to the ruggelach, not traditional in the least but a great flavor. Will keep experimenting but i think coconut oil is the answer to the "butter" problem of this dish.

on the other hand, the prune/almond filling was not so successful :)

fried yucca cakes

yeah, fried starch!

1 medium sized yucca, peeled and grated
4 inch piece, yama -imo grated
1 small leek, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp crushed black pepper


Combine all ingredients well.
Heat up some olive oil in a cast iron skillet and fry on both sides till golden brown

Ruggelach

The greatest cooks in the world are not paid a penny for their work, nor do they think of themselves as chefs.  In every culture, throughout the world, they are grandmas! They cook because they love to feed the people they love and because to them, food is love, pure and simple. Each family has heirloom recipes, dishes that each taste bud was raised on and longs to return to throughout your lifes journeys.
In my family, as in every Jewish American family, there is a woman we called, Aunt Rose. She was a tiny woman of stature, huge of heart and baked the finest Eastern European Morsels you will ever crave.

Her knishes, her schlischkas, her jelly tarts and for me, most of all, her ruggelach are the finest i have ever tasted of its kind, anywhere.  She was the last one alive who came over from Hungary and brought with her the love and virtuosity of her cuisine. Sadly she left us a few years ago, at a very ripe old age and i have not had great ruggelach since. I cant ever eat ruggelach without thinking of her and the only person who ever dared and achieved at making even better ruggelach and that is my sister, Barbie.  It took many years of practice and on countless passovers and Rosh Hashana, the dessert table fattened us up with samples of 2 generations of ruggelach! Over the years, Barbie figured out that adding more filling was the only possible way to top the great master and well, how do you make the worlds greatest ruggelach, even better? Simple, add more filling! More goodness, now oozing out the sides, cant possibly go wrong. Tragically, for reasons that will never make sense, Barbie left us at a very young age, leaving a ruggelach void in my family that i will now take on and believe the next generation with my niece Lisa is already taking on as well.
Here is the "problem"! Aunt Rose and Barbie cooked with what i have grown to avoid using in my kitchen white sugar, butter, cheese and so on. So here i am adapting a new version of the same idea. This will take a while to figure out, especially since i have not much when it comes to baking knowledge but this will be fun exploring.
I cant explain why i never tried to make ruggelach before but here is the beginning of a work in progress.

Filling:
3 cups walnuts
1 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins or currants
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
mix all well and set aside


dough:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup of my "Cream cheez" recipe
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt

combine earth balance, "cheez", maple and salt till homogenized. Add flour, mixing as little as possible till it forms a ball.  Cut in 4 parts. Wrap and chill an hour.
roll out each part into a log. Add 1/4 of the filling to each one. Wrap up tightly. Cut into rolls and bake at 375 for 18 minutes

moving sale

i am leaving the bay area in the near future.

Selling off my CDs, books and a lot of my kitchen gear. Please contact me if you are interested. not shipping anything so please let me know when you want to come by to my home in Oakland

Mole

an amazing sauce for enchilads and many other mexican dishes.

Soak the following for a few hours:
10 sun dried tomatos
5 dried ancho chilis
2 dried arbol chilis
drain and set aside

Toast the following in 350 oven for 10 minutes:
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup raisins
Put aside


in a frying pan, add 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp sea salt and
2 onions, chopped
Cook for 10 minutes.
add:
10 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tbsp ancho chili powder
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp cocoa

cook for 15 minutes over low heat, stirring often, then add 4 cups stock. Bring to simmer, cover and let cook 2 hours. Puree till very smooth.

falafel

Classic dish from the Middle East. Food like this crosses cultural and geographical boundaries and you can find regional variations throughout the Middle East. Loved by followers of Islam and Judaism, and well, anyone who likes the fresh taste of a delightful little ball fresh out of the fryer.  Put a couple of hungry Palestinians in a room with a couple of hungry Israelis and put in between them some beautiful bowls of olives, hummous, falafel, lavash and pita breads, and see the differences evaporate while the commonality of these cuisines and the delights that wonderful food produces will take over. Yeah, well, common sense can get us really far :)

You will find dozens of variations on this recipe but one of the most important things about making falafel is DO NOT COOK THE BEANS, first! That is right, simply soak the beans and then grind them down. Do not cook them first or the texture is shot.  I know most recipes online tell you to cook the beans but if you look carefully at most recipes online. One of the problems with the net is rank amateurs can post incorrect information.

one pound of dried garbanzos, soaked overnight then rinsed and drained. You can mix garbanzos and favas if you desire. Favas are a very different taste than garbanzos

in a food processor, grind down the beans and add the following:
1/4 cup parsley leaves
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup tbsp fresh dill
4 green onions
4 cloves garlic
1 onion
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp black pepper
1.5 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder


mix well and let sit in the fridge for 2 hours or more.

Make small golf ball size pieces and drop in hot oil and fry till brown.

ideally these are served with pita bread (or lavash), tahini sauce,  and pickled and fresh vegetables for a truly incredible sandwich. Oh yeah, and some hot sauce!

yellow eyed pea soup

Once again, Rancho Gordo farms comes up with an heirloom bean i am not familiar with. Similar to the more renowned black-eyed pea in flavor and aroma, these are beautiful medium sized beans with tremendous depth of flavor and a delightful texture.

for 8

soak one cup yellow eyed peas overnight. Then drain, rinse, place back in a pot, cover with water, add 2 bay leaves and a dried chanterelle and bring to simmer. Cover tightly, lower heat and cook for 12 minutes. These beans cook up fast! Remove from heat, drain again and put aside.

2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 leeks, chopped
10 cloves garlic, minced
10 collar leaves, slivered
1 shallots, minced
10 sun dried tomatos, reconstituted and drained
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sea salt

in a soup pot, heat up oil and sautee the leeks with the salt for 4 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and following spices and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
2 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1.5 tsp cumin
1.5 tsp oregano
1 tsp black pepper

Add 6 cups of stock and bring to simmer. Finish with 1/3 cup lemon juice and chopped cilantro

smoky maple tempeh

 here is what i call smoky maple bacon and is quite easy to make!


First you will need to marinade the tempeh.
Actually, first you will need some freshly made tempeh, as the packaged kind is not very good. learn to make your own, it is fun and easy. Or, if possible and there is one, support your local tempeh maker.

1 pound tempeh, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup shoyu
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp umeboshi vinegar
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp half sharp paprika
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp smoked salt

let marinade for 2 hours.
Pan fry in olive oil till browned
at the end of frying, pour a small amount of marinade in the pan and it will make the tempeh browner and crispier.

 Note: Of course, you can use the packaged stuff but why settle for an inferior mass produced, pasteurized product when you can go local and fresh? If you insist on packaged food, go for Turtle Island Tempeh. By all means, avoid Soy Deli and Wildwood as those are truly awful.

tempeh, marinated and tempura'd

is "tempura'd" a word? Probably not. Nonetheless, you get the point of this dish!

you need a few ingredients to start with:
3/4 pounds of freshly made tempeh cut into 1/2 inch strips
1/4 cup shoyu
1/4 cup hon mirin (do not use the cheap crap you usually find unless you have a hankering for corn syrup)
1 tsp sichuan chili oil

let the tempeh soak in the marinade for at least 1 hour.


Now you need some tempura batter:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tbsp potato starch
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup ice water

mix the dry ingredients well. Then mix in the water lightly! Do not over mix or the texture will not be as desirable as you are aiming for.

fry it up in some hot oil till golden brown.

all beans are not created equal

As a child, i hated beans. They were dry, tasteless and well, like most of the manufactured food of the time, pretty damn useless in terms of nutrition or any kind of culinary value. When i decided to become vegetarian at age 17, i learned that i needed to develop some taste for beans thus had to start learning how to prepare them. But still, the beans were awful. Old, dusty, dry things that i now realize were poor varieties, badly grown and probably years old.  And i remember people telling me, "if you do not put meat in your beans, it wont have any flavor". Yeah, ok, whatever, to that response as i already figured out that fresh herbs, spices and vegetables, along with oils and acids and salts produced very flavorful beans. However, i was not aware of the lack of quality of the beans themselves were.

Nowadays, things are different. Rancho Gordo Farms, http://www.ranchogordo.com/, supplies chefs in the bay area with the highest quality, heirloom varieties of beans, available. Gone is the dust and the dryness and in comes the freshly dried, gourgeous vivid colored beans, booming with flavor and all kinds of delightful textures. Yes, they are more expensive than what you find in bulk bins in local places like Rainbow and Berkeley bowl and hte few other remaining places in the US where you can still get actual, REAL food, and also in horrible places like Whole Foods. Unfortunately, things are set up in ways that make no practical sense whatsoever. So in order to have our food grown without toxic pesticides and dangerous fertilizers, and in order to have our farmers paid and treated well and in order for those distributing the food to also be paid well, we have to pay absurd amounts for it. With Mr Hope and Change Presidente installing yet another Monsanto dude in charge of food and health safety, we know this situation will only get worse in the coming years.  It is a serious problem as these high prices for real food, make it an elite product that few can consume. Thus people are forced to eat low quality, factory farmed food (highly subsidized to keep the prices absurdly low) in order to be able to pay other bills.  Not everyone can prioritize food as an important expense.

How is this solved? Beyond a massive upheavel based on simple common sense and demanding leadership that supports small businesses instead of corporattions, there is no chance of this situation changing. Unless suddenly people realize that they must vote every time they spend money. Every time we purchase food, we vote. When we buy that cheap bag of crappy beans at safeway, we vote that says, "give me this shit, i am someone that accepts mediocrity and craves it and yearns for more of it, bring it on and forcefeed it down my throat some more. i loe your miller light, your pepsi, your disney films, your illusion of change... and i deserve nothing more as i simply do as i am told and stopped thinking on my own shortly after my public education began". Or we can support our local farms, our suppliers of heirloom dried goods, our local makers of artisan foods and vote each time that says, "thank you for keeping some sense of old world artistry and craftsmanship alive. We need this if we want any kind of respectable future for humanity, my tasted buds and my spirit deserve quality".

ok, i have not ranted on this blog in a while and somehow my support and admiration for this amazing bean company led to this. How can you eat or talk about food and not give though to the importance of those who grow our food and the extreme importance of how our food got from that farm to our kitchens.

Check out the various varieties of beans from Rancho Gordo! Your tastebuds will really appreciate the extra expense way more than you can imagine!

many new classes added to the schedule

6 cooking classes, now on the schedule for the winter and spring with many more to be added, soon.
Sunday, February 28, chocolate class, 5 pm
Sunday, March 7, noodle shop class, 5 pm
Thursday, March 25, passover class, 6:30 pom
Sunday March 28, tempeh class 7 pm
Saturday, April 3 mushroom class, noon
Saturday, May 22, sichuan class, noon

all classes are hands on with all students preparing and consuming each dish.  Space is limited to 8 and cost is only, $40. please contact me for reservations or if you have questions

stir fried, flat tofu noodle

Flat tofu noodle (see note)

1 pound flat tofu, cut into noodles, boiled for 2 minutes, drained.

in a wok or large frying pan, heat up:
3 tbsp coconut oil

add
1 leek, julienned
6 cloves garlic, minced

and cook for 2 minutes

add:
:1 pound sprouts
1 carrot, julienned
1 bunch gai lan

and cook for 2 more minutes

combine:
3 tbsp chinese fermened tofu
2 tbsp red miso
4 tbsp shoyu
2 tbsp palm sugar
1/2 cup stock

add to the vegetables, stir fry for 30 seconds, add the flat tofu noodles and serve

Note: Flat tofu is a rare Chinese variety of tofu. Fortunately, in the bay area, Tofu Yu, (tofuyu.com) prepares this daily in their tofu shop in Berkeley, along with many other fine styles of tofu. You can find this flat tofu from Tofu Yu at many farmers markets in the bay area. Check them out

massamun curry

Massamun Curry

serves 9
mix the following in a wok or cast iron pot:
2/3 cup curry paste
6 cups coconut milk
2 cups stock
1/2 cup shoyu
1/3 cup tamarind concentrate
1/3 cup palm sugar
bring to simmer
then add:
1 pineapple, diced
2 carrots, rough cut
1 kabocha, small, rough cut
1 pound potatoes, small pieces
1 lotus root, sliced thinly
i cauliflower cut in small florets
2 onions, half moons
1 cup toasted peanuts

cook till vegetables are tender. Do not cover or coconut milk will curdle
then add
1 pound fried tempeh strips
for the last few minutes of cooking.
serve hot over rice


cilantro to garnish

Thai-Japanese mushroom soup

Thai Mushroom Soup

for 9
9 cups vegetable stock, hot
4 cups of assorted mushrooms: shitake, maitake, shimeji, enoki, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
10 thai green chilis, chopped
1 onion, half moons
1 pound tofu, drained, pressed and cut in 1/2 inch cubes
10 kafir lime leaves
3 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup shoyu
2 tbsp shaoshing
1/3 cup mirin
1 tbsp chili oil

garnish:
4 green onions, chopped
1 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup thai or opal basil, chiffonade

in a soup pot, heat up coconut oil and fry up onions, garlic, ginger and chilis for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook another 4 minutes. Add shaoshing and let cook off and then add lime juice, shoyu and chili oil. Bring to simmer, add tofu, return to simmer, add hot stock. Adjust flavors and serve immediately.

massamun curry paste

Massamun Curry Paste

10 dried new mexico or guajillo peppers, soaked
3 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted
3 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp green peppercorns
1 tsp red peppercorns
7 cloves
seeds of cardamom pod
1 large cinnamon stick
one small nutmeg
3 stalks lemongrass
2 large shallots
2 tbsp cilantro stems
6 cloves garlic
2 tbsp  ginger
10 kaffir lime leaves
20- or more fresh thai chilis
1 tbsp chinese fermented bean curd
1.5 tsp salt

Pan roast the coriander, cumin, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg for about 10 minutes or till very aromatic. Be very careful not to burn or you have to start all over.



Now there are 2 options:

easy, moderne, arm saving method. Toss everything in a food processor, hit the button, cover tightly and/or get out the gas mask. Add some water if needed, to form a paste.

Tradition: Get out the mortar and pestle and start grinding, one ingredient at a time. Add the next one, only after the previous ones are well formed. Be careful with your hands, nostrils and lungs when incorporating the chilis

tamarind fried tempeh

Fried Tempeh with tamarind flavor
1 pound tempeh cut into strips

marinade:
1/3 cup tamarind concentrate
3 tbsp shoyu
2 tbsp mirin
1.5 tsp sea salt
1.5 tsp black pepper
2 shallots, pounded
15-30 cloves garlic, pounded
combine all marinade ingredients and let tempeh soak for at least 15 minutes.
Fry tempeh and serve it hot

pasta with creamy cashew sauce

Some would call this "vegan macaroni and cheese" but the word vegan will turn most people off immediately, thus the more descriptive title is being employed here.

1 pound dried small spiral pasta
par boil the pasta till it is 60% cooked, drain well. Do this at the very end, just before you put the pasta in the oven. General rule is never let pasta wait for its sauce or its dish to continue.

in a blender, place 1 cup raw cashews and 2 cups cold water. Blend till very smooth, set aside. You have to use raw cashews for this and for all my cashew cream recipes! Roasted or salted will effect your dish in a very bad way.

heat up a frying pan and chop the following:
1 leek
1 onion
6 cloves garlic
1 carrot
handful of parsley

if it were summer, i would add some fresh peas and chopped peppers but i am typing this in February so those are way out of season.

Add the onions and leeks to 3 tbsp of olive oil and 1 and 1/2 tsp sea salt in the pan and cook over medium-low heat, covered for 10 minutes. add rest of vegetables, cover and cook 3 more minutes.
Add:
2 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp yellow mustard powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 cup dry white wine to the hot pan, deglazing it in the process, cover and let cook for 2 minutes.

in a large bowl mix together the cooked vegetables, the blended cashew cream and the cooked pasta. Add 1/3 cup nutritional yeast, 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper and 1 cup water.
Place in a baking tray, cover and bake at 350 for half hour.

next cooking class has spaces open, Thai, February 20

hands on cooking class! each student will be creating and consuming each dish

Saturday February 20
noon
limited space for 8
$40

Thai menu
make your own coconut milk
make your own red curry paste
red curry soup with fried tempeh, kabocha and long beans
green papaya salad
lemongrass veggie stir fry
and more dishes to be added

Valentines dinner/concert w/ Chris Caswell, harp

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=207640003304&index=1

Sunday, February 14, 2010
7 pm
$110/couple
limit for 10 couples

our third Valentines event. Returning to the series is the world renowned harp player and maker, Chris Caswell!!

this is the tenative menu we will be building from:

starter
yuzu-sichuan peppecorn truffle rolled in matcha

soup
maitak mushroom with silken tofu and lotus root tempura served in an iron pot for 2

salad
blood orange-fennel-watercress with blood orange dressing

pasta
chocolate ravioli!
chocolate pasta filled with our delectable almond "ricotta" and raisins and pine nuts.

entree
yuba roll stuffed with homemade tempeh and vegetables
stir fried choy sum with ginger
spiced acorn squash puree

concert: Chris Caswell - harp

dessert
pears poached in wine and spices in a crust made of cacao beans, walnuts and dates
Chocolate ice "cream"

vegan cheesecake

“cheese”cake

pie crust:

Crust
makes 2 crusts
1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp earth balance
1 1/4 tbsp tahini
about 5 tbsp water

combine flours. Cut in earth balance with pastry cutter till it resembles fine crumbs. Add water and bring ingredients together. do NOT overmix!
let sit, refrigerated one hour before using

custard for one cheesecake
place in food processor:
1 pound silken tofu
3 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
grated rind of one lemon or yuzu

process till very smooth
add to crust
bake at 350 for 40 minutes

sauteed brocollini

sauteed brocolini with garlic and olives
serves 8
ingredients

2 bunches brocollini
8 cloves garlic sliced
10 black olives, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 red cup wine
 black pepper


directions
wash and rinse the brocollini
chop olives
 slice garlic

heat up a pan over medium with oil and sautee garlic for a few seconds and then add rappini, stirring well to coat and sautee for 2 minutes or till vegetable starts to slightly wilt. add olives, capers and wine, immediately cover for 30 seconds. remove from heat, add black pepper and serve immediately

options
almost any green vegetable can be substitued such as brussel sprouts, broccoil, brcolli rabe, etc
use black olives
add toasted pine nuts