The menu is a wonderful mix of Very European Classics that have been given a Vegetarian, and sometimes Vegan twist
The soups are to be:
a Portuguese Caldo Verde, a hearty potato and garlic soup with tons of kale or cabbage (I am using local grown curly kale);
an Almond Soup from Spain, a very mild yet creamy tasting soup made with org. rice milk and organic almonds, very traditional when the almond harvest is in.
In some local ethnic stores now, in Los Angeles there is a fresh almond harvest from South America.
A French/Moroccan inspired roasted red pepper soup that is finished with some coconut milk infused with fresh ginger...smoking the red peppers to peel, over an open flame intensifies the flavor and also adds the smokey layer of flavor, which is so necessary as it no longer is made with chicken stock.
In Ibiza, a Spanish rocky island, which is comprised of very old olive and almond groves, the harvesting of both was a big occasion, with celebrations going on all week, and lots of local dishes featuring olives and fresh almonds..a total different "animal" to the dried nut we are used to...tender and creamy almost bean like textures and made into wonderful savory and sweet dishes.
When I was in Portugal, in the early 80's tourism had not really begun, so I saw the country at it's local best..only own grown vegetables and back yard raised corn fed chickens producing the most wonderful golden egg yolks.
Kale grown right on the coastal plains of The Algarve so it still had the sea salt on and in it.
(in Northern Europe kale was/is a wild plant that grew near the sea and the salt marshes, the local sheep used to graze on it and some of the best lamb came from these areas as you could actually taste the salty brine naturally forming in the meat)
Caldo Verde was and probably still is a soup that is made weekly and theirs will also include locally produced sausages and beans..fabulous if you can get it from a local.
Driving a motorbike through the townships if Antibes and Cannes searching out wonderful local grown sweet peppers,in the high summer was a highlight of my shopping expeditions..getting everything into the back of the bike to bring back was a chore as most ended up slung around my neck in 3 large shopping bags, as I zig zagged my way back to the port of Juan -les-Pins.
The Entrees are a mix of vegetarian and vegan....
Vegan mushroom & green bean "goulash", again with Spanish undertones as I am using smoked Spanish paprika..this makes it taste like the dish was cooked over an open hearth, coconut milk ( substituted for the sour cream) also adding sweet potatoes, and serving with GF pasta ( in place of egg noodles).
A nice French style Artichoke & Walnut tart...with cream cheese, eggs and yogurt in a sweet butter-wholewheat and flax seed crust.
Vegan Baked eggplants with artichokes and tomatoes, this comes with steamed quinoa ( a very high protein, For desserts & breads:
A strawberry buttermilk cobbler..very Southern United States, (I know, not European, but I suspect the origins..poached fruit topped with buttermilk scones are based in Europe)
Coconut whole wheat- oatmeal cookies
Vegan Brownies, no eggs and a base of beans and bananas, these are the Best I have ever had, moist and very delicious.
A from scratch yellow cornbread with maple syrup
also a tip for fruit and vegetable shopping..take your time at local markets, make a broad sweep first of the entire place and make mental notes of items you are intending to purchase, then begin again but this time go slowly and inspect with all your senses, as well as it looking good it should also smell good..when was the last time you smelled a cucumber?...or a sweet pepper? most vine produced vegetables, peppers, squashes, tomatoes, cucumbers will have a nice fresh and sometime fruity scent; if they smell like the box they were packed in, (cardboard smell), avoid them they are not fresh picked and maybe not even local grown.
Also only buy eggplants that feel hard and crisp. Avoid them if they are spongy (these are old) or have any indentations that are brown ..the eggplant is bruised and the flesh will unusable.
Encourage your markets to keep them cool when storing to preserve their freshness.
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| cilantro, Napa cabbage, celery, curly kale and carrots |
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| celery, white sweet potatoes, Roma tomatoes "Persian" cucumbers, green peppers, eggplants, zucchini, red peppers |
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| Stream watercress (we also have something here called field cress which is hydroponically grown and not good for flavoring anything) |
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