 This is one of the recipes you reach for when the garden is in full production mode and you can’t keep up. It’s extraordinarily versatile and can be used to enhance all manner of dishes: add it to pizza along with some burrata and fresh basil. Fold it into pasta along with capers, olives and chile flakes for an avante garde version of pasta puttanesca. Smear a thin layer of white miso on toast and top with the tomatoes, flaky salt and a drizzle of the reserved oil. Pulse in a blender to create a base for an incredibly flavorful tomato soup. And on and on...
It is essential that you use seasonal tomatoes and some of the best olive oil your budget will allow. I love using this infused oil to finish soups, dip bread in and on and on...
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In the summer I like to buy flats of tomatoes from local farms and then spend the next few days in the kitchen transforming them. Holding a sturdy cardboard box of these heirloom jewels makes me feel rich. If you can, use dry farmed tomatoes for this recipe. Dry farming is when watering and irrigation is discontinued once the plants become established. The result? A brilliant water saving measure AND the most flavorful tomatoes you will ever have the pleasure of putting into your mouth. Dry farming is easier done in places that have rainfall patterns like California: a rainy winter and a precipitation free summer. So if you aren’t able to easily acquire these gems, don’t fret. The best tomatoes are still the ones that grow closest to you.
Shio koji is a salty, umami packed paste made from salt, water and, of course, koji. Koji is a brilliant Japanese ingredient that is made when a grain, usually rice, has been inoculated with the fungus Aspergillus oryzae and left to ferment for a few days. The fungus slowly digests both the proteins and the starches in the grain which results in a both a higher level of sugar and a higher level of free amino acids. The star amino acid is glutamic acid, which imparts savoriness to foods. Have you ever wondered what MSG, the darling of the packaged food world, stands for? Monosodium glutamate. Basically it is an isolated and refined form of what we are tasting when we eat Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and miso. This is one recipe that is a bit labor intensive but a little goes a long way and I promise that you will thank yourself when you are able to doctor up your soups, pastas and beans with a spoonful of this tangy, umamilicious concentrate.  Yogurt in soup was a revelation to me. Normally dairy based soups are rich, comforting and occasionally bordering on stodgy. When milk is fermented into yogurt, lactic acid is produced, which lightens and lifts. The oyster mushroom is a wonderful, umami laden accent, both as a garnish and mixed into the body of the soup.
I have a recent obsession with Persian cookbooks and cuisine which has roughly translated to a few changes in my recipes: an increase in saffron, more fenugreek, more yogurt and adding massive amounts of herbs. This recipe is a reflection of the latter two. Depending on how “green” of a flavor you want, consider adding the herbs right before serving or before the yogurt so that they will be muted.  Few things bring as much vegan umami to dishes as roasted mushrooms. In this recipe I use not one but TWO delightful and very accessible mushrooms to enhance this hearty soup. It comes together really easily; the majority of the work is done by your oven which helps to transform the mushrooms into savory, textured morsels instead of the gummy, insipid bites that people may associate with mushroom soups. I particularly like this recipe on overcast Bay Area days that are threaded with torpor and I can’t be bothered to do anything too labor intensive. A large bowl of this plus a generous hunk of bread is my answer to a quick, satisfying dinner.  This week was the last hurrah for asparagus at the Sunday farmer’s market. It’s always a bittersweet moment. It means that, well, I won’t be enjoying asparagus until the following year. BUT it also signals the end of spring and the start of summer. Stone fruit and tomatoes are right around the corner.
I wanted this final bunch of asparagus to get a light treatment so that its flavor would really come through. The broth is spritely, despite the inclusion of such heavy hitting ingredients like onion, garlic, Parmesan and lemon. A perfect base for the vegetal freshness of the asparagus. I think that my favorite part of this dish is that ladling the aromatic broth over the raw asparagus will cook it to perfection. It becomes bright green but doesn’t lose its crisp and crunchy texture. |
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