Vegan Parmigiana

Southern Italian recipe today. Definetly my favourite dish ever: Parmigiana di Melanzane (Aubergine Parmigiana).

Nowadays with all plant based alternatives available one can easily replicate any desired dish.

I personally was craving for this one in particular until I've finally found my "cheeses combo": one that substitutes the Mozzarella and the other one instead of the dairy Parmesan.

And to be fair, even if I've never been a fan of Mortadella, an Italian cold cut made with pork and tons of fat (sounds disgusting, I know), which is included in some of the countless versions of this dish, I've decided to add some vegan ham for a richer kick. Though believe me, even without any "cheese" and "ham" this dish is deliciously mouthwatering!

I mean: look at that! I think that the picture speaks itself!!!

Ingredients (4 servings):

2 Aubergines

500 ml Tomato Passata

300 gr Plant Based Milk or Water (Oat)

100 gr Chickpea Flour

50 gr Corn Flour

50-70 gr Vegan Mozzarella (your favourite, really)

6/8 Slices Vegan Ham

5 Leaves Basil

Vegetable Oil

Black Salt (for an eggy flavour)

Tumeric

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Salt

Pepper

Method:

In a wide pan pour at least 3 inches of vegatable oil and set medium heat.

For the batter: In a bowl combine milk, chickpea flour, corn flour, a pinch of tumeric and black salt. Blend (or hand whisk) until smooth.

Cut aubergines into disks about 1/2 inch thick.

 Coat each disk in the batter

 and deep  fry until golden brown (for around a couple of minutes each side).

For the tomato sauce: In a microwave friendly bowl combine passata, salt, pepper, garlic&onion granules and basil leaves. Microwave for 5 minutes at 800W.

Assemble:

In a tray spread a layer of tomato sauce on the botton.

Followed by a layer of fried aubergines.

More tomato sauce...

...and a layer of ham and cheese.

Repeat until you use up all the aubergine.

Then a final layer of tomato sauce and a generous sprinkle of vegan parmesan.

Bake at 180° C for 20-30 minutes.

Best served warmed.

Italian Version

Volete sapere qual è stata la prima cosa che ho cucinato dopo aver trovato dei formaggi vegani soddisfacenti (per il mio palato)?

Ebbene sì, il mio piatto preferito in assoluto: la Parmigiana di Melanzane!

E visto che ho trovato anche un buon prosciutto cotto vegetale, pur non essendo una fan delle versioni con mortadella, ho deciso di aggiungercelo, per un'ulteriore ricchezza (ma potete benissimo ometterlo, è squisita lo stesso!)

Ingredienti per 4 Persone:

2 Melanzane

500 ml Passata di Pomodoro

300 gr Latte Vegetale (Avena) o Acqua

100 gr Farina di Ceci

50 gr Farina di Mais

50-70 gr Vegan Mozzarella (quella che preferite)

6/8 Fette di Proscitto Cotto Vegano

5 Foglie di Basilico

Olio Vegetale 

Sale Nero (sa di uovo, provare per credere!)

Curcuma

Aglio in Polvere

Cipolla in Polvere

Sale

Pepe

Procedimento:

Mettete a scaldare in una padella capiente almeno 5 cm di olio vegetale (fuoco medio)

Nel frattempo ci dedichiamo alla velocissima pastella: in un contenitore aggiungere latte, le farine (ceci e mais), un pizzico di curcuma e il sale nero. Frullare con minipimer o sbattere a mano con frusta finché otterrete una pastella cremosa e senza grumi.

Tagliamo quindi le melanzane a rondelle di circa mezzo cm, le passiamo nella pastella e le friggiamo fino a doratura (per circa un paio di minuti a lato).

Velocissimo e leggerissimo sugo di pomodoro: In un contenitore per microonde aggiungiamo passata, basilico, sale, pepe, aglio e cipolla in polvere. Cuociamo per 5 minuti a 800W.

Possiamo finalmente assemblare la parmigiana.

In una teglia da forno distribuiamo sul fondo uno strato di sugo.

Adagiamo le melanzane fritte.

Irroriamo con ulteriore passata.

Farciamo con uno strato di prosciutto e mozzarella.

Ripetiamo gli strati fino a esaurimento delle melanzane.

Copriamo l'ultimo strato con dell'altro sugo e spolveriamo abbondante parmigiano vegetale.

Inforniamo a 180° per circa 20-30 minuti.

Servire preferibilmente calda.

Bleeding Burgers

Are you craving bleeding burgers but you're not happy to eat processed food all the time?

This recipe is perfect for you!

Meaty texture patties made 100% of natural ingredients, easy to find in any supermarket, that will easily "trick" any meat eater :)

Ingredients for 4 burgers:

1/2 tin Chickpeas
1 Beetroot
7 Brown Mushrooms
1 Red Onion
1 handful Dried Mushrooms (if you're not a fan of their taste, just omit them)
1 Tbs White Miso Paste
1 Tbs Chickpea Flour
1 Tbs Barbecue Sauce
Rolled Oat
Parsley to Taste
Garlic Powder to Taste
Smoked Paprika to Taste
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Method:

First blend the dried mushrooms to a flour.

Set aside.

Finely chop the red onion and sauté in a pan until soft.

In the mean time roughly blend the fresh mushrooms...

...add them in the pan with the onions and cook until fragrant and caramelised.

Now blend the chickpeas along with the beetroot (previously chopped)

until smooth (it might need a splash of water).

In a bowl combine all the ingredients adding as many rolled oat as necessary to make the mixture drier and easier to shape into burgers 

(I personally add about 1/2 cup of it)

and.... Look at that! It seems almost too real for my taste.. Looks like the mixure of the meatballs that my granma use to make <3

Now all we need is to shape the patty into burgers and fry on a stove with a dash of olive oil for around 3-4 minutes each side.

Serve immediately :)

Notes: 

Rolled oats and fresh mushrooms are essential to achieve a "meaty" texture.

Beetroot is needed to recreate both the colour and the "bleeding effect". 

For these reasons I don't recommend to omit or substitute those ingredients.

Serving suggestion: Spinach wrap with vegan tzatziki sauce, crunchy salad and a pich of hot paprika.

Italian Version

Avete voglia di burger "al sangue" ma siete stanchi di nutrirvi sempre con alimenti industriali pieni di conservanti?

Questa è la ricetta che fa per voi: 100% vegetale e realizzata con ingredienti facilmente reperibili in ogni supermercato :)

Ingredienti per 4 Burger:

1/2 barattolo di Ceci Precotti
1 Rapa Rossa
7 Champignon Scuri
1 Cipolla Rossa
1 manciata di Funghi Secchi (se non li gradite, ometteteli)
1 cucchiaio di Pasta di Miso Bianca
1 cucchiaio di Farina di Ceci
1 cucchiaio di Salsa Barbecue
Fiocchi d'Avena
Aglio in Polvere
Prezzemolo
Paprika Affumicata
Sale e Pepe

Procedimento:

Tritate i fughi secchi con l'aiuto di un frullatore, finché otterrete una sorta di farina e mettete da parte.
Tagliate la cipolla a dadini e soffriggetela in una padella finché non risulterà tenera.
Tritate i funghi freschi e aggiungeteli alla padella con la cipolla.
Infine, passate al frullatore anche i ceci e la rapa rossa, precedentemente ridotta a dadini. Potrebbe volerci un goccio d'acqua per raggiungere la consistenza desiderata.

In una ciotola aggiungete tutti gli ingredienti della ricette e una quantità variabile di fiocchi d'avena, a seconda dell'umidità del vostro impasto (io ne ho dovuti aggiungere un paio di manciate).
Fiocchi d'avena e funghi freschi contribuiranno a rendere i vostri burger più simili alla texture "carnivora", per cui sconsiglio di ometterli.
La rapa rossa è fondamentale per emularne il colore e l'effetto "al sangue" una volta cotti.
Che dire ancora, non vi resta che formare i burger e cuocerli in padella con un goccio d'olio per circa 3-4 minuti a lato.

Servite immediatamente in panini o in piadine, conditi magari con della buona e casereccia salsa tzatziki.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

I have to tell you, I'm so proud of this baby <3
This dessert is really heavenly, soft, rich and really really easy to make; in fact I'm translating this recipe in Italian, in order for my mum to replicate it easily :)

Ingredients (for a 18 cm mould, hinged)

Base:

160 gr Oreos

50 gr Vegan Butter

Mousse 1:

100 gr Dark Chocolate 70%

1 can Coconut Milk

100 gr Plant Based Milk (Hemp)

30 gr Icing Sugar

5 gr Agar Agar

Mousse 2:

150 gr Dark Chocolate 70%

1 can Aquafaba

Pistachios and/or chocolate shaving for decoration.

Method

Step 1:

In a food processer crumble the cookies for a few seconds.

Weight the margarine in a glass bowl and melt it in the microwave (15 seconds 800W).

Combine cookies crumble and melted margarine.

Spread the mixure at the bottom of the mould (coated with baking paper) and let it set in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.

Step 2:
In the meantime melt the 100 gr of dark chocolate (2ish minutes at 350/400W), add the icing sugar and coconut cream*. Whisk well and set aside.

In a small pot heat the milk for a few seconds, and add the agar agar powder.
Mix well.
Combine the milk and the melted chocolate mixure.

* To obtain coconut cream out of a tin of coconut milk simply refrigerate the tin overnight and scoop out the condensed cream, being careful not to include water.

Pour the mousse on top of the cookie base.

Chill in the freezer for at least half an hour.

Step 3:

Whisk the aquafaba into stiff peaks, ideally into a mixture so stiff that if you turn the bowl upside down it doesnt' fall out.

As soon as it reach this lovely and smooth meringue texture...

...combine it with melted chocolate (2:15/20 minutes at 350/400W), a spoonful at the time. 

This mousse is so pefect with just these two ingredients that you don't have to add anything to flavour it. Although feel free to add a spash of vanilla extract and/or chilli powder for an extra kick!

Pour the mixture on the previous layer of mousse, decor with some chocolate shot sauce and crumbled pistacchios. Let it set for at least a couple of hours before diggin' in! 

It totally worth the wait, trust me!!

Cut it in 6 or 8 servings (I opted for the greedy option as you can see)...

 ...serve&enjoy!

Italian Version

Ingredienti per uno stampo a cerniera da 18 cm:

Base:

160 gr Biscotti Oreo

50 gr Margarina Vegetale

Mousse 1:

100 gr Cioccolato Fondente al 70%

1 Barattolo di Latte di Cocco

100 gr Latte Vegetale

30 gr Zucchero a Velo

5 gr Agar Agar

Mousse 2:

150 gr Cioccolato Fondente al 70%

1 Barattolo di Aquafaba (acqua dei ceci)

Decorazione: Pistacchi e/o scaglie di cioccolato.

Procedimento:

Step 1: 

Polverizzare i biscotti in un robot da cucina.

Misurare la margarina in un contenitore di vetro e scioglierla in microonde per 15 secondi a 800 W.

Aggiungere i biscotti alla margarina, mescolare bene e foderare la base della tortiera (precedentemente rivestita da carta da forno).

Porre in freezer per almeno 15 minuti.

Step 2:

Nel frattempo sciogliere i 100 grammi di cioccolato fondente della prima mousse per circa 2 minuti a 350/400W al microonde. 

Aggiungere lo zucchero a velo e la panna di cocco*. Montare per qualche secondo e mettere da parte.

In un pentolino riscaldare il latte a fiamma bassa e aggiungere la gomma agar agar.

Mescolare bene e combinare col resto del preparato.

*per ricavare della panna di cocco a partire da un barattolo di latte di cocco, bisogna semplicemente refrigerarlo il giorno prima ed estrarre con un cucchiaio la parte superficiale che si sarà solidificata, facendo attenzione a non includere l'acqua sottostante.

Versare il composto sulla base di biscotti, che si sarà solidificata, e porre in freezer per almeno 30 minuti.

Step 3:

Sciogliere il restante cioccolato per 2 minuti e 15/20 secondi a 800W nel microonde.

Montare a neve l'aquafaba finché si ottiene un composto fermo in modo che, capovolgendo il contenitore, non cada via.

Aggiungere l'aquafaba montata a neve al cioccolato fuso, un cucchiaio alla volta.

Versare anche l'ultima mousse nello stampo e decorare a piacere con pistacchi sbriciolati e/o scaglie di cioccolato fondente.

Porre in freezer per almeno un paio d'ore: fidatevi, vale la pena aspettare!

Ricavare dalle 6 alle 8 porzioni e servire :)

Vegan Smoked Salmon

Hello everybody!

Today I'm happy to share the recipe of this gorgeous smoked salmon.

Easy to make, only a few ingredients and 100% delicious!

Ingredients:

3 Carrots

200 ml Boiling Water

1 ts Garlic Powder

1 ts Onion Powder

2 ts Liquid Smoke

1 Nori Sheet

Salt to taste

Method:

Place carrots in a tray covered with foil.

Sprinkle some sea salt, wrap in foil and bake for 50 minutes at 180° C.

For the marinate:

Roughly tear nori sheet and place it in a blender.

Blend for a few seconds until powdered. Set aside.

In a bowl add: boiling water, garlic & onion powder, liquid smoke and nori sheet. Stir well.

Once carrots are cooked, leave them covered in foil until completely cool.

Cut carrots into slices and pour over the marinate.

Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before use (ideally 2 days).

Can last up to one week in the refrigerator. 

Enjoy in bagels or sandwiches, pies, fish cakes, risottos and sauces :)

Don't miss the video recipe of this dish!

Stuffed Peppers with Rice and Tumeric Flavoured Courgettes

Right, so it may seem a bit elaborate, but believe me, it woths every single step!After all this years this was literally the fist time I attemped to use chia seeds as egg substitute, and I'm very very pleased with both the result and texture.

In this version I used pre-boiled rice as a filling (because I had a couple of handfull as a leftover) but I've also tried with cous cous, quinoa, bulgur and pearl barley, so feel free to substitute with your favourite :)

Ingredients:

3 Peppers

200 gr Rice

1-2 Cougette

3 Tbs Nooch (Nutritional Yeast)

2 Slices of Vegan Cheese

2 Tbs Chia Seeds

2 Tbs Pea Flour

2 Tbs Olive Oil

1 Tbs Tumeric

3-4 Garlic Cloves

3 Bay Leaves

1 Chilli Pepper (optional)

Corn Flakes Crumbs (or regular Bread Crumbs)

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Method:

Grind chia seeds in a food processer, add 10 tablespoons of water and soak for at least 10-15 mintes.

Chop courgette and stir fry with some olive oil, salt, pepper and tumeric until tender (roughly 7-10 minutes).

Combine rice and pea flour.

Season with salt and pepper...

..then combine the chia seed mixture.

Season with salt, pepper, garlic (grated) and nooch.

Roughly chop some of your favourite vegan cheese (those who melt are ideal).

Stuff peppers cut in half (previously seasoned with salt and pepper) and top it with bread crumbs and olive oil. 

Final touch: crashed garlic, bay leaves, chopped chillies, olive oil and an inch of water on the bottom of the tray.

Bake at 200° C for 30 to 40 minutes.

These peppers are both delicious chilled or warm.

Enjoy :)