(raw vegan)
Last week, I finally got hold of some flawlessly fresh portobello mushroom caps – something that has seemed hard to come by around Orlando lately. And I wanted to have them marinated and dehydrated immediately! A friend who has recently become intrigued by raw food asked me, “Dehydrated mushrooms? Where is the pleasure in that? ”
Well, they’re actually scrumptiously moist and chewy as opposed to leathery and dried out, as “dehydrated” can imply. They have nothing to do with the bone-dried packaged exotic varieties you get at the supermarket and then reconstitute (although you could use these, but that’s another dish). The end result of plump, meaty portobello caps soaked in a sparky, flavorful marinade and then gently warmed in a dehydrator for a few hours so that all the flavors intensify is very much like sautéed mushrooms. Believe me, there’s no compromise in texture or flavor!
“Roasted” Portobellos:
2 large portobello mushroom caps
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup nama shoyu*
1 tbs vegan worcestershire sauce*
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tbs sweet vermouth, or mirin
3 to 4 fresh thyme stem leaves, + 1 tsp chopped thyme leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
1 small minced shallot
1 fat minced garlic clove
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Whisk together all ingredients, except mushrooms and thyme stems, in a bowl. Place portobello caps in a large sealable plastic bag (works best), a small casserole dish, or other sealable container. Pour over marinade evenly, add thyme stems, and allow to marinate for at least 3 hours preferably at room temperature. Periodically turn mushrooms.
Pour marinade into a small bowl and transfer mushrooms to Teflex lined dehydrator trays gill side up (reserving a small pool of marinade and herbs). Place bowl at the bottom of the dehydrator. “Roast” at 110 degrees for 2 hours, remove Teflex sheets continue for least 1 more hour until mushrooms have flattened and shrunk a bit.
Remove from dehydrator and thinly slice caps on a bias. Use marinade to spoon over, or save for future use. Keeps for about a week in the refrigerator.
* These products are not gluten-free. Vegan worcestershire sauce is not raw.
Baby bell peppers are another favorite. I prefer them over their full-grown counterparts because they’re sweeter and milder. Conventionally roasting them pleasantly intensifies their sweet flavor, and similarly, so does dehydrating. Plus, they get on famously with portobellos. That day last week, I picked up some of those, too. And a couple of purpley-red heirloom tomatoes, and a bag of lively, wild arugula.
“Roasted” Baby Bell Peppers:
1 pint multi-colored baby bell peppers
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
extra virgin olive oil
Slice the peppers in half lengthwise, place in a bowl, and evenly sprinkle over sea salt and oregano by intermittently turning them. Drizzle over olive oil to lightly coat. Marinate for 3 hours. Transfer peppers to Teflex lined dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 100 degrees for 6 to 8 hours.
My Aerogarden was overabundant with purple basil. Pesto seemed like a logical processing choice. But I find that pesto can be quite strong and rich, overpowering at times. I suspect it has to do with three key conventional ingredients: parmigiano-reggiano cheese, pine nuts, and olive oil. Each has a high-fat content and substantial on their own. Hemp seed nuts are mild, tasty, and extraordinarily nutritious. When used in place of cheese and pine-nuts, traditional pesto is transformed into something more delicate and smooth, but still with all that delicious, savory basil flavor.
Purple Basil Hemp Pesto:
5 oz. loosely packed purple basil
1 cup hemp seed nuts
1 fat garlic clove
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Put all ingredients except for olive oil in a food processor. First blitz to coarsely chop and blend. Then gradually drizzle in olive oil while processing until well-blended and smooth. Periodically check for seasoning. Stores in an air-tight container for about 5-7 days in the refrigerator.
The absence of parmegiano-reggiano clears the way for a nut-based cheese, like macadamia “parmesan”. The substitution shares its characteristics of sharp, salty, slighty tart, and kind of creamy. But nut cheese translations shouldn’t be taken literally because they have a character all their own.
Macadamia Parmesan:
1 cup macadamia nuts, soaked for at least 8 hours
1 small garlic clove
1 1/2 tbs nutritional yeast
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 to 2 tbs water
Blend all ingredients except for water in food processor until crumbly. Check for seasonings. Consistency should be slightly moist but chunky, and not too thin and pasty. If needed, add a bit of water. Spread cheese out in dime-sized pieces on a Teflex line dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 110 degrees for 8 hours. Stores in an air-tight container for about 1 week in the refrigerator.
To construct the stack:
Slice a large tomato into 1/4″ slices. Toss some arugula in a bowl with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a pinch of sea salt.
This can get a little slippery, so tell your hands to be steady and patient. It’s helpful to use a piece of aluminum foil that has been shaped around a large can or jar as a guide.
First, lay a tomato slice down on a plate. Spread on some purple basil hemp pesto like you’re buttering a piece of bread. Next add some portobello slices, slightly overlapping. Add a small mound of arugula and then finally, a few macadamia parmesan crumbles. Repeat this process once more.
After adding the second round of arugula, top with 4-5 pieces of “roasted” baby bell peppers and a few more macadamia parmesan crumbles. If using the foil as a guide, it helps to allow the stack to sit and set for 15 minutes.
To serve, just spoon some extra pesto around on the plate. Makes a great salad course or light meal.
<3, JMK
