Swanson - Super natural cooking: five delicious ways to incorporate whole and natural foods into your cooking

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I dont think its much of a stretch to say it takes a village to create a cookbook. For this one, it was certainly the case. First I want to thank Wayne. Not everyone would put up with the endless pile of dishes that goes along with the creation of a book like this. He was always game for a quick trip to the store if I was short an ingredient or two (even if it was cold and raining out) and was never thrifty with his opinions or support. You mean everything to me, and I hope everyday that we will continue to enjoy a long life of wonderful adventures (and delicious meals) together.

To Aaron, Lorena, and my dream team at Ten Speed Press for championing this book from the start, I couldnt have hoped for a better collaboration. Special thanks to Lily Binns and Meghan Keeffe for your insight, direction, editing skills, and most importantly, for being fantastic sounding boards. Toni Tajima, what can I say? It was my lucky day when she took on the design of this book. I cant think of anyone Id rather trust with taking my photography and text from the pixel realm to the printed page. To Jasmine Star, Carolyn Miller, and Ken DellaPenta, a big thanks as well. And to the small army of friends and family who tested (and retested) countless recipes and helped out in so many other ways. Your palates and point of views helped shape every recipe you see here: Lulu LaMer, Brian Sharp, Gary and Janelle Swanson, Heather and Mark Ruder, Shay Curley, Lanha Hong-Porretta, Gwen McGill, Whitney Moss, Quyen Nguyen, Shauna James, Yong Cho, Jen Luan, Veronica Benda, Sejal Hingrajia, Steve Sando, Bruce Cole, Katherine and Janet McCartney, Mary Lou Bremser, Heather Flett, Ross ODwyer, Brette Luck, Amanda Berne, Molly Stevens, Reina Perez, and Milla Koukkunen.

Clarified Butter

Makes 1 cups.

1 pound unsalted butter

Gently heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. The butter will separate into three layers. Foam will appear on the surface of the butter, the milk solids will migrate to the bottom of the pan, and the clarified butter will float between the two. This should only take a few minutes. Skim the foamy layer off with a spoon and discard. Next, carefully pour the golden middle layer into a jar, leaving the milk solids at the bottom. (Discard the solids, too.)

Clarified butter will keep for a month or two at room temperature and a month or so longer when refrigerated.

You can control the nuttiness and overall intensity of clarified butter by varying how long you cook the butter before removing it from the milk solids. If you want a darker, nuttier clarified butter, cook the butter longer. The solids will become aromatic and toasty and will impart a beautiful hazelnut color to the butter. In Indian cooking, this form of clarified butter is known as ghee.

Many oils are damaged before you ever purchase them, whether during processing or during storage and shipping. If they arent damaged at purchase time, many are damaged soon thereafter with high-temperature cooking methods like frying or baking. (For more details, see .) Clarified butter can stand up to high-temperature cooking better than most other natural, unrefined cooking fats and oils because its comprised mostly of saturated fat and isnt high in delicate essential fatty acids. You can purchase organic clarified butter from many grocery and natural foods stores, but it is easy and more economical to make your own.

Clarified butter is unsalted butter that has had the milk solids removed. (The milk solids are the components that will eventually burn or break down at high heat.) The end product is a pure, glorious, golden butter fat with a smoking point around 375F. It doesnt have the same flavor profile as regular butter; its lighter in flavor, with a nice kiss of buttery depth.

Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Mayonnaise

Certain basic recipes and techniques are so essential in a natural foods kitchen that youll use them repeatedly on a day-to-day basis. Ive featured some of the basics I turn to often here. This tofu-based mayo is not used in this book, but is so useful that I couldnt bring myself to leave it out.

Makes 1 cups.

8 ounces extra-firm tofu

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

teaspoon dijon mustard

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Wrap the tofu in a few paper towels, then press and gently squeeze to release excess moisture. Combine the tofu, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, mustard, and cayenne in a food processor and blend until very smooth, 30 seconds or so. Thin with warm water to reach desired consistency.

Use this on sandwiches, potato salads, or anywhere else youd use commercial mayo. You can infuse or blend it with different flavors, just as you would regular mayonnaise or aioli.

Cashew Cream

Makes about 2 cups.

1 cups raw cashews

1 cups water, plus more as needed

2 teaspoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt

Squeeze of lemon juice

Soak the cashews in a small bowl of warm water for 20 or 30 minutes to soften them up, which makes for a smoother, silkier cream. Drain and add the 1 cups water, the nutritional yeast, and salt. Puree with a hand blender or food processor until smooth, pourable, and of a creamlike consistency; this may take 2 or 3 minutes of steady blending, so be patient. You may need to add additional water, a few tablespoons at a time, to achieve the right consistency. This cream tends to thicken over time, and is absorbed into pasta quickly, so err on the thin side. Season the cream with a squeeze of lemon juice, then stir, taste, and add a bit of additional salt if needed.

As much as I enjoy top-quality, local organic heavy cream, there are times when I want the spirit of heavy cream without the decadence. This nut-based alternative has become one of my favorite substitutions. You can infuse it with other flavors, or use it as a simple base anywhere youd use regular cream. Puree it with chives in the spring, chile puree and roasted garlic in the fall, citrus zest in the winterendless variations are possible. It makes a good replacement for heavy cream in pasta sauces.

Chile de rbol Sauce

Makes about 1 cup.

6 tablespoons or extra-virgin olive oil

8 chiles de rbol, stemmed

20 cloves garlic, unpeeled

2 cups

teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

cup heavy cream or ; optional

Have a large bowl of very hot water on hand. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, then add the chiles. Toast for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Transfer the chiles to the bowl of hot water and add the garlic to the pan. Cook, turning each clove once or twice, until the peels start browning and the insides soften, about 8 minutes.

Soak the chiles until soft and pliable, 20 to 30 minutes (if the water starts to cool, drain and refill with more hot water). Meanwhile, peel the garlic. Drain the chiles, slice lengthwise and remove the seeds. Puree the chiles, garlic, and stock with a hand blender or food processor. If you are in a rush and dont mind a bit of extra heat, you can cut back on the soaking time and pure the whole chiles.