Cooking raw offers great taste, health benefits
By Marilynn Marter Knight
Just a few years ago, chef Matthew Kenney was ascending to the height of success and celebrity, with a string of thriving New York City eateries, two well-received cookbooks, and, early on, a ranking by Food & Wine as one of the "Ten Best New Chefs in America."
But after Sept. 11, 2001, his empire collapsed in the economic fallout. And the French-trained chef took a surprising turn.
He gave up cooking. For raw food.
After a three-year culinary journey, he and his partner (in life and in the kitchen), Sarma Melngailis, have coauthored a diary cookbook, "Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow" (Regan Books; 2005, $34.95), and opened a raw food restaurant, Pure Food and Wine in New York City.
Unlike many health-oriented cooks, Kenney, 40, and Melngailis, 32, both graduates of the French Culinary Institute, approached their raw food adventure from the standpoint of taste, after hearing about the culinary style while they were pondering their next project.
But the couple became hooked on a personal level, as the health benefits became evident. They had more energy, slept sounder, felt great.
After a year of navigating the nutritional maze, Kenney and Melngailis reached the point of deciding to share their newly developed food style with others. They opened their restaurant in June 2004 in the Flat Iron section of New York City, with a raw vegan menu that runs from sushi to stylized beet ravioli, green curry coconut noodles to flatbread pizza with hummus.
Heirloom tomatoes are among Kenney's favorite ingredients, and they star in some of his most popular dishes, including zucchini-tomato lasagna and tomato tartare.
Kenney and Melngailis don't miss "cooking" at all, he says, as they find preparing tasty raw food even more of a challenge.
Raw food recipes can be as simple as blender pureed soups or drinks. Their Watermelon-Tomato Gazpacho, for instance (for recipe go to http://go.philly.com/food), which uses watermelon, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, scallions, cilantro, ginger and jalapeno, can be easily blended "to taste."
Other raw food preparations can be labor intensive and ingredient-heavy (and not necessarily low-cal).
Nuts and grains are made more edible by soaking and sprouting. Some foods are slowly "cooked" at low temperatures by dehydration. The payoff is no greasy pans to scrub.
As for equipment, all you'll need, says Kenney, are a dehydrator, a powerful blender and good, sharp knives. The food processor is also useful. "And a juicer is good to have," Kenney says, "though I never got into juicing much. I just use a blender." Committed raw foodies can turn their ovens into storage space and use skillets for sprouting.
As exciting as the food is, it's the satisfying desserts that tend to lock in converts, says Kenney, items such as a dark chocolate ganache tart - one made with organic cacao beans but without the usual butter, eggs or sugar.
The new eating style may seem drastic, so Kenney suggests easing into it.
"In the beginning, keep it simple," he says.
"Take little bites of the philosophy. Go slowly. It can seem overwhelming. It did to us."
PINEAPPLE-CUCUMBER GAZPACHO
Makes 4 to 6 servings
4 cups chopped, peeled cucumber (1 large English or a few Kirbys)
4 cups chopped pineapple (1 large or 2 small)
1 cup fresh pineapple juice
1 small jalape–o pepper, seeded and diced
1 green onion, white and 1 inch of green, chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 handful cilantro leaves, plus a few for garnish
3 tablespoons avocado or macadamia oil
1 handful finely chopped raw macadamia nuts
In a blender, add 3 cups each of the cucumber, pineapple, pineapple juice, jalapeno, green onion, lime juice and salt; blend smooth. Add the remaining cup each of cucumber and pineapple, the handful of cilantro and half of the oil. Pulse a few times, leaving the mixture chunky.
Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve garnished with cilantro.
Per serving (based on 6): 242 calories, 2 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrates, 18 grams sugar, 17 grams fat, no cholesterol, 652 milligrams sodium, 4 grams dietary fiber.
ZUCCHINI AND TOMATO LASAGNA WITH BASIL-PISTACHIO PESTO AND PIGNOLI RICOTTA
Makes 6 servings
For the Tomato Sauce:
2 cups sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 2 hours or more
1 medium tomato, diced
1/4 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon agave nectar (see note)
2 teaspoons sea salt
Pinch of hot pepper flakes
For the Basil-Pistachio Pesto:
2 cups packed basil leaves
1/2 cup pistachios
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
Pinch of fresh black pepper
For assembling the lasagna:
3 medium zucchini (trim ends)
1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced oregano
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Pinches: sea salt, black pepper
2 cups Pignoli Ricotta (below)
3 medium heirloom tomatoes, halved and sliced
Whole basil leaves for garnish
Prepare the Tomato Sauce: Squeeze and drain as much of the water from the soaked sun-dried tomatoes as possible. In a high-speed blender, puree the tomatoes and remaining ingredients until smooth. Set aside.
Prepare the Basil-Pistachio Pesto: Place the pesto ingredients in a food processor and blend until slightly chunky.
Assemble the lasagna: Cut the zucchini crosswise in half, or into 3-inch lengths. Using a mandoline or vegetable peeler, cut the zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini slices with the olive oil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper.
Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with a layer of zucchini slices, each slightly overlapping another. Spread 1/3 of the Tomato Sauce over it. Top with small dollops of Pignoli Ricotta and Basil-Pistachio Pesto, using 1/3 of each.
Garnish with basil and serve at once or cover with plastic and let stand at room temperature for up to 3 hours.
For individual servings: Overlap 3 zucchini slices in the center of each plate to make a square shape. Spread tomato sauce over zucchini, top with dollops of ricotta and pesto and small tomato slices. Repeat layers twice. Garnish and serve.
Notes:
For the Pignoli Ricotta, in processor, combine 2 cups raw pine nuts (pignoli, soaked for 1 hour), 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast and 1 teaspoon sea salt. Pulse to combine. Gradually add 6 tablespoons filtered water while processing until fluffy, like ricotta.
Agave nectar, a natural sweetener, is the amber liquid of agave cactus and is found in natural- and health-food stores.
Per serving: 662 calories, 19 grams protein, 30 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams sugar, 58 grams fat, no cholesterol, 1,777 milligrams sodium, 9 grams dietary fiber.
TOMATO TARTARE WITH GREEN MANGO RELISH AND MACADAMIA MILK
Makes 4 servings
For the Tomato Tartare:
5 red heirloom tomatoes,
seeded and diced
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons finely diced green mango
1/2 cup ripe mango, diced small
1 tablespoon minced fresh galangal or ginger
1 small handful Thai basil, julienned
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
For the assembly:
Green Mango Relish (see Note)
Macadamia Milk (see Note)
Walnut Hemp Crackers, optional
Microbasil, microgreens or herbs for garnish
1. Prepare the Tomato Tartare: In a mixing bowl, combine all the tartare ingredients, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
2. To assemble: Place a 2 1/2- to 3-inch ring mold in the center of a coupe bowl or shallow dish and fill with Tomato Tartare, packing it in with the back of a spoon. Carefully slip off the mold. Top tartare with a small spoonful of Green Mango Relish.
3. Foam the Macadamia Milk with a hand blender or whip at medium-high speed (or seal and shake vigorously) to aerate it.
4. Pour the foamed milk around the tomato mold. Garnish with greens and, if desired, a cracker. Drizzle oil on the milk.
Note: For Green Mango Relish, in a bowl, mix 1 finely diced green mango, 1/4 cup diced ripe mango, 1 tablespoon julienned Thai basil, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and a pinch of cayenne.
For the Macadamia Milk, in a high-speed blender, combine 1 cup macadamia nuts (soaked for 1 hour), 4 cups filtered water, and 2 pitted dates (or 2 tablespoons agave nectar). Whip for at least 2 minutes. Strain the milk through multiple layers of cheesecloth. Season with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, a pinch of cayenne and sea salt to taste. Transfer to a covered container and chill until ready to use. Makes about 4 cups.
Per serving: 403 calories, 5 grams protein, 31 grams carbohydrates, 22 grams sugar, 33 grams fat, no cholesterol, 380 milligrams sodium, 7 grams dietary fiber.
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/living/food/12285861.htm
