This is a recipe, slightly tweaked by me, that I learned during my chef’s training at the Natural Gourmet Institute. The sauce is one of my favorite ways to consume tempeh, and it’s especially good served warm over whole wheat fusilli. One of the best qualities of this dish is that it’s even better reheated than it is on day one. Tempeh, by the way, is a form of fermented soy, and the fact that it’s fermented makes it more digestible, more nutritious and more protein-rich than soy that is not fermented.

Ingredients

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 (8 ounce) package tempeh, any variety, grated
1 onion, peeled and diced into 1/4″ pieces
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon each dried oregano and basil
1 cup red wine
1 28-ounce can tomato puree
fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
optional: 1-2 tablespoons of maple crystals or brown rice syrup

16-ounce package of whole wheat fusilli or other whole wheat pasta

Recipe

1. Pour 1/4 cup of olive oil into a medium-sized lidded pot.

2. Unwrap the tempeh and grate it over the pot using the large teeth of a box grater. Place the pot on the stove top over a medium-low heat and saute the tempeh until it becomes very brown and crispy, about 10-15 minutes. The cooked tempeh will leave a coating on the bottom of the pan, which is fine. This coating should become slightly brown, but should not burn. If it begins to burn, the heat is too high.

3. Add the remaining olive oil, along with the diced onions and sea salt, and cook until the onions are softened, about 10 minutes more.

4. Add the minced garlic, oregano and basil and cook a few minutes longer. Then add the red wine and simmer the mixture until nearly all the wine has cooked off. As it simmers, use a wooden spoon to scrape the coating off the bottom of the pot, adding flavor to the mixture as you do.

5. Pour the tomato puree into the pot and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes.

6. Season with sea salt, freshly-ground pepper and maple crystals or brown rice syrup, if needed. Serve over hot pasta.

Serves 4

I learned this recipe from Chef Peter Berley. It’s beautiful to look at, tastes delicious, and is filled with the most nourishing bounty of the season.

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds carrots
2 medium turnips (about 1/2 pound)
2 medium parsnips (about 1/2 pound)
2 medium red onions (about 1/2 pound)
1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
2-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
8 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, plus extra to taste
freshly ground black pepper
3-4 cups arugula, spinach or frissee or sturdy salad green of your choice (washed and torn into bite-sized pieces)
juice of 1/2 lemon
extra-virgin olive oil
fine sea salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, sauteed in 1/2 teaspoons olive oil until they “pop”

Recipe

1. Position a rack on the middle shelf of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Line a large roasting pan with a sheet of parchment paper.

2. Peel the carrots, turnips and parsnips ( or leave unpeeled, if you like) and cut them into bite-sized pieces

3. Peel the onions but leave the roots in tact. Cut each onion in half from root to stem; then cut each half into 3 wedges. The roots will keep the wedges from falling apart.

4. In a large bowl, toss the vegetables and ginger (without the garlic) with the oil, maple syrup and salt.

5. Spread the vegetables in the roasting pan in a single layer and roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through for even browning.

6. Stir the garlic cloves into the vegetables and roast for another 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and caramelized, stirring halfway through for even browning.

7. Season the vegetables with balsamic vinegar and black pepper to taste.

8. Dress the salad greens with lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt. While they’re still warm, toss the roasted vegetables with the greens and parsley and serve immediately, sprinkled with pumpkin seeds.

This is my favorite winter soup recipe. It was published in Gourmet magazine a couple of years ago and I have changed it only slightly. It has a flavor so haunting and sublime that it elevates bean soup to a whole new level. There is nothing humble about this dish. If you have trouble finding Borlotti beans, try ordering them from Goldmine Natural Foods http://www.goldminenaturalfood.com/.

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 pound dried borlotti (cranberry) beans (2-2/3 cups), picked over and rinsed
10 cups water for cooking
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional oil for drizzling
2 medium onions, chopped
1-3/4 teaspoons coarse sea salt
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
5 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled, or 1 tablespooon chopped, fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
fine sea salt
1 roughly 3″ x 2″ piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind, optional
3/4 pound dried ditalini or other small tubular pasta

Recipe

1. At least 6 hours before cooking, soak the beans in cool water at room temperature. When you are ready to make the soup, drain the beans and discard the soaking water.

2. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a wide, heavy soup pot over a medium heat. Saute the onions with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 7-8 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, parsley, dried or fresh rosemary and pepper. Then saute, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the beans with 10 cups of water and Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (if using) and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender, 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours (depending on age of beans). Add more water if necessary to keep the beans covered and stir more frequently toward the end of cooking. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1/4 cup olive oil and the remaining 1-1/4 teaspoons sea salt. Cool, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.

4. Discard the cheese rind and coarsely puree the soup using an immersion blender or traditional blender.

5. Reheat the soup over a  low heat, stirring frequently and thinning soup as desired with additional water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. While the soup is reheating, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al-dente, then drain in a colander and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and pepper to taste.

7. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with spoonfuls of pasta and drizzles of olive oil.