August 9, 2009: Vegetarian cassoulet

This is not the kind of recipe I'd instantly resolve to try on sight. (Indeed, as much as I enjoyed Johanna's post about this cassoulet when she first published it, I didn't bookmark it at all.) Yet Johanna submitted it to our giveaway as one of her favourite winter warmers, and I must admit that she has a pretty good track record with recommendations. This proved to be no exception.

I tire quickly of the veges-in-tomato-sauce style of vegetarian cooking, but this has a little more going for it. There's fennel, left to brown amongst the onions and garlic, and there's a comforting mix of breadcrumbs, parmesan and parsley allowed to crisp on top before it's stirred through the casserole. Johanna made note of two other properties that are popular in this household: the flavours develop over several days and there's enough for several meals. (Even the version below, which is probably two-thirds the original quantity.) Just what we want for lunchbox leftovers!

Vegetarian cassoulet
(based on a recipe at Green Gourmet Giraffe)

1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion
1 small fennel bulb
3 cloves garlic
1 large carrot
1 stalk celery
2 Lebanese eggplants (they're roughly the shape and size of a zucchini)
200g mushrooms
2 tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons mixed dried herbs (I used parsley, oregano and sage)
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup stock
400g can butter beans, drained and rinsed
75g red lentils
3 tablespoons parsley
100g parmesan
100g bread crumbs

Finely chop the onions and fennel and mince the garlic. Heat the oil in a large pot - if you have an oven-proof one, use that. Add the onions, fennel and garlic and cook them over low heat, stirring often, until browned (about 20-30 minutes).

While that's cooking, continue chopping, getting the carrot, celery, eggplant, mushrooms and tomato into nice bite-sized chunks. When the onions are ready, add all those veges to the pot, along with the tomato paste, mixed herbs, bay leaf, vinegar and stock. Bring it all to the boil, then cover and simmer it for 10-20 minutes. Drain and rinse your beans, adding them and the lentils to the pot to simmer for a further 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Chop the parsley and grate the parmesan.

Once all that simmering's done, it's time to get baking. If your pot's not oven-proof, transfer the mixture to a casserole dish that is. Scatter two-thirds of the parsley, parmesan and breadcrumbs over the cassoulet, then bake it for about 20 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break the crust and stir it into the cassoulet; sprinkle over the remaining parsley, parmesan and breadcrumbs and bake for a further 20 minutes.

August 3, 2009: Gertrude Street Grub - Charcoal Lane

Update 15/06/2023: Charcoal Lane is now closed.

The old Aboriginal Health Service on Gertrude Street has been something of a landmark, despite sitting empty for more than a decade. The giant red, yellow and black facade was a reminder of pre-gentrification Gertrude Street and a symbol of the close connection Indigenous Victorians felt to the area. So there was a bit of community consternation when Mission Australia was given a 10 year lease on the building late last year. While it remains problematic that some local Indigenous groups were unhappy with how this crucial part of their local heritage was passed on to a non-Indigenous group, the basic premise of Mission Australia's newly opened restaurant, Charcoal Lane, is a positive one.

Taking some inspiration from Fifteen, Charcoal Lane has been set up to provide a place for Indigenous young people to receive training in the hospitality industry, under the supervision of some of Victoria's finest restauranteurs. It's a fine idea, and hopefully one that pays off over the coming years. The restaurant, named after the nearby lane where local Indigenous people congregated, produces slightly fancy Australian-inspired meals, with a preponderance of fish and meat dishes. Vegetarians get a few decent options, but are limited to appetisers and entrees.


I took advantage of the $35 two-course lunch offer, starting off with some spiced yam fritters served with a bush tomato chutney. The yams were slightly sweet with a depth of flavour added by some unidentified spices, and were dunked liberally in the slightly smokey, tomato chutney. They were similar in structure to a bhaji, and I immediately lowered the tone by eating these with my fingers - I'm sure I'd have made an even bigger mess with cutlery.


The vegie main on offer (an upsized entree) was a pumpkin gnocchi, with fried sage, macadamia nut butter and saltbush. I'm often annoyed by the fallback of meaty restaurants on gnocchi or risotto for their vegetarian offering, but this was a revelation - crispy little pillows of pumpkin gnocchi, surrounded by a glorious combination of flavours. The fried sage and the saltbush contributed a kind of fancy salt and pepper combo, while the chunks of macadamia and the macadamia butter were rich and smooth. I could have eaten two bowls.

They also offer a black rice risotto, which looks amazing (alas my photos do not), but was apparently a little on the bland side.

We had a very satisfying (and upmarket) meal at Charcoal Lane. The restaurant is only open during lunch until mid-August, when they will extend their hours to dinner and weekend breakfast. Similarly, they're still going through the process of getting a liquor license. Regardless, it would be well worth sneaking in there for a quick lunch now, before word gets around and the place starts to book out.

Address: 136 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Ph: 94183400
Prices: Vegie entrees $16-$17, two-course lunch $35
Unlicensed (for now!)
Website: http://www.charcoallane.com.au/

August 2, 2009: A healthier peanut butter cookie

Browsing through the archives, I see that this isn't the first time I've baked and blogged peanut butter cookies. But this recipe, from 101 Cookbooks, distinguishes itself as a healthier, veganer version - something I'm happy to pack for my mid-afternoon munchies at work. A little olive oil augments the peanut butter for the fattiness, sweetness comes from maple syrup, and the flour is 100% wholemeal.

If nothing else, these cookies have demonstrated how my eating preferences have influenced Michael over the years; when I first met him he had minimal interest in dessert. Yet on Monday night after dinner it was he who rummaged through the kitchen seeking something sweet, ultimately lamenting that these cookies tasted "too healthy". I don't know about that, but they're not quite as sweet as your typical American-style cookie (which I don't think is anything to be ashamed of) and the wholemeal flour certainly adds some weight and chew to them (which I want when mild mid-afternoon hunger strikes).

The dough comes together easily by hand and is a little sticky (though the five minute rest allows it to dry out a little). It expands quite a bit in the oven so spoon small and leave plenty of space on the tray! These cookies are moist and just a little crisp on the outside. They're very nearly fantastic. The one thing that doesn't quite sit right with me is the use of maple syrup to sweeten the peanut butter - they mellow and intermingle over a few days, but it's not the same as the peanut butter-brown sugar partnership I'm accustomed to and will probably revert to. Regardless, it's a splendid recipe and one that Heidi has taken a lot of time, patience and flour to perfect - any improvements will be incremental and serve only my very specific, personal peanut butter cookie expectations.

A healthier peanut butter cookie
(a recipe from 101 Cookbooks)

2 cups wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray or two with paper.

In a smallish bowl, stir together the flour, bicarb soda and salt. In a larger bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients until well combined. Stir the flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture until just combined and allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes.

Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto the baking trays, leaving plenty of space for expansion between them. Bake for about 10 minutes, keeping a close eye on them from the 8 minute mark onwards. Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack.

August 2, 2009: Zippy warm potato salad

For Sunday night's dinner I planned chickpea burgers. Our favourite burger side is oven-baked potato 'chips' but with 4-6 eaters expected and 8 burger patties prepped, the oven couldn't fit my side-dish wish. My online recipe stash failed to inspire and I pulled out a few choice recipe books - here I found what I was after almost immediately! A 'warm potato salad with green olive dressing' from vegie food, with all heating provided atop the stove.

Though it looked to be precisely what I wanted, I prepared myself for some disappointment. Most of the photos in vegie food show food that's just my style, yet for every great recipe we've tried, there's been one with terrible timing or quantities.

Thankfully this one was bang on. It takes little more than the 15 minutes the potatoes need to boil - time I had while the burgers were baking. All the spuds need then is a quick toss through a zippy dressing of lemon and olive oil, green olives, capers, parsley and garlic. Served hot, it's everything I was after in a chip replacement. Served at room temperature, I reckon it'd make a lovely alternative to the standard mayo-drowned picnic potato salad.


Zippy warm potato salad
(from vegie food)

1.5 kg small waxy potatoes
1/2 cup green olives, pitted and chopped
2 teaspoons capers, chopped
3/4 cup parsley, chopped
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes or until just tender (test them with a knife).

While the potatoes are boiling, whisk together the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

When the potatoes are done, drain and cool them just until you're able to handle them. Slice the potatoes into large chunks, then toss them through the dressing.

Serve the salad warm or at room temperature.

August 1, 2009: Roasted vegetables with tomato charmoula and quinoa

I got myself back into a cooking groove on the weekend by picking out a recipe submitted to our winter giveaway. Dmargster originally found this one at FatFree Vegan Kitchen and promised "You will enjoy this or your money back!"

While there's quite a few different elements vying for your palate's attention, he's right that this is simple to prepare: the chopped vegetables go into the oven with a scant but spicy dressing based on crushed tomatoes, while the saffron, garlic and currants just join the quinoa for its usual stove simmer. Better yet, it's the kind of thing you can prepare in bulk and pack up for several lunches at work.

The lightness of the tomato chermoula coating that initially had me worried about impending blandness, but actually there's plenty of flavour to be had. Michael tends to prefer things saucy (make of that what you will), so if I make this again, I might try padding out the chermoula with some tomato paste as a compromise. I didn't really like the eggplant in this guise but the cauliflower, zucchini and chickpeas were lovely.


Roasted vegetables with tomato charmoula and quinoa
(based on a recipe at FatFree Vegan Kitchen, recommended by Dmargster)

2 roma tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon 'chicken' stock powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small eggplant, chopped into chunks
1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
2 zucchinis, chopped into chunks
1 red capsicum, chopped into chunks
2 x 400g cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup quinoa
2 cups 'chicken' stock
few threads saffron, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons currants

Halve the tomatoes and place them cut-side-down on a tray. Grill them until the skins blacken and pull away from the flesh. Remove the skins and mash the tomatoes in a small bowl with a fork. Stir in the stock powder, cumin, paprika, pepper, ginger, marjoram, cayenne and salt.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Put the eggplant, cauliflower, zucchini and capsicum into a large baking tray and stir through the spiced tomato mush. Roast the vegetables for about 30 minutes, add the chickpeas, and roast for a further 15 minutes.

During that last 15 minutes, stir together the quinoa, stock, saffron, garlic and currants in a saucepan and bring them to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan and cook the quinoa gently until all the water is absorbed (about 15 minutes).

Fluff up the quinoa, spoon it onto serving plates and top it with the roasted vegetables.