Vegan Vegan! Plant-Based Recipes to Cook Boldly, Joyfully, and Often
Vegan Vegan! Plant-Based Recipes to Cook Boldly, Joyfully, and Often
by Zineb Hattab · New cookbook
The Moroccan-Spanish chef behind Zurich's Michelin-starred KLE turns her restaurant technique toward the home kitchen, with more than a hundred recipes built around layering umami, acid and texture rather than substituting meat for fake meat. It's just out this month from Phaidon, and it's the rare vegan cookbook written by someone who holds both a green and a red Michelin star, which is its own kind of argument.
Two to cook tonight
Chef’s own recipes in the spirit of the book, so you can start cooking this way now. Not from the book: for those, get the book.
Charred Carrots with Harissa-Miso Glaze and Toasted Dukkah
Serves 4 · 40 minutes
This is the kind of plate that proves vegetables don't need a meat-shaped stand-in to feel substantial: sweet carrots get blistered hard in a hot pan, then lacquered with a glaze that's equal parts North African heat and umami depth from miso. Scatter over a crunchy dukkah and you've got something that eats like a restaurant starter but comes together on a weeknight.
You need
- 1 1/2 lbs (680 g) carrots, scrubbed, halved lengthwise if thick
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste
- 1 tablespoon white or yellow miso paste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus wedges to serve
- 1/4 cup (35 g) raw hazelnuts or almonds
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky salt
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro or parsley
- 2 tablespoons plain plant-based yogurt (optional, to serve)
Method
- Heat oven to 425°F (220°C). Toss carrots with 2 tablespoons olive oil, a good pinch of salt and pepper on a sheet pan, spreading them in one layer. Roast 20-25 minutes, turning once, until deeply browned at the edges and a knife slides in with no resistance.
- While carrots roast, make the dukkah: toast hazelnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat 3-4 minutes until fragrant and lightly colored, then tip onto a board. In the same skillet, toast sesame seeds, cumin and coriander seeds for 1-2 minutes until the sesame is golden and the spices smell nutty. Cool, then roughly crush everything together with the flaky salt using a mortar and pestle or the flat of a knife — you want texture, not powder.
- Whisk harissa, miso, maple syrup, lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small bowl until smooth. Taste — it should be hot, savory, and a little sweet; adjust lemon or maple to balance.
- Once carrots are done, pour the glaze over them right on the hot sheet pan and toss to coat — the residual heat will loosen and bloom the glaze into every crevice.
- Pile onto a platter, scatter with dukkah and herbs, and finish with a drizzle of plant yogurt if using. Serve warm with lemon wedges.
Chef's tip: Don't crowd the carrots on the pan or they'll steam instead of char — use two pans if you need to.
Slow-Braised Chickpea and Smoked Eggplant Tagine with Preserved Lemon
Serves 6 · 2 hours 15 minutes
This is a weekend project in the best sense: eggplant gets charred directly over a flame until it collapses and turns smoky, then folded into a long-simmered chickpea stew built on caramelized onions, warm spice and the sharp lift of preserved lemon. It rewards patience with layers you can actually taste, and it's even better the next day.
You need
- 2 large eggplants
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Pinch of saffron threads (optional)
- 1 can (28 oz/800 g) whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 3 cups (720 ml) vegetable stock
- 2 cans (15 oz/425 g each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 preserved lemon, flesh discarded, rind finely chopped
- 1/3 cup (50 g) pitted green olives, halved
- Salt and black pepper
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, plus more to serve
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- Cooked couscous or crusty bread, to serve
Method
- Char the eggplants directly over a gas burner or under a hot broiler, turning occasionally, 12-15 minutes total, until the skin is blackened and blistered all over and the flesh feels completely soft and collapsed. Set aside to cool, then peel off the skin, discard it, and roughly chop the smoky flesh. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, 15-20 minutes until deeply golden and jammy — don't rush this, it's where most of the flavor comes from.
- Add garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste and cook 2 minutes until it darkens slightly, then add cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cinnamon, turmeric and saffron if using, stirring until toasted and fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Pour in crushed tomatoes and vegetable stock, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, partially cover, and cook 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and deepened in color.
- Stir in chickpeas, chopped smoked eggplant, preserved lemon rind and olives. Simmer uncovered, 20-25 minutes more, until the chickpeas have taken on the sauce and everything is glossy and well married. Season with salt and pepper — go easy on salt at first since olives and preserved lemon are both salty.
- Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil off the heat, along with the cilantro and parsley. Taste and adjust — it may want more lemon brightness or a touch more smoked paprika.
- Serve hot over couscous or with crusty bread, with extra cilantro scattered on top.
Chef's tip: Char the eggplant a day ahead if you like — the smoky flesh keeps well refrigerated and the flavor only deepens.
From Phaidon.
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