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Vegetarian apritada
Of the many Filipino dishes that are boiled (adobo, sinigang, tinola, just to name a few), apritada is a favorite in my family. I like to make it in fall because potatoes and tomatoes reach their peak freshness and its warmth helps combat the rainy days.
When my siblings and I were still small, my dad made it often when it was his turn to cook. While I preferred his baking (he taught me how to make french toast, cookies, and cakes) to his cooking, it was one of his better dishes. Vegetarian apritada
1 tbsp oil (my dad used olive)
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1/2 pound (8 oz.) seitan, tofu, or other mock meat, cut into bite-sized pieces or dices (consider marinating the tofu in something savory, like adobo marinade)
3 potatoes, cubed
4 tomatoes, diced, or a can of crushed tomatoes with the juice
1 quart vegetable broth
2 Tbsp - 1/4 cup vinegar (white vinegar works fine, as does rice vinegar or wine vinegar), if needed
salt, pepper, herbs to taste (my dad added a little Italian flair with basil and thyme; I like a little dash of Angostura bitters)
1. Heat a 2 or 3 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil.
2. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
3. Add onion and saute until transparent, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add seitan/tofu/mock meat and stir-fry until the pieces begin to brown.
5. Add potatoes, tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer over medium to medium-low heat. Add herbs (or bitters), if using. (This would be a good time to start cooking the rice.) Cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 30 minutes.
6. Just before it's done, add enough vinegar to give it a little sour note. This depends on how you like it. If the tomatoes are sour enough, it may not need the vinegar.
7. Season with salt and pepper, and serve hot over rice. Serves around 4.
Pesto rosso
All this Italian food is making me want to crack open my Italian Jewish cooking book once I get home, especially after visiting the synagogues in Venice, Verona and Florence.
There is a kosher dairy "vegetarian" restaurant next to the one in Florence (which, curiously, serves fish), which served okay pasta but what looked like really good Mediterranean food (chumus, Israeli salad, etc.). I should have gone for the pesto.
Fortunately, when my boyfriend and I were in the Cinque Terre, we picked up some Levantine-style pesto. It includes tomatoes as well as basil, cheese, and nuts, and Is. So. Good. It has a sweetness that complements the gentle acidity of the tomatoes.
Pesto in Liguria, where it originated, is rather different from the pesto I've had at home. For one thing, the cheese always comes on the side, already grated for you. All that's on your pasta is the (excellent!) extra-virgin olive oil and the herbs. The herbs in the not-so-good pesto tend to be a mushy pasty mass; the herbs in the great pesto tend to be freshly chopped up and wonderfully fragrant.
These are the jar ingredients (translated from the Italian):
25% genovese basil
20% extra-virgin olive oil
34% tomato (17% paste, 17% concentrate)
12% cashews
nuts
cheese
garlic
salt
pine nuts
This is how I would attempt it at home. I wonder how the Italian Jews have theirs?
Pesto rosso
1 ounce basil
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/2 ounce cashews, toasted
1/4 ounce pine nuts
1/2 ounce cheese, finely grated
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled
salt to taste
Turn on a food processor. Drop in garlic cloves, then turn off the food processor. They should be chopped.
Drop in basil, cashews and pine nuts. Pulse until incorporated with the garlic.
Add tomato paste and cheese. Pulse until incorporated.
Turn on food processor and drizzle in olive oil, preferably through the oil dispenser. Turn it off once it's done drizzling in.
You should have a cohesive paste that isn't really smooth, but tastes pretty awesome.
Correct the seasoning and serve over warm pasta.
