Category Archives: Vorspeise

Puff pastry bites with tomatoes and fresh herb paste (vegan)

Ingredients for around 30 pieces:

1 packet of wholemeal puff pastry (vegan)
a little oat milk
1 jar of sun-dried tomatoes
about a dozen cherry tomatoes
freshly ground black pepper
herb salt
2 cloves of garlic
½ bunch of fresh basil
a few sprigs of fresh coriander
about 3 tablespoons of olive oil
Fleur de sel

 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan).
2. Cut the puff pastry into squares and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
3. Brush the puff pastry pieces with a little oat milk.
4. Drain the sun-dried tomatoes if necessary. Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. Arrange the sun-dried tomatoes and cherry tomatoes on top of the puff pastry pieces.
5. Using a sharp knife, first score a border all the way round the edges. Then season generously with pepper and sprinkle with a little herb salt.
6. Place the baking tray in the oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges start to brown slightly.
7. In the meantime, for the herb paste, peel the garlic, remove the germ and chop finely.
8. Wipe the basil and coriander with a damp cloth, chop them finely and mix together with the olive oil and garlic.
9. Place a dollop of the mixture onto each of the baked pastry squares and then sprinkle with a little fleur de sel.
10. You can enjoy these pastries warm or cold as Finger food or starter.

 

My tips:

      • You can also use other herbs in the herb paste, whichever you prefer.
      • Depending on the season, you can top the puff pastry with fresh tomatoes in summer and sun-dried tomatoes in winter.

 

Product description:

Drying tomatoes causes changes in the composition of the nutrients they contain. Nevertheless, numerous phytochemicals, nutrients, minerals and vitamins are retained and even become more concentrated. This is because drying tomatoes mainly removes water. However, dried tomatoes have a higher calorie content than fresh tomatoes, which consist of approximately 94 per cent water.

Liebelei’s glazed reishi tofu with oranges (vegan)

 

 

Ingredients:
2 packs of smoked tofu
For the marinade:
4 cloves of garlic
2 shallots
Approximately 3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 tablespoons of tamari sauce
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of whole cane sugar (Sucanat)
2 teaspoons medium-hot mustard
Smoked paprika powder
Freshly ground black pepper
For the glaze:
1-2 tablespoons cognac or whisky
Zest of ½ orange
Juice of 1 orange
1-2 tablespoons sucanat
Chilli peppers
2 tablespoons jam (any variety)
Ginger powder
Paprika powder
Freshly ground black pepper
Also:
1-2 cloves (optional)
1 orange
Baking paper

Preparation:

1. The day before, drain the smoked tofu and dry it thoroughly with a cloth, pressing firmly to remove any excess liquid. It is important that the smoked tofu is very dry.
2. For the marinade, peel the garlic, remove the germ and chop finely.
3. Peel the shallots and chop finely as well.
4. Mix both with the olive oil, tamari, maple syrup, whole cane sugar and medium-hot mustard. Season the marinade with black pepper and smoked paprika powder.
5. Place the two blocks of smoked tofu in flat containers, pour the marinade over them and cover. Leave to marinate for 2-3 days. Halfway through, turn the smoked tofu and cover again.
6. When the smoked tofu has marinated long enough, preheat the oven to 170 degrees C.
7. Line a small baking tin with baking paper.
8. Cover the bottom of the baking tin with the orange slices and place the smoked tofu on top. Use a sharp knife to score the top of the smoked tofu and press the whole cloves into the smoked tofu.
9. Bake the smoked tofu for about 60 minutes.
10. In the meantime, make the glaze by placing the cognac or whisky, orange zest and juice, whole cane sugar (Sucanat), chilli peppers, jam, ginger and paprika powder and freshly ground black pepper in a saucepan, stir well and simmer gently for about 25 minutes until the glaze is reduced by half, thick and shiny.
11. Remove the smoked tofu from the oven, pour the glaze over it and return to the oven for about 10 minutes until the glaze on the smoked tofu has thickened.
12. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for about 15 minutes.
13. Before serving, remove the cloves and orange slices.

 

My Tips:

      • This smoked tofu also tastes delicious cold if you have any leftovers.

      • The orange slices will turn dark during baking. This is normal. It’s all about the flavour; they will be removed after baking anyway.

      • The alcohol can also be replaced with any leftover marinade.

 

Product description:

Sucanat contains all of the molasses from sugar cane. I prefer Sucanat for various recipes because of its brown colour and intense, caramel-like, malty flavour. As it is less processed, it contains more minerals than refined sugar, but has a lower sweetness.