Lion's Head Soup, Compressed Papaya, Mango and Avocado Salad

Raw Food Wednesday 4/08

Lion's Head Soup
(recipe below)

Compressed Papaya, Mango and Avocado Salad
(recipe below)

Lion's Head Soup
(Serves 2)

A raw riff on a Chinese classic, this dish emphasizes the harmony of the bok choy, the earthy flavor of carrots in the broth and the luxurious mouthfeel of the cashew and zucchini meatballs

Cashew and Zucchini Meatballs
(makes approximately 12-16 pieces)

1/3 cup zucchini, minced
1/3 cup cashews
1/4 cup red bell pepper, minced
1/4 cup celery, minced
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ginger, freshly grated
1 tsp. scallions, minced
1 tsp. szechuan pepper, freshly crushed

Pulse in a Vita-Mix until the cashews begin to break down into very small pieces, but not so much that they turn into butter.

Shape the mixture into balls about 1" in diameter. Dehydrate for 8 hours at 105F, rotate after 4 hours.

Bok Choy

2 head of Baby Bok Choy, leaves separated (at least 12 leaves of equal size)
1 tsp. nama shoyu
2 tsp. olive oil
pepper to taste

The baby bok choy is marinated with olive oil, nama shoyu and pepper and put in the dehydrator for 30 minutes at 105F



Soup

4 medium carrots, (roughly 7") peeled, juiced
1 medium daikon, (roughly 7") peeled, juiced
1/2 tsp. nama shoyu
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. ginger, freshly grated
1 tsp. white miso
1/4 tsp. fennel seed, freshly ground
1/8 tsp. cinnamon, freshly ground
1/8 tsp. szechwan pepper, freshly ground
1 clove, freshly ground
salt & black pepper to taste

Juice the carrots and daikon. Grind the fennel, cinnamon, szechwan pepper and clove together. Puree together with the remaining ingredients, check for seasoning.

Assembly

Place six pieces of the Bok Choy in a wide, shallow bowl, alternating the green leaves and white parts. Place a meatball on each of the bok choy pieces. Pour the carrot broth over the bok choy. Garnish with scallions or cilantro.




Compressed Papaya, Mango and Avocado Salad
(makes 4 pieces)

The compressed salad is basically the same as a fruit terrine -- the trick is to use a rectangular mold (we used a sushi rice block mold) -- but any rectangular mold will work, just line it with plastic wrap.

1/2 papaya, peeled, sliced into roughly 1" x 3" pieces
1 champagne mango, peeled, sliced into roughly 1" x 3" pieces
1 avocado, peeled, sliced into roughly 1" x 3" pieces

Lime Vinaigrette

1 tbs. lime juice
2-3 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Juice the lime, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and whisk to dissolve. Whisk the olive oil into the lime juice, until emulsified. check the balance and seasoning.

Brushing each piece with of the thinly sliced papaya, mango and avocado with the lime vinaigrette and Layer in the mold overlapping as needed. Pay special attention to the bottom layer and corners for stability.

Wrap the plastic over the top of the salad. We had previously cut out a piece of cardboard that matches the opening of the mold and wrapped it in aluminum foil. We added a little weight on top of the mold -- a large head of cabbage balanced on top works well -- and refrigerated for 2 hours...



Then we cut it while it was still wrapped in the plastic and then gently removed it afterward.

Tags: raw food wednesday, raw food, raw, mango, papaya, avocado, bok choy, salad, soup, menu, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666