Vegan stew from Provence

March 15, 2007

i'd just close ones eyes when she starts talking about dead fish

Amanda Berne

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

When I was in college and went to the South of France to visit a friend who was

studying abroad, the first place she took me to was the farmers' market in Nice.

Baguettes were sold for a quarter. Spring vegetables were piled up in the stalls

begging for the most discerning French women to take them home.

Down at the end of each row of stalls were the socca makers. One cook lorded

over a large, hot round griddle fixed over a steel drum. The cast iron retained

a ton of heat, and the golden brown pancakes came flying off the grill. " Come,''

said my friend, Carolyn. " You have to taste them. You'll love them.''

And she was right. The socca-maker first pours a bit of thin brown batter onto

the griddle, then quickly spreads it with a spatula. The socca cooks quickly,

and the cook flips it for a quick browning on the other side. When the socca is

finished, the large pancake is rolled into a cone and folded into parchment. It

is burning hot, but is too irresistible to let cool, and so scalded fingers are

an inevitable casualty of the delicious process.

Despite the large size, the crepe remains crisp along the edges, and has a deep,

rich flavor that tastes strongly of chickpeas and olive oil. On that early

spring morning in France, it was a perfect way to stave off chills.

I spent a few weeks camping out at my friend's apartment, which allowed me to

taste many Provencal dishes. One of my favorites was bouillabaisse, the classic

fish stew.

But it wasn't just the seafood that captivated me. Instead, it was the

full-bodied broth that I loved, with flavors of saffron, orange peel and fennel,

and I relished dipping into it with slices of baguette. I was inspired by the

way that cooks in Provence loved their vegetables, coaxing baby zucchini,

tomatoes, artichokes and eggplants into bright-flavored stews and soups, or

stuffing and roasting them.

These came to mind when I tried to figure out what vegetables could stand up to

the full-bodied bouillabaisse flavors. First I made a base with fennel, celery,

leeks and carrots, orange peel, white wine and saffron, then blitzed the mixture

just enough to barely puree the soup, yet retain some texture. I cut artichokes,

new potatoes, fennel and carrots into manageable pieces to simmer in the soup.

I've also included a recipe for the socca that so captivated me on my first

morning in Provence. These are smaller than the originals, but are still best

eaten straight out of the pan while hot. And, unlike traditional crepes, where

the batter contains eggs and needs to rest before cooking, the socca is vegan

and can be made immediately after mixing.

Although I like the socca and bouillabaisse together, the pairing isn't

traditional. If you'd like a multi-course meal, serve the socca to nibble on

while the stew is finishing. Accompany the stew with sliced toasted baguette

rubbed with olive oil and garlic. Finish off the meal with a very simple green

salad with a very mustardy vinaigrette, and fruit and nuts for dessert.

This menu works for the many readers who wrote in after last month's column,

requesting vegan dishes. Plus, the flavors are an instant passport to the south

of France.

--

Artichoke Bouillabaisse

Serves 4-6

There's no fish in this recipe; in fact, it's vegan. The base of the soup gets a

rough puree, so don't worry about cutting the vegetables neatly.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 leek, rinsed and chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 bulb fennel, half chopped, half cored and sliced and set aside for later

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 teaspoon fennel seed

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary, chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 strip orange peel (about 3 inches long, 1/4-inch wide)

1 cup white wine mixed with 1 large pinch saffron

5 cups vegetable broth

2 artichokes, hearts only, cut into quarters

4 small new potatoes, peeled and cut into thick rounds

1 cup cooked white beans

3 baby carrots (real baby carrots, not out of a bag), peeled and cut in half

INSTRUCTIONS:

Instructions: Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. When shimmering, add leek

and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes until soft, stirring often. Season with salt and

pepper. Add chopped fennel, celery, carrots, fennel seed, thyme and rosemary.

Cook over medium for 5 minutes, stirring, until vegetables are softened, but not

caramelizing. Add tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute. Add orange peel, wine and

saffron and 3 1/2 cups broth. Simmer gently for 25 minutes, until vegetables are

soft enough to pierce and flavors melded.

Let cool for about 5 minutes then puree, taking care not to make it too smooth.

It should have some texture.

Return soup to pot. Add remaining broth and the artichoke hearts, potatoes,

sliced fennel, beans and carrots. If you are trying to emulate a traditional

bouillabaisse, keep each of these ingredients in their own section so that when

you serve it later you can make sure to get a little of each.

Simmer gently until vegetables are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Make sure to

get a spoon to bottom of pan occasionally as the fullness of this soup can make

it stick a little.

When serving, ladle about a cup of broth into each shallow bowl, then an equal

amount of each vegetable.

Per serving: 170 calories, 4 g protein, 21 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat (0 g

saturated), 0 cholesterol, 515 mg sodium, 5 g fiber.

--

Socca

Makes 8-10 pancakes

These chickpea pancakes are delicious alongside bouillabaisse, or on their own.

Eat them piping hot and with your fingers.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup chickpea flour

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/4 cups water, or as needed

2 tablespoons olive oil

Oil for pan-frying

INSTRUCTIONS:

Instructions: Mix together flour and salt. Mix water and oil in a measuring cup.

Pour into flour, whisking constantly until smooth. It should be the consistency

of heavy cream; thin, but not watery. Add more water if needed to thin it out.

Heat a small nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and when it is

shimmering, pour out excess. Add about 1/4 cup batter to pan. Working quickly,

swirl it evenly and thinly into a crepe. Cook until nicely browned on both

sides, turning once. Remove to a plate. Eat immediately, or keep warm in an oven

until ready to serve, which should be soon.

Per pancake: 55 calories, 2 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat (0 saturated),

0 cholesterol, 321 mg sodium, 0 fiber.

Amanda Berne, a former Chronicle staff writer, is a senior editor at Ten Speed

Press in Berkeley. E-mail her at food.

" Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies

in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are

cold and are not clothed. "

-- Dwight Eisenhower

March 15, 2007

I especially liked this line...

> This menu works for the many readers who wrote in after last

>month's column, requesting vegan dishes. >

....because her previous column was not vegan, and it didn't sound as

if it would go vegan (the old " let's not exclude the nonvegans "

argument). I'm not one of the people who wrote, but I will write this

time.

>Vegan stew from Provence

>

>Amanda Berne, a former Chronicle staff writer, is a senior editor at

>Ten Speed Press in Berkeley. E-mail her at food.

March 29, 2007

By AMANDA BERNE The San Francisco Chronicle When I was in college and went to the South of France to visit a friend who was studying abroad, the first place she took me to was the farmers' market in Nice. Baguettes were sold for a quarter. Spring vegetables were piled up in the stalls begging for the most discerning French women to take them home.I spent a few weeks camping out at my friend's apartment, which allowed me to taste many Provencal dishes. One of my favorites was bouillabaisse, the classic fish stew.But it wasn't just the seafood that captivated me. Instead, it was the full-bodied broth that I loved, with flavors of saffron, orange peel and fennel, and I relished dipping into it with

slices of baguette. I was inspired by the way that cooks in Provence loved their vegetables, coaxing baby zucchini, tomatoes, artichokes and eggplants into bright-flavored stews and soups, or stuffing and roasting them.These came to mind when I tried to figure out what vegetables could stand up to the full-bodied bouillabaisse flavors. First I made a base with fennel, celery, leeks and carrots, orange peel, white wine and saffron, then blitzed the mixture just enough to barely puree the soup, yet retain some texture. I cut artichokes, new potatoes, fennel and carrots into manageable pieces to simmer in the soup.Artichoke BouillabaisseThere's no fish in this recipe; in fact, it's vegan. The base of the soup gets a rough puree, so don't worry about cutting the vegetables neatly.2 tablespoons olive oil1 leek, rinsed and chopped3 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashedKosher salt and freshly ground pepper to

taste1 bulb fennel, half chopped, half cored and sliced and set aside for later2 celery stalks, chopped2 carrots, chopped1 teaspoon fennel seed1-1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves1-1/2 teaspoons rosemary, chopped2 tablespoons tomato paste1 strip orange peel (about 3 inches long, 1/4-inch wide)1 cup white wine mixed with 1 large pinch saffron5 cups vegetable broth2 artichokes, hearts only, cut into quarters4 small new potatoes, peeled and cut into thick rounds1 cup cooked white beans3 baby carrots (real baby carrots, not out of a bag), peeled and cut in halfHeat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. When shimmering, add leek and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes until soft, stirring often.Season with salt and pepper. Add chopped fennel, celery, carrots, fennel seed, thyme and rosemary. Cook over medium for 5 minutes, stirring until vegetables are softened,

but not caramelizing. Add tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute.Add orange peel, wine and saffron and 3-1/2 cups broth. Simmer gently for 25 minutes, until vegetables are soft enough to pierce and flavors melded.Let cool for about 5 minutes then puree, taking care not to make it too smooth. It should have some texture.Return soup to pot. Add remaining broth and the artichoke hearts, potatoes, sliced fennel, beans and carrots. If you are trying to emulate a traditional bouillabaisse, keep each of these ingredients in their own section so that when you serve it later you can make sure to get a little of each.Simmer gently until vegetables are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Make sure to get a spoon to bottom of pan occasionally as the fullness of this soup can make it stick a little.When serving, ladle about a cup of broth into each shallow bowl, then an equal amount of each vegetable. Serves four to six.SoccaThese

chickpea pancakes are delicious alongside bouillabaisse, or on their own. Eat them piping hot and with your fingers.1 cup chickpea flour1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt1-1/4 cups water, or as needed2 tablespoons olive oilOil for pan-fryingMix together flour and salt. Mix water and oil in a measuring cup. Pour into flour, whisking constantly until smooth. It should be the consistency of heavy cream; thin, but not watery. Add more water if needed to thin it out.Heat a small nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and when it is shimmering, pour out excess. Add about 1/4 cup batter to pan. Working quickly, swirl it evenly and thinly into a crepe. Cook until nicely browned on both sides, turning once.Remove to a plate. Eat immediately, or keep warm in an oven until ready to serve, which should be soon. Makes eight to 10 pancakes.Peter

H

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