Vegan with a Vengeance

sliced cremini mushrooms
    Â¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
    2 garlic cloves, minced
    1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
    2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
    Â½ teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
    A few dashes fresh black pepper
    Â½ teaspoon salt
    1½ cups arborio rice
    A few drops black truffle oil (optional)
    Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium-size saucepan. Add the dried shiitake mushrooms and simmer for about 2 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to a plate. When cool enough to handle, coarsely chop them. Cover the broth and keep warm over very low heat.
    In a medium-size saucepan over moderate heat, sauté the shallots for about 5 minutes; add the cremini mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes, and cook until mushrooms are tender and most of the moisture has been released, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, shiitakes, herbs, spices, and salt; sauté another 3 minutes.

    Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of broth; stirring often, simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 6 minutes. Continue to cook and stir, adding more broth by cupfuls, until the rice is tender and creamy and all the broth is absorbed. This should take about 30 minutes. Spoon onto plates and sprinkle some truffle oil over each serving if you like.

Eggplant and Artichoke alla Napoletana
    MAKES AROUND 4 SERVINGS
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    This is bread crumb-coated eggplant layered with a Mediterranean artichoke “ragout” and smothered in Classic Pesto (page 132) and Sun-dried Tomato Pesto (page 183). You don’t have to use artichokes; fresh zucchini makes a nice substitution. You need to use a lot of bowls and pans to make this, so don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s a cute little dish, though, and worth all the futzing.
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    FOR THE ARTICHOKE FILLING:
    3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    1 cup finely chopped chopped onion
    2 garlic cloves, minced
    Â½ teaspoon dried thyme
    Â½ teaspoon salt
    A few dashes fresh black pepper
    8 plum tomatoes, diced
    2 cups coarsely chopped artichoke hearts (if using canned, be sure to wash off any seasoning)
    Â½ cup thinly sliced, pitted kalamata olives
    Â¼ cup capers, drained
    Â¼ cup chopped fresh basil
    FOR THE EGGPLANT SLICES:
    1 cup water
    1 tablespoon cornstarch
    1 cup all-purpose flour
    1 cup panko
    Â¼ teaspoon dried thyme
    Â¼ teaspoon dried oregano
    A few dashes fresh black pepper
    Â½ teaspoon salt
    1 large eggplant, sliced ¼ inch thick
    Oil for frying
    Prepare the artichokes:
    In a large skillet over medium heat sauté the onions in the oil until translu
cent—about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the thyme, salt, pepper, and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes have broken down and released their juices, about 5 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts, olives, and capers; simmer for 10 minutes. Add the basil and cook 1 minute more. Cover to keep warm.
    Prepare the eggplant:
    Have ready a flattened paper bag or paper towels to drain the oil.
    In a broad bowl whisk the cornstarch with the water until dissolved. Fill a dinner plate with the flour. Onto another plate sift together the bread crumbs, spices, salt, and pepper. Line up the dishes as follows: flour, cornstarch mixture, panko.
    Heat a little over ¼ inch of oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over moderate heat. Dip an eggplant slice in the flour, then in the cornstarch mixture, and then in the breadcrumbs, flipping to coat. When you have dipped four slices use tongs to place them in the oil and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Flip over and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to the paper to
    PUNK POINTS
    Some say that sprinkling eggplant with salt removed the bitterness, although I am not convinced it is a wholly necessary step since some eggplant is bred to be less bitter. If you would like to try it for yourself, sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and set on paper towels for half an hour. Rinse the salt off of the eggplant, pat dry, and proceed with the recipe.
drain and proceed with the remaining eggplant slices.
    Assemble the layers:
    Pour some of the sauce you are using onto the plate. Place an eggplant slice on the sauce, then a layer of the artichokes, then an eggplant slice, then another layer of the artichokes. Add one final eggplant slice and top with sauce.

    Know When to Thrift
    I have a thing against kitchen equipment that is shiny and new. I prefer the broken-in items