Terry Hope Romero

Tester note: There is currently no illustration for shaping the buns (there will be in the book), so just try and figure it out from the instructions for now.

BBQ Seitan Steamed Buns (Char Siu Seitan Bao)

Make 12 huge bao buns

Set aside some quality time for these fluffy steamed buns; the soothing aroma of tender yeast dough and savory roasted seitan is pure comfort. I’ve always envied the genius of saucy, chewy faux-pork bao served at the best vegetarian dim sum houses I’ve visited; could something so delicious be made at home, especially one that’s not the domain of an Asian grandma who’s hell in the kitchen? With just some determination on your part great bao can be yours even no matter where your grandma hails from. Even if they don’t look pretty (but you’ll find with a little practice those gorgeous pleats and peaks are more craft than art), they’ll taste like a leisurely dim sum spent in any Chinatown.

The sauce will remind you of the Char Sie Seitan, only there’s more of it, plus a little cornstarch, for a saucy filling that cradles the chewy nuggest of roasted seitan.

Make ahead tip: Prepare the filling up to 24 hours in advance

3 cutlets of Five Spice Seitan, baked instead of steamed

1/3 cup dark agave nectar

¼ cup hoisin sauce

¼ cup shaoxing Chinese cooking wine or mirin

¼ cup Chinese vegetarian stir fry (vegetarian oyerster) sauce

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five spice powder

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and lightly oil a 9 x 13 inch ceramic baking dish. Cut out 12, three inch wide squares out of parchment paper and set aside for now. Dice the seitan into 1/4 inch pieces, then transfer to the baking dish. Whisk together the remaining ingredients, except for the cornstarch. Pour half of the marinade over the seitan and combine to coat with the sauce. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring the seitan occasionally, until the marinade is sticky and bubbling and the seitan is browned. Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes.

2. In a large saucepan whisk together the remaining marinade and the cornstarch. Stir in the roasted seitan, then over medium heat cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until the sauce has thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the bao dough for shaping into buns. Knead the dough a few times, then slice in half with a sharp knife. Keep one half covered with plastic wrap. The dough should be soft but not sticky, lightly flour your work surface only if the dough starts to stick during the shaping process. Use your palms to roll the dough into a tube about 12 inches long and slice into 6 pieces. Press a piece of dough into a circle with your finger about 4 ½ to 5 inches wide, or use a rolling pin to shape into a circle. For best results I use a combination of both, starting with my fingers and finishing with a wooden dowel to get an even circle about ¼ thick. Repeat with remaining dough. Set up your steamer and get it fired and ready to steam. As with any dumpling, the bao must not touch the water during the steaming process.

4. Assemble a bao! Place a dough circle in your non-dominate hand (for me that’s my left) and place a heaping 2 tablespoons of filling in the center. With your other hand take a generous pinch of dough from the edge of the circle and pull it away from the center; do it again right next to your first pinch, then pinch the two points together bending the dough toward the filling. Repeat this grab, pinch, and bend technique, taking care to pinch all of the ends together to form a big fat point. Work around the entire circle this way until you have something that resembles a little pleated, peaked pouch of dough. Grab and pinch any ungathered ends of the dough and give the whole thing a firm pinch and a twist to seal the top of the bao. Don’t sweat it if your bao are not completely air tight: all dough adventures take practice to be perfect, just relax and enjoy the act of pinching something cute that won’t pinch back. See illustration for bao shaping tips. Place each completed bao on a square of parchment paper.

5. Steam each batch of bao for 14 to 16 minutes; cooked bao will feel firm but puffy and should spring back when poked. These bao expand quite a bit during steaming to almost double the size. For a 10 inch diameter steamer, that’s about 3 to 4 bao per batch with enough room between each bun for expanding during the steaming process. Serve bao hot, with plenty of hot steamy Chinese black or jasmine green tea!

Rosewater Date Semolina Squares

Makes one 8 x 8 inch pan of date-filled bars

Mamouls are buttery Middle Eastern cookies, traditionally shaped like little mounds with pretty patterns pressed on their tops and filled with intensely sweet fillings. Special molds are used to press the cookies into a variety of shapes and patterns, but for the rest of us without special mamoul presses we’ll press the pleasantly sandy semolina dough and rosewater scented date filling into a more prosaic brownie pan. The results are like an exotic take on fruit sandwich cookie squares, with a flourish of pistachios and powdered sugar on top, and they make a delectable ending to any Middle Eastern meal or a luscious tea time snack. Served warm, these are my favorite dessert in this book, period.

Filling

1 pound dates without pits, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon rose water or orange flower water

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Semolina pastry

1/2 cup non-hydrogenate margarine, lightly softened (should not be melty or greasy looking)

1/4 cup non-hydrogenate shortening

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind or 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cup fine semolina flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

Topping:

2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1. Make the filling first: drain the dates in a mesh sieve, pressing the dates down to remove any excess water. Transfer to a food processor and pulse with the remaining filling ingredients into a thick paste; scrape down the sides of the processor often with a rubber spatula.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of an 8 inch square brownie pan with foil up to the edges of the pan, and fold about 1 inch of foil over the sides of the pan. Spray the bottom with a light coating of cooking oil spray.

3. Now make the cookie dough. Using a handheld mixer or standing mixer, in a large bowl cream together lightly softened margarine and the shortening. Scrap sides of bowl frequently and beat until mixture is thick and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the powdered sugar, then the vanilla extract and lemon rind. Add the flour, semolina flour, baking powder, and salt and use a fork or a pastry cutter to cut the dry ingredients into the margarine to form a sandy, crumbly dough.

4. Pour half of the dough into the lined pan and firmly press it into an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Drop spoonfuls of the date filling over this layer, then lightly moisten your fingers and press the filling into an even layer all the way to the edges of the pan. Crumble the remaining dough over the date filling, then firmly press this down into an even layer all the way to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle the top with the chopped pistachios, and gently press these into the dough.

5. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is a pale, slightly golden in color and feels firm. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes, then use the foil on the edges of the pan to lift the entire pastry out of the pan. Gently peel the foil away from the sides of the pastry and use a sharp knife to slice into 16 small squares (or smaller squares, as these are very rich). Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar. Serve warm or stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature, the squares will stay fresh for up to a week.

Tomato Artichoke Ciabatta Salad

Serves 4 as a generous side

Warm up to a fresh taste of summer with this Italian-style salad that gets a surprising boost from a loaf of day old bread transformed into lemony, garlicky croutons; airy ciabatta bread makes for the most flavorful, delicate croutons, but any good country bread will do. The artichokes can be grilled and marinated in the dressing a day or more before assembling the salad, and the bread cubes can be toasted a day in advance too.

Tip: When juicy summer tomatoes are months away, use flavorful cherry tomatoes or small heirloom tomatoes.

8 to 12 ounce loaf ciabatta bread or similar crusty Italian bread, left out overnight to turn slightly state

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried crumbled basil

Salad

8 ounces artichoke hearts, packed in brine and well drained. If frozen, thaw completely and pat dry

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled

2 tablespoons capers, drained

1 pound red ripe tomatoes, core and seeds removed, diced into 1 inch pieces

1 bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the bread into 1/2 inch cubes. In a mortar and pestle mash together the garlic and salt into a paste, then add to a large mixing bowl and whisk lemon juice, olive oil, and basil. Add the bread cubes and toss to coat with dressing, then spread the bread on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 12 to 14 minutes until cubes are toasted. Occasionally stir the bread cubes.

2. While the bread cubes are toasting, slice the artichokes into thin 1/4 inch pieces. Heat half of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Layer the artichokes in the hot pan and fry on one side for 3 minutes, then turn them over and fry another 2 to 3 minute or until the edges are just starting to turn golden, then remove from heat set aside. In a mortar and pestle mash together the garlic and salt into a paste, then add to a large mixing bowl and whisk vinegar, remaining olive oil, oregano, rosemary, and whisk to combine. Add the artichokes, capers, tomatoes, and the parsley. When the bread cubes are done toasting, add them to the bowl along with a few twist of freshly cracked pepper. Use salad tongs to toss everything with the dressing, making sure that all of the bread cubes has been moistened. Serve immediately.

3. If desired, prepare the toasted bread up to 2 days in advance and store in a tightly covered container; allow the cubes to cool completely before storing.

Tester note: There is no illustration at this time for folding; the method is the basic “flag” fold for making triangle filo pastries

Filo Samosas

Makes 14 or more baked samosas

Everybody loves potato pea stuffed Indian savory pastries, but less so the heavy greasy fried shell (at least all the time), so it’s light and flakey filo dough to the rescue! Baking is an alternative with less mess and while the outside looks Middle Eastern, the golden filling is all Indian. Cut down on the fat and use cooking oil spray to oil the filo, or brush on a mild flavored vegetable oil if you don’t care about that. Serve hot with Tamarind Date Chutney, Cilantro Chutney or both!

Ten 14” x 18” sheets filo dough (preferably #10 “country-style” filo), thawed if frozen

Cooking oil spray or vegetable oil (about 1/3 cup)

Potato Pea Cashew Filling

2 pounds Russet potato, peeled and diced into 1 inch pieces

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

2 to 4 hot green chiles (Thai or serrano), finely chopped (remove seeds for a milder filling)

1/2 inch cube fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1/4 cup chopped cashews

1 yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 tablespoon garam masala spice blend

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

1 cup frozen green peas, thawed 

2 tablespoons lime juice

½ cup chopped cilantro

Few twists of freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Prepare the filling first: place the diced potato in a large saucepan, cover with 3 inches of cold water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Boil the potato for 15 minutes or until tender. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid, drain the rest and set the potatoes aside.

2. Preheat the vegetable oil in a wok or large 12 inch skillet heat over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover the wok and when the seeds finish popping stir in the chiles and ginger. Stir fry for 1 minute, then add the cashews and fry another minute, then add the onion and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onion is soft. Add the cooked potato, garam masala, turmeric, salt and about 1/2 cup of reserved cooking liquid. With a wooden spoon, mash the potato into the frying onions and spices, stirring and mashing the potato until the mixture is golden and the filling resembles chunky, moist mashed potatoes. If the potato mixture seems overly dry, dribble in a little extra reserved cooking water. Stir in peas, lime juice, and cilantro. Taste the mixture and season with more salt and lime juice if needed. Remove from heat, transfer filling to mixing bowl and set aside to cool enough to handle.

3. Follow the filo handling instructions for bakalava on page XX, then cut the filo sheets lengthwise into three long strips about 4.5 inches wide by 18 inches long. Keep covered with plastic wrap until ready to assemble the samosas.

4. When ready to assemble samosas preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. To assemble a samosa, lay a strip of filo with the short end near you and brush or spray the entire length with oil. Scoop about ¼ cup of filling on the end of the strip closest to you, then fold the filo away from you into a triangle. Continue to fold the filo up and away until the entire thing is folded into a triangle [see Illustration]. Spray or brush the top of the triangle with oil, then carefully transfer to the baking sheet. Continue to assemble samosas; you may have some extra filo dough left over.

5. Bake samosas for 28 to 30 minutes or until filo is golden and edges begin to brown, then serve hot with chutney. To reheat, wrap in foil and bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes. Store leftovers chilled in a tightly covered container.