Tomato and bread soup, cold or hot
plus a recipe for panelle/panisse, fried chickpeas fritters
There are a lot of new subscribers this week, thanks to recent features in and , so to celebrate this growing vegetable community, I’m offering my second free newsletter for July. This one is a bonanza too, with two new recipes. With that, you also privy to some pondering…As always, thank you all for being here. Happy Cooking!
To eat and enjoy vegetables. What does this mean? Are we a special breed? I had hoped not, because there are over 26,000 of you who subscribe to this newsletter. But this week, after The New York Times devoted a full page to my vegetarian recipes from TENDERHEART, there were some comments that left me pondering the misconceptions that still exist in the wider world about vegetables, eating a predominantly vegetable diet, and vegetarianism.
In some circles, the word ‘vegetarian’ immediately gets one’s hackles up. Many get defensive and feel a need to condemn the lifestyle. Others opt to “pragmatically”denounce, emphasizing that these meals are not actually ‘healthy’ and that they cannot sustain life. I’m here to disprove the latter.
One commenter said,
“Carbs on carbs? No thanks. I was hoping for recipes with vegetables, not potatoes fried in a tortilla with ramen noodles boiled in leftover corn water.”
Newsflash #1: corn water is delicious, a great way to use the whole corn, to extract all possible flavour. I have nothing against flavour, and this commenter shouldn’t either.
Newsflash #2: I vehemently dislike the categorizing of food as ‘good’ and ‘bad’. Carbs, which help fuel our brain, kidneys, heart muscles, and central nervous system, are constantly and unfairly defamed. Potatoes, rich in Vitamin C and once a life-saving food that prevented scurvy, are now belittled and even denied their vegetable status.
Let me be clear, vegetarianism is not about “us and them”. It is not culinary warfare. I think most people agree that from an environmental point of view, everyone should eat less meat. But I do not judge those who do. My husband and kids eat meat. But just as my family find joy in char siu or roast duck, my personal happy place is cashew celery stir-fry. There is room for all of us. My family is a living example of how vegetarianism can exist in harmony alongside an omnivorous diet.
Vegetarian has become a loaded word, with unfair expectations. More than anything, we need to separate the words ‘vegetarian’ and ‘healthy’. Vegetarian food can be healthy, but this should not be assumed. And what is “healthy” anyway? Notions of health are different across cultures. It wasn’t long ago that Western media portrayed tofu as “unhealthy” (a belief that many people still possess).
The naysayers are quick to disparage vegetarian recipes that have carbs, salt, sugar, and fat. They do not seem to have the same antagonism towards a bowl of spaghetti bolognese.
Labels are often not helpful. Terms like vegetarian and vegan carry cache in some circles, but in the mainstream, they are still surprisingly - and inexplicably - divisive. It has always been my mission to show people how to cook delicious food - which happens to be meat-free - without the need to label it as vegetarian.
First and foremost, I am a vegetable lover that happens to be vegetarian.
Some may wonder how my dogged vegetarianism can raise meat-eating kids. Remember, I ate meat growing up too. I do not cook meat, and as the person who cooks almost all of their meals, this makes them almost vegetarian. Do I wish the my kids were vegetarian? My honest answer is, yes. But do they enjoy the [meatless] meals I cook for them - resounding yes. You don’t have to be vegetarian to enjoy and be sustained by meat-free meals.
In my life, I have always found vegetarian and vegan food to be undeniably inclusive. It brings all people to the table, conjures a sense of belonging, and creates community.
I am cognizant that not everyone who reads this newsletter is vegetarian, and I don’t expect you to be. Hopefully, you are here because, first and foremost, you love good food. Good food is good food. It can have meat, or it can be vegetarian or vegan. No labels are required. I’ve had a lot of messages this week, new subscribers who want to cook more creatively with vegetables, cook more vegetarian meals for their family, or who are simply vegetable-curious. Everyone is welcome, and I’m so happy you are here.
With that, back to some regular programming…
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This week
Cook all the vegetarian recipes featured on my New York Times TENDERHEART excerpt. There cashew celery, crispy potato tacos, salt and vinegar kale with crispy chickpeas, and an original recipe for soy-butter corn ramen. These are all gift links, so no NYT subscription necessary.
I’ve also been loving the weeknight friendliness of this fried cheese with chickpeas and spicy tomato sauce (ran out of gift links so sorry, this one is paywalled). We enjoy it with some heated store-bought naan or flatbread.
Also fried rice is always a good idea. Last week was fried rice week in my The Washington Post Voraciously Plant Powered II newsletter and I shared new incredible vegan fried rice recipes - turmeric fried rice with bursting tomatoes, and sheet pan nasi goreng (gift links to both). If you haven’t signed up, you can still do so here to receive all 10 weeks of newsletter with 20 free recipes.
This week’s new recipe
Tomato and bread soup, cold or hot
© Hetty Lui McKinnon for To Vegetables, With Love
It is hard to describe how alive this soup feels. When using such sparse ingredients, there is nowhere to hide. The vivacity of this soup fervently reflects the integrity of the ingredients used. It tastes of vines ripened by the sun, grassy, musky, and earthy. It offers the essence of tomatoes, without the astringency.
The soup is inspired by a Spanish tomato and bread soup called salmorejo, which typically features sherry vinegar, and is served topped with boiled egg and ham.
I developed this recipe to be eaten cold, however when I served it, my son requested for it to be heated up. Hence, we have a soup that can be served at both temperatures. There are optional toppings of bread croutons, feta or other soft, salty cheese, or tahini. I served mine with fried chickpea batter ‘chips’ or fritters called panelle. The recipe for this follows.
For those in the southern hemisphere, I have options. Use whole peeled canned tomatoes - the flavour will be slightly heavier, less nuanced, but it will still work. Alternatively, embrace winter supermarket tomatoes, salt them a little to bring out their dormant flavor – depending upon how fresh they are, you might consider adding a touch of sugar to the final soup, as insurance. Taste, taste, taste and you should be fine.
Serves 4
900g (2 pounds) ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 scallions (green onions), sliced, plus more for topping
225g (1/2 pound) stale bread, torn into small chunks (gluten free is fine)
1 tablespoon apple cider or red wine vinegar
60ml (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil, plus more for topping
1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional toppings
bread croutons or panelle (Sicilian fritters) - see recipe below
tahini
crumbled feta, ricotta, goats cheese
Place the tomatoes, garlic, scallions, bread, vinegar and 1 cup (250ml) of water into a blender or food processor, and puree until smooth and silky. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and blend until incorporated. Add the salt and give it a quick blitz to combine. Check the texture is loose and pourable. If it is too thick, blend in a touch more water.
For cold: transfer the soup to a container, cover and chill until it’s cold, about 30 minutes. The soup can also be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge for several days. You can also serve immediately by adding ice cubes.
For hot: pour the soup into a large pot and gently heat on medium heat until it is warmed through. You can also heat up individual bowls in the microwave.
To serve, divide the soup among four serving bowls and top with scallions, a little olive oil and, if using, a drizzle of tahini and croutons or panelle.
Panelle-slash-panisse (Sicilian/Provencal chickpea fritters)
© Hetty Lui McKinnon for To Vegetables, With Love
Panelle are Sicilian chickpea fritters made of chickpea flour and water. In Provence, they are known as Panisse. In my old neighborhood of Carroll Gardens, Ferdinando’s Foccaceria makes famed panelle sandwiches. A few years ago, I fell in love with the long tongues of chickpea fritters scented with crispy sage that King restaurant in New York served as a palette starter. These are a wonderful snack but also very nice dipped into a viscous soup. If you want to serve them as croutons, cut into squares before frying.
Makes 10-12 long, thick fries or many many square ‘croutons’
extra virgin olive oil2 cups vegetable stock or water
110g (about 1 cup) chickpea flour
sea salt and black pepper
lemon wedges, to serve
Drizzle a loaf pan (mine is 20cm / 8-inch x 10 cm / 4-inch) with a little olive oil and use your hands to smear it across the base and sides. Set aside.
In a medium pot, add the vegetable stock or water and bring to a boil.
Place the chickpea flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a big pinch of black pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine. When the stock or water boils, slowly pour it into the bowl with the chickpea flour, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Now pour the chickpea flour mixture back into the pot you used to heat the stock/water and place on medium high heat. Whisking constantly, bring it to a gentle boil, reduce heat to medium-low and then continue whisking until it is thick and smooth. Add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, and whisk until incorporated.
Scrape the thick chickpea batter into the loaf pan, pushing it into the sides, smoothing the top as much as you can (a wet offset spatula helps). Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then cover and place in the fridge until completely cold and firm, about 60 minutes. You can also leave it to chill overnight.
After chilling, turn the slab of chickpea batter onto a cutting board and slice into 1/2-inch / 1.25cm strips (to resemble thick French fries) or ½ inch rectangles/squares (or whatever shape you like).
Place a 1/4-inch / 6-7mm of olive oil to a skillet or deep pan (for many years, this has been my choice for frying in small quantities). Test that the oil is ready by inserting a wooden chopstick or spoon and if it sizzles immediately, it is ready. If there is any surface moisture on the chickpea strips, blot with kitchen towel. Working in batches, carefully drop them into the hot oil and fry, rotating them occasionally, until they are golden all over, about 5-6 minutes. If you would like them crispier with a thicker fried skin, you can fry them again, after they cool.
Transfer them to kitchen paper lined plate to drain and immediately sprinkle with a little sea salt. Serve hot, with lemon wedges.
Don’t pay an attention to the naysayers who are threatened by vegans or vegetarians.
I am a physician.
I have been a vegetarian for my whole life and vegan for 20 years.
I am 71 years old, practicing medicine full time, and incredibly healthy.
I can hike mountains with the best of them.
My children are vegan and my grandchildren are vegan.
Vegan diets are healthy.
And indisputably best for the environment.
I have been bitching under my breath that potatoes are vegetables, too, for at least a quarter century. This newsletter was so refreshing! Thank you for rejecting good food/bad food binaries and putting flavor first, while welcoming absolutely everyone to the table.