Hearts of Palm Cakes with Curried Lentils from Vedge by Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby

I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that I’ve never been to Vedge, the famed vegan restaurant in Philadelphia. I live in New Jersey, about two hours away, and many of my friends have made the trek to Philly just to eat there. I’ve heard that the food is absolutely incredible. Kristin Lajeunesse, who traveled the country in search of vegan food, told me that Vedge was her favorite restaurant in all of the United States. I will get there soon. I must.

Until then, I can recreate the famed dishes that the restaurant serves in my own kitchen, now that their cookbook (also called Vedge) is available in paperback. Vedge: 100 Plates Large and Small That Redefine Vegetable Cooking by Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby was released as hardcover to rave reviews in 2013, and the paperback version of the book just came out last week.

I referred to Vedge as a vegan restaurant – because everything that is served is vegan – but Rich and Kate like to say it’s a vegetable restaurant, because vegetables are the stars of the show. The same is true of the Vedge cookbook. Vegetables take center stage, and this book will teach you how to cook them deliciously in recipes that border on pure genius. Who could say no to Korean Eggplant Tacos with Kimchi Mayo? Or Portobello Frites? What about Fingerling Potatoes with Creamy Worcestershire Sauce? A stronger person than I, that’s who.

The recipes may look complicated upon first glance, but they are surprisingly simple to prepare. (And simply delicious!) In these dishes, distinctive flavors are created by layering herbs, spices, vinegars, and other simple ingredients. One of the things I really love about Vedge is that in the pantry essentials section of the book (which any good cookbook should have), rather than just giving a list of ingredients to buy, the flavor of each item is explained along with how that flavor can affect the final dish. Vedge is not just a cookbook with recipes to follow, it’s about learning how to cook too.

If you’re like me and you’d like to eat at Vedge but just haven’t been able to get yourself to Philly yet, this cookbook is for you! It’s also a must-have if you’re trying to incorporate more vegetables in to your diet and are in need of some tasty inspiration. I think anyone who wants to learn how to use spices and condiments to cook simple, yet flavorful food should have Vedge in their cookbook library as well.

 

Hearts of Palm Cakes on Curried Lentils

Hearts of palm are unsung heros in the vegetable world. Vedge’s hearts of palm hail from the Wailea Agricultural Group on the big island of Hawaii. Sustainably farmed and flown to us each week, fresh hearts of palm have a flavor and texture that can’t be beat. Their crunchy, clean-tasting white flesh is reminiscent of a fresh artichoke heart. If you don’t have a small tropical farm filling your produce orders on a weekly basis, canned or jarred hearts of palm make for a very good runner-up.

Prep time: 20 minutes, Cook time: 35 minutes, Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced green bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons minced scallions, white and light green parts only
• One 16-ounce can hearts of palm, drained, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 4 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup minced onions
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup dried yellow or red lentils, picked through and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• ½ cup vegan mayo

Preparation

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the bell peppers and scallions and cook, stirring, until brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the hearts of palm chunks, 2 teaspoons of the curry powder, and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, then transfer the mixture to a large bowl and let cool. Pulse the mixture in a food processor to achieve a coarse, shredded consistency. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
3. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat. When the oil begins to ripple, add the onions and cook, stirring, until brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons curry powder and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the lentils are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and the cilantro. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
4. Fold the vegan mayo into the cooled hearts of palm mixture. Form the mixture into four balls. Transfer the balls to a sheet pan, flatten them into round cakes about 2 inches thick, and bake until the edges turn brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
5. To serve, spoon the lentils onto four plates and place one hearts of palm cake on top of each portion.

 

Recipe from Vedge: 100 Plates Large and Small That Redefine Vegetable Cooking, copyright © Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby, 2013. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold.  Photo by Michael Spain-Smith