Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Part 85

2 bay leaves

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 1 cups cooked chickpeas

You are going to need two large, rimmed baking sheets to get the job done and baking parchment to make sure that you don't ruin the baking sheets-unless they're already ruined and you don't care.

If you don't have a pastry brush for applying the oil, a spray bottle of olive oil with work, too. Otherwise just drizzle it on

ARRANGE TWO oven racks so that one is in the upper third and the other is in the lower third. You're probably not going to be able to fit both of your pans on one rack. If you are, we hate that you've got a bigger oven than we do!

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Quarter the eggplant lengthwise and slice across into -inch slices.

Line two rimmed baking sheets with baking parchment and brush the parchment with the olive oil. Lay the eggplant slices on the baking sheets and brush or spray the tops with olive oil. Leave a little room on one pan for the peppers. Brush the outsides of the peppers with olive oil and place them, cut side down, on the pan.

Remove the papery skins from the garlic bulb (as much skin as will come off easily). Place the garlic on one of the pans as well.

Place the pans in the oven and roast for 25 minutes.

Remove the pans from the oven. Place the red pepper in a paper or plastic bag and close up the bag (so that the pepper skins steam off). Flip the eggplant pieces and brush a little oil on any pieces that look dry (they should be fairly browned, albeit unevenly).

Return the eggplant to the oven for an additional 15 minutes and remove the garlic, setting it aside to cool. The garlic should have been in for 40 minutes, but if you did the eggplant flipping with lightning speed, give the garlic a few more minutes to bake.

On the stovetop, preheat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. The eggplant should be ready while the onion is browning, so remove the eggplant from the oven and set aside (if you are running out of counter s.p.a.ce, use tongs to transfer the eggplant to a bowl).

Add the garlic to the onions and saute for 2 more minutes. Add the white wine and herbs and cook for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, tearing up each tomato with your hands before adding to the pot, and add the remaining tomato juice from the can.

Add the eggplant to the pot and mix well. Don't be afraid of crus.h.i.+ng the eggplant; in fact it's good if it gets a little crushed.

Remove the peppers from the bag and peel away the skin. If for some reason the skin won't peel, don't sweat it. Chop the peppers into bite-size pieces and add to the soup pot along with the chickpeas. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To prepare the garlic, wet your hands (to avoid sticking) and squeeze each roasted garlic clove into the soup pot. Mix well, turn off the heat, and let the stew sit for as long as you can stand to let the flavors to develop.

Serve!

KABOCHA-UDON WINTER STEW.

Serves 4 TIME: about 35 minutes Feel healthy (or just fake it, deliciously) by eating this mellow broth loaded with sweet kabocha squash and vegetables. It's a welcome break from the usual heavy winter fare, but still it's light enough to be just as welcome in warmer weather. The clear broth is j.a.panese-style das.h.i.+ broth flavored with dried s.h.i.+take mushrooms, sake, and sea vegetables. The chewy udon noodles make this a complete meal, but also try serving with packaged j.a.panese-style pickles alongside.

If you haven't guessed already, you'll need a few j.a.panese specialty items for this stew. We recommend making this if you've ever stepped into a huge, well-stocked Asian market, got really excited, brought home a big bag of groceries, then asked yourself "What the h.e.l.l am I going to make with all this stuff?" Now you can go shopping with purpose!

s.h.i.+take das.h.i.+ broth: 2 quarts cold water

2 (4-inch) pieces kombu (kelp)

cup shoyu (j.a.panese soy sauce)

2 teaspoons sugar

ounce dried s.h.i.+take mushrooms

(4-5 dried)

2 (-inch-thick) slices fresh ginger, lightly crushed with the side of a knife

Stew: pound fresh udon noodles

1 large leek, washed well and sliced into -inch lengths

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into -thick pieces

1-2 pounds kabocha (about 1 small squash), unpeeled but seeded and sliced into 2 1-inch pieces

6-8 ounces fried tofu pouches (aburage), or firm silken tofu, sliced into strips or cubes

cup sake

2 tablespoons mirin

2 scallions, sliced very thin

Optional garnishes: j.a.panese hot pepper powder and additional shoyu

PREPARE THE broth: Pour 2 quarts of water into a large soup pot and add the kombu, shoyu, sugar, dried s.h.i.+takes, and ginger. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat so that it gently simmers. Cook for 15 minutes.

Taste the broth and add a little more shoyu if it's not quite salty enough (but don't overdo it-it's easy to pour too much!). Remove the kombu, ginger, and mushrooms. Allow the mushrooms to cool enough to handle, slice very thinly, and return to pot. Cover the pot and keep the broth warm over a low flame.

Kabocha squash is an Asian pumpkin with deep orange, nutty-flavored flesh that's sweeter and slightly drier that regular pumpkin. A bonus for lazy cooks: the deep green, thin skin of kabocha squash cooks up tender and edible, so no need to peel. We have no problem finding it in supermarkets but, if you can't find it, use peeled sugar pumpkin, acorn, delicate, or b.u.t.ternut. You'll probably need to extend the cooking time for these squash, cooking an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the squash is tender.

Kombu, dried giant kelp, is a standard ingredient in j.a.panese soups and condiments. When cooked in a stock or broth, it will unfold into a really big sheet. Don't freak out, just let the stock cook as directed and then remove and discard the kelp when it's done.

Dried udon works just fine here, too. Cook the noodles according to the package directions and rinse in cold water, then keep them handy in a colander. Rinse in warm water when ready to add to stir-fry.

In a separate pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add the udon noodles and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until tender. Use chopsticks to pull apart the noodles while they are cooking. Transfer to a colander in the sink, rinse well with cold water, and allow the noodles to continue to drain. If at any point the noodles get too gummy and sticky, rinse with warm water to separate.

Meanwhile, add the leek, carrot, kabocha, and tofu to the broth. Simmer over medium-low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, until the squash is tender and can be pierced easily with a fork. Stir in the sake and mirin.

Place portions of the rinsed udon noodles into large, deep, individual serving bowls. Use a slotted spoon to add vegetable chunks to the bowls, then a ladle to spoon on the stock. Sprinkle with chopped scallions. Eat with a large spoon and chopsticks.