A minty meal - Iron Chef Challenge - December 2011

Really. I wanted to skip this Iron Chef Challenge. I do not like mint at all, except for tea and candies. But in my spice shelf there was mint left, so this challenge was a chance to get finally rid of it and as I was very unsure what to cook I tried three different dishes (in fact four) and wanted to decide which one to submit then. 

In the end I found myself having three courses containing mint and everyone was quite fine, so I decided to let you choose your own favourite.


Starter: Tabouleh inspired Bulgur Veggie Tower on a Bed of Mint Sauce

what you need: 

100g bulgur soaked in boiling veggie broth for 1/2h

2 tomatoes, cut in squares

1/4 cucumber, cut in squares

2 spring onions, chopped

a few eggplant slices, sauted in olive oil

5tbsp chopped parsley

salt, pepper, cumin (optional)

sauce:

2tbsp lemon juice

2tbsp olive oil

1tbsp mint

salt, pepper

how to:

at first prepare sauce and allow it to infuse for several minutes

season tomato and cucumber squares with salt and pepper, eventually add cumin to soaked bulgur (it has a really strange taste, so better make sure you like that)

carefully layer all ingredients on top of one another

spread parsley over it

pour sauce around it

Main Course: Mushroom Cannelloni on Bed of Lettuce and garlicy Button Mushrooms

what you need: 

cannelloni:

~200g botton mushrooms

~6-8 cannelloni

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 midi onion, chopped

2tbsp mint

olive oil, salt, pepper

sauce:

usual bechamel sauce (from margarine, flour, soy rice milk), seasoned with nutmeg, salt, pepper, lemon juice

plant milk for baking pan

garlicy button mushrooms:

~5-10 button mushrooms, peeled

1 clove of garlic, minced

olive oil

salad:

lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers

dressing:

125g soy yogurt 

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 spring onion, chopped

1tbsp agave syrup

1tbsp mint

1tbsp lemon juice

fleur de sel, pepper, chili, parsley leaves

how to:

prepare salad dressing, allow to infuse

prepare cannelloni filling, sauté garlic and onions, add mushroom pieces and mint, season with salt and pepper stuff cannelloni

pour plant milk over stuffed cannelloni into the baking pan, then prepare bechamel sauce and pour over it, covering everything

put mushrooms into another baking pan (top-down), stray garlic over them and sprinkle olive oil over them

put both pans in your oven

bake at 180° for ~25min or until brown

in the meantime prepare your salad, place dressing on top of lettuce bed and garnish with parsley leaves

when done remove both pans from the oven, place button mushrooms on lettuce and cannelloni besides

Dessert: Minty Pancakes with Chocolate and Strawberry Jam

                                                                                               

what you need:

pancake batter (from flour, soy eggs, salt, plant milk)

2tbsp mint

dark chocolate rasps

strawberry jam

icing sugar

how to: 

prepare pancake batter (should be really fluent - these are supposed to become very thin, not American style pancakes)

add mint

heat oil in a pan, place a small amount of dough in your pan, then move pan, until the dough covers the whole bottom, flip when brown

rasp chocolate over one side or spread strawberry jam on it, then roll or fold and sprinkle icing sugar on top

-enjoy!