Vive le Fresh! - vegetarian menus influenced by French cuisine

Vegetarian Times, May, 1999 by Sarah Bush

A fabulous French meal prepared with the best of the season

Imagine yourself in one of the most beautiful cities in the world--Paris. You've spent the morning in the magnificent Musee d' Orsay (once the main railway station in the city and now a museum housing some of the world's finest paintings) and are now beginning to wend your way through the Left Bank's maze of narrow roads. You stop to admire the rows of luscious vegetable tarts in the window of a patisserie. Rounding a comer, you discover an open-air market with a profusion of stalls filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses and herbs. Vivid colors and aromas engulf your senses as you stroll by a luxuriant array of bright red tomatoes, zucchini with yellow blossoms, brilliant peppers, earthy mushrooms and tight bundles of thin, green asparagus. Loaves of crusty farmhouse bread made early that morning are piled high on one table. Nearby, cheeses from the provinces are artfully arranged. Just thinking about the gastronomic possibilities of these fabulous foods can make you dizzy.

All over France, inspiration for dinner comes from enticing food markets. Shoppers comb the aisles without a specific list in hand and hunt for what looks best. Their home-cooked meals are usually straightforward and basic: soups, salads, tarts, sautes and cooked vegetables.

Few of us have access to markets comparable to those in Paris. Nevertheless, the French way of food shopping imparts an important lesson: to develop an awareness of the peak season of individual fruits and vegetables and buy them when they are of highest quality.

Take advantage of farm stands and farmers' markets in your area; they carry reasonably priced, just-picked produce and often sell items that are not available in supermarkets. And by patronizing these smaller businesses, you help to ensure their continued existence and growth.

The following recipes call for ingredients that come to the market in the spring or early summer. But rather than going to the store with a hard-and-fast shopping list, be flexible and let what you find inspire you. Think about complementary flavors and contrasting colors and textures. This is the true joy of seasonal vegetarian cooking.

Menu Spring Vegetable Soup with Melba Toast (Potage Printanier) * Asparagus with Garlic Mayonnaise (Asperges au Aioli) * Savory Vegetable Tart (matte Provencale) * Spinach Salad with Walnuts (Salad di Epinards et Noisettes) * Lemon Sorbet with Raspberry Sauce (Sorbet au Limone et Coulis Framboises)

Spring Vegetable Soup

4 TO 6 SERVINGS DAIRY-FREE (30)

This soup is easy to make and requires very little cooking, which means the vegetables stay fresh-tasting and flavorful. The first peas of the season would be the best choice, but frozen peas are an excellent alternative. Accompany this soup with Melba toasts (see box, p. 36).

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, minced (1 cup)
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 large carrot, finely diced (3/4 cup)
1 cup shelled fresh or frozen peas,
thawed
6 cups vegetable broth, heated
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges for serving

IN LARGE SAUCEPAN, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add peas and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add hot broth and bring to boil. Cook 1 minute. Stir in lettuce, salt and pepper. Serve hot with lemon wedges to squeeze into each portion.

PER SERVING: 115 CAL.; 6G PROT.; 5G TOTAL FAT (1G SAT. FAT); 15G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 1,550MG SOD.; 3G FIBER

Asparagus with Garlic Mayonnaise

4 TO 6 SERVINGS DAIRY-FREE (30)

Fresh spring-green asparagus is an elegant vegetable, but it's often paired with calorie-packed sauces. Try serving the spears with a healthier soy mayonnaise flavored with garlic, and be sure not to overcook the asparagus. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the spears. Asparagus is a great source of folic acid, which is known to help lower the risk of coronary heart disease.

Garlic mayonnaise

1 cup soy mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs,
such as basil, tarragon
or chervil
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black
pepper
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. asparagus, tough ends
trimmed

GARLIC MAYONNAISE: In medium bowl, mix all ingredients. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Whisk well before serving.

Steam asparagus until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain, arrange asparagus on plates and serve hot with spoonful of garlic mayonnaise.

Alternatively, serve asparagus cold. After cooking, drain asparagus, rinse with cold water until cool, then drain again. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

PER SERVING WITH 1 TABLESPOON GARLIC MAYONNAISE: 58 CAL.; 3G PROT.; 3G TOTAL FAT (1G SAT. FAT); 7G CARB.; 0 CHOL; 110MG SOD.; 2G FIBER

Savory Vegetable Tart

6 SERVINGS LACTO

If you were living in Paris, you would be able to go to your local bakery and buy a tart like this--and it would taste delicious. To speed up the preparation, use a ready-made whole wheat pastry crust to line the pan. Your tart will look best if you choose tomatoes and zucchini of roughly the same diameter.