Corn couscous with smoked Almond curds, dried Zucchini Flowers and Vegetables
A tasty vegan dish prepared by Italian chef Daniela Cicioni, presented at 'The Vegetarian Chance' challenge: corn couscous with smoked almond curds.
ingredients
Preparation
For cucumber and mint emulsion
Blend the ingredients to obtain a smooth emulsion.
For the curds
Prepare the almond milk by blending the almonds with 1 litre of water.
Filter through a clean wet cloth, set the pulp aside. Heat 1 litre of the milk obtained to 85° C, while stirring the bottom of the pan from time to time with a wooden spoon.
When the temperature has reached 80° C, salt (lightly) and stir. At 85° C pour in the vinegar and stir slowly two or three times using a wooden spoon, remove from the heat and cover.
Leave to rest for 20-30 minutes.
Prepare a sieve lined with a non woven fabric gauze or a muslin cloth placed on top of a bowl.
Using a ladle, pour the curded liquid into the bowl (two or three ladles at a time).
When about half of the whey has been filtered, use a spoon to collect the semi-coagulated curds from the colander and pour them gently into the special container fitted with a tray for collecting the whey that will continue to filter through for two more days.
Cover and place in the refrigerator for 24-36 hours.
It will keep for about 5 days. Cold smoke for 3 minutes in a portable food smoking device, using apple or cherry wood.
For the couscous
Cook the chick peas in water with bay leaf and sage for 1 hour, salt and set aside.
Bring the vegetable stock to the boil and add the chopped herbs and spices, 40 g oil, saffron and the couscous, before removing from the hob.
Stir and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
Pan toss the non dried half of the zucchini, the mange tout, the dwarf beans and the leak in a little oil.
Sprinkle the curds with finely chopped chives.
Separate the couscous grains with a fork and add the vegetables, peas, chick peas, herbs, lemon rind, caper powder, pumpkin seed flakes and celery.
Spread 30 g of mint and cucumber emulsion on the bottom of each plate, place the couscous on top and then distribute 40 g of curds divided into 6 little mounds.
On top of which, arrange the slices of dried zucchini, the zucchini flowers, the pea shoots, the calendula petals and the pistachio and leek flakes.
