Our winter issue is out now. Our good friends over at Cornucopia have provided us with a fantastic Tofu recipe that is sure to impress guests this festive season. This is a healthy and nourishing alternative to the traditional foods we see this time of year. Enjoy!
Here at Positive Life, we have long been huge fans of the renowned vegetarian restaurant, Cornucopia. So when we heard they were releasing a new entirely vegan cookbook called The Green Cookbook, we just had to feature them in our Winter 2019/20 magazine! The article below appears in our ever-popular Short and Sweet section.
If you’re stuck for ideas about what to cook for the vegan in your life this Christmas, this recipe for banana blossom ‘fishless’ cake with tartar sauce could be a perfect fit! It is brought to you by the amazing Tony Keogh, head chef of the popular Cornucopia restaurant. Read on to learn more. This recipe appears in our Winter 2018/19 issue – click here to find your local stockist, or here to subscribe to the magazine.
In our Autumn 2018 issue, Cornucopia head chef Tony Keogh shared a delicious recipe for a white chocolate and berry tart. Sounds scrumptious, doesn’t it? Read on to learn how you can recreate this beauty in your own kitchen.
by Tony Keogh
This tart is very simple to put together and is a real crowd pleaser. There is something about the combination of white chocolate and berries that sings a beautiful song. In this recipe, that combination is used to full effect: the chocolate cuts smoothly like a knife through the tartness of fresh seasonal berries. The chocolate and berries are then offset with a rich nutty base, which is enhanced with the delicate flavour of apricot.
White chocolate and vanilla tart in an apricot brazil nut crust with macerated autumn berries
For the base
140 grams desiccated coconut
100 grams brazil nuts
100 grams flaked almond
220 grams ready to eat apricots
For the filling
120 grams cacao butter
120 grams coconut oil
120 grams cashew nuts
120 grams non-refined caster sugar
350 ml water
3 tsp of agar powder
Vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
100 ml soy milk
For the fruit
150 grams autumn berries
Zest of one lime
Dessertspoon of non-refined sugar
Method
1. Start with the base. In a food processor, mill the brazil nuts, almonds and coconut, adding the apricots slowly, until the mixture comes together. Line a 28 cm tart tin with the mixture and bake it for about 8 minutes. While it is baking, prepare the filling.
2. Bring the water to a simmer and place a metal bowl over it. Add the cacao butter. When it melts, add the coconut oil. When both have melted together, remove the bowl, add the sugar to the water and bring it back to a simmer. Add the agar, boil the mixture for a minute or two, then remove it from the heat.
3. Add the cashews, soya milk and the water mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Whisk this mixture into the melted fats. Add some vanilla, a pinch of salt and taste for sweetness. If you are happy, pour the mixture in and leave it aside somewhere cool to set.
4. For the macerated fruit, simply combine all the ingredients and set them aside for at least half an hour. Serve the tart with a good dollop of fruit.
Looking for the perfect meal to celebrate the long-awaited arrival of spring? Tony Keogh of Cornucopia has got you covered. Below, we share his delicious recipe for leek and courgette barley cake, which features in our Spring 2018 issue.
By Tony Keogh
It’s time to shake off the winter coat – Spring has finally sprung. As the days get longer so too does the list of fresh ingredients on offer. The marriage of the passing winter and the awakening spring is celebrated in this dish. The coupling of beetroot with raspberry, just like the union of courgette and barley, bridge the merging of the seasons.
This dish is surprisingly easy to make. Please do not be put off by the list of ingredients. A bottle of raspberry vinegar or a pot of tahini are two ingredients that you will return to again and again. Metal rings can be purchased in any kitchen store or large supermarket.
The punchy salsa is very versatile and will find a comfortable home in many settings, from a sandwich filler to a salad dressing.
Leek and courgette barley cake in a beetroot tahini cream with pumpkin seed and pea salsa
For the cakes
375 grams barley
1350 ml stock
200 ml white wine
½ head (5 cloves) garlic finely minced
10 grams fresh thyme finely chopped
2 leeks
1 courgettes
30 grams corn flour dissolved in 50 ml water
150 grams firm tofu
Dijon mustard
2 bay leaves
Little lemon juice
For the cream sauce
1 large onion finely diced
1 packet of vacuum packed beetroot
Pinch of chili flake
10 ml raspberry vinegar
500 ml stock
5 grams chopped fresh dill
50 ml apple juice
20 ml tahini
Seasoning
For the salsa
100 grams of pumpkin seeds, toasted Juice of one lemon
100 grams frozen peas, thawed 4 scallions finely chopped
5 grams of freshly chopped mint 15 ml white wine or cider vinegar
Seasoning 10 ml apple juice
Method
Start with the cakes; rinse the barley and add it to a medium heavy based pot, along with the wine, the stock, the bay leaves and the thyme. Bring this to a boil for about 10 minutes and then lower the heat and leave it to simmer for a further 40 minutes.
Quarter the leek lengthways and slice it thinly. Sauté it in a small sauce pan in a little oil until it becomes translucent and soft. Quarter the courgette lengthways and slice it into little quarter moons. Fry these off in a little oil in a medium frying pan and set them aside with the leek.
In a blender, puree the tofu, cornflour mixture and mustard. When the barley is tender, fold the tofu mixture through it. Season it to taste with salt, lemon and black pepper. Remove the bay leaves.
Line an oven tray with parchment paper. Using a metal ring or a large scone cutter, shape mounds of the barley mixture onto the parchment into around 8 large discs – they will hold their shape.
Bake these in pre-heated oven at 200 degrees for around 20 minutes.
To make the sauce; sauté the diced onion in a little oil until soft. Add it to a blender along with the beetroot, chili flakes, raspberry vinegar, stock, dill, apple and tahini. Blend the sauce until it is velvety smooth. If the sauce is grainy it can be passed through a sieve, if it is too thick add a little water to thin it out.
To make the salsa; roughly pulse all the ingredients together in a food processor. Do not over blend – you want to maintain a rough texture.
Flood a serving plate with a little sauce, top with a cake and top the cake with a dollop of salsa.
Cornucopia head chef Tony Keogh has once again provided us with a wonderful recipe to see us through the season ahead. This time, he has invoked the comforting energies of autumn with a crisp, savoury baklava, topped by a generous dollop of butternut squash ice cream. Below is a sneak peek of this delicious recipe. To read it in full, pick up our Autumn 2017 issue from one of our many stockists today.
By Tony Keogh
“Autumn … the year’s last, loveliest smile.” – William Cullen Bryant
The warm summer nights are drawing in and there is an undeniable crispness in the air. As a kid I loved this time of year: the colourful tapestry of leaves, the smell of bonfires, and the changeable September skies. As a grown man, and a chef, I still love it. There is so much wonderful produce available, which always stokes my creativity.
For this season’s recipe I have a savoury take on a sweet classic. This is an elegant dinner piece which is sure to impress. It is also vegan and very simple to make. Making full use of the seasonal bounty available, I am substituting the dried fruit of the usual baklava for a subtly spiced mixture of caramelised onions, celeriac and sun dried tomatoes. This is topped with a smooth and creamy butternut squash ice cream with a hint of rose and lime.
The structure to this recipe is pretty solid, so please feel free to add, substitute or omit any of the vegetables, spices or nuts in the baklava. If you do not like rose or lime in the ice cream, these can be removed also.
This is a sneak peek of Tony Keogh’s recipe from our Autumn 2017 issue. To read the full recipe, pick up a free copy of the magazine at one of our stockists across Ireland now.
Positive Nights is happy to welcome Sisú Cold Pressed Juices as our brand new sponsor!!! SiSú is well on its way to becoming Ireland’s leading health & wellness brand. Their 100% natural juices and smoothies are healthy, delicious & refreshing! After you give it a taste at our event, you can pick up a bottle of their fruit & vegetable goodness in various shops, cafes, gyms, health shops and restaurants nationwide. Paul recently tried them in Cork and absolutely loved the taste!
We want to thank Cornucopia Restaurant from the bottom of our hearts for all their support and effort providing us with their delicious juices for our events! We are very grateful!
Check more about Sisú here: www.sisu.ie
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