This recipe was born from the desire to showcase peppercorns as an ingredient. I feel like black pepper is one of the most ubiquitous spices used in every different type of cuisine, however, it is rarely the star of the show. I remember when I was young, my mom used to make a recipe called black pepper tofu. This was well before I had refined my palette to the finer things in life, and frankly I could not stand the dish, it was way too spicy. Funnily enough, remembering that dish made me realize that maybe there was a reason my mom made it frequently.
So the idea was born, how can I showcase peppercorns. Immediately, I was drawn to pairing the peppercorns with the earthy, umami goodness of mushrooms. I wanted to create a rich dish, full of earthy flavors accentuated by the spice of the peppercorns. I settled on using a cashew based sauce to pull this together (one of my personal favorites). I personally feel that using cashews to make a creamy sauce is a win-win, because not only is it healthier than using actual heavy cream, the cashews bring a sweet nutty taste to the dish which heightens the sauce.
A few other things round this recipe out. Along with the mushrooms, we roast some cauliflower to add some more body to the dish. It’s all served over a bed of wheat berries. I also tried serving it over farro; both were delicious, but I find farro to be both tricky to find and expensive. Both grains are fine, and if you prefer to sub it out with any other grain for your bowl, I’m sure it would be delicious. I would only hesitate to use white rice, I think that using a grain with more flavor is preferred. I hope this dish finds its way to your kitchen soon!
Active time 30 minutes
Cook time 30 minutes
Servings 4 to 5
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup raw cashews
- 250 g water
- 1 ½ lbs mushrooms (mix of crimini, shiitake, oyster recommended)
- 1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
- 3-4 shallots, thinly sliced
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
- 1 ½ tsp peppercorns
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 5 g ground coffee (2 tsp)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Chopped parsley
- Chopped raw hazelnuts
- Olive oil, for cooking
- Salt
- Farro or hard wheat berries, cooked* (enough for 4-5 servings)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place the cashews into a heat safe bowl, and pour 250g of boiling water (1 cup) over them.
- Next, prepare the veggies. Clean your mushrooms by wiping off any excess dirt with a moist paper towel. Cut the mushrooms into bite size pieces – they will shrink even further when roasted, and add them to a parchment lined baking sheet. In the other lined baking sheet, add the cauliflower. Toss both with a generous drizzle of olive oil and multiple pinches of salt and place in the oven.
- The veggies will need about 20-25 minutes to roast. The mushrooms will expel a lot of water. In order to let them properly dry out, without needing to spread them across two baking sheets and prolonging the cook time, we will partially drain them after 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet and place it on the counter on a heat safe surface near the sink. Pick up the parchment carefully and tip out some of the mushroom juices. Return to the oven. When the vegetables are fully roasted, set them aside.
- Heat a small, non-stick pan on medium low heat. Add in a drizzle of olive oil and sautée the shallots, garlic, thyme and peppercorns with a generous pinch of salt until the shallots are beginning to turn translucent and all is fragrant.
- In a blender, add the cashews and their water, the sautéed shallots and onions, the nutritional yeast, ground coffee, salt and apple cider vinegar. Blend on high until smooth. Adjust for viscosity and salt levels of the sauce. Sauce should be thin enough that it will spread easily over the vegetables, but not watery; add water until optimal.
- It’s time to plate, begin with a layer of your grain of choice, add on a big pile of veggies and generously coat in sauce; finish off with a pinch of chopped parsley and hazelnuts. Enjoy!
Note: here are some resources on how to cook farro and hard wheat berries
Cooking by Feel 