Hubert
Keller
Chef at Fleur de Lys
San Francisco, CA
Hubert Keller's Vegetarian Philosophy
Fleur de Lys, San Francisco
I am proud of the fact that Fleur de Lys was the first upscale French
restaurant in the United States to offer a vegetarian menu. I never
imagined how much attention our vegetarian menu would attract and how
popular it would become. Since we introduced it in the 1980s, the nation's
awareness of the healthfulness of vegetarian food has grown significantly.
Over the last two or three years especially, professional chefs have
led the way in demonstrating how flavorful and resourceful meatless
dishes can be.
The success you can expect from the recipes is directly related to the
quality of the produce you use. Always take advantage of the peak growing
season and resist making dishes when their star ingredients are not
in season. When shopping for ingredients take advantage of the access
to the beautiful premium produce, much of it organic, sold at the farmer's
markets in this country, the produce is likely to be extra fresh, high
quality and raised with care and integrity. One final thought: since
these dishes are inexpensive to prepare, I recommend you use whatever
you have saved by not buying meat on upgrading the wine to accompany
the meal.
Spiced Fava Bean Salad with Fennel and Lentils
| Degree
of Difficulty: |
Easy |
| Cost: |
Inexpensive |
| Time
Needed: |
1
hour, 15 minutes |
| Wine
Suggestion: |
A
moderately rich balanced Sauvignon Blanc from France or California. |
Yield: 4 servings
• 1
cup green lentils
• 1
small yellow onion
• ¾
cup fava beans, shelled
• 1
fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and thinly sliced
• 1
celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1
tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1
to 2 hot green chiles, seeded and diced
• 2
Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 2
Tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1½
Tablespoons lemon juice
• ½
Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1½
Tablespoons soy sauce
• ¼
pound mixed baby lettuces
• 12
endive leaves Salt and freshly ground pepper
Wash the lentils under running water and blanch them for one minute
(to remove any eventual bitterness). Place the lentils in a saucepan;
add 1½ quarts of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Season
with salt and freshly ground pepper and add the whole onion. Reduce
the heat to a simmer, cover up and cook gently for about 20 to 25 minutes
(or until tender). After being cooked, drain the lentils out of the
cooking liquid and let them cool. Discard the onion. Transfer the cooked
lentils into a mixing bowl.
Blanch the fava beans in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain and
refresh them under cold running water. Press the beans gently between
your thumb and index finger to remove their tough skins. Add the fava
beans to the lentils. Also combine the fennel, celery stalk, diced tomato,
hot green chilies, cilantro, parsley, lemon juice, extra virgin olive
oil, soy sauce, salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss together very gently
and check the seasoning.
Decoratively arrange the baby lettuces and endive leaves on each plate
and garnish with the fava bean, lentil and fennel salad. Chill until
you are ready to serve.
Note: This is a simple, elegant recipe, and one that demands
no particular technical skills. Just make sure to have the freshest
of ingredients.
