Plantbased by Alexander Gershberg
With a focus on Japanese and Israeli-inspired cuisine, Alexander Gershberg's latest cookbook, Plantbased, includes 80 nutritious and diverse plant-based recipes.
Words: Hande Renshaw | Photography: Yannick van Leeuwaarde
‘I’ve lived in this city [in the Netherlands] for 15 years, always in small, quirky kitchens. When friends came over, my kitchen would be exploding with hundreds of colours of ingredients and often it would be impossible to see the counter,’ says Alexander Gershberg. Photo: Yannick van Leeuwaarde
Chilli sin carne with kidney beans, guacamole & fried tortilla chips from Plantbased. Photo: Yannick van Leeuwaarde
Photo: Yannick van Leeuwaarde
If you're aiming to adopt a wholly plant-based diet, incorporating an entirely vegan-friendly meal plan will require more grains, beans, and vegetables. As a result, it's crucial to understand what wholegrains are and how to prepare them properly. Questions such as what constitutes wholegrains and which recipes incorporate them are now essential to your dietary success.
In his latest book, Plantbased, Netherlands- based Alexander Gershberg, a vegan chef, cooking teacher and writer, invites us into his kitchen to answer these questions and many more. The key takeaway from Alexander's teachings is the art of preparing plant-based cuisine, which can greatly enhance our overall well-being and physical health.
According to Alexander, a key factor in successful cooking is utilising high-quality produce and ingredients.
‘I always cook with organic ingredients, this is how all the recipes in this cookbook were created. On the rare occasions that I cooked something with ingredients bought at a supermarket, my food just didn’t taste as good, no matter how much effort, love and attention I put into it,’ says Alexander.
The cookbook features a fusion of Japanese and Israeli cuisine, incorporating the delicious flavours from both cultures – there are 80 recipes, such as roasted cauliflower and pine nut couscous pilaf, sweet potato and soya tofu white bean stew, and a delectable pear amazake tart.
Below we share one of Alexander’s recipes, perfect for the cooler days ahead: Pear Crumble with thyme & orange zest.
Pear Crumble with thyme & orange zest from Plantbased, recipe shared below. Photo: Yannick van Leeuwaarde
Sweet rice pilaf with almonds, raisins & cinnamon from Plantbased. Photo: Yannick van Leeuwaarde
PEAR CRUMBLE WITH THYME & ORANGE ZEST
Any existential questions about the meaning of life are all answered in the simple and pure moment of eating this modest dessert. ‘Why didn’t I think of this myself?’ you’ll ask yourself. ‘It’s too simple and too good to be true.’ You probably could have thought it up, but luckily you bought this book, and luckily you’re making it and luckily there is plenty for everyone. After all, pear, thyme and crumble. What on earth can go wrong there? Enjoy every bite and think about me. Promise?
Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Wait time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
4 pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1–2 cm (1/2–3/4 in) chunks
3 tablespoons apple
juice concentrate
drop of shoyu
zest of 1 orange
10 sprigs of thyme
CRUMBLE
150 g (1 cup) unbleached
plain (all-purpose) flour
50 g (1 ¾ oz) almond flour
115 ml ( fl oz) canola oil or light-tasting olive oil
115 ml (4 fl oz) pure maple syrup
¼ teaspoon vanilla powder
pinch of sea salt
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 170ºC (340ºF) fan-forced.
If the pears are hard, combine them with the apple juice concentrate and shoyu in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes until the pear is slightly softened. Transfer to a baking dish and add the orange zest.
If the pears are soft, place them directly in a baking dish, add the apple juice concentrate, shoyu, orange zest and thyme and gently toss to combine.
To make the crumble, combine the flour, almond flour, oil, maple syrup, vanilla powder and salt in a bowl and very lightly mix until the ingredients are just combined — don’t overmix.
The dough will be quite wet. Gently crumble the dough on top of the pear, then transfer to the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until the crumble is golden and the pear is tender. So simple, so good.
This is an edited extract from Plantbased by Alexander Gershberg, published by Smith Street Books, distributed by Thames & Hudson Australia, RRP $55. Available where all good books are sold and online.