Gruyere, Jalapeno, and Scallion Mochi Balls

Can inventive-vegetarian be a cookbook category? If so, it’s my favorite. And, that’s where I would place Linger by Hetty Lui McKinnon. It’s a collection of menus from monthly meals with friends hosted at her home. Interestingly, all the photos in the book were taken when those meals happened. What you see is what was actually served as opposed to dishes primped and styled for a photo shoot. While the menus for these meals were not exactly “themed,” they were chosen in accordance with the current season. The dishes are primarily salads although may include cooked components. There are also some breads and sweets to round things out. One quibble I had is that some of the combinations of flavors in menus don’t seem like obvious pairings to me. But, I believe the idea was to offer a variety of dishes among which to choose for a varied group of friends at each gathering. I’ve been picking recipes here and there throughout the book and have enjoyed everything I’ve made so far—with lots more pages marked for future cooking. The Gruyere, Jalapeno, and Scallion Mochi Balls are my new favorite thing. They’re like gougeres’ cousin that’s easier to make and extremely fun to eat with the chewy texture from glutinous rice flour. It’s a treasure of a recipe. 

The Roasted Romanesco with Chickpeas and Ginger Scallion Oil is from a different menu, but the mochi balls would go perfectly with it. I had a beautiful head of Romanesco from Boggy Creek Farm that I roasted, and I roasted the chickpeas as well to make them a little crispy. It was all topped with the aromatic and lovely ginger scallion oil. 

 

For the Ginger-Roasted Kabocha with Black Rice and Ginger-Miso Dressing, I used kuri and koginut local squashes. I also had some local hakurei turnips that I thinly sliced and added to the salad. Garlic, ginger, and miso made for great flavor in the dressing. 

 

I was drawn in by the mention of the salsa as soon as I saw the Broccoli and Tempeh with Salsa Macha. The version in the book includes optional kombu and Sichuan peppercorns. I skipped them to keep the flavor more traditional. It’s a delicious topping for roasted broccoli and tempeh. And, the salad is brightened up with a flurry of sprouts on top. 

There’s so much more still to try from the book. Throughout the year, I know I can pick something delightful that suits the season. 

 

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