Lunch with a crunch

FRESH FROM a sojourn at California’s Living Light Culinary School, the internationally known institute for chefs that specialises in raw food, Edoardo Bonavolta of Italian restaurant Luce, is delighting vegetarians and meat-eaters alike with a menu of delicious vegan cuisine based on organic ingredients. 

Until July 15, the raw, unprocessed, plant-based foods prepared with Italian flair are joining the more conventional dishes on Luce’s menu. They include raw sauerkraut with flax-chia seed crackers and mixed leaves, organic rice mixed with marinated champignon mushrooms topped with black truffles and home-made wholegrain organic pasta.

Bonavolta became interested in healthier eating several years ago after meeting a raw-food chef from California. Drawn to the obvious benefits, he adheres to the guideline that the cooking temperature has to stay below 42 degrees Celsius in order to preserve the living enzymes that help the body digest the food.

A good way to start the meal is with a bowl of Gazpacho (Bt280) made with a raw ensemble of tomato, celery and cucumber and finished with extra virgin olive oil. 

“This gazpacho is different from the traditional one mostly because it features lemon juice instead of vinegar and it doesn’t have bread. We chop all the vegetables into tiny dice and retrieve water from tomato seeds. We put all the ingredients together and let them marinate in the tomato water and lemon juice for one night. We then add the seasonings and serve the soup with lentil sprouts and diced avocado,” says Bonavolta, who hails from Tuscany.

Also worth tasting is the Beautiful Mind (Bt280), a refreshing salad of raw sauerkraut and mixed leaves. The raw sauerkraut is mixed with a mayonnaise made by 

 blending avocado pulp with cashew nuts, lemon juice and turmeric. Crackers of dehydrated chia and flaxseed, zucchini and walnuts are also added together with raw melon, daikon and blueberries for a more complex texture.

Inspired by the classic Italian caprese salad, Bonavolta’s That’s Not a Caprese! (Bt320) combines cherry tomato emulsion with freshly made almond nut-cheese topped with raw basil pesto, and seasoned with capers and home-dried tomatoes.

“Lycopene-packed tomatoes are associated with bone health, proper cardiovascular circulation and low cancer exposure. It is important to consume tomatoes raw and not too ripe to ensure the proper absorption of their nutrients.

 “To make this fresh semi-cheese, we blend some almonds with a little white miso and other light seasoning. We use a natural jellifying agent to get the firmness and keep it for a maximum of four days. The tomato emulsion is simple to make: just blend the cherry tomatoes and season it with extra virgin olive oil and pepper,” adds the chef.

One option for the main course is Rice and ‘Shrooms (Bt320), a tasty dish of organic mixed rice, marinated champignon mushrooms, home-made cashew truffle nut-cheese, freshly-shaved black truffles and coriander tips.

“The cheese is cashew truffle from Barefood Bkk’s raw vegan nut-cheese production. It’s a new and very versatile product that delivers an incredible amount of healthy nutrients in a cream cheese-style shape. The rice is an organic mix of Thai white, red and black grains.”

For dessert, opt for Mango Passion (Bt240). A a raw version of a layered cheese cake, it’s made with Madagascar vanilla-flavoured coconut cream, mango cream and passion fruit.

“The bottom layer is made with almond powder, dry coconut dates and cacao powder. The filling is coconut meat with vanilla beans and the topping is just blended mango. As for raw food we don’t use processed ingredients, our sweetener always comes from natural sources like dates and organic coconut sugar,” says Bonavolta.

 

A RAW DEAL

The “Raw Vegan Cuisine” promotion is available through July 15. 

Luce is on the 14th floor of the Eastin Grand Sathorn Bangkok, near the Surasak Skytrain station, and open daily from noon to 2.30pm and 6 to 10.30pm. 

Call (02) 210 8100 or www.EastinGrandSathorn.com.