'Natural' foods are central to new cookbook

NEW YORK -- The 350 recipes in "The Whole Foods Market Cookbook" represent a whole lot of cooks and a wide base of contributions, says chef Steve Petusevsky, who presided over the collection.

He's billed as co-author of the book along with "team members" from many of the 135 Whole Foods stores in the United States and Canada. The stores specialize in "natural," often organic, foodstuffs.

Making the final choice of recipes for their first cookbook was challenging, given all those being considered. "I had a lot of frustration," Petusevsky said cheerfully.

"The overall aim for me was to create a sort of 'Joy of Cooking' for natural foods," he explained recently, taking a break from wielding his spatula over a sizzling pan of shrimp at the chain's store in the Chelsea district of Manhattan.

"I collected recipes from the regions, I talked to lots of customers, I talked to our chefs," he said. There are many personal contributions, he said, especially from customers citing their favorite dishes from local stores.

This morning he's demonstrating for an audience of shoppers how to cook firecracker shrimp, which he says originated in Florida.

"It's very easy to make," he said -- that was one of his guidelines in compiling the book. "I wanted the food to be accessible, for anyone to be able to make these dishes at home."

He also wanted the book to be easy to find one's way around, he said. "I'm very proud of my chapter headings: 'big and small salads,' 'hand-to-mouth,' 'kids' chapter,' 'burgers, patties and griddlecakes.'

"I didn't want it to be a generic cookbook -- I wanted it to be different, I wanted it to be warm but authoritative."

The "guide to natural foods" promised in the subtitle fills the introduction. It explains that the focus on natural foods is "because food in its purest state -- unadulterated by artificial additives, sweeteners, colorings, and preservatives -- is the best tasting and most nutritious food available."

There's a natural-foods glossary, and notes on wine. Recipes draw from world cuisines: Algerian eggplant salad, savory tomato pesto polenta, pumpkin poblano corn pudding, spicy Asian flank steak, and jerk chicken.

Among starters, there's raspberry-stuffed Brie wrapped in phyllo; desserts include raspberry espresso pots de creme: both are tagged as vegetarian selections -- vegan dishes are also carefully noted, and nutrition analyses are provided for all recipes.

Petusevsky, former chef for the stores, is now a food writer, based in Coral Springs, Fla., whose output includes a syndicated vegetarian column.

Back in his element over the hot burners, he delivers a running commentary on what he's doing with the shrimp. It's a spicy concoction, flavored with a fiery almond pesto made from cilantro, jalapenos and scallions. He explains he uses a small, hand-held blender to make the marinade, and he has the oil very hot, "so food doesn't soak it right up."

You can substitute lime juice for the lemon juice in the recipe, if that's what you have at hand, he says. He tosses the garnish in the pan at the last minute "to enhance the flavor -- the tomato and avocado pick up the flavor of the shrimp."

He uses olive oil for his sauteing, he explains; previously, he used to choose peanut or canola because of their high smoke point.

"Then I spent some time in Italy and saw how they use extra-virgin olive oil all the time -- and I changed my mind," he said. "I prefer it now, I like the way it works, except when I'm searing or making Asian food, and need very hot oil."

He suggests serving the shrimp with orange-cashew basmati rice: "I use basmati instead of conventional long-grain rice, and cook it in orange juice because it absorbs color and flavor better."

A final shake of the aromatic panful, and it's ready to taste.

"If you didn't see it done, would you ever imagine it was so easy?" he said.

Firecracker Shrimp

For the Firecracker Spice Mash:

1/3 cup sliced or whole almonds

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and halved

1 bunch cilantro, stems removed

6 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths

3 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons cumin

1/8 cup olive oil

1/4 cup water

For the shrimp:

2 pounds medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/8 cup lemon juice salt to taste

Garnish:

1 small avocado, thinly sliced

6 sprigs fresh cilantro

6 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

To prepare the Firecracker Spice Mash: Place the almonds, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, scallions, garlic, cumin, olive oil and water in the bowl of a food processor or in a blender, and blend for 1 minute, until a smooth paste is formed. Marinate the shrimp in this paste in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Heat the olive oil over moderate heat in a large saute pan. Saute the shrimp, stirring continuously for 4 minutes, until pink and opaque. Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice, and season with the salt.

Garnish the shrimp with the sliced avocado, cilantro sprigs and the cherry tomato halves.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 320 cal., 33 g pro., 8 g carbo., 18 g total fat (2.5 g saturated fat), 230 mg chol., 240 mg sodium.

Orange Cashew Rice

1 cup water

1 cup orange juice

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt to taste

1 cup basmati rice

1/2 cup roasted cashew pieces

1/4 cup chopped yellow peppers

1/4 cup chopped red peppers

3 scallions, minced

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground white pepper to taste

8-ounce can mandarin orange segments, drained well

In a 2-quart sauce pot, bring the water, orange juice, orange zest, olive oil and salt to a boil, and stir in the rice. Cover the sauce pot, and simmer the rice for 25 to 30 minutes, until the rice is cooked through and the liquid has totally evaporated.

Empty the orange rice into a large mixing bowl, and add the cashew pieces, peppers and scallions. Just before serving, season the rice with the salt and white pepper, and add the drained mandarin orange segments to the rice, folding them in gently to prevent the oranges from breaking.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 370 cal., 7 g pro., 61 g carbo., 12 g total fat (2.5 g saturated fat), 0 mg chol., 490 mg sodium.

Recipes from "The Whole Foods Market Cookbook," 2002, Potter, $25.95 paperback, by Steve Petusevsky and Whole Foods Market Team Members.