Pastis: 5 recipes for (late) summer

What sort of vegan cocktails and food can you make using an aniseed aperitif?

Pastis is usually drunk as an aperitif, but did you know that you can also cook with it? This alcoholic drink based on star anise (OR fennel, discover here), liquorice and herbal extracts, became popular in the early 1900s after the ban on absinthe and originated in the port of Marseille. Be inspired by these five plant - based recipes with pastis. A complete menu from starter to dessert. Surprisingly delicious!

1. STARTER: Fruit salad + summer soup with pastis

INGREDIENTS

½ melon, 100g strawberries, 1 apple
100g raspberries, 100 black grapes, 1 kiwi
300 ml jasmine tea
50ml dry, white wine
100g coconut blossom sugar
100ml Pastis de l’île de Ré
Zest of an orange, zest of a lemon
1 vanilla pod, 2 star anise
1cm ginger, 1 cinnamon stick
10 coriander leaves, 5 cloves, 1 sprig of mint

PREPARATION

Wash and cut the fruit into slices, and put to one side. Put the remaining ingredients into a pan. Bring the liquid to the boil and reduce the heat. Allow to stand for 30 minutes, so that all the ingredients release their taste and aromas. Bring the liquid to the boil again and decant through a sieve. Allow to cool in the refrigerator. Serve together with the freshly chopped fruit.

2. MAIN COURSE: Tagliatelle with leeks, saffron and pastis

INGREDIENTS

400g tagliatelle
650g leeks
350g mushrooms
150g pitted black olives
2 pinches saffron
250ml oat cream
2 tbsp Pastis de l’île de Ré
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper

PREPARATION

Cook the tagliatelle al dente in lightly salted boiling water. Clean the leeks and mushrooms and cut both into slices. Heat the oil in a large pan or wok and stir-fry the mushrooms. Add the leeks and olives and season with saffron, salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables in the wok for 5 minutes. Pour in the oat cream and pastis and allow to simmer until the leeks are tender. Serve the tagliatelle and leek sauce onto plates and squeeze a little lemon juice over.

3. SIDE DISH: Fennel French fries with celeriac and pastis

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

juice of 1 lemon
100ml white wine
2-3 tbsp Pastis de l’île de Ré
1 tsp fleur de sel
1 tbsp coconut oil
freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium celeriac
2 fennel bulbs
2 tbsp chopped parsley

PREAPARATION

Heat the oven to 150°C. Cut the fennel lengthways into 8 pieces. Peel the celeriac and cut into thick chips. Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof pan with a lid. Add the fennel and celeriac. Add the fleur de sel and pepper and carefully stir it all into the oil. Cook for 15 minutes. Add the coconut oil, wait till it begins to foam, then turn the heat down. Add the pastis and wine. Spoon the liquid over the vegetables, add the lemon juice and let everything simmer gently. Fit the lid on the pan and place in the oven for about 1 hour until the vegetables are soft as butter. Stir in the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

4. DESSERT : Flambéed apples with pastis and vegan vanilla ice cream

INGREDIENTS

½ orange (wiped clean)
4 apples + 1 (optional)
1 tbsp coconut oil
50g coconut blossom sugar
1 pinch of cinnamon
4 tbsp Pastis de l’île de Ré
0.5l (vegan) vanilla ice cream

PREPARATION

Slice the orange zest into very thin strips. Peel the apples and cut into thin slices. Melt the coconut oil in a frying pan and fry the apple slices until golden brown. Add the coconut blossom sugar, orange strips and cinnamon and let the apple cook on a low heat and caramelise slightly. Pour in the pastis and set it alight. Serve the apples with a scoop of (vegan) ice cream once the flames die down.

(Optional) Apple chips: cut 1 apple vertically into thin slices. Place on a lined baking tray and allow to dry out for about 90 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 100 °C until crispy. Carefully remove the apple chips from the oven and allow to cool on a plate.

5. COCKTAIL : Sage Pastis spritzer

INGREDIENTS

1 pink grapefruit
10ml Pastis de l’île de Ré
3 fresh sage leaves
1/3 cup ice cubes
100ml sparkling wine, chilled

PREPARATION

Use a vegetable peeler or knife to cut a 0.5cm strip of peel from the top to the bottom of the grapefruit. Put to one side. Cut the grapefruit in half and squeeze out a 1/4 cup of juice. Mix the grapefruit juice, pastis, 2 sage leaves and ice cubes in a cocktail shaker, cover, and shake hard. Serve in champagne glasses. Finish off with sparkling wine. Garnish with the remaining sage. Rub the grapefruit peel repeatedly around the rim of the glass to release the oils. Put the peel into the glass.

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