This delicate and flavourful plant-based parmesan is made with thinly shaved walnuts, nutritional yeast and seasoning.
Chef's notes
While there are many vegan/plant-based recipes for parmesan on the web, this particular recipe is adapted from Tal Ronnen's book Crossroads.
This is the truffle slicer we use, which is very good. It's by a company called Gefu. It is a European company, so while it's easy to find there, it is more difficult to find in North America. That being said, we did purchase ours in Canada, so they are not impossible to find. The reason we like this one is because it has a good handle, which makes it harder to slip and cut yourself. It's also just more comfortable to use. And as a bonus, it shaves more then just truffles.
Steps
1
Shaving the Walnuts
Ingredients
1/2 to 1 cup walnut halves, frozen*
*Note: When buying the walnuts, look for halves that are very large and preferably not broken at all. In this case, buying in bulk is best as you can gently sift through the walnuts to pick the best ones. Yes, this will take longer, but it will make it easier to shave them later.
Using frozen walnuts makes them easier to shave.
To shave the walnuts, set a truffle shaver to a fairly thin setting. The walnuts should be quite thin, but not so paper thin that they fall apart and/or don't have any texture to them. Alternatively, use a Microplane. Lay the walnut flat on the surface of the shaver and carefully, with your fingers on the very top, shave the walnuts into thin pieces.
When shaving the walnuts, be careful of your fingers. It's best to stop near the end and save the unused portion of the walnut for another purpose.
2
Making the Walnut Parmesan
Ingredients
non-stick cooking spray
2 tsp nutritional yeast flakes
sea salt, to taste*
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Once the walnuts are done, gently spread them out onto a baking sheet.
Spray the shaved walnuts with a light coating of non-stick spray and toss. Next, sprinkle the walnuts with the nutritional yeast, salt and pepper and gently toss.
Taste for seasoning, keeping in mind that the parmesan is meant to be slightly salty.
*Note: For added flavor and depth, a touch of truffle salt can be used as well.
This parmesan will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.
Serve this parmesan with your favourite pasta, risotto, or even use it as a garnish for soups or anywhere you want to add a delicate, yet flavourful punch of parmesan.
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Hi Kathleen - I thought I would jump in an start the comments by saying Yes! It really does - I've Made it countless times and my children actually love it! Thanks for engaging with Rouxbe! Chef Kirk
excited to try this! I typically use 3/4 cup raw cashews with 2-3 tbsp of nooch + salt + garlic powder + black pepper but THIS sounds much more enticing, thank you!!!
Hmm..... does anyone know if shredding (or using the slicing disc) the walnuts in a food processor would bring similar results? Thought I would ask before trying it ~ since organic walnuts (which is what we use here) are pricy. mahalo for any input.
Hi Adaire! Although I have not tried using the slicing disk, I am guessing that you would have a really delicious outcome that would not be quite as finely shaved as using the truffle shaver. With the truffle shaver you have so much control over the outcome while the intensity of the food processor might end up leaving you with bigger/uneven pieces. If you have to make a large quantity, I would definitely give the food processor a shot starting with just a small amount. Let us know how it turns out please! Mahalo, Lauren
Kirk B •Hi Kathleen - I thought I would jump in an start the comments by saying Yes! It really does - I've Made it countless times and my children actually love it! Thanks for engaging with Rouxbe! Chef Kirk
Austin T •excited to try this! I typically use 3/4 cup raw cashews with 2-3 tbsp of nooch + salt + garlic powder + black pepper but THIS sounds much more enticing, thank you!!!
Adaire O •Hmm..... does anyone know if shredding (or using the slicing disc) the walnuts in a food processor would bring similar results? Thought I would ask before trying it ~ since organic walnuts (which is what we use here) are pricy. mahalo for any input.
Lauren L •Hi Adaire! Although I have not tried using the slicing disk, I am guessing that you would have a really delicious outcome that would not be quite as finely shaved as using the truffle shaver. With the truffle shaver you have so much control over the outcome while the intensity of the food processor might end up leaving you with bigger/uneven pieces. If you have to make a large quantity, I would definitely give the food processor a shot starting with just a small amount. Let us know how it turns out please! Mahalo, Lauren