Recipe: Green terrine with cashew cheese

Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes plus overnight chilling time

Servings: 6 (2 slices per serving)

Note: From owner-chef Shigefumi Tachibe of Chaya Brasserie. Use a mandoline to thinly slice the zucchini, artichoke hearts and fennel.

1 1/2 cups raw cashews

1 tablespoon roasted garlic (6 garlic cloves, smashed)

1/2 cup soy milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black

pepper

1. Cook the cashews in a small saucepan of boiling water until soft, about 5 minutes. Drain.

2. Blend the cashews, garlic, soy milk, salt and pepper in a food processor until soft and creamy. Cool.

2 ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded

1/2 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. Combine the tomatoes, red pepper, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a food processor to make a thick sauce.

15 medium asparagus spears

3 zucchini, ends trimmed

2 fresh artichoke hearts

1 fennel bulb, trimmed

4 leeks, root ends trimmed

Cashew cheese

Tomato coulis

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the asparagus to fit the length of the bottom of the terrine. Blanch until tender and set aside to cool. Thinly slice the zucchini lengthwise. Blanch for 1 minute; set aside.

2. Thinly slice the artichoke hearts and fennel; blanch separately and set aside. Trim off and discard the dark green part of the leeks but leave them whole. Blanch the white part until tender; cool. Thinly slice the leeks lengthwise and set aside.

3. Use a terrine or mold measuring 9 1/4 by 4 by 2 3/4 inches to layer the vegetables. Lay the zucchini slices one by one across the bottom, slightly overlapping, and up the sides of the mold so the slices hang over the edge of the mold and can be folded over the top of the terrine when you are done layering.

4. Next, make a thin layer using half the leek slices. Spread a layer of cashew cheese over the leeks, then add half the asparagus spears, packing them in tightly side by side. Depending on the size of the asparagus, you will need 5 to 7 per layer. Spread cashew cheese evenly over the asparagus.

5. Follow with a layer of fennel slices, then artichoke hearts and then layers of cashew cheese, asparagus, cashew cheese and the remaining leeks. You may have a few asparagus spears left over. Fold the zucchini slices over the top of the terrine and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

6. To serve, carefully unmold the terrine and turn it onto a serving platter. Dampen a very sharp knife and cut the terrine into three-fourth-inch slices. Drizzle each serving with tomato coulis.

Each serving: 307 calories; 11 grams protein; 33 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams fiber; 18 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 650 mg. sodium.