A Little Luck of the Irish - Stew of course!

Tomorrow is the day of the Leprechaun. My mom's side of the family has a lot of Irish heritage that has tricked down to me. I have the love of potatoes, a reddish tint to my hair (not as much now that it is getting grey), an occasional flare up of Irish temper and a love for the celebratory adult beverage. Oddly, even when I did eat meat, I never cared for the corn beef and cabbage thing. So for me, Irish Stew is a far more delicious choice for St. Patty's day.

We live in a really fantastic neighborhood with incredible neighbors. Last night we invited some of our favorite neighbors over. They are decidedly not-vegetarian. Since I can remember, I ponder what I can make that will impress my dinner guests. It is even more fun when cooking vegan for non-vegan guests. I was going to go all Southwestern, then it hit me, St. Patty's Day is Monday. I decided to make my own version of Irish Stew for our al fresco dining experience. The stew was a success. The neighbors and Fred loved it.

I remembered that Guinness is not vegan, so I had Fred pick up some Killian's Irish Red, which is vegan according to Barnivore. The beer is key to a rich, deep flavor for the stew and it's pretty great for enhancing the cook's mood as well. There is some spirited debate about whether or not carrots should be in traditional Irish Stew. I opted to go carrot free and let the potatoes take the stage. Shoot I'm already bucking tradition making it without little lambs. Your belly and tastebuds will be feeling the Luck of the Irish as you sit down and dig in to this hearty and flavorful stew brimming with earthy portobellos, creamy potatoes and rich gravy.

Luck of the Irish Portobello Stew

Makes 6 Servings

1 1/4 cup Butler's Soy Curls
1 1/4 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons olive oil, separated
4 large portobello mushrooms, fins removed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 large yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs fresh thyme, de-stemmed and minced
1/4 cup packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 bottle Killian's Irish Red beer (or other red lager)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet
2 pounds unpeeled red potatoes, 3/4 inch dice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Pour the boiling water over Soy Curls and let re-hydrate for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze excess water out of Soy Curls.

In a 6 quart dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add Soy Curls. Sauté until they are nicely browned stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add another tablespoon of the olive oil, portobello mushrooms and onions. Sauté until mushrooms release there liquid and onions are soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, parsley and pepper. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Turn heat to low and add last tablespoon of olive oil and flour, stirring to combine. Cook for about 10 more minutes to red the flour of the starchy flavor. Turn heat back up to medium high. Add beer to deglaze pan. Make sure to scrape the yummy bits that may have gotten stuck on the bottom of the pot. Add tomato paste and stir until it is dissolved. Add vegetable broth, kitchen bouquet and potatoes. When mixture starts to bubble, turn heat to low. Let simmer covered for an hour. Uncover and let simmer for another 1/2 hour. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls. You can sprinkle with roughly chopped fresh parsley as a garnish if you like. Serve with Irish Soda bread or any rustic chewy bread.

Hackett House Cooking Class - Peruvian Night!

I am quite late in posting this. The class was over a month ago. But what a time we had.  I was first introduced to Peruvian food when I was testing for Viva Vegan for Terry Hope Romero. It was then I first experienced the incredible flavor of Aji Amarillo paste. Aji Amarillo is a yellow pepper that gives a fantastic heat and flavor to dishes. If you are lucky enough to have a Hispanic or International market close to you. See if you can get a jar and change your life...well at least make your taste buds happy.

The class was a blast as usual. There is always such a great audience. This is the third class I've done. It was awesome to see some familiar faces from some of my other classes. As an added bonus, one of my very best friends came in from Illinois for the class.

We started off the evening with a combo that included a traditional Peruvian dish called Papa a la Huanciana. It is normally made with cheese and aji amarillo sauce. This version was super easy to make and so creamy and tasty. It was paired with a fabulous vegan ceviche.

The entree, while not super photogenic was the most popular among the guests. I created a vegan version of Seco de Carne. This is one of the most popular dishes in Peru. As the name indicates, it is traditionally made with meat. This version made great use of Butler Soy Curls and Portobello mushrooms. The mushrooms added a deep rich flavor. Last minute I squeezed in a touch of lime juice to brighten the flavor. I'm going to share the recipe here with you, so you can enjoy a bit of Peru in your own home.

Seco de Portobello

Makes 6 Servings

1 – 8 oz package Butler Soy Curls

3 cups boiling water

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped small

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 portobello mushrooms, fins removed, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon aji Amarillo paste

3 cups lightly packed cilantro leaves

2 cups lightly packed spinach, stems remove

4 cups vegetable broth, separated

2 medium red or Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, diced into 1” cubes

1 scant cup carrots, peeled and diced small

1 teaspoons fresh squeezed lime juice

¾ cup green peas, thawed if frozen

Rehydrate Soy Curls in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Drain well, squeezing out any excess water.

Add cilantro, spinach and 1 cup vegetable broth to blender and blend until well combined but not totally smooth.

In a heavy bottomed stockpot, add 1/3 cup olive oil over medium heat, add drained Soy Curls. Saute until browned and dry, stirring often being careful not to burn bottom of pan, about 5-8 minutes. If needed, add a touch of water if they start to stick to the pan.

Add 1 table olive oil, onion, garlic, mushrooms and aji Amarillo paste, sauté, stirring frequently until onions are translucent and mushrooms start to release their moisture, about 5 minutes. Add cumin, salt and a dash of black pepper and sauté for about 1 minute until cumin is fragrant.

Add remaining 3 cups vegetable broth, carrots and potatoes. Simmer on low until potatoes are tender and stew is thickened, about 45 minutes to an hour. (This would be the perfect time to start your rice). Add green peas and continue to simmer until peas are heated through. Add just a touch of fresh lime juice. Serve with rice and beans.

My kitchen team said to me in no uncertain terms that if I ever made them bust out "donuts" for 30+ people they would ride me out on a rail. The Picarones were a homage to Peruvian street food. They were fun, different and yes, a little challenging to make. The street vendors serve them with a warmly spiced chancaca syrup. This night we added a little drizzle of chocolate ganache as well.

I have to thank my kitchen crew who worked their tails off to make the food look and taste amazing! The Hackett House volunteers are second to none. They make the evening awesome for all of the guests. If you haven't experienced one of the cooking classes at Hackett House, I hope you get a chance to join me. I'm already scheduled for May 1, 2014. I'll be featuring a exciting Cinco de Mayo menu! Hope you can join us!!

The return of FNF! - Paula Dean's Turkey Pot Pie

It's been a couple of months but we are back at it. It is the return of Food Network Friday's hosted by Tami of Vegan Appetite. Make sure to visit her blog to see how the other participants created their dishes for the challenge.

This time we are taking on Paula Dean by veganizing her recipe for Turkey Pot Pie. She loves to poo poo tofu and thinks nothing can be made without full cream butter, heavy cream and fatty meat. Despite these shortcomings, I do enjoy watching her. She has a very sunny personality. Her anti-vegetarian bent made this week's conversion even more fun.

My original plan was to not only veganize the butter queen's recipe, but to make a healthy version. I was super motivated to also make it a hand pie. While my intentions were good, once I got cooking I ended up abandoning both of my ideas. I found a box of vegan creamy portobello soup, so instead of taking the lighter road, I ripped open the box and forged on! The hand pies were still on the agenda...until my puff pastry decided to be uncooperative. So what the heck, I cut the pastry into strips and carried on.

I thought the proportion of cranberries was too much, so I reduced them to 1 cup. I used TVP chunks re-hydrated in water with Bill's Chiknish Seasoning. I had to play around with my puff pastry. I decided to serve this as a deconstructed pie. The filling was placed in small ramekins and garnished with puff pastry strips. Alternately you could make the lattices like she does in her dish, but I almost think that might make it too heavy. The cranberries provided the perfect hint of tart to mellow out the richness of the rest of the filling. I served it straight up. It was so rich, I knew I wouldn't be able to eat anything else with it. Look how pretty it is! Wouldn't it be lovely on your Thanksgiving table?

The verdict is in. I took samples of this too work for my anything but vegetarian co-workers. They were amazed at how "meaty" and really delicious this was. One guy even had seconds! I say that's another win for vegananizing another FN recipe!!!

Deconstructed Thanksgiving Pot Pie

2 cups water

2 teaspoons Bill's Best Chik'nish Seasoning

1 1/2 cups TVP chunks

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 stalks celery, diced small

1 medium onion, diced small

6 oz white or cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 cup broth (using liquid drained from TVP)

1 - 16 oz container of Imagine Creamy Portobello Mushroom Soup

2 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2" cubes

1 cup fresh cranberries

1/2 cup soy milk

1 tablespoon arrowroot

1 sheet puff pastry, cut into 1 x 3 inch strips

In a medium saucepan heat water and Bill's Best Chik'nish Seasoning to boiling. Add TVP. Turn off heat and let re-hydrate for 20-25 minutes. Drain and reserve liquid.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place puff pastry strips on un-greased baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between strips. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and keep warm.

While the TVP is rehydrating in a large saucepan (or small stock pot) over medium heat add olive oil, onions and celery. Saute until just soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add mushrooms, thyme, sage, pepper and salt. Saute until mushrooms start to release their liquid, about 3 more minutes. Stir in flour and nutritional yeast, stirring to incorporate. Saute for about 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and simmer until mixture starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Whisk in creamy portobello mushroom soup, butternut squash and rehydrated TVP. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes until squash is tender. Add cranberries and simmer for about 5 more minutes. Whisk arrowroot powder into cold soy milk until dissolved. Whisk arrowroot mixture into squash mixture. Simmer until mixture thickens. Ladle stew into 1 cup ramekins and garnish with 4-5 strips of puff pastry. 

Guess Who's Testing Again

Yep. I said I would stop testing for a while. Ha! That didn't last long. I love testing and being part of the process of helping make amazing books come to the shelf. I can't help myself.

Right now I am testing for three people...one who prefers to remain obscure and annonymous. The two other I'm hoping will offset each other. One is for Isa Chandra Moscowicz's upcoming Appetite for Reduction (I hope they keep that name - Love ya Axel), a low fat book. The other has yet to be named and it is a baking book by Carla Kelley. Both gals' recipes are amazingly good. I'll post a couple of teasers for you today.

It is St. Patrick's Day, so being the good Irish girl that I am, I must post this fantastic Irish Stew. It is not only delicious and bursting with homey, flavorful goodness, it boasts only 330 calories for a big hearty serving. It is low fat too. Bonus. I'm sure the green beer will offset any calorie savings, but hey, it's all about balance, right? (Please ignore the Smithwicks in the picture...I just found out it is not vegan...boo!)

Next comes a very fun and festive cupcake from the fabulous Carla (who you PPK folks know better as QueenV). These are a little bit on the pricey side due to the hazelnuts, but so worth it if you are a fan of them. I made these for a bake sale to benefit the Breast Cancer Fund, so the pink ribbon sprinkles were the perfect touch. I will be making these again! They are a decadent treat and are sure to impress your guests, friends, and family.

Hazelnut Latte Cupcakes

Our waistlines may not be excited about the testing, but I am. It is my way to unwind and have fun. It gives me excuses to cook, invite people over to taste test and spend some quality time in the kitchen. So you local peeps, don't be surprised if you get a desperate call from me to help eat the goods!