A Vegan's Stroganoff…Hearty Noodles with Mushroom Sauce

This recipe is hearty, warm and forgiving, so measurements are approximate.  Chop and use what you have – no need to pieces and parts to go to waste.  I’ve adapted it from a recipe I read on the Facebook page for Cleveland Vegans and Vegetarians.  I’m not inclined to put sour cream, yogurt or creamed tofu into this dish.  I would suggest instead having them as separate condiments and letting your dinnermates customize each to their taste. 

EQUIPMENT

(Nothing special is needed here)

I would suggest using two stockpots if you have them available.

[sharpen your] chef’s knife

cutting board

zester

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp olive oil

crushed red pepper to taste (optional)
1 1/2 cups onion, diced finely (a medium sized onion is perfect)

2 bay leaves

pinch ( ~1/8 tsp) sea salt

3-4 garlic cloves, minced (about a tablespoon)

¾ cup chopped celery (2 large stalks celery, leaves included if available)

¾ cup chopped carrot (1 large or two medium is perfect)

1 heaping Tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme, dried or fresh (stems removed)

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp black bean paste (optional -- purchased in a Thai or other Asian grocer)

1 Tbsp juice and all of the zest from 1 lemon (optional, but gives nice brightness to the dish)

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (Amy’s vegan or Pick-A-Pepper sauce are great substitutes, but you can make your own)

1 rounded Tbsp cornstarch in 1/2 cup warm water

1 lb fresh mushrooms of your choice, cleaned and cubed (I do half and half white button and portobello) – about 4-5 cups when chopped

4 cups water 

1/3 red wine (optional)

1 Tbsp black pepper

1 12-oz package of egg noodles (or any type of ridged noodle; rice noodles would work, too, if you are so inclined… you could even use a julienned cabbage that you blanch or simmer with garlic and white wine)

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Add the cornstarch to 1/2 cup of warm water and set aside. 

Bring a stock pot, dutch oven or large sauce pan to heat over medium-low flame.  Once warm add the olive oil and allow it to warm until it begins to shimmer.  Add the bay leaf and onions.  Stir and allow them to cook for a couple of minutes before adding the celery and carrot.  Once you add them, continue sautéing the mixture until onions are soft and translucent – about 8 or 9 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and allow to sauté for another minute.

While the garlic is sautéing, add the soy sauce, black bean paste, Worcestershire, lemon zest, juice and tomato paste and combine thoroughly with the cooking vegetables. Finally, once everything is blended, add 3 cups of the water (or homemade broth) and stir again. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir the cornstarch-water mixture and add to the broth.

While your broth is simmering, clean and chop the mushrooms.  Remove the stem of the button mushrooms (not only do these negatively impact the texture of the mushroom sauce, the stems can be frozen for use in a future broth.  Moreover, my dogs love them, so I enjoy giving them as treats while I cook). Quarter the button mushrooms by cutting in an “x” pattern through the top and cut the portobellos to a similar size.  Add the mushrooms to the simmering sauce and, finally, the red wine. Lace with freshly ground black pepper – up to a tablespoon.  

Make sure that there is enough liquid in the pot that the mushrooms are fully submerged but not much more than that.  If needed, you can add a bit more water as the sauce is simmering ¼ cup at a time.

Turn up the heat to medium high and bring the dish to a simmer until mushrooms are tender, approximately 20 minutes.  Turn the heat off when the mushrooms are cooked and the sauce is reduced sufficiently to nicely coat the noodles.  If you are waiting for the noodles to finish cooking, don’t forget to put your lid on your pot to keep the sauce warm.

While you are simmering your sauce, bring a stockpot of water to boil and cook the noodles according to the package instructions.  When tender, strain the noodles and then pour the hot noodles into your mushroom sauce mixing thoroughly.

Top with chopped parsley, chopped tomatoes, red pepper flakes, a dollop of sour cream or yogurt or even a fresh gremolata (parsley, garlic and lemon zest minced together).

Serve hot and enjoy!

NOTES AND VARIATIONS

Here’s a note about store-bought broth: if you don’t have to use it, don’t.  It’s loaded with salt and you cannot really control the quality of ingredients or taste. This recipe is perfect made with water.  The onion, celery, and carrot together form a “mirepiox” that when combined with a bay leaf is the basis for a vegetarian broth.  If you need to make a quick broth for another dish, roughly chop a large onion, 2 medium carrots, 2-3 stalks of celery and toss in a pot with a tablespoon or so of olive oil, a pinch of salt and a couple of bay leaves over medium heat. The goal is the volume of carrot and celery together should be equivalent to the volume of onion. Once the onion begins to cook and brown, add 12 cups of water, raise the heat to med-high and allow it to simmer for 45 minutes or more.  Cooking the onion at high enough heat to allow it to brown slightly (without burning) will improve the taste of the broth.  Strain the broth through a colander and use as needed. For creole dishes, use “the [holy] trinity” (onion, green pepper and celery) rather than a mirepoix.

This mushroom sauce would make a great base for lasagna with ricotta and béchamel (veggie or dairy).  It would also be great served with roasted beets and a zesty vinaigrette-tossed spinach salad.  For a one-pot dish, consider tossing a cup of frozen chopped spinach or fresh well-cleaned spinach cut in a nice chiffonade at the end of cooking.  Mix the spinach through the sauce through cover, allowing the spinach to simmer for the last couple of minutes of cooking.  If you would like a spicier dish, add crushed red pepper flakes at the very beginning with the onion and bay leaf.  Start with a teaspoon and learn to adjust for your taste.

Eggs in a Veggie Basket

Fried Eggs in a Pattypan Squash

Sitting around my house considering brunch, I looked at that single patty pan squash just that has been gathering dust for sometime on my kitchen counter.  Beautiful though it was, I decided to try something new.  Pattypan squash are light and cook well.  They are the small, broad flying saucer shaped squash that you see primarily used for decoration, which is a shame because they actually are quite good.

I stood looking at the squash and thinking about a fried egg and thought, hmmm… eggs in the hole (but more healthy for you).  So, I scooped it out and threw it in a sauté pan with olive oil and a touch of butter and began mincing.  This is a photo of the finished dish, and it was delicious was delicious.

The entire dish took under 10 minutes to make and each pattypan will serve one or two people depending on its size and how good you are with a knife.



EQUIPMENT
Sharp knife, with a minimum 6" blade
Tablespoon
Cutting Board
Straight sided saute pan with lid (the pan isn't too important, but the lid is).
A small bowl
Metal spatula

INGREDIENTS
olive oil, butter or fat of your choice
1 pattypan squash
1 Tbsp each of minced onion, garlic and red bell pepper
1/2 minced jalapeño pepper
Fresh grated pepper
2 organic, free-range eggs (yes, buy the best you can.  Even at $4.50 per dozen, it's less than a buck per serving)

Optional: crushed red pepper, oregano, grated cheese, parsley… anything that sparks your imagination.

METHOD
Using a very sharp knife, slice a thin layer off the bottom of the pattypan squash then use a sturdy tablespoon to scoop out the seeds from the center all the way through the squash.  Very carefully so as not to cut yourself and to cut evenly through the squash, slice the squash in 1/2-3/4" slices with the knife moving perpendicularly through the hole, so that the resulting slices are rings. You will safely get 2-4 rings depending on the size of the pattypan and your ability to cut straight.  You can use the remainder in soups, chili, or any stuffed squash dish.  Dice it and put it in the freezer until you are ready.

Now, heat your pan over medium-low (my settings go lo-6 and I had the flame on about 3).  When the pan is warm, add the olive oil and a touch of butter if you like.  When the oil begins to shimmer, add the squash slices and grind a little fresh pepper over the top to your taste.

While the squash is gently cooking, go ahead and mince your vegetables.  In about 4-5 minutes of sautéing, your squash should be slightly browned.  Toss the minced veggies into the pan and then turn over the squash carefully.  One by one, crack your egg into your small bowl, inspect for shells and then pour into the center of the patty pan until you have filled each.  Hey -- here's a tip -- crack your egg on a flat surface as opposed to on the side of your bowl to minimize the opportunity for shell to break off into the egg.

Sprinkle the top with your optional ingredients, cover the pan and allow to cook.  In 2-3 minutes, the egg will be cooked and the yolk will still run.  Allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes if you prefer a firm yolk.  Remove from the heat onto your serving plate using a metal spatula.

Enjoy!

A Simple Pot of Lentil Soup

Red lentil soup is not only quite beautiful, but quick to make.  This soup can be modified anyway you like and other vegetables or grains can be added in addition to the lentils.  Consider diced potatoes, red beans, parsley, barley … or just like this.  Sometimes I grill shrimp that is marinated in lemon zest, garlic and/or ginger and sprinkle those on the top.  Nonetheless, this is your basic soup recipe and hearty enough to make a fabulous dinner with a nice fresh salad, hearty bread and glass of wine.  If you have extra help in the kitchen, this recipe cooks in under ½ hour.

Lentils, bay leaf and garlic

Serves 6-8; preps and cooks in about 35-40 minutes.

EQUIPMENT

Large stockpot

Wooden spoon, very sharp knife, cutting board

Blender or immersion blender (optional)

INGREDIENTS

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

2 bay leaves

1 medium to large onion, diced fairly finely

2 large celery stalks (even better if they have the greens attached), diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

3-4 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 Tbsp)

1 ½ cups dried red lentils

2 cups very ripe chopped tomatoes or 1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes with juice (optional)

6 cups water

½ tsp fresh or dried thyme (optional)

1 tsp dried oregano

pinch of sea salt

freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

RECIPE

Bring your stockpot to temperature over medium-low heat. Add in a small pool of olive oil.  Once it begins to shimmer, add your onions and bay leaf to the pot with a tiny pinch of salt.  You just need a little here, but you do need to add salt to ensure your vegetables weep and make a nice broth.  I probably add about 1/8 teaspoon, I would guess.

As the onions begin to become translucent, add the chopped celery and carrots and allow the veggies to cook slowly for 5 or six minutes while stirring frequently.  You do not want them to brown in this recipe – just gently cook.  Once they are softened add your garlic, mix the garlic through and allow to gently simmer for another minute or two.  Then add the lentils.  Mix them through the veggies and the loveliest gentle aromas should waft through the air.

Now add the tomatoes, spices and water.  Don’t forget a few good grinds of black pepper in there. Regarding the tomatoes, if you do not have very fresh and ripe in season tomatoes (or ones you froze back in season), opt for high quality canned tomatoes.  Two cups is plenty and adds to the beauty of the soup.  Turn the heat up to medium high and bring to a boil.  Once the soup begins to boil, turn it down to medium so that it doesn’t burn but simmers nicely

Simmer your soup for 20 minutes or until the lentils are nicely soft.  For a creamy texture, blend about ½ of the pot of soup.  An immersion blender is best, but if you only have a regular blender, wait 15-20 minutes for the soup to cool and blend in batches by filling the carafe no more than half-way to the top.  Blend a batch; put it in the serving vessel; repeat.  Continue blending until the soup is gorgeous.  It is wonderful completely unblended and rustic or fully blended to a silky smooth consistency.  If you love a creamier soup, add ¼ cup of cream, almond milk, or yogurt to the soup.

GARNISH

Your wonderful soup can be garnished with a bit of parsley, dollop of yogurt, splash of balsamic vinegar or – my favorite – gremolata (minced parsley, garlic and lemon zest).  However you like it, this is a quick, easy, warm and delicious way to celebrate the day.

For an even heartier soup, you can substitute homemade broth (I recommend vegetable or chicken), but don’t use store bought – it will add unnecessary salt and not be as good as just plain water.