Vegetarian Thanksgiving 2012

Oh, Thanksgiving: you're almost here! It's our favorite holiday, and we're so looking forward to the week. What could be better than the focus on gratitude, family, and some really great meals? We have grocery shopping today, a ton of prep from here on out, and a lot of cooking to schedule since it looks like the festivities are going to crank up on Monday night and gallop on until Thursday night rest-time. It is going to be a blast to see all the family that we have in town, and my only wish is that the New Orleans branch could be here, too. We will be there with y'all in spirit for sure. 

This wonderful turn of events last week really helped us shine a light on the idea that not every Thanksgiving dinner is focused on a turkey. So for a little inspiration and pre-gaming fun, here are some of our favorite vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes from the past along with a couple of new ones we've been testing out this fall. 

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Leave a comment below or ask a question if you have one, and maybe we can all figure it out together. 

The Mains: 
Stuffed Acorn Squash

Vegetarian Dumplings

Squash and Sage Lasagna

Mock Duck Cassoulet

Portobello Mushroom Wellington

Grilled Vegetable Terrine

Vegetarian Pot Pie

The Sides: 

Cornbread Dressing with Oyster Mushrooms

Brussels Sprout Salad + Cornbread Croutons

November In-Season Salads with Champagne Vinaigrette

Sweet Potato Piccata (inspired by The Publican in Chicago)

Cranberry-Apple and Curried Ginger Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce

The Pies: 
Bourbon Pecan Tart

Sweet Potato Pie with Rosemary Cookie Crust

No-Bake Chipotle Chili Chocolate Tart

(Don't Skip Thanksgiving Breakfast!)

Smoked Sun-Dried Tomato Tortilla with Herbed Aioli

Pumpkin Spice and Chocolate Pancakes 

Toasted Coconut Muffins

Vegan Bran Muffins

Vegetarian Shiitake Ramen

I loved ramen as a kid. It was one of those easy-to-make vegetarian meals that I could fix on my own in minutes. With me and two brothers in the house, we kept a pallet of ramen around at all times. Last weekend while watching The Mind of a Chef, David Chang's new PBS show, I got inspired to make a grown-up version of one of my childhood favorites. 
      The key here is the vegetarian broth, which employs kombu and dried shiitake to give it body and flavor. According to the Umami Information Center, dried shiitake mushrooms contain a high level of naturally occurring glutamate which boosts the mushroom's umami flavor.
      "This doesn't taste vegetarian," my wife called out from across the table...mission accomplished. 
      (I guess it may look like some of the following ingredients might be difficult to find, but fear not: we found everything last night at Whole Foods.) 

Vegetarian Shiitake Ramen

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3-4 ounces fresh baby shiitake
Cracked black pepper (to taste)
1 tablespoon ponzu 
2 packages instant ramen noodles (cooked according to package instructions, but with flavor packets tossed out)
1 medium carrot (shredded using a serrated peeler)
2 soft boiled eggs*
1 green onion (thinly sliced)
Shiitake Ramen Broth (recipe follows)

In a medium pan over high heat, add the sesame oil and the shiitake mushrooms stem-side-up. Season with plenty of black pepper. Sear the mushrooms for 2 to 3 minutes or until nicely browned. Add the ponzu and toss until the liquid has evaporated; this happens quickly. Remove mushrooms from the pan and set aside until ready to assemble the dish.

To assemble the soup, divide the noodles between two bowls. Place half of the mushrooms off to the side of the pile of noodles and half the carrots off to the other side in each bowl. Top the mound of noodles with the soft boiled egg and garnish with the onion. Pour in enough hot broth to cover the noodles about halfway. Using chopsticks, go ahead and dig in.

Shiitake Ramen Broth

1 quart low-sodium vegetable broth (like Whole Foods 365 Organic brand)
3 green onions (white and green parts, roughly chopped)
1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
12 x 3 inch piece kombu (rinsed briefly under cold water)
4 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 teaspoons soy sauce (like Bragg's)
2 teaspoon mirin (sweet cooking wine)

Place the broth, onions, mushrooms, kombu, garlic, soy sauce, and mirin in a medium sauce pan and turn the heat on high. Once the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat and continue to cook until the mixture has reduced by more than half; this should take 20 to 30 minutes. Strain the broth using a mesh strainer, and make sure to press all of the liquid out from the mushrooms and kombu. This should leave you with about 1 1/2 cups of very 
well-seasoned broth. Keep warm until ready to use.

* Bring salted water to a full boil, lower the eggs into the water, pull them out 6 minutes later, and place them into an ice bath.  Wait until eggs are cool to the touch and then peel and serve.

Cornbread Dressing with Oyster Mushrooms

Much gratitude and thanks go out to Tara Parker-Pope today for featuring TCV on The New York Times blog The Well! We are thrilled to have our story and our favorite vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes in "Southern Flavors on a Vegetarian Table," and you can see it all HERE. 

My grandmother's best dish, according to my dad, was her cornbread dressing with oysters that she served every Thanksgiving. It's only recently come to light that her secret was to order some egg drop soup from the Chinese restaurant we always went to after church and use that in place of broth. I remember that it really was delicious, but we're not going to do that here. We are going to take her idea and turn it on its head.

Instead, our secret weapon is our very own cornbread recipe that is made with buttermilk, smoked cheddar, and honey. It's delicious on it's own so we figured it would work here. We are using oyster mushrooms to give the dressing a meaty texture
because Michael suggested it, and he is always right. 

Cornbread Dressing with Oyster Mushrooms

2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
1 1/2 cups finely diced onion (about 1 medium)
1 cup finely diced celery (about 2 large ribs)
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 cup white wine (like Pinot Grigio)
2 cups (about 7 ounces) oyster mushrooms*
1 large egg (beaten)
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (like Whole Foods 365 brand)
1/2 teaspoon champagne vinegar
5 cups cubed Smoked Cheddar and Jalapeño Cornbread (minus the jalapeño)

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add the onion, celery, sage, thyme, and parsley. Cook, stirring often, until onion has softened and has caramelized. Add the wine and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a large bowl to cool. Add another tablespoon of butter to the pan, and once it's melted, add the trimmed oyster mushrooms in a single layer. Once they have browned on one side, just turn them and brown them on the other side. Add mushrooms to the cooked vegetable mixture. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Once the vegetables and mushrooms are cooled, add the egg, broth, vinegar, and cornbread to the large mixing bowl. Toss and allow mixture to rest for 5 minutes in order for the egg and broth to soak into the cornbread. Place the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter into a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place it in the oven for 5 minutes to melt the butter. Carefully remove skillet from the oven and place the cornbread mixture into the skillet. Cook for 35-40 minutes or until the top has browned.

(makes 6 to 8 servings)

*Oyster mushrooms are easy to trim. Feel the stem and trim the mushroom where the stem feels woody or tough. That should be about halfway down. Leave any small mushrooms whole and tear and larger mushrooms in half. 

Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup

This dish has been in rotation in our house for probably 15 years or so. It has survived every culinary trend -- and my own crazy proclamations about what we should or shouldn't be eating. I can remember making this in our first apartment where we ate mostly pasta, stir fry, grilled cheese, and, of course, matzo ball soup.

What gives? Why does this dish have such staying power? It's hearty, delicious, and so simple to make. It's one of the few things (maybe the only thing?) that I make from a box mix. One of the only things I do to dress this up is to use extra virgin olive oil in  place of the run-of-the-mill vegetable oil that the instructions call for. It really makes the matzo balls rich and delicious. We also cook the vegetable component separate from the matzo balls, so they retain some of their sturdiness and don't turn to mush during the 30 minutes that the matzo balls cook. 

The cold weather is setting in here in the South, so it's officially soup season. Try this one out. We think you'll like it.

Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup

1 package matzo ball mix (like Streit's)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (like Whole Foods 365 brand)
2 large eggs (beaten)
1 quart good-quailty vegetable broth (like Whole Foods 365 brand)
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (like Whole Foods 365 brand)
2 ribs celery (diced)
1 large carrot (diced)
1 large shallot (finely diced)
1/2 cup white wine (like pinot grigio)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or fresh dill
kosher salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)

Make the matzo ball mix according to the package instructions, which call for vegetable oil (use olive oil here) and 2 large eggs. Set mixture aside in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes. 

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the broth, bay leaves, and thyme to a boil. Remove the matzo mix from the fridge. Using a 1 tablespoon-size ice cream scoop, drop the mix into the boiling broth one at a time. Lower the heat to a simmer. Secure the lid and simmer for 30 minutes. Do not lift the lid during the cooking time; this is one of the secrets to making fluffy matzo balls.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and add the diced celery, carrots, and shallots. Once they start to caramelize, deglaze the pan with the white wine and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside until ready to serve.

To serve, place 3 to 4 matzo balls into a bowl, ladle on enough broth to almost cover the matzo balls about halfway, add 1/4 of the vegetable mixture into the bowl, and garnish with chopped parsley, salt, and cracked black pepper.

5 Quick Questions with Chef Robert Cirillo of Bleu

We were invited to dinner by the kind folks at Bleu Restaurant and Lounge in downtown Memphis in order to try a new vegetarian entrée on the menu. It's extra-firm tofu with a bulgogi marinade, which traditionally includes garlic, sugar, sesame oil, and soy sauce; it's grilled up and includes a vegetable stir fry. We also tried the edamame hummus appetizer, a pear and goat cheese salad with cranberry vinaigrette, and a spiced poached pear with candied pecans and ricotta -- a great vegetarian meal. We caught up with Chef Robert Cirillo back in the kitchen before dinner, and here's what he had to say. 

1. TCV: I'm fascinated by your story: born in Korea and adopted and raised by parents who were first-generation Americans whose families were from both Ireland and Italy.  At what point did you reconnect with your Korean heritage?

RC: When my brother and I moved here from Korea, the adoption agentcy gave my parents a list of foods that they should keep in our diet...kimchi being number one. Kimchi is the oldest flavor I have in my memory base. We’d buy Golden King Kimchi and put it over rice. When I turned 21-22 and found out I really wanted to cook food, I did a lot of experimenting and learning how to cook things. It took at least 10 cases of cabbage before got kimchi down pat.  

2. TCV: Has Memphis rubbed off on you personally or affected your cooking style in any way?

RC: If anything, it’s kind of relaxed me on approaching dishes. I try to do something that's different but still welcoming so people will come and try it out. The first ten items I did for a tasting for the new owners before we opened, and I thought it might be too weird for them, but they accepted it. I’m from the Northeast, so they knew it was going to be different. It’s my style but just a little more comfortable. 

3. TCV: What ingredient or technique has your attention right now?

RC: Right now, at this very moment, it is venison. Down here, it felt like an opportune time to roll out an idea I had. I used it in Rhode I thought about all the things the white tail deer eat where I'm from, and it’s the same as gin. I used that to create the sauce: juniper, mustard greens, currants, crabapples. I do a hibiscus and a Hendrick's gin cream sauce, and then for the rub, I do juniper berries, currants, coriander, fennel cumin...earthy, right? I do rainbow Swiss chard and Granny Smith apples instead of crabapples. 

4. TCV: Why was it important to you to have a planned vegetarian entrée on the new menu instead of just having the typical "seasonal vegetable plate"?

RC: I don’t think it's bad or wrong to do that because it allows a chef to say, 'This is what I have, so this is what I'm going to do.' Marcus Samuelsson, for me, I think is one of the best chefs in America. His big thing now at Red Rooster is doing healthy stuff.  Quinoa is one of the best grains in the world, but that being said, tofu sucks in any flavor. We marinate and grill it which gives it a nice charred flavor and little sweetness with the bbq. We use a mire poix, and it's my base vegetable with barbecued tofu. It's actually moving, too, because there are people in Memphis who are loking for healthy food and we give them an option. So this was a smart dish for us to do.

5. TCV: Thanksgiving dinner: Are you cooking for the family or taking the day off?

RC: Hopefully, I'm throwing a turkey in a smoker two days prior. That’s my favorite holiday. All it's about is eating food all day with your family and friends and watching football, and you can’t go wrong with that. 

Vegetarian Breakfast Sausage

This is a great homemade alternative to those processed store-bought brands. The real upside is that you know exactly what's in it. There is no mystery meat here -- just rice, vegetables, eggs and spices.

The roll can be made ahead of time, cut into slices, and frozen for a quick weekday breakfast. You could crumble it into a breakfast burrito or use it anywhere you'd normally use breakfast sausage. This vegetarian sausage is great first thing in the morning, but could also be crumbled, sautéed and served stuffed inside of a red pepper or a baked eggplant for dinner. Get creative!

Vegetarian Breakfast Sausage

1 teaspoon canola oil (like Whole Foods 365 brand)
1/4 cup finely diced shallot
3 cloves garlic (finely diced)
8 ounces crimini mushrooms (finely diced)
1 cup finely diced celery (about 2 ribs)
1/2 cup finely diced carrot (1 medium)
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
scant 1/4 teaspoon clove
scant pinch nutmeg
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
sea salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)
1 cup cooked, cooled white rice
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour (or all purpose flour)
2 large eggs (beaten)

Heat the canola oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallot, garlic, mushrooms, celery, and carrot to the pan. Stir consistently and sauté until all of the liquid has released and then evaporated; this should take about 5 minutes. Add the sage, red pepper flakes, clove, nutmeg, soy sauce, and maple syrup to the pan. Stir to incorporate and remove from heat. All mixture to cool. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the cooked and cooled vegetables, rice, flour, and eggs. Divide the mixture between two large sheets of foil, roll into a tube, and twist the ends of the foil -- like a Tootsie Roll! Place rolls on a baking sheet and place into the oven for 25 minutes. Allow rolls to cool completely before unwrapping and slicing into 1/2-inch disks.

In a medium pan over medium heat, pan-fry disks in a little canola oil until nicely browned. Serve with eggs and biscuits.

Basic Crepe Recipe

Last night, we went here for a double date dinner with our friends, who had toted their 1970's-era crepe pan and bowl set with them so that we could borrow it. (Of course, we had to have Beauty Shop blackberry crepes and butter-and-sugar crepes for dessert. We kind of had crepes on the brain.) 

We remember the old plug-in crepe-maker versions from back in the day, but this lo-fi type is even better. You just put the batter in a shallow dish that helpfully has a recipe printed on it, coat the back of a crepe skillet with batter, and with  the stovetop on medium heat, wait about 30 seconds for your crepe to form. We remembered that George Falls of Paulette's had said to make the batter and then run it in a blender; this activates the gluten in the flour and helps the crepes stay together. It worked like a charm.

We're going to have to get our own crepe pan and dipping dish set soon. (And maybe go a little crepe-crazy and throw in a crepe spreader, too.)

Basic Crepe Recipe

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted, melted butter (like Whole Foods 365 brand)
pinch of sea salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk  (like Whole Foods 365 brand)
zest of 1 organic lemon

Options for fillings: 
chocolate hazelnut butter (2 tablespoons, melted)
butter and sugar (1 tablespoon softened butter and 1 tablespoon cane sugar)
strawberry jam (recipe follows)
+ powdered sugar (to garnish)

Place the flour, sugar, salt, eggs, milk, and zest in a blender. Blend for 2-3 minutes. Pour crepe batter into a shallow crepe dish. Heat the crepe skillet over medium heat. Dip the back of crepe skillet in batter and cook on medium heat for 30 seconds or until edges of crepe brown. Pull the edge of the crepe up with a butter knife, and then peel the crepe off of the iron with your fingers. stack cooked crepes on a plate until ready to eat. Repeat, repeat, repeat until you have a stack of crepes waiting on a plate. 

To assemble, spoon your selected filling on one quarter of the open crepe. Fold in half and then quarters. Sprinkle with powdered sugar to serve. 
(Makes about 20 crepes.)



Strawberry Jam


2 cups sliced strawberries
1/3 cup cane sugar
juice from half a lemon
long piece of lemon peel

Combine all ingredients and mash them with a potato masher. Cook in a saucepan on medium-low heat for about an hour or until mixture reaches a jam-like consistency. Stir it often. Set aside to cool. Remove peel before storing in fridge for about a week.