texasmesquite

Vegan cuisine gets flavorful

By Jolene Thym
for the Bay Area News Group
Source: mercurynews.com




Chilled Heirloom Tomato Soup with Cucumber Salsa and Toasted Peanuts,... ( MARK DuFRENE )
TO HEAR Napa chef Michael Chiarello tell it, veganism is all about saying no. Faced with a "Top Chef Masters" challenge this summer of preparing a vegan lunch for actress Zooey Deschanel and her friends, Chiarello first sputtered over the concept that anything delicious — meat, cheese, butter or cream — could be taboo. Then, of course, he whipped up a marvelous meal with quinoa pasta, salsa verde, roasted heirloom tomatoes and a pine nut, lemon and parsley gremolata.
"The diners dug it," Chiarello said on the air, with a sly grin.
That's no surprise to Oakland chef Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, author of "The Vegan Table."
"Cooking without animal products isn't about 'doing without,'" she says.
Plant-based foods offer a variety of flavors, and as for missing what vegans cannot eat, she says, "I don't think that we actually crave meat. But we do crave salt and fat and texture."
So why is it that the mere mention of vegan food makes people wrinkle their noses — or roll their eyes? Somehow, says Patrick-Goudreau, "There's this idea that the food is bland."
And most people have, at best, only a vague idea of what the term even means, she says. Unlike vegetarians, who simply omit animal proteins from their diet, vegans eliminate every trace of animal-based foods, including dairy, eggs, cheese and even honey, which is produced by bees.
Patrick-Goudreau opts for the long answer when asked about her diet: "I tell them that I eat fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes and grains, and mushrooms and herbs. Once you unpack it for them, they understand. What people need to know is that you can get all of those mouth-filling flavors and textures through plant-based foods."

Eliminating meat, she adds, literally "uncovers the flavor of the food on your plate."
"If you think about it, what do you love about a hamburger? Is it really the meat?" she asks. "If it is, then why do you cover it up with relish and ketchup and chutney and mustard? All of those condiments that bring the flavor are plant-based."
And the familiar, tactile pleasures of an omnivore's diet — the saltiness, crunch and creaminess of dairy, meats and seafood — can be found in non-animal based foods as well, she says. Patrick-Goudreau toasts nuts with salt and grinds them over pasta or salad, for example, or fills tortillas with hummus, salsa and avocado for a Middle Eastern take on the classic quesadilla.
Vegan cuisine may not be popular with every chef — although Chiarello and his colleagues did an inspiring job with their televised challenge. Their offerings included grilled eggplant with lentil salad, and corn tamales with chili-braised beans.
But the main challenge for chefs and vegan home cooks alike, isn't so much flavor — few diners complain about eating lush, seasonal produce — as ensuring that adequate protein lands on their plates. That's where those lentils and braised beans come into play. Patrick-Goudreau uses chopped chickpeas, for example, as a sandwich filling.
"The fact is that you can't wake up one day and just be vegan," she says. "There's a learning curve. You have to add things like nuts and seeds and grains."
It's not that it's difficult, says Patrick-Goudreau, but it takes planning. She tells people to write down what they're eating, so they can be sure their meals are balanced.
Chef Alessandro Cartumini's all-Italian menu at the Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley is seriously meat-centric, but he says producing a vegan meal — something he does several times a week — is a pretty simple tweak. He makes pasta without eggs, and tosses it with seasonal vegetables, garlic and beans.
And Oakland chef Bryant Terry, author of "Vegan Soul Kitchen," suggests a slow food approach, using heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers to make soup, or braised, protein-rich black-eyed peas for comfort food.
"Take the time to cook things like chard and black-eyed peas," he says. "They're good food, the kind of food that I was raised on."

The Vegan BOOKSHELF

A slew of brand new vegan cookbooks offer recipes for both novice and veteran cooks.
"Short-Cut Vegan: Great Taste in No Time" by Lorna Sass (William Morrow, $19.99, 176 pages). A well-stocked pantry and homemade sauces and flavorings "” peanut sauce, maple-mustard stir-fry sauce "” deliver instant flavor.
"The 30 Minute Vegan" by Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray (Da Capo Press, $18.95, 376 pages). Vegan takes on American classics, including stuffed mushrooms and cheesy broccoli, made with vegan cheese.
"Vegan Brunch" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (Da Capo, $19.95, 256 pages). Edgy recipes for Italian sausage, lemon-cashew crepes, pesto-scrambled tofu.
"Vegan Lunchbox Around the World" by Jennifer McCaan (Da Capo Press, $18.95, 296 pages). Make-and-take recipes with an international flair.
"PETA"s Vegan College Cookbook" by Starza Kolman and Marta Holmberg (Sourcebooks, $14.99, 352 pages). Easy vegan recipes and tips for stocking the dorm mini-fridge.
"Vegan Soul Kitchen" by Bryant Terry (Da Capo, $18.95, 256 pages). Bold soul food recipes for Creamy Yellow Potato Soup, Blackened Tofu with Succotash Salsa, and Black-Eyed Pea Fritters with Hot Pepper Sauce.
"The Vegan Table: 200 Unforgettable Recipes for Entertaining" by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (Fair Winds, $19.99, 304 pages). Vegan takes on ratatouille, squash risotto, chocolate chip cookies.