The Fleeting Nature of Fame

So, after declaring my blog one of the best of the web, Veg News magazine has not seen fit to put me in the running for the 2008 Veggie Awards. In a rush of snivelling self-importance I wrote in my blog and voted for myself. (whimper, whine)

Happy Simcoe Day!

Yes, today is a civic holiday here in Ontario, dubbed Simcoe Day in the Toronto area for John Graves Simcoe (1752-1806), first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada (southern Ontario, more or less), founder of Toronto, and abolisher of slavery in Ontario (take that, Lincoln!). I am staying out of the kitchen and staying on the beach down by the lake. Oh, how I love you, statuatory holiday!

Blueberry Lemon Puff Pastry Pockets

I really have to stop making puff pastry before I turn into a fat, greasy, blob. Ha! It will have been worth it! I wanted to see if non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening could be used in place of Earth Balance margarine, since store-bought versions use shortening instead of butter. The main motivation for this is the fact that Earth Balance costs $5.33 here, while an equal weight of shortening costs about $1.00. The answer is yes, it works just as well and makes for a very tender and flaky pastry.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 6

- 1/2 recipe puff pastry

- 1 1/2 cups frozen wild blueberries

- 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

- 1 tbsp lemon juice

- 1 tbsp flour

- 1/4 cup sugar

Icing:

1. Heat 1 tbsp of lemon juice in a small saucepan over med-lo heat. Add in a scant 3/4 cup of icing sugar and stir to dissolve.

METHOD

1. Mix frozen berries, lemon zest, lemon juice, flour and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until bubbling and thickened. Remove from heat and place in fridge to cool down. Filling must be cold before it can be placed on the pastry.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Roll pastry into a 12" x 16" rectangle. Slice into twelve 4" squares. Place a heaping spoonful on filling on the centre of 6 squares.

4. Lightly moisten dough around the filling. Place remaining pastry squares over top of filling and press down firmly around the edges to seal. Use a fork to further seal the edges, then trim with a pastry wheel. Cut two slits in the top.

5. Bake for 20-25 mins, until golden brown.

6. Let cool for a few mins, then drizzle icing over top.

As you can see, the shortening makes a very nice pastry dough. It is a bit softer, but cooks up flakier. Make sure you chill the shortening before using it in the recipe.

Salisbury Steak

I can remember buying and eating a Salisbury steak TV dinner once when I was a teenager (I had no standards, apparently) and thinking, "hey, this isn't steak, it's just flat meatloaf!" I thought a "meat" and gravy meal would go over well with the kids, so I experimented with a tempeh burger/vegan sausage hybrid to get a little more meatiness in the so-called steak. I think the results were pretty good (even though the pic is very, very brown).

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6

- 1/2 pkg tempeh, boiled in water for 10 mins, cooled, and grated

- 1 cup vital wheat gluten

- 1 tsp each onion and garlic powder

- 1 tsp coriander

- 1 tsp sage

- 2 tsp paprika

- 1/2 tsp dill

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 tbsp HP/A1/BBQ sauce

- 1 tbsp soy sauce

- 3/4 to 1 cup water

METHOD

Get water boiling in your steamer.

1. Mix grated tempeh, wheat gluten, and spices together in a bowl. Add sauces and enough water to make a wet but firm dough and mix with a fork. Knead for a min to mix well. The dough should be the same consistency as the vegan sausage dough. Divide into 6 pieces and shape each into a "steak." Wrap each in foil and steam for 30-35 mins (rotating halfway through), until steaks have swelled against the foil.

2. Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry steaks for a few mins on each side, to firm them up a bit and get a bit of a crispy outer layer. Top with gravy and serve.

A NOTE ON GRAVY

If you have a favourite brown gravy, use it here. I would have made a roasted mushroom gravy but I knew there would be a bunch of whining from the boys. So, I made a plain gravy with some of the spices from the steaks. I heated 1 tbsp of olive oil and whisked in 1 tbsp of flour. I then whisked in 1 cup of soy milk and 2 tsp soy sauce. I then seasoned with salt, pepper, coriander, sage, paprika, garlic and onion powder.

Roasted Garlic and Sausage Ravioli

The boys finished their first block of swimming lessons today at the YMCA and graduated up to the next level. Son #1 is now a Seal (up from Otter), and Son #2 is now a Floater. I can think of at least two things wrong with that name. Now, on to the food! I know this is going to sound insane coming from the guy who makes his own phyllo dough and puff pastry, but I don't think I have the patience for ravioli. It was so time consuming and finicky that it drove me to the brink of insanity. In fact, I kept making bigger and bigger ravioli just so I could use up the filling faster. That being said, the filling itself was really, really, good, and I plan to use it for homemade cannelloni in the very near future.

INGREDIENTS

Makes about 24 ravioli

- fresh vegan pasta dough

- 6 cloves garlic, skins on

- 1/2 recipe vegan sausage, shaped into one mother sausage (I went crazy with the spices this time--oregano, parsley, marjoram, basil, fennel, rosemary, etc. If it sounded good, I put it in)

- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

- salt and pepper

- marinara sauce

METHOD
1. Make sausage and cool. Slice into chunks and place in a blender. Pulse until sausage is resembles ground meat.

2. Meanwhile, dry roast the garlic in a small pan over medium heat. Turn regularly to keep from burning. Cook for about 15 mins, until soft. Remove from pan. When cool, squeeze garlic out of skins and mash into a paste.

3. In a bowl, mix together garlic, ground seitan, and fresh parsley.

4. Get a large pot of salted water boiling. Start heating your sauce.

5. Roll out a chunk of pasta with your pasta roller, according to the directions. My roller has 8 settings and I stopped at number 7. Place rolled pasta on a lightly floured surface. Mark a line that bisects the pasta lengthwise. Place about 1 tsp of filling between that line and the edge about every 1 1/2" (you should get at least 6 ravioli per pasta sheet). Brush all around the filling with water.

5. Fold pasta lengthwise over the filling. Press out any air caught between the pasta and press down around the filling. Slice in between the filling lumps to make separate ravioli, and seal all edges with a fork. Place on a floured towel while you make the rest.

6. It does not take long to cook these. Place into the boiling water. When water returns to boil and ravioli are floating, they are done. Drain immediately.

7. Place a large spoonful of sauce in the bottom of a pasta bowl. Top with ravioli, and then more sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve.