Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook (73 page)
Read Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Online
Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz,Terry Hope Romero
Tags: #food.cookbooks
Melt the margarine in a separate small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is deep golden brown and smells toasty, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the minced shallots and garlic, coating with the sauce, and continue to cook, stirring, for another 5 minutes; it will resemble a coarse paste. Stir in the celery and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the celery has softened a little.
Pour in the hot veggie bouillon and stir with a wire whisk to create a thick sauce. Add the bay leaf, marjoram, thyme, and rosemary. While stirring constantly, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
Gradually pour in the wine, continuing to stir with the whisk, and bring to a boil again. Lower the heat once more and simmer for 4 to 6 minutes, until slightly reduced and thickened (sauce is not as thick as a gravy but will cling to the back of a metal spoon).
Remove from the heat, stir in the chopped chives, and either ladle directly over food or serve alongside in a gravy boat.
To reheat the sauce:
This sauce will become very thick if refrigerated, but it reheats easily. Place the sauce in a small saucepan, heat over medium-low heat while stirring occasionally, and whisk in a little vegetable broth until the desired consistency is reached.
MARINARA SAUCE AND VARIATIONSMAKES ABOUT 5 CUPS
(ENOUGH FOR 4 SERVINGS OF PASTA)
TIME:
20 MINUTES
20 MINUTES
The secret to a great marinara sauce is K.I.S.S.—keep it simple, stupid! Oh yes, and a hell of a lotta garlic. Store-bought sauce tends to be too sweet and tastes, well, store-bought. We use this in all of our tomato-based Italian dishes from pasta to eggplant rollatini, and it doesn’t take much time, so go ahead and pour some love onto your spaghetti. Go crazy with the variations that follow.
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
PREHEAT A saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the oil and garlic, and sauté for about a minute, until fragrant, being careful not to let it burn. Add the remaining ingredients, cover, and raise the heat a bit to bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Variations:
TOFU RICOTTARoasted Red Pepper Marinara Sauce:
Add a chopped roasted red pepper along with the tomatoes. Blend the sauce when done cooking, if you like.Mushroom Marinara Sauce:
Increase the oil to 1 tablespoon, and sauté 1 cup of thinly sliced mushrooms before adding the garlic.Roasted Garlic Marinara Sauce:
Decrease the minced garlic to 2 teaspoons. Add a whole bulb of peeled roasted garlic to the sauce halfway through the cooking process. Blend the sauce when done cooking.Olive Marinara Sauce:
Add ½ cup of chopped black olives to the sauce about halfway through the cooking process.Caramelized Onion Marinara Sauce:
Increase the oil to 1 tablespoon. Sweat 1 cup of finely chopped white or yellow onion for about 15 minutes. (To sweat, keep the heat low and cover, stirring every few minutes, the onions should not brown.) Uncover and cook for 15 more minutes at higher heat, until browned and caramelized. Proceed with the rest of the recipe.We also like to mix and match some of these variations:
Caramelized Onion and Roasted Red Pepper, Mushroom and Olive, you get the idea.
MAKES 3½ CUPS
TIME:
10 MINUTES
10 MINUTES
Straight outta
Vegan with a Vengeance
, we’ve included the recipe in this book, too, because, well, tofu ricotta doesn’t get better than this! We use it in Eggplant Rollatini (page 154) but feel free to use it anywhere that ricotta might be found; stuffed shells, as a pizza topping, you name it.
Vegan with a Vengeance
, we’ve included the recipe in this book, too, because, well, tofu ricotta doesn’t get better than this! We use it in Eggplant Rollatini (page 154) but feel free to use it anywhere that ricotta might be found; stuffed shells, as a pizza topping, you name it.
1 pound extra-firm tofu
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped finely (10
leaves or so) (optional)
2 teaspoons olive oil
¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
IN A large bowl, mush the tofu up with your hands, until it’s crumbly.
Add the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and basil. Mush with hands again; this time you want it to get very mushy, so squeeze through your fingers and mush until it reaches the consistency of ricotta cheese, 2 to 5 minutes.
Add the olive oil, stir with a fork. Add the nutritional yeast and mix all ingredients well. Use a fork now, because the oil will make it sticky. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
CASHEW RICOTTAMAKES 2 CUPS
TIME:
15 MINUTES
15 MINUTES
Thick, creamy and extra-dreamy, this dairyless ricotta is what you want when that lasagne or stuffed shells requires something just a little bit more. Perfect when paired with sweet winter squash, such as Pumpkin Baked Ziti with Caramelized Onions (page 194). Also makes a smooth sandwich spread paired with crusty herbed peasant bread.
½ cup raw cashew pieces (approximately 4 ounces)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves fresh or roasted garlic (page 32)
1 pound firm tofu, drained and crumbled
1½ teaspoons dried basil
1½ teaspoons salt
IN A food processor, blend together the cashews, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic until a thick creamy paste forms. Add the crumbled tofu to the food processor, working in two or more batches if necessarily, until the mixture is thick and well blended. Blend in the basil and salt.
ALMESANMAKES ⅓ CUP
TIME:
5 MINUTES OR LESS
5 MINUTES OR LESS
This is our vegan version of Parmesan, made with almonds, sesame seeds, and a little lemon zest. It’s great for when your pasta needs a sprinkle of a little some-thin’ somethin’. If you have a mini processor, there is no better time to use it.
¼ cup slivered or sliced almonds
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon lemon zest
COMBINE ALL ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pulse until everything turns to tiny crumbs. That’s it!
BACKYARD BBQ SAUCEMAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS
TIME:
40 MINUTES
40 MINUTES
The basic components of a BBQ sauce are something sweet, something sour, and something tomato-y. This sauce is super versatile—you can replace the molasses with maple syrup or just plain sugar, you can replace the crushed tomatoes with tomato sauce or diced tomatoes (but you should puree it at the end if you use crushed tomatoes). Red pepper flakes add a little heat, but you can use a bit of cayenne or hot sauce instead. The longer you cook this sauce, the thicker and more delicious it gets, but if all’s you got is half an hour, it’s still yummy!
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped as finely as
you can
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
⅓ cup molasses
⅓ cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
(Dijon is fine, too)
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
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