Booze-day Tuesday II

It's ok that I'm a day behind on this week's themes, right? If I told you I had some killer boozy food last night, would that make it all right?

Because I totally did! That right there is Penne alla Vodka, and it was fantastic! According to some, using vodka in this manner helps to release tomato flavors that are otherwise inaccessible, which sounds fascinating. Sure, using vodka may have been a marketing ploy back in the '70s, but it did result in this tasty number. Win-win!

I browsed several vegan and non-vegan recipes, looking for inspiration on how to achieve that pink creaminess of which I am so very fond (seriously, I think jarred vodka sauce is the prettiest of them all, and I get rage-y when none of them are vegan). Below you'll find my take on this classic boozy pasta sauce.

Penne all Vodka
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 28-oz can crushed or diced tomatoes (or use whole peeled tomatoes and crush them in the pan)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vodka
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup chopped parsely
cooked penne (I used 2 12-oz boxes)

Heat the olive oil in large pan. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the tomatoes, sugar, and salt. Bring to a bowl and cook for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat a little so the tomatoes aren't boiling so rapidly, but keep them simmering. Add the vodka and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the coconut milk and parsely, stir. Add your cooked pasta to the sauce, toss to coat. Garnish with more parsley and serve in big bowls with toasted baguette rounds and wine. Lots of wine.

Vegan MoFo - Day 24

Day 24 - Pizza Margherita!

Buongiorno! It's Monday morning, and I'm hoping right back on track with my next themed Veganmofo dish - Pizza Margherita!

Bit o' History: Italian pizza history dates back as early as the first-century BC, to the time of Virgil. However, the popularlity of the "picea" didn't explode until the eighteenth-century. In 1889, modern pizza history was made when Queen Margherita Teresa Giovanni, the consort of Umberto I, visited Naples - the alleged birth place of pizza. In order to prepare a special disk in honor of the Queen's visit, Don Raffaele Esposito (owner of Pietro Il Pizzaiolo) consulted his wife, and together they developed a pizza featuring tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil. It was named after the Queen, and she's totally the luckiest lady on the planet...

...because pizza Margherita is seriously the best. Naturally, I made the Queen's pizza vegan using a cashew-tofu ricotta in place of the mozzarella - if you haven't made cashew ricotta yet, please do so immediately. The ricotta was moist and creamy, and it even browned slightly on the top! Sliced tomatoes and the last of my basil plant roasted underneath a heavy drizzle of olive oil, all on top of homemade pizza dough.

Vegan MoFo - Day 14

Day 14 - Chicken Tetrazzini!

Like I mentioned before, I'll use any excuse in the book for more noodles. When I discovered that the heart-stealing chicken Tetrazzini was named after someone, I just couldn't resist!

Ok, so this isn't the most photogenic plate of food, but it sure is tasty! This dish is named after the famed Italian opera singer, Luisa Tetrazzini. I don't know much about opera, but I did learn that she was pretty famous for her phenomenal vocal abilities. Like the success of her operatic career, so too has this dish found wooed many munchers.

I didn't really follow a recipe for this, nor did I write anything down during the process. Basically, it's al denta pasta combined with sauteed onions, cremini mushrooms, carrots and peas, and tossed with a roux-thickened cream sauce and chopped almonds. I spread that mixture in a 2-quart casserole and baked for 30 minutes, until the tops was slightly crunchy. More almonds and a heavy sprinkle of nooch to complete!

Vegan MOFO - Day 4

Day 4 - Caesar Salad



I've always fantasized that the Caesar salad was originally created in Italy by some gourmet chef or restauranteur to serve wealthy patrons as a contorno (side dish) alongside their Norcia truffle-infused risotto and bubbly golden Prosecco. Turns out, I'm not entirely wrong! 

Bit o' History: The original Caesar salad is said to be the creation of Caesar Cardini, an actual Italian immigrant that relocated to San Diego in the early twentieth-century (see, I was kind of right!). He set up shop in Tijuana, Mexico, where he allegedly sold his first monikered salad. Tijuana, you say? Yes, Mexico! Cardini operated out of Mexico to avoid Prohibition! On one fateful fourth of July - after much boozing, I imagine -  Cardini's cubbards were bare and his guests were hungry...naturally, he whipped up this little number - lettuce leaves tossed with a combination of crushed garlic, olive oil,  lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, raw or coddled egg yolks, Parmesan cheese and freshly prepared croutons - and prepared it table-side. 



Caesar Salad with Sliced Almonds

Folks were lovin' it back then, and they sure are lovin' it now. The Caesar has had many faces over the decades, and it's definitely proving itself a timeless edition to the dinner table.



Caesar Salad Dressing

Though we avoid the icky eggs, cheese and Worcestershire sauce, vegans are not immune to the adulation surrounding the Caesar (and most other foods). We've spent the better part of many Sunday afternoons picking apart the tasteful elements that go into the Caesar, and successful results have been plentiful.  I've seen hundreds and tried many recipes for a delicately creamy and pungently tangy dressing, most of which are fingertips-kissing-worthy. Why not add one more potatoe to the pot? Below you'll find my go-to recipe for Caesar salad.



Pour it on meh!

Vegan Caesar Salad

makes approximately 1.5 cups

Dressing

¾ cup slivered or sliced almonds, or a combination

4 garlic cloves

¾ cup plain, unsweetened nondairy milk

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon capers + brine

1 teaspoon mustard, I used Dijon

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Croutons

4-5 slices of stale bread

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon nutritional yeast

Freshly cracked black pepper

Salad

Romaine lettuce leaves, torn into pieces

Nutritional yeast, garnish

Sliced almonds, optional, garnish

Freshly cracked black pepper

Pulse almonds in a blender into a fine meal. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth, about 5 minutes. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Preheat (toaster) oven to 350 degrees F. Stack bread slices on top of one another and slice into stips, turn, and slice into cubes. Toss with olive oil, minced garlic, nooch and pepper in a bowl or directly on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, turning once or twice.

Place lettuce leaves in a large bowl, pour about half of the dressing over the leaves and toss with tongs to coat evenly. Add nutritional yeast, almonds, pepper and WARM croutons. Serve in individual bowls – or don’t share and eat the whole thing. Yum!

Vegan MOFO - Day 3

Day 3 - Fettuccine Alfredo

I love noodles! There isn't a (vegan) noodle dish on the planet that I won't knock back in a heart's beat - a big bowl of soba with miso, a baked red ziti, and especially vermicelli tossed in a piquant peanut sauce. From wheat to rice to buckwheat, I love them all. When I settled on my MOFO theme, the noodle was the first thing to pop into my noodle!

I had my heart set on some velvety fettuccine weeks prior to MOFO, but took my time getting around to whipping any up. Now that MOFO is here, I can’t think of a better time to solidify the recipe I’ve been tweaking for the last few months. My Fettuccine Alfredo strays slightly from the original Roman pasta dish, and is more analogous to the Alfredo we know and love here in the United States.



Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo

Bit o’ History: Fettuccine Alfredo is naturally composed of fettuccine pasta, Parmesan cheese and butter, and was named by Italian restaurateur Alfredo di Lelio. It was first served in 1914 at de Lelio’s restaurant, Alfredo, and was prepared as a doppio burro (double butter) – de Lelio added butter both before and after the fettuccine was served. De Lelio eventually altered his recipe to a triplo burro (triple butter) to help his pregnant wife keep food down. De Lelio’s restaurant exploded in popularity over the next 50+ years and was made famous by dining actors, directors, and entrepreneurs. Even with the original Alfredo retiring in 1938, Alfredo’s (under new ownership, but with the same name, menu and traditional recipes) still lives on. There’s actually a location at Rockerfeller Center in NYC and in Epcot at Walt Disney World!

Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo

My recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo is more a pasta in bianco (pasta in white) and starts with a roux to kick start the ultra-rich, ultra-creamy sauce. I like to combine almost-equal parts soymilk and vegetable broth because I find many soymilk (or almond, hemp, etc.) sauces have a certain overpowering taste that takes away from their use in savory dishes.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Serves 4 Entrees

1 16oz box of Fettuccine noodles

4 tablespoons vegan butter, such as Earth Balance Buttery Spread

4 tablespoons flour, such as all-purpose

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup soymilk

1 ¼ cups vegetable broth

¼ cup plain soy creamer, optional (substitute more broth if omitting)

¼ cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon of salt, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Fresh basil, minced, optional

Set pasta water to boil.

Begin the sauce by melting the butter on medium heat. Once butter has completely melted, add the minced garlic and let cook approximately one minute. Add the flour and whisk constantly for three minutes, until a beautiful golden paste has developed (congratulations, you’ve made a roux!).

Add pasta to boiling water.

Slowly pour in the soymilk, broth, and creamer (if using), whisking continuously until all lumps have dissolved you’re left with just liquid. Add the nutritional yeast, salt, black pepper, and basil (if using). Continue to whisk frequently over medium heat until the sauce begins to thicken, approximately 10 minutes. Keep the heat and whisking going until the desired thickness has been reached. At this point, the sauce is ready to serve.*



velvety vegan Alfredo sauce

Drain pasta and return to pot. Pour most of the sauce over the noodles and stir to combine (you may have a little extra sauce, I did). Serve in a shallow bowl and garnish with more fresh basil. Viola!

*If not serving immediately, turn off the heat and keep the whisk and about ¼ cup of water, broth, or milk near by. The sauce will thicken as it sits. To return the sauce it your preferred consistency, whisk in 1 tablespoon of liquid at a time, until the sauce is creamy without being too thick.