One answer to “Why did you become a Vegan?”….

Posted on August 2, 2011 by dgourmac

In song….

By Papa John Kolstad and Wildman Mike Turk.

Album Cover - Beans Taste Fine - I have the original vinyl, 1975, in my collection.

 

 

Beans Taste Fine

 

 

 

 

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Party for Dexter

Posted on July 23, 2011 by dgourmac

Dexter will be four in about a week, and today was his party.  Parents, grandparents, family all gathered to celebrate the event.  Peter and Karen were gracious hosts, and their swimming pool provided respite from the nearly 100-degree heat.  The usual highlights included the birthday boy’s 4th scrapbook, Mom’s most creative cake (in the form of an airplane), Dad’s expertise in lighting the candle, the grandparents doing their vegan thing with excellent grilled portobellos (marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar) on whole wheat buns, salad, Udon buckwheat noodles with a peanut sauce, all washed down with a lovely Crozes Hermitage from Domaine Belle — and of course, an exciting array of presents for both boys.  Here are a few modest photo highlights from the event, soon to be eclipsed by Momma’s album which will contain her best 300 photos of the affair.

Boys awaiting cake

Dad gets the candle burning

remaining buns

remaining portobellos, burgers and Smart Dogs

birthday boy and tennis-racquet-sized soap bubble wand

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If you are ever in Glastonbury…

Posted on July 22, 2011 by dgourmac

Had a chance to meet with Connie this week, and we went to lunch at Bricco’s Trattoria in Glastonbury, CT.  It was superb.

She had a salad with arugula and other greens, a salmon fillet and a glass of Prosecco.  I was able to stay vegan by eliminating the cheese in a delicious salad of zucchini strips, cherry tomatoes and what appeared to be Gaeta or Taggiasca olives, followed by a bowl of spaghetti with eggplant, tomato sauce, and a bit of hot pepper flakes.

Bricco Zucchini Salad

 

The wine was also excellent: 2006 Michele Chiarlo Barbera d’Asti.  This trattoria gets my recommendation.

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Scenes from the island

Posted on July 17, 2011 by dgourmac

the beach from the cottage, looking West

the house from the cottage deck

buoys along a fence in town

small table set in Steve's garden

stage is set

...for this play

searching the Hidden Forest

all green

we already checked inside for the ransom money

by the old harbor

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Novel (but Good) Vegan Grilling

Posted on July 10, 2011 by dgourmac

Inspiration for good meals comes from a variety of places.  For tonight, the sources included fine ingredients from the market (acorn squash, firm green cabbage, organic arugula, perfect avocados and mangoes), research from the Internet (how to grill acorn squash), and a bit of Mark Bittman in the Sunday times magazine (grilled cabbage steak). The results were as salubrious as they were delicious.

The acorn squash should look like this when it comes off your grill:

For me the biggest and best surprise of the evening was the grilled cabbage steak.  Even without the tasty sauce, it was excellent.  By the time we were ready to eat, the sun was low in the sky, the air was cool on the deck, and we were very hungry.  My only regret is that we were so hungry, we did not stop and take a couple of pictures of the beautiful first course Barbara made.  The colors were marvelous — green avocado and peach-colored mango slices, dark green spinach, all on pastel flowered glass plates.  Courses two and three are shown below.

Grilled Cabbage Steak with Asian Dressing, Green Beans and Carrots for color

Grilled Acorn Squash and Arugula Farro "Risotto"

2009 Muller Thurgau against the ocean backdrop

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Egret by the pond

Posted on July 10, 2011 by dgourmac

This morning’s post needs few words; just a couple of photos from our front steps:

The full set of six pictures will be seen here, or this non-Flash version for iPad viewers.

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Peppers Agrodolce

Posted on July 9, 2011 by dgourmac

One of the easiest, most delicious and most versatile vegetable preparations is sauteed sweet peppers (red, yellow, orange or any combination of these), finished with some wine vinegar.  When marketing, we say Pepperoni in Agrodolce: Agro (sour), Dolce (sweet).

Yellow Peppers Agrodolce and Grilled Portobello

So this afternoon for lunch, I found 1/2 of a yellow pepper in the vegetable drawer, sauteed it in olive oil — quickly at first, then slowly until it was tender.  Moving the saute pan off the heat, I added 2-3 tablespoons of good Italian white wine vinegar, returned the pan to the moderate heat and boiled off the liquid.  A little salt and pepper, and we have a succulent, intense flavor for whatever use we need.

In this instance, a few pieces of ficelle, dipped in the oil and salt remaining in the pan, was topped with several slices of pepper and topped with a slice of leftover grilled portobello mushroom, which had been finished with a balsamic vinegar reduction, and half of my lunch was ready.  Barbara’s mushroom and almond pate provided the other half, on the remaining bread and portobello.

There are more elaborate versions of Agrodolce, but the peppers themselves provided all the sweetness needed to counterbalance the vinegar.  You can make it with as many peppers as you wish, sliced thinly and then sauteed.  They can be used (with or without other vegetables) with pasta, risotto or polenta; or to garnish a salad; to place on crostini (perhaps with a goat or cashew-based cheese and chopped chives); or almost any other preparation needing an extra flavor boost.

Oh, yes, and the wine for lunch?  A 2008 Cornalin from Valle d’Aosta by Institut Agricole Regional, as shown below:

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Ode to George Lang

Posted on July 7, 2011 by dgourmac

I don’t have many heroes, but if I was ever inspired by an individual’s story, character, humor, accomplishments, lust for life — and yes, food — George Lang would be one of those heroes.

Headline from July 6th New York Times article

Last year, not long after I started this blog, I posted George Lang’s recipe for an American Bistro.  It was the introduction to one of my favorite cookbooks, and it seemed to capture the essence of the man and his beliefs:

Although I have eaten well at Cafe des Artistes, and even had bought his notable Hungarian cookbook years earlier (after exploring this cuisine with my friend and fellow fisherman, Miklos Kozo), I never knew Mr. Lang in person.  But as I read some of the written material about his extraordinary life, I thought it was appropriate to share the highlights of those articles with you here:

I think most of all, I take away a message about an indomitable spirit, the ability to innovate and work through any obstacles (and successes) he encountered,  and the ability to do it all for many years with resilience, love, humor, good taste, and a balanced sense of self.  That is a message that should be helpful for us all.

Posted in Family, Food, Humor, Wine | 32 Comments

Simple new pasta sauce

Posted on July 2, 2011 by dgourmac

Tonight provided an opportunity to create a simple new pasta sauce.  We are babysitting with the grandkids on the island, while their parents are out for an anniversary dinner. Vegan or not, this works both ways.

The genesis of this came from some of my recent salad/raw veggie preparations.  I am less used to the food processor here, but it works well.  I had made some julienned carrots for one of those dishes, and found the fine julienne blade was too small for that dish, but it seemed to be a good ingredient, so I tried it here.  The carrots definitely add a sweetness to the sauce, nicely balanced by the sauteed onions and garlic, and the addition of some cumin and Maras pepper.

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The Hedonistic Vegan

Posted on June 26, 2011 by dgourmac

Some of you know me well enough that you would not be at all surprised if I were described as a devout hedonist.  So, you are wondering, how can you possibly square that with being a vegan?  Isn’t that a drab way to eat?

Grape Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives

Corn Bisque with Leek and Potato Chutney at Company of the Cauldron

Field Greens and Red Nasturtium Salad Chez Weiss

But aren’t the people dull and colorless, lacking in humor?

Pumpkin Pond Farm field manager, Josh

Roadside advice

 

...and worth every penny!

I am happy to report, with these brief illustrations, that I find all of my senses heightened as a vegan.  The textures, colors and flavors of life continue to charm me, whether sitting at the bar in Gramercy Tavern

Negroni at lunch - Gramercy Tavern, NYC

…or contemplating the walkway at my side door on the island.

pathway in the grass, and one dandelion

This is sensuous, fun, AND healthy — all at the same time.

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