Thanksgiving Leftover Samosa Pancakes

Well first of all, I just want to say how happy I am to have completed my third Vegan Mofo! I love being vegan, and having the opportunity to participate in this great event with so many wonderful, creative people makes me even prouder to be a member of this community (nay - dare I say it? - movement). This feeling of pleasure and pride is only exacerbated by my honest amazement at having managed to post - yes! - every single day, in the midst of everything else on my family's agenda, both individual and collective. 

Secondly, I freely admit to being exhausted. Between PhD applications, the first holiday without my mom, one kid in college, another in the school play, my partner's Horrendous Semester From Hell, and all this cooking/blogging, it may be time for a little take-out chez nous. So don't be surprised if I go back to posting only once a week or so as the remainder of The Blessed Holiday Season prepares to grab us all by the throat and beat us into (jolly! merry! joyous!) submission.

But (and thirdly). That doesn't mean I won't be cooking and - when worthy of the gentle reader's attention - sharing some new and interesting food. It just means that we all have other stuff we need to do, too. (Okay, kids?) And so. At the end of a month of traditional, western comfort foods, in the interest of giving you Something Completely Different, I hereby present my solution to a metric fucktonne of leftover mashed potatoes and butternut squash. Bon appetit, happy Vegan MoFo, and God bless us, every one! 

Thanksgiving Leftover Samosa Pancakes
Ingredients
~ 1 tbsp. olive oil
~ 1 tsp. mustard seeds
~ 1 tbsp. each: minced garlic, grated ginger
~ 1 onion, finely chopped
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, curry powder, garam masala, cumin
~ A few generous grinds of black pepper
~ 1/2 cup frozen peas
~ 2 cups mashed potatoes
~ 1 cup mashed winer squash or sweet potatoes (or more potatoes, depending on your leftovers!)
~ 3/4 cup chickpea flour
~ Oil for cooking


Directions
~ In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, then add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add the onions, garlic, and ginger, and cook about 3 minutes, until golden.
~ Add the seasonings and the frozen peas and cook about 3 minutes more.
~ Mix in the potatoes and squash, and cook a few minutes, until any liquid has cooked off.
~ Remove from heat, then stir in the chickpea flour, combining thoroughly to make a stiff batter.
~ When the batter is cool enough to handle, heat a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet (cast iron is great). Form the batter into patties about 3" across and fry in batches of four over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes each side.
~ As each batch is finished, transfer them to your preheated baking sheet to keep warm until you've used up all the batter.
~ Et voila: Thanksgiving leftovers, yet not Thanksgiving leftovers! The perfect antidote to the impending onslaught of (yet more) Traditional Holiday Foods.
~ Shantih.

Nigella's Back-from-the-(Vegan)-Bar-Snack

This is another Food Network-inspired offering from the Domestic Goddess of Podge, Nigella Lawson. As I've mentioned previously, Ms Lawson inspires in me a heady combination of bewildered astonishment and rapt fascination, and dishes like this one contribute to that response. While we're not supposed to approve of this sort of thing, one can't help admiring the unbridled gusto - liberally laced with doubles entendres - with which she approaches food and drink.

To hear her tell it, she starts each day with a raging hangover, which she treats with elaborate breakfast cocktails and massive plates of carbohydrates and fat, while testing the elasticity of one her innumerable cashmere cardigans. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!) According to Nigella, the prototype of today's recipe is the sort of thing she whips up in the small hours after stumbling home from some über-posh watering hole(s) on her Stella McCartney kitten heels.

Of course, her version includes the bits and bodily fluids of all sorts of animals, so I've substituted more compassionate alternatives. She also calls for cooked potatoes, which she suggests one keep always at the ready - something my mother usually did, actually - but I just nuked a few in the microwave, because I am too lazy to plan ahead. The sauce can be made with whatever vegan cheddar you have available; I happened to have Daiya on hand, and my dog eagerly licked out the saucepan, which I consider a clear sign of approval! This dish makes a very substantial breakfast, brunch, or whatever-you-like all on its own, or - if you are louche gluttons like us - it pairs nicely with crusty toast and a Bloody Mary. (You know that Nigella would want it that way.)

Nigella's Back-from-the-(Vegan)-Bar Snack
The Sausagey Bit (PHWOAR!)
Ingredients
~ 2 tbsp. olive oil
~ 1 large onion, roughly chopped
~ 5 mid-sized potatoes, baked, cooled, and cut into chunks
~ 3-4 vegan sausages, sliced into 1" rounds (I used apple & sage Field Roast)
~ 1/2 tsp. each: poultry seasoning, smoked paprika
~ A few grinds of black pepper

Directions
~ Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and coat a mid-size casserole with cooking spray.
~ In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil, and saute the onions on medium heat about 3 minutes.
~ Gradually add the potatoes and sausages, stirring with each addition, then sprinkle the whole business with the poultry seasoning, paprika, and pepper.
~ Continue cooking for about 15 minutes, flipping with a spatula every few minutes so that things have a chance to get nicely browned on the bottom (Nigella would probably say "on their bottoms," because that's what she's like).
~ Turn off the heat and allow to sit while (Nigella would say "whilst") you make...

The Saucy Bit (know what I mean?)
~ 1 tbsp. olive oil (or other oil)
~ 1 tbsp. flour
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, Coleman's dry mustard
~ 3 cups plain, unsweetened soy milk, heated
~ 1 tsp. Marmite (or 2 tsp. HP, Daddy's, vegan Worcestershire, etc.)
~ 2 cups grated vegan cheddar

Directions
~ In a saucepan, heat the oil over low heat, then stir in the flour, salt, and Coleman's mustard to make a roux. Add the Marmite, and a splash of the soy milk and stir until smooth, about a minute.
~ Begin gradually adding the soy milk and cheese in batches, stirring with each addition to prevent lumps.
~ When all the milk and all the cheese has been added and everything is smooth and lovely, cook the sauce a minute or two more, then give one last whisk and turn off the heat.

And now...
~ Tip the potato/sausage mixture into your casserole, and pour the cheezy sauce over the top, making sure that it's evenly distributed.
~ Sprinkle the top with a little extra paprika, then bake at 450 for 20 minutes, until browned and bubbly.
~ Allow to sit about 5 minutes before serving.

Simple Stewed Apples

Tsk! Look at this apple. He is so well and truly stewed that I doubt he'll remember any of this in the morning. I propose a more wholesome, family-friendly approach to the stewing of this ubiquitous fall/winter fruit, and it's a particularly nice way to use up apples that are a bit past their prime. (Alas, perhaps that's what's driven this poor fellow to drink; how much better for all concerned had he simply consented to become a lovely side dish! But I digress.) I usually make stewed fruit to accompany breakfast foods like pancakes or French toast; if allowed to cool slightly, it would also be a good topping for ice cream. Unlike most recipes - if this can be called a "recipe" with any justice - mine doesn't add any sugar, so it's not overly sweet, and makes a nice accompaniment to a wintry dinner like chickpea cutlets with mashed potatoes, etc. (In fact, I mixed some leftovers from Thanksgiving brunch in with that evening's roasted vegetables, where they met with a universally positive reception.)

Simple Stewed Apples
Ingredients
~ 6-8 apples, cored and chopped (I never peel them, and neither should you!)
~ 2 tbsp. Earth Balance, or other vegan margarine
~ 1/2 tsp. each: cinnamon, salt

Directions
~ In a large skillet, melt the margarine over medium-high heat and add the chopped apples.
~ Add the cinnamon and salt, stir, and then cover the pan.
~ Turn the heat to medium-low, and cook about 25-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. You want them to have a chance to get just a little brown around the edges, without letting them stick to the pan. If things do get a little sticky, you can add a few tablespoons of water or apple juice to deglaze the pan.
~ Serve hot alongside whatever you like; this is also nice with pears, or in a combination.

The Best Mushroom Gravy

Okay, you guys: this is absolutely, hands-down, and without any question whatsoever the best mushroom gravy I have ever tasted. (As an added bonus, it is also idiot simple.) I was getting ready to start the gravy for Thanksgiving dinner, having purchased the necessaries for my mushroom gravy, when it occurred to me that a smooth texture might be nice, as opposed to the somewhat chunkier rendition I usually make. It struck me that - just as many curries begin with a paste of onions, chilis, etc. - making a puree of the vegetables might be the best approach. What can I say? The end result was like the distillation of shroominess; the very essence of rich, earthy, autumnal goodness. Suffice to say that I've found my new go-to recipe. The menu for today's lunch? A mountain of stuffing, surrounded by an ocean of gravy; possibly augmented by a small, offshore island of cranberry sauce. Yum.

Happy (day after) Thanksgiving!

The Best Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients
~ 1 10 oz package mushrooms, roughly chopped (I used babybellas)
~ 1 onion, roughly chopped
~ 2 tbsp. garlic, minced
~ 1 tsp. each: sage, marjoram, rosemary
~ A few grinds of black pepper
~ 2 tbsp. olive oil
~ 2 tbsp. flour
~ 2 tbsp. Better Than Bouillon "No Chicken" flavor
~ 6 cups strong mushroom broth (commercial, or made by soaking dried mushrooms in 6 cups boiling water for at least an hour, then straining. I did this with black trumpets, and it rocked)

Directions
~ Place the mushrooms, onion, garlic, and seasonings in a food processor, and reduce to a paste.
~ In a large, deep skillet or saucepan, heat the olive oil, then add the mushroom puree. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
~ Bring the mushroom broth to a boil, then stir in the bouillon, and mix thoroughly. (If you've made your own mushroom broth, discard the soaked mushrooms, or reserve them for some other use; they won't be needed here.)
~ Add the flour to the mushroom mixture, stir to thicken, then gradually begin adding the mushroom/bouillon broth, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Continue cooking, stirring often, for about 10 minutes, or until you have a smooth, brown, deliciously mushroomy gravy.
~ Serve hot, on top of everything.

Baked Winter Squash

First of all, I have to note that today, November 24th, is not only the 54th anniversary of my partner's parents, Jim and Mary Lou (who remain adorably and inspiringly in love), but the 6th anniversary of our beloved doggie, Lucy, coming to join our family. All in all, an auspicious date, and one with an important connection to today's post, since my middle son - one of Lucy's first and very best friends - loves winter squash. Acorn, pumpkin, butternut...rather like myself with bread stuffing, give him a bowlful, and he's happy to make a meal of it. In fact, there's a family story about him being at my parents' house, aged about six; upon seeing some leftover squash in the refrigerator, he asked if he could have a bowl for an after-school snack. My mom noticed that he was eating it very slowly, and asked if he'd prefer something else, to which he replied, "Oh, no, it's so good; I'm just savoring it!" At various times, I experiment with different preparations - for example, the great recipe for "Hungarian Squash" in the original Laurel's Kitchen, and winter squash in any coconut curry is a match made in heaven - but at the holidays, baked and mashed with the simplest of seasonings is the way to go for us; as the saying goes, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." (As per usual, this makes enough for a family meal, so go ahead and halve it if you like; then again, who ever complained about leftovers? NB that you could also apply the same treatment to pumpkins, or to any other winter squash; we just happen to like butternut!)

Baked Butternut (or other winter) Squash

Ingredients
~ 2 large butternut squashes, halved and seeded
~ 1/4 cup olive oil
~ 1/4 cup maple syrup
~ Salt and pepper to taste
~ Pinch of nutmeg
~ Earth Balance or other vegan margarine

Directions
~ Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
~ In a bowl or beaker, combine the olive oil, maple syrup, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
~ Split the squash in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Score the flesh of the squash, making 1/2-inch deep cuts through it one way and then the other (in a sort of checker-board pattern).
~ Rub the skin side of the squash halves with a little extra olive oil, then rub the insides with the oil/syrup/seasoning mixture.
~ Arrange cut side up on a cookie sheet, then cover with foil, and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
~ Remove the foil, and bake another 20-25 minutes, until the flesh is tender when pierced with a fork.
~ When the squash is cool enough to handle, use a spoon to gently scoop the flesh from the shells into a large bowl.
~ With a potato masher, mash to a pulp - isn't this fun?! - then add the amount of margarine you see fit. (I know I usually tell people how much of stuff to use, but like mashed potatoes, I see this as a matter of individual taste. We like our squash pretty "buttery" - say 3-4 tbsps. - but you may feel differently. De gustibus non est disputandum, eh?)
~ Taste for seasoning, and serve hot - remembering to savor it!

Roasted Root Vegetables

Before anything else, I have to mention that today is my oldest son's birthday. As Sandy Denny once asked, "Who knows where the time goes?"; let's just say that I think we're both feeling a lot better today than we were all those years ago, and it is impossible to imagine my life without him. So: happy birthday to the first great love of my life!

Holiday Side Dish Week continues, with a dish that never fails to appear - with minor variations - at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sweet potatoes, carrots, and onions are a constant, but after that, pretty much anything goes: brussels sprouts, beets, asparagus, cauliflower, fingerling poatoes, parsnips, even (if you happen to roll that way, which we don't) turnips....if it grows underground, chances are it will respond well to being rubbed with oil and spices and then roasted in the oven.

Roasted Root Vegetables

Ingredients
~ 1/4 cup olive oil
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, thyme, tarragon, rosemary (and/or any other herbs you may prefer)
~ A few grinds of black pepper
~ 4 large sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
~ 1 lb. carrots, cut into 2' slices on the diagonal
~ 2 large onions, coarsely chopped
~ 1 lb. asparagus, cut into 3" slices (not technically a root, but nice all the same)

Directions
~ Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
~ Place the chopped onions, carrots and sweet potatoes on a large, rimmed baking sheet or casserole, then pour the oil/seasoning mixture over them.
~ Now (this is the fun part!), get in there with your hands and make sure that everything is well coated.
~ Cover with foil and cook about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
~ Uncover, stir, add the asparagus, and combine thoroughly with the other vegetables. Continue cooking another 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is roasted to autumnal beauteousness. Serve hot.

Classic Sage and Onion Stuffing

"Eked out by apple-sauce and mashed potatoes, it was a sufficient dinner for the whole family; indeed, as Mrs Cratchit said with great delight...they hadn't ate it all at last! Yet every one had had enough, and the youngest Cratchits in particular, were steeped in sage and onion to the eyebrows!"

This Thursday is, of all the good days in the year, Thanksgiving here in the US. That being the case (and since I'm hosting/cooking), this week's MoFo posts will be largely devoted to dishes that appear on my family's holiday table, year after year. Thanksgiving, as we all know, is a day set aside for the ostensible purpose of expressing our gratitude for the bountiful good fortune with which we have been blessed; this gratitude generally translates to the consumption of an enormous meal in the company of family and friends. Of course, it is also associated with genocide and cultural imperialism - to say nothing of the systematic slaughter of millions of turkeys, who have very little for which to be thankful - but since my theme is supposed to be traditional foodstuffs, let's just get this party started with a giant pan of baked carbohydrates, shall we?

As the reader is certainly aware, the "it" in the quote above refers not to a Thanksgiving turkey, but to a Christmas goose - which Dickens describes as "the rarest of all birds; a feathered phenomenon," and "the theme of universal admiration" in the Cratchit household - but both are traditionally accompanied by sage and onion stuffing, which gets a fair bit of attention in the text. This is as it should be, since my own favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner was always the stuffing (in our family, Christmas meant roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, and horseradish, which is another subject for another post); if left to my own devices, I'd have happily made a meal of it, optimally surrounded by a lake of gravy.

My mother's rendition was a very traditional, old-school recipe, and was always baked separately, since my restaurateur father considered cooking it inside in the bird to be unhygienic (it's also greasy and disgusting). As an adult, I've stuck with essentially the same method; I just substitute margarine for butter, and vegetable broth for the chicken stock my mama would have used. Suffice to say that if you're looking for something sophisticated or adventurous to spice up your Thanksgiving table, this is probably not the recipe for you, but "eked out" by mushroom gravy, this bread stuffing remains one of the tastes of my childhood, and I can still make a meal of it!

Classic Sage and Onion Stuffing
Ingredients
~ One large loaf good bread, lightly toasted and crumbled (a baguette is nice)
~ 3 tbsp. olive oil
~ 3 tbsp. Earth Balance
~ One ginormous onion (or two normal-sized), chopped
~ Half a dozen big stalks celery, diced
~ 1-2 tbsp. minced garlic (optional)
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, sage, marjoram, parsley
~ 1/2 tsp. each: thyme, rosemary
~ Pinch of mace or nutmeg
~ Lots of freshly ground black pepper
~ 3-4 cups vegan "chicken" broth; more or less as needed (I swear by Better Than Bouillon)

Directions
~ Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit, and coat a casserole with cooking spray.
~ In a large, deep pot, heat the oil and margarine and add the onions. Cook over medium heat until turning golden, about 5 minutes.
~ Add the celery, garlic, and seasonings, and cook 5 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender and fragrant.
~ Stir in the toasted, crumbled bread and mix thoroughly, then add as much of the vegetable broth as you need to get a moist stuffing consistency (you might not need it all, but do bear in mind that it will dry out as it bakes, so it should look a bit mushier than you might imagine it ought to do).
~ Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
~ Raise the heat to 400, remove the foil, baste the top with a little extra broth, and cook another 15-20 minutes, until the top is golden and crispy. Serve hot with all the usual trimmings (gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potato, Tiny Tim, etc.).