Kale, Spinach, and White Bean Pie

As I've often mentioned, my mother was an English girl who married a Greek-American GI. So imagine my delight when Busted Tees began offering a t-shirt featuring my ethnic and cultural profile! (Needless to say, we bought several.) I've always felt fortunate to have a strong sense of both my families' backgrounds, passed on through anecdotes, songs, literature, and - that most immediate of cultural signifiers - food, which played an enormous role in our household.

After my parents married and settled here in the States, my Thessaloniki-transplant grandmother began teaching my Warwickshire-transplant mother some traditional recipes. Before long, the pupil surpassed the teacher, and it is axiomatic amongst family and friends alike that my mom made the best Greek food this side of Mount Olympus. This was especially true of her spanakopita and baklava - my middle son called the latter "the essence of goodness" -  which were both high points of holiday meals as far back as I can remember.

Of course, these old-school recipes were labor intensive and absolutely loaded with eggs and dairy, so it's been years since I've actually eaten either of them. But I still have fond memories, and the fact that I no longer eat those things doesn't preclude the occasional craving (particularly in the case of spanakopita, since I don't really care for sweets).

That being the case, and with the winter holidays approaching, I came up with this loose - okay, quite loose - adaptation, which hits a very similar spot to the spinach pie of auld lang syne. I added kale to the traditional spinach, mashed white beans for protein and texture, upped the garlic quotient, and opted for puff pastry because A. I didn't have any filo, B. it's easier to work with, and C. I'm bone lazy.

I'm pleased to report that the end result was excellent: substantial, nourishing, and delicious. In fact, I need to make it again ASAP, since it disappeared in less than 24 hours and I only got two pieces. So, while my wonderful niece has taken on the labor of ensuring my mother's recipe appears on our holiday tables, I happily add this new tradition. Now all it need is a snappy name; suggestions are welcome!

Kale, Spinach, and White Bean Pie
Ingredients
~ 1-2 tbsp. olive oil
~ 1 cup chopped onion
~ 1 cup thinly sliced shallots
~ 3 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 1 19 oz. can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed, and mashed (a potato masher will do)
~ 2 tsp. dill
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, basil, parsley, marjoram, oregano
~ 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
~ 1 big bunch kale, stripped, cleaned and chopped
~ 1 10 0z. package spinach, chopped
~ Juice of 1 large lemon (about 1/4 cup)
~ 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
~ 2 packages frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions (this will be four sheets).

Directions
~ Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
~ In a large, deep skillet, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil for about two minutes.
~ Add the scallions, mashed beans, and seasonings, and cook another few minutes.
~ Begin adding the kale in batches, stirring after each addition until just wilted; continue cooking about 5 minutes.
~ Stir in the lemon juice and nutritional yeast. Combine thoroughly, then remove from heat and set aside to cool.

And now...
~ On a large, greased baking sheet, lay two leaves of the puff pastry flat, and divide the filling between the two, leaving about 1/2" margin around the edges.
~ Place the other two sheets over the top, and crimp along the edges to form a seal. With a sharp knife, make a few short slashes along the top of each to let steam escape.
~ Bake at 400 for 5 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 and bake another 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown (watch carefully to be sure it doesn't burn).
~ Allow to cool about 10-15 minutes. Cut into small squares to serve as an appetizer, or into big slices for an entree. This is great warm, at room temperature, or even chilled (I ate a hunk straight out of the refrigerator for breakfast the day after I made it!).

Ale and Onion Gravy

I've shared this recipe before, in conjunction with another dish, but am posting it again on its own because A. I recommended it to accompany yesterday's shepherd's pie, B. it's an excellent gravy that deserves to be highlighted, especially with the holidays approaching, and C. it's Vegan MoFo, and I need all the posts I can get, dammit. So get yourself some good, brown ale, some red and yellow onions, and summat to pour gravy on - shepherd's pie, vegan meatballs, mashed potatoes, stuffing, your chubby little children - and get busy!

Ale and Onion Gravy
Ingredients
~ 1 tbsp. canola oil
~ 1 tbsp. margarine
~ 2 large yellow onions, diced
~ 2 large red onions, diced
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, sugar
~ 1/2 tsp. each sage, parsley, marjoram
~ A few generous grinds of black pepper
~ 2 tbsp. flour
~ 1-2 tbsp. vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
~ 1 tsp. Marmite
~ 12 oz. brown ale
~ 8 oz. vegetable stock

Directions
~ Heat the oil and margarine in a saucepan and cook the onion over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft.
~ Turn the heat down to low, stir in the salt, sugar, sage, parsley and pepper, then leave the pan uncovered and continue cooking until the onions are brown, reduced and caramelized. Remember to give them the occasional stir so they don't stick; this should take another 20-25 minutes.
~ Add the flour, Worcestershire sauce, and Marmite; stir to make a roux, adding a bit of the stock to make a smooth paste, and cook another minute or two.
~ Gradually add the ale and the remaining stock, stirring with each addition, and bring to a simmer.
~ Cook another 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened. Serve hot.

Old School Shepherd's Pie

Come eat with me and taste this pie,
And we will all the flavors try
Of onions, gravy, 'shrooms and mash,
With filling of the finest hash.
~ Christopher Marlowe, The Passionate Shepherd to his Pie

Pardon my somewhat free interpretation of this oft-quoted paean to the pastoral, but a good savory pie is every bit as worthy of a sonnet as any apple-cheeked milkmaid, and I feel sure Kit Marlowe would agree. Shepherd's pie is one of those one-dish meals that irresistibly summons up childhood; there's just something about it that evokes the idea of "home," especially on a raw, chilly day. Originally known as "cottage pie," it served as a thrifty use for leftover bits of meat and vegetables; topped with a layer of mashed potatoes, it became a filling, affordable dinner. The substitution of the word "shepherd" referred to a variation made with minced lamb, and was meant to distinguish it from the original, which typically used beef. (I'm bound to observe that these can't have been very nice shepherds. "With friends like these," etc.)

Nowadays the names are used pretty interchangeably in the UK and the US, and I daresay there are as many versions on both sides of the Atlantic as there are moms and dads to make them. Lots of American interpretations seem to use - {{{shudder}}} - corn, which to any rational mind is just wrong, wrong, wrong. My own (British) mother's was a pretty straightforward affair featuring ground meat, onions, peas, and carrots, and seasoned with sage, thyme, parsley, etc. The recipe below is my veganized approximation of hers: the happy result of an afternoon spent tinkering around in the kitchen, in pursuit of what I can only characterize as an "English" taste.

This successful outcome was due in no small part to the strategic application of two UK cupboard staples: HP sauce (much of which is produced in my mother's native Birmingham, the label's über-culturally-signifying image of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament notwithstanding), and the much maligned yet magical Marmite. Served with braised carrots, extra mash, mushy peas, and gravy, this is a meal that lacks only a pint or two of bitter to achieve gustatory nirvana. Or as my friend Kit might have put it:

The shepherd's pie shall brown and bake
For thy delight each bite thou take:
If these delights thy mouth might try,
Then eat with me and taste this pie.

Old School Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
~ 2 tbsp. canola or other neutral oil
~ 1 big onion, chopped
~ 2 carrots, diced
~ 2 stalks celery, diced
~ 1 10 oz. package mushrooms, chopped fine
~ 1 12 oz. package vegetarian meatballs, mashed (TJ's or Nate's), or equivalent ground meat substitute such as Gardein, Gimme Lean, etc. 
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, sage, thyme, marjoram, parsley
~ ½ tsp. ground rosemary
~ A few generous grinds of black pepper
~ 1 tbsp. each: vegan Worcestershire,  HP sauce
~ 1 tsp. Marmite
~ 1 12 oz. bottle good, brown ale (you won't need it all, just drink the rest)
~ ¾ cup frozen peas
~ ¼  cup nutritional yeast
~ A big batch of your favorite mashed potatoes (champ would work nicely, too)

Directions
~ Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit and coat a large casserole with cooking spray.
~ Saute onions, celery, and carrots on medium-high heat, about 5-7 minutes.
~ Add the mushrooms and dry seasonings and saute another 5-7 minutes, adding a splash of beer if necessary to prevent sticking.
~ Add the meatballs, the HP sauce, and the Marmite, and stir to combine.
~ Taste for seasoning, then pour in about 6 oz. of the beer and mix well, then cover and cook about 10 minutes, to achieve a nice, smooshy brownness (stir occasionally to be sure it doesn't stick).
~ Remove the lid, and stir in the peas and the nutritional yeast. Raise the heat a bit and cook another 5-7 minutes, until thickened but still slightly moist (you'll recognize the texture you want when you get there). Taste for seasoning.
~ Remove from heat and spoon evenly into your greased casserole.
~ Cover with a layer of mashed potatoes, smooth them out with a rubber spatula, then lightly drag the tines of a fork through the potatoes, to make a pattern.
~ Drizzle the top with about a tablespoon of melted Earth Balance, then sprinkle with a little paprika to make it pretty.
~ Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
~ Remove foil and bake uncovered another 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and lovely (keep an eye on it, since ovens vary; mine tends to be slow).
~ Allow to cool slightly before serving with extra mash, mushy peas, and a nice ale and onion gravy.

Welcome to Vegan MoFo 4.0! And now, a few important words about turkeys...

Since this year's month-long celebration of vegan food blogging occurs in November, and American Thanksgiving is coming up on the 25th, I thought I'd kick things off with some thoughts about turkeys. Looking back on the last year, and thinking about the importance of being thankful for what we have without taking things away from others (like their lives), I realized that I'd pretty much covered what I wanted to say in last year's turkey-centric PSA. So I hereby present to you the first ever Elizavegan encore, albeit slightly edited. I'll be back with a recipe in my next post, but in the meantime, do follow the link below, and consider sponsoring a new feathered friend, if you haven't done so already.

As the leaves turn orange, the air gets cooler and the holidays approach, lots of people start thinking about turkeys, and we are no exception: we love them! A couple of years ago, on the day before Thanksgiving, my son and I were driving down a wooded country road when we encountered a line of seven turkeys crossing in an admirably calm, orderly fashion. We stopped to let them pass, as did the car coming in the opposite direction; the other driver and I exchanged broad, delighted smiles as we watched their slow, stately progress. After all seven were safely in the woods, I drove off thinking how happy and grateful I am to be vegan, and hoping that, if that woman was not already a fellow herbivore, she might think more carefully about what (or indeed who) she put on her dinner plate the next day.

With this year's round of festive occasions - and meals - practically on our doorstep, it's disturbing to think about all the animals who suffer so needlessly to fulfill people's skewed notions of what constitutes a "celebration." Each year, we gird our loins for the inevitable onslaught of moronic advertising, masturbatory foodie rhetoric and ham-handed (you should excuse the expression) "jokes" about Tofurky, People Eating Tasty Animals, etc. But. Last autumn, a post by Susan at Fatfree Vegan Kitchen, inspired us to do something positive by participating in Farm Sanctuary's Adopt-A-Turkey Project. For a mere $30 (probably about the same price as one of those wretched, pathetic carcasses filling the freezers of the local grocery stores), you can sponsor a single turkey, or even adopt a whole flock for $180. So go ahead, adopt a turkey; you know you've always wanted to!

And to learn more about/be amazed by the awesome scope of this year's Vegan MoFo - over 500 bloggers at last count! - click here.

Easy Peasy Green Pea Soup

#1. I'd like everyone to know that my grandmother would have been 102 today (she made it to 90). So please join me in giving it up for Beatrice (Kirby) White, who survived two world wars, raised a family through air raids, rationing, and post-war austerity, and lived long enough to have a slew of great-grandchildren, and to see England go from the days of the rag and bone man with a horse-drawn cart to the internet age. Not too shabby.

#2. I confess to stealing this soup from Nigella Lawson, with whom my grandmother had absolutely nothing in common beyond being English. That said, I have a longstanding fascination with Ms Lawson: so plummy, so self-parodically posh, so plushly...upholstered. You just have to love someone who swans around the kitchen in a cashmere cardigan, licking spoons, sticking fingers into dishes, and cooing about her luscious, voluptuous custard while managing to stay impeccably groomed. The best part is the by-now signature closing shot in which she creeps down to her darkened kitchen in some variety of slinky peignoir, and proceeds to eat cheesecake or bread pudding or cold mashed potatoes straight out of the refrigerator as the credits roll. You have to admit that the woman has style.

One rainy afternoon, home on the sofa with a miserable cold, idly channel-surfing and drinking hot lemonade with whisky (don't knock it until you've tried it), I was delighted to stumble upon Nigella Express. I happily settled in - along with Lucy the Wonder Dog, who's also a fan - to watch the Domestic Goddess dabble her perfectly-manicured digits about in whatever happened to be on the day's agenda. This particular episode was all about things that can be made quickly, including an intriguingly simple pureed soup made with frozen green peas.

My cold decided to hunker down for the week, and a few days later I gave it a whirl for lunch, albeit with some fairly significant changes. Because on closer consideration (sorry, Nigella!) the original was pretty boring, consisting as it did of water, peas, scallions, and a few tablespoons of pesto. BUT. It had definite potential, so I increased the amount of scallions, used fresh basil and parsley, subbed broth for water, and added coconut milk and a dash of hot sauce to make things more interesting. The result was delicious, quick, and easy as one could possibly desire: fifteen minutes from start to finish for fresh, hot, homemade soup! Pretty impressive, especially when one is shuffling around in pajamas and slippers in a Sudafed-induced haze.

Easy Peasy Green Pea Soup
Ingredients
~ 2 cups vegetable broth
~ 3 cups frozen peas
~ 3 scallions, sliced
~ 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
~ 1 tsp. kosher salt
~ Juice of one lime
~ 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
~ 1 cup coconut milk (lite or full fat; we know what Nigella would do!)
~ Shot of hot sauce, if you like

Directions
~ In a medium-sized pot, bring the vegetable broth to a boil.
~ Add the frozen peas, scallions, parsley, salt and lime juice, then cover and return to a boil.
~ Lower the hat to medium, and allow everything to - as Nigella puts it - "bubble together" for 8 minutes.
~ Remove from heat, stir in the coconut milk, basil, and hot sauce, if using. Puree in a food processor or with an immersion blender (just be careful to avoid splatters).
~ Serve hot to chase away the sniffles.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I've been making a version of these muffins since Hector was a pup; as mini-muffins, they've long been a staple of school Halloween parties and bake sales, as well as a nice treat at home. They're relatively healthy, not too sweet, and very adaptable (you can easily substitute raisins or chopped pear and/or apple for the chocolate chips, and they're every bit as good). Best of all, they taste like the very distillation of autumn, and one of the nice things about muffins is that they are fast, so you get a lot of bang for your baking buck. Whip up a batch of these early in the morning, and I guarantee your kitchen will feel - and smell! - like a much happier place, even on a school day.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
~ 1¼ cups plain, unsweetened soy milk
~ 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
~ 1 tbsp. ground flaxseed
~ ¼ cup canola oil
~ ¼ cup maple syrup
~ 1 tbsp. blackstrap molasses (optional)
~ 1 tsp. vanilla extract
~ 2 cups pureed pumpkin, sweet potato, or winter squash (1 15 oz. can)
~ 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
~ 1 tbsp. baking powder
~ ½ tsp. each: salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger
~ ¼ tsp. each: nutmeg, allspice
~ ½ cup chopped walnuts
~ ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (Trader Joe's and Ghirardelli's are both vegan)

Directions
~ Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit, and spray a nonstick muffin tin with cooking spray.
~ In a bowl or beaker, combine the soy milk, apple cider, and flax seed; whisk together for a minute or so and allow to stand for about five minutes.
~ In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and dry seasonings.
~ Add the nuts and the chocolate chips and toss to coat (this will give them some grip in the batter, so they won't sink to the bottom).
~ Add the canola oil, maple syrup, molasses, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree to the soy milk mixture and combine thoroughly.
~ Make a well in  the center of your dry ingredients and fold in the pumpkin mixture; stir to combine.
~ Spoon the batter evenly into your prepared muffin tin and bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. (Ovens vary wildly, so keep an eye on them!)
~ Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool at least 10 minutes before diving in.

Freaky Harvest Lasagna

#1. Check out the date: it's 10/10/10! That only happens...well, now! Let's all take a moment to contemplate the "whoaness" of this moment in time.

Okay, that's enough.

#2. The title of this post was inspired by this seasonal classic at McSweeney's Internet Tendency.

#3. I made this freaky-ass seasonal casserole one bright, chilly October Sunday, inspired by a recipe I'd seen somewhere on the Food Network. Of course, that recipe featured eggs, butter, and several types of cheese, along with the squash. Being vegan and all, we don't use eggs or dairy, nor was there a squash in sight, but I did have a whole bunch of sweet potatoes, so I figured, "Why not?"

And I'm very glad I did, because the result was an unqualified triumph, and made enough leftovers to feed off for a few days, which is always a plus. It looks like a lot of steps, but it actually took less than two hours, because you can make the spinach ricotta and the sauce while the sweet potatoes are baking, and it's a nice way to spend an autumn afternoon. So fire up that oven and make a pan the next time you feel like hanging out for awhile in a nice warm kitchen, because guess what season it is? That's right - it's fall, bitches!

Freaky Harvest Lasagna
The Spinach Ricotta
Ingredients
~ 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water at least 30 minutes
~ 1 lb. extra firm tofu
~ 1/4 cup lemon juice
~ 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
~ 2 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 1 tsp. each salt, basil
~ 1 10 oz. package baby spinach
~ Fresh black pepper

Directions
~ Drain the cashews, combine with remaining ingredients in a food processor, and blend to a smooth, delicious paste. (Easy, wasn't it?)

The Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
~ 6 large sweet potatoes, pierced with a knife
~ 1 tsp. salt
~ 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened soy milk

Directions
~ Place on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees fahrenheit for about an hour, or until soft.
~ Remove from oven, allow to cool, and remove flesh from skins.
~ In a bowl, mash the sweet potato, salt, and soy milk. Set aside.

The Sauce
Ingredients
~ 2 tbsp. olive oil
~ 1 cup onion, minced
~ 2 tbsp. garlic, minced
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, sage, basil, parsley
~ 1/2 tsp. each: oregano, thyme
~ 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
~ 3 tbsp. flour
~ 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
~ 6 cups plain, unsweetened soy milk
~ Shot of hot sauce (optional)

Directions
~ Heat the soy milk in a beaker or saucepan until almost boiling.
~ In a large, deep skillet or pot, saute the onion and garlic in the oil over medium heat, about 5 minutes.
~ Add the seasonings and cook another minute or two.
~ Add the flour and stir to make a roux, Then begin adding the soy milk, abot a cup at a time, whisking until smooth with each addition.
~ Stir in the nutritional yeast and the hot sauce (if using), and continue cooking about 5 minutes more, until the sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon.
~ Remove from heat and set aside.

Also:
~ 12 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained according to package directions
~ 1 cup panko crumbs
~ Paprika and parsley for garnish

The Assembly
~ Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit
~ Coat a 9 x 13" casserole with cooking spray.
~ Ladle about 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of the casserole and spread it around.
~ Overlap 4 sheets of lasagna in the bottom of the pan.
~ Spread half the sweet potato mixture over the noodles, followed by half the spinach ricotta and half the sauce. Cover with 4 more lasagna noodles and repeat.
~ Top with one last layer of pasta, then pour the remaining sauce over the whole shebang, smoothing it out with a rubber spatula so that it can ooze down into the layers below while it bakes.
~ Sprinkle with panko crumbs, dust with a little paprika and parsley, then cover with foil and bake 40 minutes at 400 degrees.
~ Remove foil, and bake another 15-20 minutes, until browned and beautiful.
~ Allow to rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.
~ Serve hot (ideally, surrounded with an an insanely ornate assortment of shellacked vegetables).