#leftovereatarian    #leftovereateverything
I am not a great follower of culinary trends. In fact I am not a follower of any trends I do prefer the classics executed well with a touch of flair. That said Vegans are everywhere in January and never one to waste an opportunity I threw myself in to learning a few new recipes. I love vegetables, I don’t think there is a vegetable that I don’t approve of and some I am positively in love with. Thinking ahead in December I rifled through lots of books in my local Waterstone’s as I was working there as a Christmas temp (as you know I am an avid reader so couldn’t pass up the opportunity to return to the bookface) I also went to a couple of Pop up Events in a restaurant run by an committed Vegan. The food was creative, in parts, but with the odd chunk of something processed thrown in. I learnt some alternatives to pastry that don’t pretend to be pastry and ate a lot of vegan cheese which, I think, would taste better if I had not thought for one minute that it was going to resemble cheese.
The thing I like about Vegetarian and Vegan cooking is just that…The Cooking. I see no point in using highly processed packaged ingredients but then that is not different from how I feel about cooking with meat. If there is plastic and instructions anywhere near the food stuff then you are not the one doing the cooking, someone else is. Usually in a factory and you have abnegated your responsibility and choices.
For me it’s simply that I like to know what I am eating.
Some of the great new eye openers included a Dauphinoise that I made with cashew cream. I soaked the cashews and hand blended them to achieve the right consistency. I warmed the ‘cream’ through and added onions and herbs etc to give it some extra flavour. I let that infuse overnight and made the Dauphy in the usual way. It tasted delicious.
Chick pea water is a marvelous substitute for eggs. I never seem to have eggs in the house but always have a tin of chickpeas so knocking up a mayonnaise is easy. Hollandaise too although, for me. a hollandaise without butter is a day without sunshine. Meringues are the most wondrous use of aqafaba. This has to be the easiest dessert to make for a vegan and so close to the original that I suspect factory prodeuced meringues will be made like this soon as it’s much cheaper.
In January I taught vegan and Vegetarian Cookery at the Cookshack in Bride. The Menu included the usuals like Hommous, Baba Ganuj, Artichoke & Spinach Dip along with a Béchamel made with coconut milk, a pie crust made of ground nuts and seeds. Remoulade, my favourite, made with celeriac and preserved lemons for that extra kick. The star of the show was a recipe I learnt from a boat Captain in Burgundy. A traditional Bourginion made with Chestnuts or Marron instead of the Beouf. I added dried as well as fresh mushrooms, to give it some extra earthiness. and a pinch of paprika to add smokiness that you usually get from the bacon. Lots of garlic and wine (Vegan) by the bucket load. To be honest I was eating it thinking that I had accidentally put meat in to it!. The sauce was fabulous, unctuous and dark. A great meal for people trying to keep Carni’s and Vegi’s happy as you can just add a steak on the side for that red meat kick.
I am on the fence when it comes to all this. I think my label would be Flexitarian. ( I still bemoan the days before labels) My Grandfather was a Farmer who never ate meat unless he knew where it came from i.e. how it was raised and we were brought up in the same way. I love cooking in France as all the meat has provenance, a name, a birth date, the name of the farm, a death date. Personally, from a nutritional stand point and having been anaemic (sickle cell trait) all my life I function badly without supplements and the odd bit of pate. It’s hard to find the energy to do anything when you are lacking in iron and chefing is a physically demanding job.
I dislike processed food, packaging is my call to arms but I believe that what people eat is up to them. My Bedouin friends would simply not survive without eating goat. The dessert is not a home for farming and without meat and camel milk there would be no Nomadic tribes. Interestingly if you ever wish to disprove the five a day theory go live with the Bedou. Some of the healthiest, most active people in the world never see a Vegetable until it’s Tomato season and they find themselves in the city.
I think it is great that people are veering away from eating battery chickens seven nights a week and Veganuary is a good way to get people to try something new. Even old Dinosaur Chefs like me!
The only think that I believe is shameful concerning food is waste.
You can label me a “leftovereatarian†Hashtag that if you like it could be a new trend!
