Vegetarian Cooking For Carnivores

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CORNBREAD -What A Difference Cast Iron Makes!!!

corn-bread-textSeveral months ago I jumped onboard the cast iron craze and bought a 10″ skillet that I found at a thrift store. I absolutely love it, and my fear of keeping it seasoned was for nothing. It’s quite easy, really. After washing, all one has to do is rub a bit of vegetable oil over the surface, then place on the stove using a medium/high flame, letting it dry for 1 minute.

So now that I have this fabulous skillet, I was looking forward to making cornbread in it. As expected, the cast iron produced a perfect cornbread with a nice crisp bottom, side, and top, with a delicate center.

Of course, a good recipe is essential. Not all cornbread recipes are created equal – I’ve found the results often disappointing – dry and gritty. As a fan of America’s Test Kitchen, I eagerly attempted (and tweaked) their recipe. YUMMY!

CORNBREAD

  • 2 T white vinegar
  • 3/4 + 2 T milk (I use nonfat)
  • OR 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1  1/3 cups medium grind cornmeal
  • 3 ears corn (about 1¾ cups nibblets)
  • 6 T butter, divided
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 yolk
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 T sugar
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1¼ tsp salt

Make buttermilk (unless you’re using store bought buttermilk) by combining vinegar and milk. Stir in the cornmeal to soften it. Let stand while preparing the cornbread.

Remove corn from cobs by running a knife downwards and away from you along the cob. NOTE: You can use frozen or canned, if you’d rather.

Purée corn in a food processor for about 1 minute, stopping now and then to scrape down the sides. Pour into a saucepan and, stirring often, cook over medium heat until reduced to about 3/4 cup – about 8-10 minutes. It will become quite thick. Remove from heat and stir in 5 T butter.

Preheat oven to 400º Fahrenheit.

In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and yolk. Stir the eggs and buttermilk/cornmeal into the thickened corn.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add in the corn mixture, blending gently until dry ingredients are just incorporated into the wet. (Over mixing can lead to a tough bread.)

Heat remaining 1 T butter in a 10″ cast iron skillet. When skillet is hot, turn off stove and pour in cornmeal dough, smoothing top. Bake in preheated oven at 400º F for 25 minutes, until top begins to brown. Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Let cool 20 minutes on rack before slicing. (If you slice it too soon, it will fall apart.)

 

 

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VEGETARIAN CHILI For Those Chili Nights!

vegetarian-chili-textI recently watched an America’s Test Kitchen episode which featured a vegetarian chili recipe. Years ago, I developed my own Vegetarian Chili recipe, using imitation ground beef. There are many excellent fake meat products (and some really bad ones), and I use them from time to time. However, they are a processed food, so I limit my usage of them.

I decided to try ATK’s version – tweaking it, of course – to see if I could replace it for my imitation beef recipe. It was absolutely delicious!

The hands-on preparation is easy and fairly quick, but the overall cooking time is about 4½ hours, so plan accordingly.

Note: It’s best to use fresh shiitake mushrooms, if you can find them. If you can only find dried, place them in a bowl, cover with 1/2 cup water, and soak them for 20 minutes to soften, so they can be ground in a food processor. Dried shiitakes will NOT be ground in a food processor – they’re that tough!

VEGETARIAN CHILI – makes about 9 cups

  • 454g /1 lb dry pinto beans
  • 3 T + 1¼ tsp salt, divided
  • 2 ancho chilies
  • 2 Anaheim chilies
  • 3 shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded (they’re too tough)
  • 1½ tsp dried oregano
  • 44g / 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 425g / 15 oz canned whole tomatoes
  • 3 T tomato paste
  • 2 T soy sauce
  • 1 T pressed garlic
  • 1 large jalapeño chili, stem and seeds removed, coarsely chopped
  • 46g / 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 270g / 2 cups chopped onions
  • 1 T cumin
  • 107g / 2/3 cup dry bulgur
  • 8g / 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

PREHEAT OVEN TO 300°F (149°C)

Thoroughly wash pinto beans, discarding any small stones (I’ve never found any, but recipes always say this). Place beans in a stockpot with about 3 litres (12 cups) of water and 3 T salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn off heat. Let sit for 1 hour. Drain beans in a sieve, rinsing well.

While beans are cooking, chop walnuts into small bits.

Add chopped walnuts to the food processor and pulse about 4 times to chop them finer (but NOT into a paste). If you don’t have a food processor, just chop them by hand as fine as you can. Empty the walnuts into a small bowl and set aside.

Put the Anaheim chilies on a cooking sheet and bake at 300º Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then discard stems and seeds. Coarsely chop by hand the Anaheims and ancho, then put in food processor but don’t run it yet.

Coarsely chop mushrooms. Add them and the oregano to the chilis in food processor. (If using dried shiitakes, process with the soaking water.)

Pulse about 7-10 times to get a coarse paste. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

In the empty food processor put the canned tomatoes (I always discard the stem end and any skin or imperfections), tomato paste, soy sauce, garlic, and jalapeño. Pulse 5 or 6 times to chop.

Once the beans are out of the stockpot, heat the vegetable oil in the now empty pot. Sauté the onions and 1¼ tsp salt until browned – about 9 minutes.

Add in the mushroom/chili mixture and cumin. Cook for 30 seconds in order to bloom the spice. Then add in the beans, plus 7 cups water. (If using dried shiitakes, then only add 6½ cups water – you already added the 1/2 cup soaking water.) Bring to boil on stove, cover, then place in oven and bake at 300º F for 45 minutes.

Note:  Make sure your stockpot is oven-proof.

After 45 minutes, stir in the tomato mixture, walnuts, and bulgur. Cover and bake 2 hours.

Remove from oven and let set 20 minutes uncovered. Stir in cilantro.

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TRES LECHES CAKE – A Three Kings Day Treat!

tres-leches-cake-textIt seemed appropriate to post a Tres Leches Cake recipe for Three Kings Day, (aka, the Epiphany). Tres Leches (three milks), three kings. Yeah, okay – it may be a stretch. But it’s still a delicious recipe and you could certainly serve it on the Epiphany…or anytime, for that matter.

It needs to be made a day in advance of serving so that the three milks (evaporated, sweetened condensed, and cream), which get poured over the hot cake, can be fully absorbed. But other than that bit of planning, it’s a very easy cake to make.

TRES LECHES CAKE

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup milk (any kind – I use nonfat)
  • 8 T butter
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 tsp vanilla, divided
  • 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 12 oz can evaporated milk
  • 2 cups heavy cream, divided
  • 3 T light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 325º Fahrenheit.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat together the milk and butter, just until the butter melts. Remove from heat.

Into the large bowl of your electric mixer, beat the eggs for 30 seconds on low speed. After 30 seconds, slowly start pouring in the sugar (still on low speed). Once all the sugar is added, increase the mixer speed to medium/high and beat until mixture is pale and glossy – about 5-7 minutes. On low speed, slowly add in the milk/butter and 2 tsp vanilla. Mix in the flour a third at a time.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 13″x 9″ pan. Spread the batter so the center dips down lower than the sides. As the cake bakes, the center will naturally rise. By scooping down the center, this will help ensure you get a flat-topped cake. Bake at 325º F for 30-35 minutes.

While cake is baking, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, the evaporated milk, 1 cup of cream, and 1 tsp vanilla. I suggest you use a container with a spout for easy pouring.

When cake is done, remove from oven. Prick the hot cake every 1/2″ with a skewer or fat toothpick. Very slowly pour the milk mixture over the hot cake. (You’ll have to stop for awhile now and then to allow the milks to absorb into the cake.) There will probably be some pooling on top in spots. That’s okay. Let cake set for 15 minutes after you pour on the milks, then put in refrigerator UNcovered overnight, up to 24 hours.

Before serving, make frosting by combining 1 cup cream, the corn syrup, and 1 tsp vanilla together in the small bowl of your electric mixer. Beat on high until soft peaks form. Spread over cold cake.

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GREEN BEAN-POTATO PASTA: Fast & Filling!

green-bean-potato-pasta-textThe hectic holidays are done. Time to relax, but there’s dinner to make. No problem!

GREEN BEAN-POTATO PASTA is a quick and easy recipe that can feed an army. Perfect for potlucks. Of course, you can half the recipe, if you can’t eat it all – unfortunately, this is NOT a recipe that can be frozen. (big frown from the Queen Of Freeze!)

GREEN BEAN-POTATO PASTA – makes about 15 cups

  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 cups fresh basil
  • 7 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 T lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
  • 1 lb white potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1/2″ pieces
  • 12 oz fresh green beans, cut into 1½”-ish size for easy eating
  • 1 lb gemelli pasta (or a skinny tubular pasta, such as penne)
  • 2 T butter
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Toast the pine nuts and garlic cloves (unpeeled) either in a toaster oven (which is what I do), a regular oven, or a dry skillet. Whichever you choose, keep an eye on it – the pine nuts go from perfectly golden brown to black in an instant. Remove peels from garlic.

Into a food processor or blender, make a pesto by combining the pine nuts, garlic, basil, olive oil, Parmesan, salt, and lemon juice. Purée. Set aside.

Steam green beans.

Boil potato cubes in a large pot of salted water. When they can be pierced by a knife (about 5 minutes), remove to a bowl, leaving water in pot. Bring water back to a boil and cook pasta.

When pasta is done, drain over a container to save 2 cups of the pasta/potato water. Return pasta to the now-empty pot. Vigorously stir in 1¼ cups pasta/potato water, potatoes, pesto, butter, and pepper. You want to kind of break up the potatoes to thicken the sauce. Gently stir in the greens beans.

 

 

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TOMATO-SPINACH TIMBALES: A Festive Side Dish!

tomato-spinach-timbale-textDuring the holiday season it’s always fun to make festive foods. I created TOMATO-SPINACH TIMBALE with a little trepidation since December is NOT tomato season. While supermarket tomatoes generally lack flavor, even during peak times, my worry was for nothing, since the cooking process plus the flavors of the other ingredients brought out the best in these red beauties.

TOMATO-SPINACH TIMBALE – makes 4

  • 2 round tomato,  at least 2″ in diameter
  • 6 oz fresh spinach
  • 1 T butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup milk (any kind)
  • 6 T seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp dried minced onion
  • 2 egg
  • 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Peel tomatoes by submerging them in boiling water for about 1 minute – until skin starts to split. Remove from water and let cool until the skin can be peeled off without scalding your fingers. Discard peel. Slice tomatoes in half along the equator.

Steam spinach for about 5 minutes, until wilted. Wrap spinach in a paper towel and squeeze out excess water. (I wrap a terry cloth towel around the paper towel – the terry towel maximizes absorption, and the paper towel protects the spinach from lint.)

In a medium sized bowl, beat eggs.eggs-beatenAdd butter, milk, bread crumbs, salt, and dried minced onion.timbales-mixing1Remove spinach from paper towel and chop.spinach-choppingStir into egg mixture.timbales-mixing2Preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit.

Butter 4 custard cups or small ramekins.custard-cup-butteredPlace a tomato half, cut side up, in each. Using your fingers, spread open the tomato so it touches the cup sides.tomato-in-custard-cupSprinkle on feta cheese.timbales-fetaTop with spinach mixture to the brim, patting down to get rid of air pockets.timbales-spinachPlace cups in a baking dish and fill halfway with boiling water.timbales-bakingBake at 350º F for 25-30 minutes, until spinach layer starts to brown. Remove from oven. Take cups out of the water bath and place on a rack to set for 15 minutes. To remove the TOMATO-SPINACH TIMBALES, run a rounded knife around edges, then invert, removing cup.

 

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WHITE CHIPS CHOCOLATE CRINKLE COOKIES – A Chocolate Lovers’ Dream!

choc-crinkle1If you’re craving a rich, chocolate dessert, then look no further. WHITE CHIPS CHOCOLATE CRINKLE COOKIES will satisfy your urge, and then some! Warning: they’re a bit messy from the powdered sugar…so just wear white and you’re good to go.

No need to drag out the electric mixer for this one – these cookies are made by hand. There’s even some rolling in sugar to do, so put the kids to work.

WHITE CHIPS CHOCOLATE CRINKLE COOKIES – makes 18 to 22, depending on size

  • 130g (4½ oz) (1 cup) all-purpose flour
  • 37g (1¼ oz) (1/2 cup) cocoa – sift to get rid of any lumps
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 142g (5 oz) (1 cup) white chocolate chips (I use Nestle’s)
  • 4 tsp instant coffee crystals
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 234g (8¼ oz) (1½ cups) dark brown sugar, packed
  • 114g (4 oz) unsweetened baking chocolate bar (I use Ghirardelli)
  • 52g (4 T) butter
  • about 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • about 3/4 cup powdered sugar

In a bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and white chips. Set aside.

In a small bowl, dissolve coffee crystals in vanilla. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar, smashing out any lumps. Add in the coffee/vanilla and mix well.

In a small saucepan over very low heat, melt together the butter and baking chocolate.

With a spoon, begin stirring the egg mixture. Dribble in a small amount of the melted chocolate, stirring constantly, to temper the eggs. Slowly add more chocolate while stirring, continuing on until all the chocolate is incorporated. (If you add the hot chocolate to the eggs too quickly, you could cook them.)

Pour the flour mixture into the chocolate and stir until blended. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool and firm up.

Preheat oven to 325º Fahrenheit.

Fill 2 shallow, wide bowls (such as a cereal bowl): 1 with the granulated sugar, and 1 with the powdered sugar.

To form cookies, drop about 3 T batter (I like to use an ice cream scoop) into the granulated sugar (you don’t have to roll them first).

With your fingers or a spoon, start gentle rolling the dough until it’s well-coated with sugar.

Gently press dough into a ball with your fingers or a spoon.

Then drop the dough ball into the powdered sugar. Gently toss until it’s well-covered with powdered sugar.

Place on a cookie sheet that’s greased or lined with parchment paper. Don’t crowd cookies – you can get about 8 or 9 on a large sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes at 325º F. They may not look done, but remove from oven – they will continue to cook on the hot sheet. Let cool completely on cookie sheet before removing to a wire rack.

These cookies taste great for days – if they last that long! Bonus: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies freeze well!

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PISTACHIO-FETA BISCUITS – Saving Money Never Tasted So Good!

pistachio-feta-biscuit-textAs a woman who hates waste (yeah – I’m cheap!), I was trying to come up with something to do with leftover feta cheese. True, it can always be a crumbled topping for salad, but I wanted something new. As I was looking for a bread recipe to post, I decided to merge the two. Biscuits! There were also a handful of pistachios lurking about, so I threw them in for crunch.

Once again, my frugality prevailed – PISTACHIO-FETA BISCUITS were a success! For those of you who have never made biscuits, it’s easy as pie (I felt obliged to use a food simile).

Note: I toyed with the idea of adding in leftover dried cranberries. Next time, I think I will.

PISTACHIO-FETA BISCUITS

  • 390g (3 cups) all-purpose flour
  • 11g (2 T) baking powder
  • 60g (1/3) cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 112g (8 T) butter, room temperature
  • 83g (2/3 cup) pistachio nuts
  • 70g (2/3 cup) feta cheese, crumbled 
  • 2 eggs
  • 243g (1 cup) milk or cream (sometimes I use nonfat, sometime I use cream)

Preheat oven to 500º Fahrenheit. (You will lower the temperature when you bake the biscuits.)

Into the work bowl of your food processor, put the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Pulse a couple of times to mix. Cut butter into about 8 pieces and add to flour. Pulse 20 times to incorporate butter. Mixture should be crumbly.

Note:  If you don’t have a food processor, then do this by hand: using 2 knives, cross-cut the butter into the flour mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with a fork just to break them up. Pour in milk, as you continue to beat eggs.

Set aside 2 tablespoons of this mixture to glaze the biscuits.

Stir the feta and pistachios into the egg mixture. Pour the flour mixture into the eggs, blending with a spoon until most of the flour is incorporated.

Empty the bowl onto a floured large breadboard or counter. Knead the dough about 20 times to unite all the flour into the batter. With your hands, shape the dough into a 1″ thick rectangle. Cut the dough into 12 squares.

Note: I prefer to cut squares – it’s faster and there’s no waste. You can cut circles, if you want, then gather the uncut dough and reform it so you can cut more circles. BUT – overworking dough can cause it to become tougher – not a good thing. So, after re-gathering one time, just bake the odd bits as is – they’ll still taste wonderful.

Place cut pieces on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or greased. Brush with the egg/milk you set aside (you probably won’t use it all).

Put sheet in preheated oven. IMMEDIATELY LOWER OVEN TEMPERATURE TO 425º. (I can’t stress this enough!) Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown on top. Serve immediately for best quality.

Note:  Leftovers can be reheated in oven at 375º Fahrenheit for about 5 minutes – until hot to the touch (they’ll brown a wee bit more).

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CHILI CHEESE NIBBLES -Easy To Make, Hard To Resist!

chili-cheese-nibbles-textAnyone who owns a television, computer, or has been to a store lately knows it’s the holiday season. People will gather for small get-togethers and big galas. And where people celebrate, there’s always food. (It’s a rule!)

Party food can be tricky business – you don’t want it drippy, crumbly, or something that can’t be cleanly bitten into (you know – like when the entire top layer comes with the bite, slapping your chin with a greasy mess).

CHILI CHEESE NIBBLES are an hors-d’oeuvre that passes all my criteria. Did I mention they’re delicious?! In fact, they are so good (especially hot out of the oven) that I suggest you make extra – especially the crispy edges.

CHILI CHEESE NIBBLES – makes about 20 squares

  • 2  4-oz cans diced green chilies (I use one can mild, one can hot)
  • 12 oz Jack cheese, shredded (about 3 cups)
  • 6 oz sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1½ cups)
  • 2 T milk (any kind)
  • 1 T flour
  • 2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375º fahrenheit.

Discard excess juice from chilies – there won’t be much.

Grease an 8″x 8″ pan (or its equivalent).

Combine cheeses.

shredded-cheese-in-bowlIn a small bowl, combine the milk and flour to form a smooth paste.

flour-paste In a larger bowl, beat the eggs. Pour the flour paste into the eggs, beating to combine.

flour-paste-into-eggsSprinkle about one-third of cheese (you don’t have to measure) onto baking pan. Top with one can of chilies, spreading evenly. Add half of the remaining cheese, then the other can of chilies, the rest of the cheeses, and, finally, pour egg mixture over chili-cheese mixture, smoothing top.

chili-cheese-directionBake at 375º F, uncovered, for 45 – 50 minutes – until browned. Don’t worry about the edges being too dark – they’ll be discarded into your mouth. Remove from oven and let set for about 15 minutes.

chili-ch-doneRun a spatula around edges and underneath to loosen.

chili-ch-remove1Place a plate on top and flip to remove – it will plop down…hopefully. Then place another plate on top (which is the bottom of the chili-cheese mixture) and flip again. Now, it’s right side up. Here’s the BEST part – cut off the 4 edges and eat them (you won’t be serving them). They are an irresistible crispy, warm, cheesy temptation.

chili-cheese-removeLet the square rest a few more minutes to make sure it’s firm, then slice into squares. TIP: I used a large pizza wheel.

 

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ONE-DISH “TURKEY” FEAST- Something Different For Thanksgiving!

turkey-pie

I’m not sure how it came to pass that American Thanksgiving became firmly linked with turkey, but people don’t feel like they’ve celebrated properly without it. Of course, this is a dilemma for vegetarians.

Fortunately, there are some good imitation turkey products out there – and some NOT good ones, too. My favorite is Worthington’s Smoked Turkey Roll. This 4 lb log comes frozen and can be a little tricky to find. I’ve had luck at Adventist Book Stores and some natural food stores. It, also, can be purchased on Amazon.

Turkey fake color bkgBut let’s be honest. A slice of fake turkey is NOT the same as a slice of the real thing. So I decided to create a layered Thanksgiving pie, incorporating the fake turkey into the bottom layer with the dressing, thus giving the essence of turkey flavor. Layer  with other traditional Thanksgiving dishes of mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and gravy – and you’ve got yourself a vegetarian Thanksgiving.

By the way, if you’re not a fan of turkey, real or fake, then leave it out completely. It will make a delicious and very pretty side dish.

WARNING:  Make sure you tell people this is NOT a dessert.  It’s so pretty, my husband took a bite, thinking it was a pie (probably because I originally called it Thanksgiving Pie), and spit it out. Very disconcerting to expect pastry crust, cream filling, and cherries, getting instead , “turkey”/stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce.

ONE-DISH “TURKEY” FEAST

  • 8 oz whole cranberries
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (I use dark)
  • 1 cup onions, chopped small
  • 1 cup celery, chopped small
  • 7 T butter, divided
  • 2 tsp salt, divided
  • 1/2 lb imitation turkey
  • 5 cups herbed bread cubes (I used Mrs. Cubbison’s)
  • 1 cup vegetable stock (I used my homemade VEGETABLE STOCK)
  • 2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4″ slices
  • MUSHROOM GRAVY (you don’t have to use my recipe – but it’s delicious & super easy)

Make the cranberry sauce ahead of time to give it time to thicken. In a saucepan combine the cranberries, water, and brown sugar. Bring to boil, and let simmer UNcovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Refrigerate when cooled.

Preheat oven to 350º fahrenheit.

In a large pot melt 4 T butter. Add in onions and celery. Sauté until onions become translucent – about 10 minutes, stirring often.

Note:  I used herbed bread cubes. You can use plain ones and add your own herbs to the cooked onions and celery.

While onions are cooking, cut the fake turkey into 3/4″ cubes and pulse in food processor 12 times to form crumbs.

Cook potatoes in salted water until easily pierced with a fork. Drain, add 3 T butter, and 1 tsp salt. Mash. Add milk, if needed so they’re not too dry. Cover to keep warm.

When onions are done, turn off flame and mix in crumbled “turkey”, bread cubes, 1 tsp salt, and vegetable stock. Stir several minutes to moisten the bread cubes – add in extra stock (or water), if needed. (The mixture will need to stick together.) Pat firmly into a greased 10″ x 7½” casserole dish or a 10″ pie pan. (or any other size equivalent).

Cover with foil and bake at 350º F for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes.

Spread mashed potatoes on “turkey”/stuffing layer. Top with cranberry sauce.

Pass the gravy separately.

Note: This dish can be created with Thanksgiving leftovers – just to perk up those bits and bobs.

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PASTA ALLA NORCINA FLORENTINE: Molto Buona!

pasta-alla-norcina-florentine-textThe one imitation meat that really does taste like the real thing is “sausage”. (quotation marks denote fake meat.) My go-to brand is Morningstar Sausage Patties. (I’ve never actually tried any other brand since these are so good!)

So when I saw an episode of America’s Test Kitchen featuring Pasta Alla Norcina, I was pretty confident their recipe could be adapted quite well for vegetarians. And, was I right! I went one step further and added spinach – I happened to have some extra in the fridge. (Waste not, want not.)

Not only is my PASTA ALLA NORCINA FLORENTINE a tasty delight, but it can be made in about half an hour – great for busy schedules.

Note: Try and use the orecchiette pasta. The name means ‘little ears’, since that’s what they look like. They’re perfect for capturing the other ingredients in the dish, so you get everything in one bite.

PASTA ALLA NORCINA FLORENTINE – makes about 5 cups

  • 343g (12 oz) orecchiette pasta
  • 4 “sausage” patties (I use Morningstar original patties, but their spicy ones add a nice kick)
  • 227g (8 oz) mushrooms (I prefer the common white mushrooms)
  • 1 tsp salt + more for pasta water
  • 166g (3/4 cup) cream
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 tsp garlic, pressed
  • 1/2 tsp crushed dried rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 98g (1/2 cup) white wine
  • 18g (1½ oz) (about 1 cup) fresh spinach, chopped
  • 57g 2 oz) Pecorino-Romano cheese, grated
  • 18g (1/2 cup) parsley, chopped (tip: put parsley in a cup and use kitchen shears to chop)
  • 1 T lemon juice

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water.

As the pasta is cooking, bake the “sausage” patties per package instructions (about 15 minutes). Set aside to cool when done.

Pulse the mushrooms 10 times in the food processor. If you don’t have one, chop them very small. (Then, add “food processor” to your gift list for the holidays!)

 

In a skillet, heat oil over medium/high flame and sauté mushrooms for 7 minutes. Add in salt, garlic, rosemary, pepper, and wine. Cook until wine has evaporated. Keep an eye on it – it doesn’t take long (about 3-5 minutes).

As the mushrooms are cooking, break up the cooled sausage patties into bite-sized pieces and mix with cream in a bowl. Set aside.

When pasta is cooked, save 1½ cups of the pasta water, then drain. (FYI, pasta water is a great thickener.)

Into the mushrooms pour 3/4 cup of the pasta water, the “sausage” and cream, and spinach. Simmer 3 minutes.

Into the now empty pasta pot, combine the pasta, mushroom mixture, Pecorino-Romano, parsley, and lemon juice. Add in extra pasta water, if needed (I never need to).