Ravioli topped with cashew cream sauce is part of a vegetarian meal that doesn’t require too much kitchen savvy or cooking skill. (By Pam Spaulding, The Courier-Journal) / cj
Bibb lettuce salad with pears, pecans and Gorgonzola can be arranged and refrigerated in advance, then dressed lightly before serving. (By Pam Spaulding, The Courier-Journal) / cj
Chocolate of the gods mousse with raspberries and mint gets a creamy texture using avocados and no dairy. (By Pam Spaulding, The Courier-Journal) / cj
Aside from those who cook for a living, men still seem to be averse to immersing themselves in the pleasures of preparing food. An insight from a recent cookbook, though, struck me as compelling.
Lucinda Scala Quinn, in the introduction to her “Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys” (Artisan Publishing, 2009), said, “A man who knows how to cook is more self-sufficient, is a better roommate, boyfriend, father and son. And as any wife knows, a husband who can cook is like one who can dance — the deluxe package.”
I often feel chagrin at never having learned, like many guys, to dance. But unlike many guys, I have learned to cook, a skill that seems to have endeared me to my wife and made her the envy of many of her women friends.
Valentine's Day is approaching, and although I have heard it argued that this is a phony holiday, like Mother's Day, seemingly devised by florists, restaurateurs and greeting-card manufacturers as another way to pry money out of guys' wallets, any guy who acts on such curmudgeonly suspicions is likely to suffer.
There are many ways a man can fail at Valentine's Day, but there is one fairly surefire way to impress: Cook a meal for your sweetie. Some years ago I offered up a romantic dinner menu focused around broiling lamb chops and baking potatoes — what seemed to me a fail-safe menu any guy who could turn on the stove could master. (For that menu, with recipes, go to www.courier-journal.com/food.)
Nowadays, many men are romantically connected to women who are vegetarians — a food concept that poses additional challenges. A meatless menu is a bit harder for many guys to figure out, and might seem more difficult for the kitchen-averse to cook, perhaps, than one focused around simple grilled meat.
But if a girlfriend or wife is a sensible vegetarian who eats balanced meals, it is possible to put together a homemade dinner that will delight her and fill you up too. One who knows quite a bit about constructing such filling and satisfying vegetarian menus is Carolyn Gilles, graduate of New York City's Natural Gourmet Institute's Chef's Training Program, a small-business consultant, cooking teacher andMidway College MBA student. She also blogs and features Kentucky foodies and chefs on her website, www.BourbonAndBeans.com.
The following Valentine's Day vegetarian menu is a collaboration. The salad is my inspiration, but the soup, entree and dessert are recipes Gilles provided. No dish requires much kitchen savvy or cooking skill, though having a blender or food processor is necessary. But those are machine tools, really, adaptable to all sorts of projects. Every guy should have at least a blender, to crush ice. Remember to scrape down the sides of the blender to purée everything evenly.
Everything can be prepared before your sweetheart arrives, except for the cooking of the ravioli, which takes five minutes or so right before you eat. The wine choices were suggested by David DuBou of Vintner Select.
Bibb lettuce salad with pears, pecans and Gorgonzola
Constructing a composed salad (the ingredients are arranged on the plate prettily, not just tossed in a bowl) takes little time, and the gurgles of admiration will be worth it. Arrange salad and refrigerate until dinner. Dress lightly with vinaigrette just before serving.
2 small heads Bibb lettuce
1 ripe red Bartlett pear
½ cup pecan halves
½ cup Gorgonzola chunks
Carefully remove the leaves from the head of lettuce, keeping them whole. Wash the leaves under running water, and spin, shake and/or pat dry.
Use two salad plates. On each, build a sort of lettuce “rose” by arranging the lettuce leaves, rounded-side outward, around the plate and overlapping each other. Try to build up the “rose” three leaf layers high, three or four leaves to each layer.
Slice the pear in half, then in quarters. Slice out the core with the seeds, and discard. Slice each quarter into three or four wedges. Arrange the pear wedges attractively around the lettuce leaves. Use as many pear wedges as you think look good, and eat the rest — cook's treat.
Scatter the pecan halves and the Gorgonzola chunks around the lettuce leaves. Use as much as you think looks good. Save any leftovers for your own salad later in the week. Just before serving, dress lightly with raspberry vinaigrette (which you have made beforehand, of course).
Raspberry vinaigrette
Yes, you can buy a bottle of salad dressing. Homemade is, over time, cheaper, and always better. Invest in a bottle of raspberry red wine vinegar and a bottle of good olive oil. You will enjoy both long after Feb. 14. Make the vinaigrette a day ahead. Put it in a sealable bottle, and shake before using to mix it up.
1/3 cup raspberry red wine vinegar
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
In a bowl, combine the vinegar, oil, honey, salt, pepper and mustard. Whisk together vigorously until well blended. Or put all ingredients in a blender and whip until blended. Whisk again just before serving.
Beet and parsnip soup with dill cream
The soup, which Gilles adapted from “Simply Organic” by Jesse Ziff Cool (Chronicle Books, 2008), can be made a day ahead, and reheated just before serving.
6 cups vegetable broth
1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into small cubes
6 beets, trimmed and scrubbed
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
3 whole cloves
3 whole peppercorns
3 tablespoons sugar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sour cream or yogurt
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the parsnips. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove the parsnips to a bowl.
Add the beets, shallot, cloves and peppercorns to the simmering broth. Cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the beets are tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove the beets to the cutting board, reserving the liquid. When the beets are cool, slip off the skins by rubbing with your fingers, using a small knife to cut out any skin that remains. Cut peeled beets into small cubes. (Then wash your hands — they will be stained red. Sort of cool.)
Strain the broth through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a large bowl. Return the broth to the pot. Add the parsnips, beets and sugar. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, green onion and dill. Ladle the soup into a bowl, and top with the sour cream mixture.
Ravioli topped with cashew cream sauce
Lotsa Pasta makes several kinds of vegetarian ravioli, which can be found frozen at its store, 3750 Lexington Road, or at ValuMarkets around town. Other brands of fresh ravioli can be found in most dairy cases. The cashew sauce can be made ahead, refrigerated and heated as the ravioli cooks. I think 6 ravioli apiece is enough for a serving, but ladle on more if you want.
1 cup raw cashews, whole
1 cup water, more as needed to reach desired consistency
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
12 spinach, mushroom or cheese-filled ravioli
Minced parsley (optional, for garnish)
In a blender, combine cashews and water. Blend on high speed until smooth.
Stir in the oregano, Parmesan and salt and pepper, adding more water to create desired creamy consistency. Place in a small pan, and right before serving, heat through over low heat.
In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add 3 tablespoons salt. Add the ravioli (no need to defrost if frozen). Cook over medium heat (the water should return to a slow boil) until ravioli float to the surface. Let ravioli cook about 1 more minute, then scoop out and serve.
Divide ravioli between two serving plates. Top with cashew sauce, and sprinkle with minced parsley, if desired.
Variation: For a tomato cream sauce, combine 1 part tomato sauce (your choice) with 2 parts cream sauce.
Chocolate of the gods mousse with raspberries and mint
Gilles adapted this recipe from “The Balanced Plate,” by Renée Loux (Rodale books, 2006). Make mousse ahead of time and refrigerate. The avocados make it lusciously creamy and smooth, with no dairy. Be sure to taste — I used no additional sugar and liked the bittersweet chocolate taste a lot, but others thought it too bitter. Add sugar a bit at a time, and taste until you strike the balance you and your date will enjoy. Gilles recommends Green & Black's gourmet cocoa. I used the Hershey's on the shelf, and it turned out fine.
2 cups avocados (2 to 3 ripe avocados)
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (aged balsamic is best)
½ teaspoon soy sauce
1 cup pure cocoa powder
4 tablespoons sugar (optional, for the sweeter tooth; taste before adding)
1 pint raspberries, rinsed
Handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped
In a food processor or blender, purée the avocado, maple syrup, vanilla, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce until creamy.
Sift the cocoa powder before adding to prevent lumps — just push with your fingertips through a simple metal strainer into a bowl. Add the sifted cocoa powder to the avocado mixture, and blend until smooth. Taste, and blend in more sugar as needed.
Serve in a wine glass or martini glass. Place some raspberries on the bottom, sprinkle with some mint leaves, then fill with mousse. Decorate top with more raspberries and a little more mint.
Reporter Ron Mikulak can be reached at (502) 582-4618.
Wow! What a great article and vegetarian menu. We can all dream of having our sweethearts make this for us:)
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