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For
more than 18 years, Dragonwagon and her late husband Ned owned a
country inn in the Ozarks of Arkansas. She fed fabulous food to famous
celebrities, vegetarians, diabetics, people who were lactose
intolerant and those with food allergies.
This
tempting collection of recipes includes scrumptious soups and stews,
luscious lasagnas, plump perogies, bountiful burgers, beans and
breads, glorious grain dishes and delectable desserts. There are
recipes for every vegetable imaginable. Dragonwagon offers cooking
techniques and flavours from all over the world, from old favourites
to new, innovative dishes with a twist.
With
each turn of the page, you’ll be tempted by her tales, tips and
tantalizing recipes such as Roasty-Toasty Potatoes, Carrots and
Onions; Kasha Kreplach; The One, the Only, the Greatest Garlic
Spaghetti; and Chocolate Bread Pudding Maurice. I know you will enjoy
the small sampling I’ve selected and will be compelled to buy your
very own copy of The Passionate Vegetarian so you can savour the
outstanding recipes in this excellent cookbook! Enjoy…
COMFORTING
CABBAGE APPLE KUGEL
There are both main-dish and dessert kugels, but given the notorious
Jewish sweet tooth, even those intended as accompaniments to entrées,
like this appealing cabbage kugel, are on the sweet side. The cabbage,
slowly cooked, almost caramelizes. You can add ¾ tsp. cinnamon and/or
½ cup toasted chopped walnuts or almonds.
cooking spray
1 to 2 tbsp. butter (oil or margarine can be substituted)
5 cups finely shredded cabbage or half of a 1-pound bag shredded
cabbage
1 apple, peeled and finely diced
3 tbsp. honey or brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1½ cups cubed, toasted whole wheat bread (about 3 slices)
1½ cups water, preferably spring or filtered
¼ cup potato starch
3 large eggs, separated
¼ cup raisins
Preheat oven to
350°F. Spray a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray.
Spray a large skillet (not nonstick) with cooking spray and heat the
butter in it over medium heat. When the butter has melted, lower the
heat slightly and add the cabbage. Cook, stirring often, over
low-medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add the apple and cook for 5
minutes more. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. of the sweetener and the salt,
raise the heat very slightly, and cook for 10 minutes more, or until
soft and slightly browned. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
As the cabbage cooks, place the bread cubes in a heatproof bowl. Bring
the water to a boil and pour it over the bread. Let stand until cool
enough to handle, then squeeze the bread dry, discarding the water.
Mash the soaked bread together with the potato starch, then mash in
the egg yolks. Stir in the cooled cabbage, the remaining sweetener,
and the raisins.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the cabbage-bread
mixture. Spoon into the prepared casserole and bake for 40 minutes, or
until set. Serve immediately.
Serves 4 to
6
DAIRY HOLLOW HOUSE SKILLET-SIZZLED BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD
This recipe has appeared in many magazines and newspapers. You can cut
the butter back to a tablespoon and it will still be very good.
1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 cup unbleached white all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
¼
tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 to 3 tbsp. sugar
1¼ cups buttermilk (or 1 cup plain yogurt mixed with 1/4 cup water)
1 large egg
¼ cup vegetable oil (corn, canola or peanut)
2 to 4 tbsp. butter
Preheat oven to
375°F. Make sure your oven is accurate. It really needs
to be up to temperature for perfect results.
In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt,
baking soda and sugar. Stir to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg and oil.
Place a 9- to
10¼-inch skillet over medium heat, add the butter and
heat until the butter melts and is sizzling seriously. Tilt the
skillet to coat the sides. As the butter’s melting, quickly pour the
wet ingredients into the dry and, using a wooden spoon, stir the wet
and dry together with as few strokes as possible – only as many as
are needed to combine the two. Don’t beat it, don’t smooth it out.
Scrape the batter into the hot, buttery skillet – if it’s hot
enough, it will sizzle as it goes in – and pop it in the oven
immediately.
Bake until golden brown on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Cut into wedges and
serve hot.
SWEET HARVEST APPLESAUCE BREAKFAST BUNDT CAKE
This tall, dark, sweet bundt cake is low in fat, making use of a trick
often called for in fat-reduced baking – replace most of the fat
with fruit puree. The cake is even better the next day.
cooking spray
1½ cups unbleached white all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry
flour, plus
additional for the pan
1¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
8 to 10 vigorous gratings of nutmeg
dash of ground cloves
dash of ground allspice
½ cup raisins
2 to 4 tbsp. walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1¼ cups applesauce
¼ cup mild vegetable oil (e.g, corn, canola, peanut)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
confectioners’ sugar
Preheat oven to
350°F. Decide on the pan: a 9-inch bundt cake pan, an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan, or three
5 x 2-inch loaf pans. Spray the pan(s)
thoroughly with cooking spray. Dust each pan with a little flour,
knock out the excess, and set aside.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg,
cloves and allspice (if the baking powder and baking soda appear
lumpy, sift them in, but the other dry ingredients do not have to be
sifted). Reserve 1 tbsp. of the flour mixture and place it in a small
bowl along with the raisins and, if using, the walnuts. Toss this
mixture well and set both bowls aside.
Combine the sugars with the egg, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Using a
wooden spoon, beat the flour mixture together with the applesauce
mixture. Stir in the raisins and walnuts and spoon the batter into the
prepared pan. Bake until the cake tests clean with a toothpick. The
top will still appear a little glossy and feel sticky-tacky to the
touch – 30 to 35 minutes for the large loaf or bundt cake pan, and
20 to 25 minutes for the small.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the
pan(s) on a wire rack about
10 minutes. Run a knife around the inner edges of the pan(s) and
invert onto the rack with a sharp rap. Let cool completely, then
either tightly cover with plastic wrap for storage in the refrigerator
or freezer or place on a serving plate, dust with a generous drift of
confectioners’ sugar and serve. Makes one 9-inch Bundt cake.
Serves
12.
Norene Gilletz is a cookbook author, cooking teacher and food
consultant. For information, call 416-226-2466 or E-mail.
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