Vegetarian | Gourmandistan

Creamed carrots, a cookbook, and the customs of Gourmandistan.

July 23, 2011 by Michelle

“I don’t think these are all that good” said Pavel, our Foxhollow CSA farmer, as he handed us a fat bunch of carrots at a recent market. We accepted the ill-omened roots as part of our share graciously, as the laws and customs of Gourmandistan forbid the flinging of substandard produce back into a farmer’s face. (Beware, visitor: unless you are a farmer, you have no absolute guarantee this custom will hold for you.) We like Pavel and his products, […]

Categories: Carrots, Cooking, Food, Nuts, Recipes, Vegetarian

First peek at peach season.

July 13, 2011 by Michelle

While peaches have appeared at our local markets, the best part of our region’s yield may be yet to appear. Steve wasn’t too impressed with the size or flavor of the fruits we found last weekend, so he was judicious with his purchases. “Judicious,” of course, meant he only bought half of Mrs. Deutsch’s supply instead of the whole thing—so that, plus the bunch he bought from another market, made another jam session essential. Michelle, in a bit of penance […]

Categories: Cooking, Food, Jams & Preserves, Old cookbooks, Peaches/Nectarines, Recipes, Vegetarian

A side dish for all seasons

July 9, 2011 by Michelle

One of Michelle’s recent rummagings of antique store cookbook sections resulted in a copy of Roy Andries de Groot’s 1966 Feasts For All Seasons. De Groot’s books were a big influence on many of the 1970s and 1980s California chefs—particularly his Auberge of the Flowering Hearth (1973), which describes a year of seasonal cooking at a small inn in the French Alps. De Groot’s wealthy, blue-blooded, European perspective can sometimes be a bit annoying, but there’s much that is incredibly […]

Categories: Cooking, Food, Old cookbooks, Onions, Recipes, Vegetarian

So long, strawberries.

June 11, 2011 by Michelle

We’ve stuffed our freezers (and at times, our stomachs) with strawberries, until they can hold no more. We’ve made gallons of jam, bagged and frozen sliced berries in 1/2-cup increments for breakfast smoothies over the Winter, and made several shortcakes. We knew, however, that the best salute to the end of strawberry season had to be these wonderful meringues. A good meringue is the perfect platform for sugared strawberries and a healthy dollop of ice cream or gelato, whipped cream […]

Categories: Cooking, Food, Fruit Desserts, Old cookbooks, Recipes, Strawberries, Vegetarian

Asparagus soup, a delicious penance

May 29, 2011 by Michelle

We try. We really, really try to restrain ourselves at our local markets. But we grow weak in the presence of so many fresh vegetables, acutely aware of the change of seasons. (Because of the dampness, strawberry season this year has been lamentably brief.) Overeager to grab good things before they’re gone for another year, we ended up with way too much asparagus sitting in our refrigerator. The previous week’s haul drooped their tips in disappointment as we added yet […]

Categories: Asparagus, Cooking, Food, Old cookbooks, Peas, Recipes, Soups & Stews, Soy Beans, Vegetarian

Precipitation, Parties and Brioche “Pizzas”

April 23, 2011 by Michelle

People will tell you Gourmandistan is a lovely place, but it can be difficult to visit. Michelle had planned to entertain a couple of friends on Saturday for a multiple birthday lunch, and thought she’d found the perfect casual (and vegetarian!) idea—Yotam Ottolenghi’s brioche “pizzas.” All that was needed was the cooperation of Steve and Mother Nature. But before Michelle had decided whether the “pizzas” should be the appetizer or the main course, the ominous weather forecast caused her to […]

Categories: Appetizers, Cooking, Food, Pizza, Recipes, Vegetarian, Yeast breads

Are you smarter than a four-year-old?

April 18, 2011 by Steve

On a recent prowl through an antique shop Michelle spied a copy of The Cooking of Provincial France, a 1968 Time-Life “Foods of the World” edition. Initially Michelle thought it would be a nostalgic and campy romp, but then she noticed that the author was M.F.K. Fisher. Fisher’s spirit hovers over all food writers (except those obsessed with airplane meals, the McRib, Peeps, etc., who are driven by much scarier spirits). Fisher’s prose is marvelous, her joy in food transparent. […]

Categories: Breads & Crackers, Butter, Cooking, Food, France, Old cookbooks, Radishes, Vegetarian

Sorrel, yet another sign of spring

April 15, 2011 by Michelle

Sorrel is the sour cousin of spinach. We welcome its fresh, citrusy flavor as much as the glowing colors of wildflowers we saw on a recent walk. This tart let the tangy taste of sorrel stand out among some of our surplus eggs, onion and cheese in one of Steve’s extra-buttery pie crusts. It’s a fairly simple recipe—yet it took all Winter to finally get it done. SORREL-ONION TART (adapted from Deborah Madison’s The Greens Cookbook) 1 recipe pâte brisée […]

Categories: Cooking, Eggs, Food, Recipes, Sorrel, Vegetarian

Pecking a post of pickled eggs

April 6, 2011 by Michelle

Gourmandistan produces plenty of poultry product. Even with just five hens currently, we get more eggs than we can handle. And we’re beginning to suspect friends may view us much like zucchini gardeners, as we press dozens on just about anyone who comes to see us. When the scrawled carton dates edge closer to expiration, we despair to find ways to dispose of them. However, when he recently did a magazine review of Holy Grale, a nice little beer bar […]

Categories: Cooking, Eggs, Food, Pickles, Recipes, Vegetarian