Putting the VD back in Valentines day

Thanks to the pandemic, VD isn’t the major concern in the dating community. It’s about time. I remember a time when dandruff was the issue. Then came VD’s. We went from “She’s scratching her head” like it was a bad thing; to, “She scratching her head…AND NOTHING ELSE! Score!” I think that was a young Bob Saget who said that circa 1984 (RIP to a hell of a comedian, even if it wasn’t him who said that). Regardless of who said it, we’ve got a bigger problem now. A condom isn’t going to stop this one. It’s in the air. Just going on a date can lead to severe illness or death. We should have a surgeon general’s warning (like they put on cigarette packs) on restaurants now: “warning! sharing air with other people may be hazardous to your health.” But, today, we’re Putting the VD back in Valentines day

So, what can be done about it? Killing someone with an impulsive romantic gesture or getting wrapped up in the heat of the moment is a dangerous proposition. The best thing to do is pre-screen your dates. It kind of sucks the spontaneity out of it. But, even a rapid test can provide some peace of mind. Is it worth putting lives at risk to make a little whoopee (as they say on the newlywed show)?

Putting the VD back in Valentines day starts at home

While getting the date may be an issue, where you go doesn’t have to be. Some of the most romantic times are had at home. And, the intimacy is usually a pretty private affair. So, cooking at home is your best bet for a romantic evening. And, we have some ideas that will set the mood and help you have a night to remember. Spend the money on yourself instead of giving it to Thomas Keller or the Top chef du jour. You have everything you need in your own kitchen to impress the love of your life (or Monday night as the case may be).

Last year, we posted an article for Valentine’s day where we proposed a vegan meal. And, with the pandemic still raging, the thought of not killing someone or something to show your love still rings true. Advances in plant based food technology make it easier to put on a meal that doesn’t use any animal protein. While the concept of animal protein substitutes is spot on, sometimes the execution isn’t perfect. That is why we prefer to create plant based foods that are their own entity instead of imitating something else. Impossible burgers and other meat substitutes may have their place. But, they aren’t actually substitutes. So, why not make something that is uniquely a vegetarian dish?

Take something like hummus. It’s not pretending to be anything else. But, it’s a flavor and texture sensation to remember. And, there are myriad ways to prepare and present vegetables that doesn’t involve trying to turn them into something they aren’t.

The center of the plate doesn’t have to be boring

When you think about it, most people make a fuss about the central part of the meal. Unfortunately, it’s usually one of a very limited number of choices. In America, we have the plate all backwards. We put beef, chicken, pork, or fish as the most prominent item. Everything else is just a side dish. In most of the world, though, things like rice and grains make the bulk of the plate. Animal protein is minimal or not on the plate at all.

And, that makes sense. Our bodies use nutrients in different ways. Nutritionists discovered how the body uses calories decades ago. The most efficient working bodies have a balance of 3 caloric sources:

1. Carbohydrates: 45 to 65%
2. Fats: 25 to 35%
3. Protein: 10 to 30%

Even people requiring the most protein only need it to be 1/3 of their diet. So, leave those cows alone. Start with Rice, potatoes, yams, corn, peas, beets, etc. You get a more colorful plate with more varied textures. Plant based foods offer a more varied palette for artistic expression. What sounds more appealing a plate of brown, white, or beige protein; OR, an endless array of green, red, yellow, orange, purple, and all spectrum of color, textures, and shapes?

Better for you and better tasting

People have a history of getting bored with food. You can see it in the longevity of most restaurants. 90% of all restaurants don’t make it past 5 years. While there are many factors unique to each establishment, the biggest factor is boredom. You can make a signature dish that is out of this world. People will flock to it. But, as soon as someone puts out a different dish, people want to go try that. And, you’re left wondering why they don’t love you anymore. As the typical break up goes, “it’s not you (the restaurateur), it’s me (the fickle public looking for the next best thing, seeing the grass greener next door). We love your eggplant parm, but not every day. We need variety. And, that’s what a plant based diet offers. It’s not Valentines day. It’s Variety day. We’re Putting the VD back in Valentines day.

So, let’s look at how we can really show we care by making better looking and tasting food that is better for you. As, with any work of art, we start with color, texture, and contrast. Unlike most media used for art, though, food goes beyond 3 dimensions. It excites all the senses of the body and soul: See, hear, smell, touch, taste, and feel. And, the beauty is, you can experience all these things without leaving the comfort of your own home. No need to make a special trip to a museum. When you think of the variety of edible plants out there, you realize vegan food is anything but boring.

Taking Liberties

As much as I love Elvis Costello’s take on the phrase: taking Liberties, today, we are more interested in the connotations of the word vegan. The term vegan is a political term denoting one’s opposition to the killing of animals. But, if we go down that road of all life is sacred, we would cease to exist. For, aren’t plants living entities? When you bring flowers to a date, it’s like cutting the sex organs off a plant and handing them to your loved one. That’s kind of gross, don’t you think? And, when we eat vegan food, we are killing multiple plants for our own gratification. So, the argument that you are being humane doesn’t really hold water when you really think about it.

But, the term: plant based diet doesn’t carry the same baggage of being protectors of life. It does, however, express a desire to preserve the planet. There are multiple sources that demonstrate the efficiency of a plant based diet. Plants are renewable. It takes a relatively short period to grow crops. While it takes a couple acres to raise a cow: you can grow a balanced variety of food on the same acreage and cut out the middleman of the animal. Remember, the animals are eating crops to grow. So, while you are waiting for them to fatten up, you could have been eating plants, saving time, energy, and resources. And, plants are generally cleaner. Let’s not Put the VD (diseases) back in Valentines day

Whichever term you use, it’s more about the concept than the motivation. While the world switching to a plant based diet isn’t likely, we can shift to a plant-centric diet. We can take some liberties and incorporate some animal products into our food. But, let’s make them secondary.

Putting the VD back in Valentines day Starts with Plants

Ignoring the political connotations, We will use Vegan as shorthand for plant based. It flows better. Besides, a VEGAN DIET is Putting the VD back in Valentines day. However, we may take some liberties in today’s menu by incorporating some dairy products. If you want a strict vegan diet, feel free to substitute. But, I have found most processed vegan products trying to emulate dairy and animal based products come up short on flavor, texture, and consistency. As stated above, we want our menu items to speak for themselves, not emulate something they are not. Does anybody remember the term “No Posers”? And, I remember a time when we used to joke that there was no meat in certain meat products.

By limiting your food choices, you can stimulate creative menu planning. But, don’t overly limit yourself. That’s how we ended up with the meat centered diet we all know. So, let’s have some fun with Valentines day and make some art for our loved ones.

This year’s menu will put the VD back in Valentines day:

Unlike Elvis’s “This year’s model”, far from, “all this and no surprises”, there are plenty of surprises you can make without animal products. When I started cooking professionally, if someone wanted a vegetarian meal, after we were done laughing, we would just give them a plate of whatever the side dish was. Usually it would be a baked potato and broccoli with an empty space on the plate where the meat would have been. If they pre-ordered, they would get a plate of pasta. But, if you didn’t want cheese or dairy, you could try to scrape it off the food. Today, we take all dietary concerns much more seriously. A Vegan plate can have just as much, if not more wow appeal. I have actually had people at catered events send back their meat dish to switch to the vegan plate once they saw how good it looked.

Tonight, it’s your turn. You can make a work of art that will impress the eyes, nose, tongue, stomach, and heart of your loved one. Follow the recipes below. And, feel free to take liberties with what ingredients may or may not be available to you. Perhaps, if all goes well, you may be taking liberties in other ways by the end of the night. Just be careful that the VD you put into valentines day is Vegan diet, not something else.

Bon Apetit!

1. Black Bean and Pine Nut Empanada with Avocado Key Lime Salsa
2. Golden beet “Carpaccio with Spiced Pecans, Micro greens, Candied Lemon, and Grand Marnier dressing (See recipe for Spiced Nuts here)
3. Truffled Grilled Eggplant Plank with Wild Mushroom Ragout Served with Caramelized Leek infused Cauliflower Puree and garlic Spinach Timbale
4. Almond Milk Chambord Truffles Served with Blueberry Compote

Spicy Pork and Pumpkin Empanada

cheffd

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Easter Island, South American

Servings 4 People

Ingredients

  

• For Dough
• 3 Cups Flour
• 1/2 tsp Sea salt
• 5 Tbsp Melted coconut oil
• 1 Cup Water
• For Filling:
• 1 Lb Pork loin Cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
• 2 tsp Ground Cumin
• 2 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Ground corriander
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/4 Cup Seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Diced Sweet Onion
• 1 tsp Chopped Fresh Garlic
• 2 Tbsp Chopped Scallion
• 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• Kosher or sea salt and ground black pepper
• 4 Oz Fresh Pumpkin or squash
• Shredded jack Cheese (optional)
• Oil to fry
• For Salsa:
• 1 Cup Diced Fresh Tomato
• 1/4 Cup Diced Sweet Onion
• 1 tsp Chopped Fresh garlic
• 2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Chili (Jalapeno or other)
• Juice of 2 Key Limes
• 1 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Ground Coriander
• 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
• Flaked Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper

Instructions

 

• make the salsa: Chop and fold all ingredients together. Put in the fridge until service time. If you are making ahead, hold back on the avocado until you are less than an hour from service, then fold it in.
• Make the dough. Put the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse. Add the Oil, Pulse again. Then drizzle in the water until a solid dough forms. It should pull away from the sides easily. Don't make it too wet. Tightly cover the dough and set aside to rest.
• Cook the Pork: make a dry rub using cumin, chili powder, coriander, salt, and pepper. Reserve a teaspoon to mix in with filling later. Heat a little oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Sear the pork about 2 to 3 minutes per side. You want a nice color on each side. Remove the pork from the pan. Then add the rice vinegar, sugar and soy sauce. Cook this down until the liquid becomes a glaze. Remove from the heat. Dice the pork into small pieces and toss it in the glaze, coating evenly.
• Make the filling: Saute the onion and garlic in a little oil (Avocado preferably). Add the Pumpkin. Cook until tender, stirring as needed. Add a little water to keep moist. Add in the pork and remove from heat. You should have a filling that will stick together.
• Cut the dough into 1 inch Balls. Press them flat in a tortilla press, by hand, or with a rolling pin. You want them very flat. Place a dollop the bean filling in the middle of each dough round. Fold the dough over the filling to create a half moon shape. Crimp the edges by folding them in on each other or use a fork. Make sure they are well sealed so the filling doesn't escape when cooking.
• Heat the oil in a heavy pan or fryer to around 350 degrees. Carefully place the empanadas in the oil. Cook until golden brown. If they are cooking too quickly the dough will brown before cooking through. Turn down the heat a little if needed.
• Serve hot with the salsa

Keyword Easter, easter Island, empanada, Pork, Pumpkin, salsa, spicy

Golden beet “Carpaccio” with Spiced Pecans, Micro greens, Candied Lemon, and Grand Marnier dressing

cheffd

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Salad

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

• 1 Lb Golden Beets, Fresh
• 1/2 Cup Spiced Pecans
• 1 to 2 Oz Micro Greens
• 1 Large Lemon,
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Water
• For Dressing:
• 1/4 Cup Honey or Agave Syrup
• 1/4 Cup Grand Marnier
• 1 Tbsp Orange Juice
• 1/4 Cup White wine Vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 3/4 Cup Neutral oil
• 1/2 tsp Black Cumin Seed (sativa Nigella)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Make the dressing: Put all ingredients except for oil in a blender. Turn the blender on. Drizzle the oil in while it is running. An emulsified dressing will form. Refrigerate until needed. Can be made up to a week in advance.
• candy the lemon zest: Use a fine channel knife or peeler to peel the lemon into thin strips. Squeeze the juice from the lemon once it has been zested. Put the zest, sugar, juice, and water in a small pot or pan. Heat over medium high heat until the liquid has mostly evaporated. You should have soft glazed strips of lemon zest when done. Spread the zest out to let it cool.
• Roast the beets: Preheat oven to 400. Wash the beets, Place in a deep pan, coat with a little oil and salt. Put a small amount of water in the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil. Bake until the flesh yields a bit to the touch (about 1 hour). Check after an hour. If not done, give more time. The skin should be loose, and come off easily. When done, remove foil and let the beets cool either naturally or in fridge.
• Peel the beets. The skin should just rub off. If it sticks, try using a knife. You should be able to scrape it off by holding the sharp side of the blade against the beet and scraping down. This way, the outer surface will be smooth and maintain the shape of the beet.
• Using a Mandolin, electric slicer, or very carefully with a large sharp chef knife, slice the cooled beets into paper thin slices. If the beets are big, cut them down to smaller sizes. Arrange the beets in a circle on a plate. leave an opening in the middle to Put the micro greens in. Sprinkle The lemon zest and nuts around the plate. Then, Drizzle the Dressing over the plate. You can give a little color contrast, too, by drizzling balsamic syrup s well. Sprinkle sea salt and fresh ground pepper over the plate and serve.

Keyword Candied, carpaccio, Dressing, Golden Beet, Grand marnier, Lemon, Micro Greens, Spiced Pecans, vinaigrette

Truffled Grilled Eggplant Plank with Wild Mushroom Ragout Served with Caramelized Leek studded Cauliflower Puree and garlic Spinach Timbale

cheffd

Print Recipe

Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, French, Italian

Servings 4 People

Ingredients

  

• For the Eggplant
• 1 Large Eggplant
• 1 tsp Chopped Fresh garlic
• 1 tsp Chopped Fresh Rosemary
• 1 tsp Chopped Fresh Thyme
• 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• Olive Oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• Truffle oil to Drizzle
• For Mushroom Ragout
• 2 Cups Assorted Wild Mushrooms, Cut in large chunks or slices
• 1/2 Cup Sliced Fresh Shallot
• 1/2 tsp Chopped Fresh Garlic
• 1/2 cup Sherry Wine
• 1/2 Cup vegetable stock (optional)
• 1 Cup Grape tomatoes cut in 1/2
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Basil, sliced
• Truffle oil to taste
• For Cauliflower Puree
• 2 Cup Fresh Cauliflower
• 2 Cup Yukon Gold Potato
• 1/2 Cup Fine Diced Leeks
• Salted Water to boil
• 1/4 Cup Coconut Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• For Garlic Spinach Timbale:
• 1/2 Lb Fresh Spinach
• 1 tsp Chopped Fresh garlic
• 1/4 Cup Diced Sweet Onion
• 1/4 cup Diced Red Pepper
• olive oil for cooking
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Prepare the eggplant: Chop your garlic and herbs, toss with oil and vinegar, and season. Peel and slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch Thick Planks or rounds. marinate the eggplant for about an hour
• Make the Ragout: Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Saute the garlic and shallot until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft. Add the sherry and cook down until half the liquid is gone. Then add the tomatoes. Cook until they become soft, but don't fall apart. If the sauce looks a little dry, add a little vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper, Add the basil and truffle oil at service time.
• Make the Cauliflower Puree: Boil the potatoes in salted water until slightly soft, drain well, toss in olive oil, and spread out on a sheet pan. Toss the cauliflower in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place both in a preheated 400 degree oven. Cook until soft. In the meantime, heat some olive oil in a saute pan. Saute the leeks over medium heat until translucent. When the Cauliflower and potatoes are done, puree in a food processor, Add in half of the coconut oil. Check the consistency. If it is not too thin, add more coconut oil. Season the puree and fold in the leeks at the end. Keep warm until service or reheat when ready.
• make the spinach Timbale: Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Add the peppers and spinach and cook them down stirring until the spinach becomes wilted and pliable. Season the mix, Then strain off extra liquid. Stuff the spinach and pack tightly into ramekins. Hold in a warming oven.
• Grill the eggplant over a preheated grille or grille pan. Cook until nice lines appear and the "steak" softens all the way through.
• Assemble the plate. Carefully spoon the Puree into the middle of the plate, maybe slightly off center. Prop the eggplant against or on top of the puree. Turn the spinach Timbale out onto the plate next to the eggplant. Top the eggplant with the ragout. Then, drizzle a little truffle oil on top of the eggplant and ragout. Serve hot.

Keyword Caramelized, Cauliflower, Cauliflower Puree, Garlic, Grilled Eggplant, Leek, Plank, potato, ragout, spinach, Timbale, Truffled, Wild Mushroom