If you’re looking for new ways to cook vegetables, a trip south of the Mason-Dixon line is a good place to start. The fair weather and long growing season of the South means there’s always a plentiful supply of fresh vegetables and produce.
“We live in Memphis, and it’s true there is a lot of barbecue, but there are a good deal of farmers’ markets too,” says Amy Lawrence, co-author of “The Southern Vegetarian Cookbook: 100 Down-Home Recipes for the Modern Table,” with photography by her husband, Justin Fox Burks. “My dad farms too, so we always have many vegetables at our disposal. We have tomatoes out on the porch right now, and the peppers are coming in.”
Ms. Lawrence and Mr. Burks may be better known for their food blog, The Chubby Vegetarian, which celebrates vegetarian cooking and eating on the way to better fitness and health. Mr. Burks said he has lost about 70 pounds since starting the blog four years ago. “When you’re writing down the ingredients in everything you’re eating and photographing it, there’s no fooling yourself about the wrong turns you’re making,” he said.
For Well’s Vegetarian Thanksgiving series, Mr. Burks and Ms. Lawrence offer some of their personal favorites for the holiday table. They include two dishes — stuffed squash and a smoky brussels sprouts salad — that they make every year for their families. There’s also a mushroom gravy, an apple-parsnip soup and a cranberry-pomegranate sauce that will wow your guests.
“The Southern Vegetarian Cookbook”
Chanterelle and Apricot Stuffed Acorn Squash With Miracle Mushroom Gravy
“In our family, Thanksgiving stretches from Tuesday to Friday, with a whole lot of celebrating and a whole lot of food,” Mr. Burks explains. “Our job is to bring a dish that rivals that big bird. For the last couple of years, this stuffed squash dish has been a family demand. If we didn’t bring it, we’d be in trouble.”
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced white onion (about 1 small)
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1/4 cup white wine (like Pinot Grigio)
1 cup chanterelles, torn into strips
1/4 cup finely diced dried apricots
Sea salt flakes and cracked black pepper (to taste)
2 cups brioche or good-quality white bread, torn into pieces
2 large eggs (beaten)
1 large acorn squash (or two small)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Miracle Mushroom Gravy (recipe below)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium pan over medium heat, melt the butter and then sauté the celery, onion and bouillon cube until lightly browned. Deglaze the pan with the wine, and reduce until most of the liquid has evaporated.
2. Add the chanterelles and apricots to the pan and warm through. Add salt and pepper. Chill the mushroom mixture thoroughly. In a large bowl, mix the bread, eggs and the cooled vegetable mixture.
3. Using a sharp kitchen knife (and plenty of caution), trim the stem end off of the squash and cut the squash into 3/4 inch rings. You should be able to get 4 rings out of a large acorn squash. Discard the stem end and bottom piece. Using a spoon, scrape the seeds and membrane out of the squash and discard. Lay the squash rings out on a large parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle slices of squash with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes.
4. Remove squash from the oven and press the mushroom and apricot stuffing into the center of each squash ring. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until the stuffing has set and started to brown. Garnish with mushroom gravy.
Yield: 2 to 3 servings.
“The Southern Vegetarian Cookbook”
Miracle Mushroom Gravy
“With this gravy we were trying to get sausage-type flavor without the sausage. You have to try it,” said Mr. Burks.
1 (10-ounce) package cremini (baby bella) mushrooms
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup diced shallots
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Scant 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1. Slice mushrooms about 1/4-inch thick. You will blend them later, so there’s no need to be overly precise. Add the canola oil to a medium frying pan over high heat, and then sauté the mushrooms until browned. Add the shallots to the pan and continue to cook for another minute until the rawness has been cooked out of the shallots and they’re translucent.
2. Place the mushrooms and shallots into the work bowl of your food processor, and add the sage, red pepper flakes, clove powder, soy sauce and maple syrup.
3. In the same pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour. Whisk the mixture until fragrant, about five minutes. Whisk in the whole milk, and heat the mixture until slightly thick. Add the milk mixture to the food processor that contains the mushroom mixture. Pulse until the mushrooms are finely chopped and well incorporated into the milk, but leave some chunkiness for a nice texture.
4. Return the mixture to the pan and keep warm until ready to serve. If it gets too thick, add some milk or stock to thin it out.
Yield: 6 servings.
“The Southern Vegetarian Cookbook”
Honeycrisp Apple and Parsnip Soup
If you’re looking for a delicious soup to start the meal, this flavorful apple and parsnip soup captures the flavors of fall.
1 1/2 cups diced white onion (1 medium)
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup sparkling wine
2 large parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped, about 2 cups
2 large Honeycrisp apples, peeled and roughly chopped, about 2 cups
1 russet potato or white sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped, about 1 1/2 cups
1 teaspoon dried sage
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup half-and-half
Sea salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)
1/2 cup sliced green onions (to garnish)
1. In a soup pot or Dutch oven, sauté onions in butter over medium heat until translucent, and then add wine. Allow the mixture to reduce until most of the liquid has evaporated, and then add parsnip, apple, potato and sage to the mixture.
2. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables have softened and have taken on a slight color. Add the stock and reduce heat to medium-low. Bring the stock up to temperature. Slowly add the half-and-half to the warm mixture. Do not allow soup to boil after adding the half-and-half as it could curdle.
3. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture smooth. Add enough stock or water to achieve the consistency you desire up to another full cup. Garnish with sliced green onion.
Yield: 4 servings
“The Southern Vegetarian Cookbook”
Warm Brussels Sprout Salad With Smoked Feta and Candied Pecans
The trick to this salad is to blanch the brussels sprouts in salty water to remove the bitterness.The candied pecans combined with smoky feta creates a heavenly dish. “Even the little kids eat it,’’ said Ms. Lawrence.
1 pound brussels sprouts (15 to 20 larger ones work best here)
1/4 cup vegan cane sugar
1 1/2 cups whole roasted and salted pecans
4 ounces smoked feta
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
Sea salt flakes and cracked black pepper (to taste)
1. Start by tearing apart the brussels sprouts. Cut off about 1/3 of the stem end and pull the leaves apart; this takes some time, but it’s worth it. Start by pressing outward with your thumbs on the cut side. This will yield the largest leaves and make for a fluffier salad. When you get to the core, just split it in half and throw it in with the leaves.
2. Blanch the leaves in boiling, salted water (as salty as the sea) until they turn bright green. This will take 10 seconds. Run the leaves under cold water to stop the cooking. Dry the sprout leaves in a salad spinner or lay them out on a clean towel to dry.
3. Spread the sugar in a cold 10-inch frying pan and melt it over medium heat. Once the edges of the sugar start to melt, stir the sugar until all the lumps disappear. Remove from the heat. Toss the pecans in the melted sugar until coated. It will look a bit like spun sugar as you stir the pecans into the sugar, and the pecans will stick together as they cool. Transfer to a plate to cool completely. Once the pecans have cooled, break the mass apart using your hands. Roughly chop the pecans.
4. Cut the feta into a 1/4-inch dice. If you cannot find smoked feta in your area, just use feta cheese and add 1/4 teaspoon Liquid Smoke to the dressing.
5. Now you’re ready to assemble the salad. Place 4 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of vinegar into a large frying pan over low heat. The heat should not be so high that the dressing sizzles. Once the dressing is warm, place the sprout leaves in the pan and toss with the dressing. Transfer to a large plate. Sprinkle with cheese and nuts. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Yield: 4 servings
“The Southern Vegetarian Cookbook”
Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce
Pomegranates are a special way to boost the flavor of a traditional Thanksgiving dish.
1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries (organic ones taste sweeter)
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1 whole pomegranate
3/4 cup vegan cane sugar
1 tablespoon local honey
Zest of 1 Meyer lemon
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of clove powder
1. Rinse cranberries and pour them into a tall saucepan. Pour in pomegranate juice. Turn heat on medium-low.
2. Cut the whole pomegranate and remove all the seeds; run them through a food processor and then a sieve or a food mill in order to strain out the seeds. Pour into the pan along with the sugar, honey, lemon zest, salt and clove. Cook for about 30 to 40 minutes until the cranberries pop and the sauce thickens.
Yield: 6 servings
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