This entry is also posted on Dr. Sukol’s blog, Your Health is on Your Plate.

About a year ago, a friend of mine got interested in the raw food movement.  Raw foodists prefer their food, as advertised, raw.  Uncooked.  She said it changed her life.  OK, lots of people say stuff like that.  But I have to admit that I see the difference – she is more relaxed, and brimming with beauty and energy.  Four kids?  No problem!

So she had been wanting to introduce me to her new style of cooking, and we decided to get our families together for dinner.  No deal.  We couldn’t make it fit all our crazy schedules.  We resigned ourselves to the fact that we had to put the idea on hold until things settled down a bit.  My daughter was a little disappointed, having been introduced to the raw food movement as a college student in Toronto, but the boys were secretly relieved, skeptical as they were about the idea of eating “raw food.”  I decided to withhold judgment for the meanwhile. 

Then last night I had the good fortune to attend a picnic in the woods complete with tiny electric lights, an enormous bonfire, spectacular grilled salmon, great company, children of all ages, and a talented guitar player.  Something for everyone.  And a raw peach pie, courtesy of my friend, who was also in attendance.  It was fantastic.  I couldn’t stop thinking about it afterward.

This morning I called her for the recipe.  She measured one cup each of raw almonds and brazil nuts, and placed them in a water-filled jar to soak overnight.  The next day she drained the water, and placed the nuts in a food processor with 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and a scant 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.  She processed the contents until the consistency of meal, and then added 6-8 dates (Medjoul variety, the finest and sweetest) to make a dough.  She pressed the dough into a pan to form a crust, and then placed it in the freezer to firm up while she finished the recipe.

Next she cut 6-8 peaches into chunks, and mixed them with 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional), and 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg.  I was surprised to learn that the less sweet the peaches, the more important it was to include the lemon juice.  Then she slid the peach mixture into the crust, and refrigerated it until it was time for dessert.

Now, here’s what I want to know, and I’m going to need your help, dear readers.  First, you have to make this recipe, or take it to the family cook in your kitchen, and help them make it.  Then, you’re going to take out your glucometer or borrow one from a friend or relative.  Now you’re going to check and record your sugar, eat a slice of raw peach pie, and recheck your sugar 1 hour later. 

How much did your blood sugar rise?  Send a comment and let me know.  If I’m right, this pie will not spike your blood sugar like a traditional one made with a flour crust.  So, depending on how insulin-resistant you are, you may be able to eat a slice of this pie without hesitation, without worry, and without spiking your blood sugar.  And even if you are diabetic, you may be able to eat a slice, knowing that the blood sugar spike will be modest instead of astronomical.   

And did I mention how good that pie was?  I went back for a second piece before I’d finished the first.  OK, yes, I’m hooked.

When my Grandfather, alav hashalom, was nearing the end of his long and fruitful life, I had the opportunity to make dinner for him once (which was uncommon because during that time my mother used to cook dinner for all of us mostly every night). He requested borscht, a dish that I was altogether unfamiliar with, but which was an essential part of the Eastern European Jewish food tradition my Grandfather had grown up with. In my good intention to fulfill his request, I opened a jar of canned borscht (Ingredients: Water, Beets, Sugar, Salt, Citric Acid.) and served it with sour cream, and love.

Flash forward to 2010.

Today I avidly lacto-ferment in my spare time and am very interested in traditional Jewish foodways. I have realized from my conversations with people that lacto-fermentation is a generally unknown and mysterious process, and yet it is one of the oldest, safest, and most nutrient-enhancing forms of food preservation on earth. As Pesach approaches, those who want to be well-prepared are stocking up on over-priced, over-processed packaged foods from the ubiquitous “Passover Section” at the local supermarket, jars of “borscht” included. But a generation or two ago, as part of that preparation, Jewish mothers would have been putting up a jar of beets and water to lacto-ferment for a couple weeks before Pesach, to be enjoyed either cool (like gazpacho) and probiotic, or hot and sour with meat and spices. That was the dish that nourished my forbears, that my Grandfather’s body would have intuitively recognized as nourishing and good.

It is approaching ten years since the dinner I served to my Grandfather, and I wish that I could have made the nourishing, delicious, live-culture meal that he must have grown up on. But I am grateful for the renaissance in traditional Jewish foodways that is just beginning, and hopeful that I will be able to pass these traditions down to my children some day.

Here is a recipe for “beet sour” adapted from Leah Leonard’s Jewish Cookery, published in 1949. It can be drunk in small quantities as a digestive aid, used as a salad dressing base, or used as a borscht soup base, as it was traditionally:

BEET SOUR RECIPE (Rossel)
Remove tops and scrub beets thoroughly. Cut in halves or quarters and place in a glass or earthenware pickling jar that has a cover. Add about a tablespoon of sea salt per three medium beets. Fill the jar with water which has been boiled and cooled to lukewarm, or with lukewarm purified water, at least two inches above the beets. Let stand covered in a warm place from three days to four weeks to form soured beet juice for Passover borscht.

Photos by Phil Mansfield

Every once in a while I feel sorry for myself because my kids won’t eat my lovingly prepared meals; for comfort, I seek out one of my fellow mom’s, specifically those with teen-agers. Invariably they look at me with a withering ‘well let me get you the violins and a stiff drink fast, your poor thing’ stare, reminding me that I am a mere amateur at kitchen rejection. When I hear their tales of trying to feed their teens, my load somehow seems lighter, more manageable. Snarky, picky, and sometimes downright nasty, it is no easy task to manage teens at the table.

Enter Rozanne Gold and her new book, Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs. I sat down with the author and discovered that the book’s appeal to teens is as organic as its recipes. Gold recently adopted a teen-ager and for the past few years they have been coming together as a family, in and out of the kitchen. Her daughter was one of five teen chefs engaged to prepare and test each recipe. Their collective industry and obvious enjoyment is evidenced throughout the book with hands-on pictures depicting their efforts.

“Something a little quirky is that everyone, everyone is talking about childhood obesity and overeating and diabetes and getting back to the table – no one wrote a book. Someone forgot to write the book.” She correctly assessed that the literature includes many books about cooking, kids, and healthy eating, but few if any that feature well known chefs who have cross referenced their work with a nutritionist in order to serve the teen audience. This gap as well as her family changes prompted her to write the book and have nutritionist Helen Kimmel review and validate the recipes. Coupled with her teen chefs’ participation and stamp of approval, the book has a tremendous sense of leading-edge authenticity.

“I like being the first to do things”, says Gold. A food pioneer, she graduated  from Tufts and and did graduate work at NYU. With no formal culinary training, Gold beg, borrowed, and stole experience, and at 23 became the Executive Chef at Mayor Koch’s Gracie Mansion. “I catered the first seder ever at Gracie Mansion. It was a great experience. The Mayor told me to put Perrier (instead of seltzer) in the matzo balls which I had never done before. I did a traditional seder for his family. Holiday favorites included anything with garlic, as well as brisket with vermouth, onions, and a bay leaf.” Many books and restaurants later, she has become a well known force in the food world.  Just this week, she broke boundaries by having her book referenced in the New York Times Health blog, as well as featured in the Science section for its unique approach.

Gold does admire others in the industry attempting to improve school and home meals for children, including Bill Telepan, Ann Cooper , and Lynn Fredericks. But for this book, she felt she had to pave a new path.  “Setting criteria for what eating fresh food means was a process. Working with the nutritionist, we definitely decided not to go the route of calories or counting, but to come up with some broader way of expressing healthy food. The original title was Ketchup Ain’t A Vegetable.”, laughed Gold.  “I’m not doctrinaire about this at all. There is so much discussion about good food and bad food. My solution, my definition is eat fresh food. Which is also a way of saying no processed food or very little processed food. That became my benchmark. The basis of every recipe is that a vegetable or a fruit has to be the star of the dish. You will find this in every recipe. That is my bottom line. The fact that there is very little meat in there is cognizant of the fact that kids are serious about wanting to be vegetarians; 80 – 90% of the book is suitable for vegetarians.”

Gold is very interested in sourcing.  As a restauranteur (The Rainbow Room) as well as a home cook, she is very aware of the power of purchasing. “I am interested in local but fresh is more important. We had the best peach we ever had in our life 2 years ago in March from Costco. I don’t know where it came from, I don’t know how it got there, but it was extraordinary. I’m not sure that is a bad thing. I understand the eco-system of farmers and sustainability and fresh, and we need to be very supportive of that. But I shop in a variety of places. I shop at Key Foods sometimes out of necessity. We have a wonderful farmer’s market here on Saturdays, and we’re always there buying wonderful things. And I am always in the city on Wednesday at the Union Square market.”

“It’s really exciting to be there at the farmer’s markets; if you are interested in trends and what’s happening, that is where the trends are happening today. That is so different than 20 years ago when trends happened from fancy chefs and from kitchens. Today, trends are happening by what you see at the farmer’s markets and that’s fabulous. Just to see the micro-greens…what the farmers are doing now, that’s where most of the creativity is coming from. I remember just a few months ago I walked by one of the stands at the farmers market and there were 10 different colors of radishes. 6 different colors of carrots. It was just breathtaking. Chef’s are very inspired by it.”

That being said, she also recognizes the challenges of urban life and trying to grow your own food.  “I do have a window box. It is hard to run a kitchen and run your garden. If a home cook has land to grow a garden, that is wonderful. I always grew up in and around the city, so it was never practical. I remember once when I was in college I was at my boyfriend’s house and I looked out the window and said, ‘Look, someone threw an eggplant out the window.’ Little did I know it was growing in his mother’s garden! I knew nothing about farming or sustainability – it was not the language at the time. I think it is exciting that it is now.”

The majority of recipes in this book are vegetarian, but there are few vegan offerings.  I asked Gold for her perspective on the movement. “I believe in culinary history and gastronomy.  My religion is much more in classic cuisine and less about anything doctrinaire. I believe in doing everything and eating everything and trying everything. In balance. Vegans would have to work really hard to have a well-balanced, nutritious, healthy diet. And that’s OK because they believe in something else like not eating animals of any kind – that is a different belief system.”

The book reads nicely with lush photography. It includes interesting and fun recipes such as sweet carrot jam, ginger scallion brown rice with scallions, fish tacos, and mac and cheese with cauliflower and red pepper sauce. And of course olive oil chocolate chip cookies, below for you and your teens’ enjoyment.  Who knows, you might end a meal with a smile, or at least a nod.

Want to win a copy of Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs.? Leave a comment below about cooking for/with teens. Last date to post comments is 12/21/09. The winners will be notified on 12/22/09.

Courtesy of Rozanne Gold. All rights reserved.

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 24

2 cups self-rising flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 extra large eggs
½ cup olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure almond extract
6 ounces miniature chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Put the flour and sugar in the bowl an electric mixer. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and mix until a smooth dough forms. The mixture will be slightly crumbly and a little oily.
3. Knead several times on the counter. Form into 24 balls and then shape into small ovals that are 1 ½ inches long and ¾ inch wide. Roll the tops in miniature chocolate chips. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or use a Silpat pad. Place the cookies 1inch apart. Bake for 25 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan. Remove with a spatula.

Check out this article in The Jewish Week that features the Hazon CSA at the Reconstructionist Synagogue of the Northshore in Long Island, NY. The syanagogue’s cantor Eric Schumiller highlights the cooperation between his synagogue and the farm, as well their emphasis on environmentalism.

Photo Credit to Lauren Pulver

As a high school student at my Jewish Day School, I fancied myself a little rebel. Pajama pants beneath long skirts. Adidas in spite of the no-sneakers dress code. Briefly, a safety pin in one ear. (My parents loved that.) I wasn’t the only one –- with the safety pin, OK, yes, but my friends dressed similarly –- yet rarely, if ever, did these infractions cause trouble. “You got away with murder,” my mother recalls, with admiration. “You and your friends.”

We did. I think the reason – aside from being nice girls from good families – is because we respected the letter of the law, but found our own way around it. In other words, we constantly searched for loopholes — a word that Merriam-Webster defines as “a means of escape, especially : an ambiguity or omission in the text through which the intent of a statute, contract, or obligation may be evaded.” (I also like, and did not know until this posting, that loophole can mean “a small opening through which small arms may be fired.”)

In my adult life, my interest in Judaic loopholes has found expression through my obsession with dishes that Taste As Though They’re Traif, or Should Be. Given the glut of vegan butters on the market, Smart Balance among them, the number of those recipes has increased exponentially. And you should have seen the day when I learned that quinoa is kosher for Pesach.

I also must be honest and admit that part of the food + loophole business stems from observing my mother’s confusion in her kosher kitchen. She is a terrific cook, but because she converted shortly before I was born, she didn’t have experience cooking per Orthodox law. So in the early days, she was plagued with questions: How do you make mashed potatoes, meant to accompany a meat meal, taste good and creamy without milk or butter? (Chicken stock, mayo, paprika, salt and pepper.) Is it possible to cook palatable split-pea soup without the ham hocks? (Yes; see the Barefoot Contessa version for proof.)

In the spirit of the loophole – and summer! – I’d like to share a recipe for a side dish you can bring to a meat barbecue. Guests who wish only to eat meat or parve dishes can enjoy them, and no one will notice what’s missing.

PARVE POTATO SALAD THAT WON’T STOP YOUR HEART
Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

* A few pounds red potatoes (the regular-sized ones are fine)
* 2 tbs Champagne vinegar
* 2 tbs vegetable stock
* 3 tbs dry white wine
* 2 tbs mustard
* Bunch of fresh dill
* Basil, if you have a fresh bunch on hand
* 10 tbs good olive oil
* one bunch scallions
* a couple handfuls snap peas

Boil the potatoes. Drain before they get too mushy. Chop roughly. In a large bowl, toss with white wine and vegetable stock while the potatoes are still warm.

Mix the remaining wet ingredients as you would any dressing; pour over the potatoes. Chop up the scallions, snap peas, dill, and basil, if you have it. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Months ago I had an idea for a themed Shabbat dinner: I would invite all of my friends from Commonwealth countries, and have a Queen’s Shabbat. I could serve Commonwealth inspired foods, and it would be a fun night to hang out with friends from all over the world. Since I host Shabbat meals all the time, the idea didn’t seem particularly daunting, but I never seemed to get around to setting a date and sending out an invitation.

Right before Pesach I met with Rabbi Yoni Sherizen, who runs the Jewish chaplaincy programs in the UK. Jewish chaplains (usually a married couple) are sent to live in a college town or on a university campus in order to help provide Jewish services to students at the local university. It’s a lot like Chabad, but without the rebbe, and it’s especially important in the UK, where there have been crazy amounts of anti-Semitism on college campuses.

Yoni and his wife Dalia were incredibly helpful to me when I was at Oxford in 2004, and I was concerned about how dire Yoni told me the situation was in so many British universities. Plus, the falling economy has meant a lot of funders have had to cut back, and some universities are in danger of losing their Jewish chaplains.

At that point I decided I’d set a date for my Commonwealth Shabbat, and ask everyone to donate to the chaplaincy programs instead of bringing a bottle of wine or doing any cooking.

So I went about inviting my friends, and suddenly realized that I know a lot of people from Commonwealths. Originally, not that many people responded. It seemed like it would be a smallish group. But then suddenly everyone was bringing friends, and it looked like my small Upper West Side apartment was going to have to hold more than twenty guests! Eek! Plus, that meant a lot of cooking. And I really wanted to use as much local and organic produce as possible, which would also probably be expensive. And once I really started looking, I couldn’t find many Commonwealth themed foods that weren’t really meaty. I realized I didn’t even have twenty plates, and would never be able to bring myself to serve on paper.

Briefly, I wondered about calling the whole thing off.

But then I remembered that in college, I cooked Shabbat dinner for 35 people every single week. I would have to budget both my time and my money, but it was a totally doable endeavor, and I tried to keep the folks at Jewish Chaplaincies in mind as I pushed my anxieties aside and got organizing.

In the end, I decided to skip the Commonwealth food idea, since it simply wouldn’t be vegetarian friendly. I would just make recipes I liked and felt confident with. I did the first round of grocery shopping on Sunday, including going to a farmer’s market to get local organic milk so I could make my own cheese, and picking up a few sets of Preserve recyclable plastic dishes. I started out making some of the desserts, which I figured I could freeze until Thursday. Then I roasted some of the veggies that I’d be using in the salad, and made my own ricotta. On Wednesday I went to the Union Square Greenmarket for a final shopping expedition, and by Thursday night I was in full cooking mode, making three dishes at a time, and perilously stacking Tupperware in my fridge.

It wasn’t anywhere near as easy as my normal Shabbat dinner preparations. It wasn’t cheap, either (including wine, I probably spent about $300 for 20 people, which comes out to $15 per person), and I spent all of Friday afternoon frantically worrying that there wouldn’t be enough food. But when my guests began arriving, and we were all crowded into the kitchen for Kiddush and introductions, I knew it was worth it.

Countries represented at my Commonwealth Shabbat: England, Canada, Australia, South Africa, India, Trinidad & Tobago, Hong Kong, and Antigua and Nauru by proxy. Plus there were plenty of Yanks.

Commonwealth Shabbat Menu:
Vegan Challah (Me)
Hummus, Tahina and Turkish Salad
Chilled Pea and Tarragon Soup (Epicurious)
Wasabi Mashed Potatoes (Epicurious)
Yam, Zucchini, and Chickpea Salad (Not Derby Pie)
Macedonian Eggplant Salad (Moosewood Cookbook)
Spanikopita (Moosewood Cookbook)
Spinach Beets and Goat Cheese Salad (Me)
Chocolate Stout Cake (Smitten Kitchen)
Pear Cake (Me)
Blueberry Scones, and Currant Scones (Me)

The meal was a huge success. I raised money for the chaplains in the UK, hung out with lots of people with cool accents, and there was enough food for everyone. Yay! Or as we say in the Commonwealth: God Save the Queen!

The Undercover Vegetarian hummed softly to herself as she snipped and set aside the kohlrabi greens. They were to be roasted like kale and served up still crispy and warm. Humble Husband, skittish around root vegetables, eyed the proceedings warily. “Are those onions? Those look like onions. You know how I feel about those.” Shifting from one foot to the other, he seemed determined to underscore his discomfort, lest she think this experiment was welcome.  The Celeriac Debacle of 2007 had left an indelible mark on the family, and the spirit of culinary adventure had been slow to return….

This was not the family’s first foray into kohlrabi country. A few weeks before, she had chopped and roasted a few bulbs to serve along side an omelet. When asked his opinion of the dish, her husband had only replied with a question of his own: “Are these healthier than potatoes? Is that why we’re eating them?”

Two Foot Tyrant, their toddler, had flatly rejected the offering, recoiling after the first bite and clamping his mouth shut against the onslaught. To bring his point home, he had laid behind the dining room table, playing dead in the hopes that the woman would simply lose interest. Indeed, the dish had amounted to a heaping bowl of “m’eh.” Clearly not a decisive win for kohlrabi, but not a total defeat either.

She was upping the anti with this raw kohlrabi slaw. It was simple enough: soak a handful of raisins in couple of tablespoons of sherry vinegar for a half and hour. In the meantime, peel three kohlrabi bulbs using a pairing knife. Make this a moving meditation, take care in working your way around each nub in the flesh. The topography of this member of the brassica family demands careful and precise movement.

Shred up the denuded bulbs and roughly chop some walnuts (and fistful will do ya) to add some crunch. Now, mix the shredded veg and walnuts in with the raisins and give it all a good toss. Add a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise (substitute veganaise, if desired), some salt and pepper and stir thoroughly to coat.

What does it all amount to? Well, basically coleslaw. But a peppery and refreshing one at that, one whose flavor slid under the radar of some very picky eaters. Humble Husband ate it happily, and Two Foot Tyrant seemed tickled by the tang of the dressing. The crispy greens were a hit as well. The committee voted and added kohlrabi to the narrow repertoire of veggies allowed in the house. Undercover Vegetarian jubilated quietly; it was a small but decisive step towards a balanced diet. As she tidied up for the night, she pondered her next move. Did she dare propose a summer squash?

So, this year marked my first Thanksgiving as a newly wed in New York.  After all the amazing simcha of engagement parties, auf rufs (we had two), the wedding, and sheva brachot celebrations over the last month, a very small {quiet} Thanksgiving dinner with our downstairs neighbors seemed like a good way to detox.  Maybe there’d be a little Boggle, maybe a little football watching, and perhaps some crafting and good beer drinking.  But fuss?  That was definitely not on the menu.

My husband, Yosh, was psyched to make his first turkey – a Wise Organic Pastures (kosher, organic, free-range) 14 pounder stuffed with sage and oranges.  I was in charge of sweet potatoes, biscuits, a citrus, avocado, and raddish salad, and seasonal dessert of some kind.  Simple enough except, as a milchigtarian, I am used to having butter, milk, and cream as my building blocks.

I turned to my cookbooks looking for parve inspiration, and was delighted to find this amazing recipe for vegan caramel apple spice cupcakes in the pinnacle of all vegan cookbooks (thus far), Veganomicon.  Moist (very moist!), incredibly sweet, and studded with chunks of caramelized apple, they were the perfect end to a relaxing Brooklyn Thanksgiving.  I doubt that author, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, intended for the recipes in her vegan treasure trove to accompany kosher meat meals, but I was certainly thankful to find them.

Check out the recipe below the jump…

Caramel Apple Spice Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from Veganomicon. FYI – this recipes makes about 12 cupcakes, with enough batter leftover for a small bundt cake…or more cupcakes.

2 pink lady apples (or other tart apple)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon nonhydrogenated vegan margerine
1 cup almond milk
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Caramel-Penuche Frosting

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons non-hydrogenated vegan margerine
1 tablespoon molasses
1/3 cup almond milk
pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup toasted, chopped pecans for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper (or reusable) liners.

Leaving skin on apples, core and dice them into small pieces.  Heat brown sugar and margarine in a heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture begins to bubble.  Add apple pieces and stir to coat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the water has evaporated and apples are lightly caramelized, about 12 min.  Remove from heat.

In a larger bowl, whisk together almond milk and lemon juice, and all to sit for a minute to curdle.  Add the canola oil, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla, and beat well  Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir until dry ingredients are moistened.  Fold in the sauteed apples.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of way with batter and bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center.  When done, remove from the oven and cool on wire racks.

To make the frosting:

Combine the sugar, margarine, molasses, almond milk, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir and bring to a boil and allow mixture to boil for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.

When the frosting mixture has cooled slightly and is still warm, stir in half the confectioners’ sugar and the vanilla, then beat with electric beaters for 2-3 minutes, until creamy.  (I did this mixing by hand, but had to add a little extra warm water to get it to the right consistency.)  Slowly beat in the remaining confectioners’ sugar until a thick, fudgelike frosting forms.  Frost and sprinkle with chopped pecans.  If the frosting cools too much or gets too hard, just add a smidge of hot water and stir.

All three recipes below the jump!

Originally I had planned to make my first attempt at Avant Garde Shepherd’s Pie a private affair.  I wasn’t sure if it was going to work out, so I decided to have my Shabbat meals alone.  But at the last minute a friend was in from out of town and asked if he and his girlfriend could join me for a meal.  I invited The Boy, too, and looked nervously from one carnivore to another as they sampled my dish.  Happily, it was pronounced delicious by one and all, and is sure to become a staple of my winter menus.  Below you’ll find my mom’s original recipe (meat), her veggie adaptation, and my new avant garde version.  Enjoy!

Traditional Shepherd’s Pie
3 Tablespoons oil
3 pounds ground beef/lamb/turkey
2 medium onions, chopped
4 Tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 can tomato paste
6 servings prepared instant mashed potatoes
water or soy milk to go with the mashed potatoes
6 potatoes

Put ground meat (you can mix whatever you have available) along with onion, tomato paste, parsley, nutmeg and a dash of salt and pepper in a pot. Cook until meat has browned.

While these are cooking, boil whole potatoes in water until soft. Then peel and mash.

Make instant mashed potatoes as directed, substituting soy milk or additional water for milk.

To assemble, use the instant mashed potatoes to cover the bottom and sides of an 8”x10” casserole dish. Then fill the potato crust with the meat filling. Top with the real mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Definitely bake uncovered, as the best part is the crusty part of the mashed potatoes.

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
3 Tablespoons oil
1 eggplant cubed
2 medium onions, chopped
1-2 green peppers, chopped
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1-2 zucchini, chopped
1 package vegetarian “ground beef” (optional)
(we use whatever combination of the above vegetables we have on hand)
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons basil
16 oz stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
6 servings prepared instant mashed potatoes
water or soy milk to go with the instant mashed potatoes
6 potatoes

Put all vegetables, ground “beef” and spices in a pot with the tomatoes and tomato paste and cook until soft.  The veggies will release a lot of juice, so even if the mixture looks too dry to begin with, just keep the flame low and pot covered and soon you’ll have a nice bubbling mixture of yumminess.  Alternately, just make ratatouille.

While these are cooking, boil whole potatoes in water until soft. Then peel and mash.

Make instant mashed potatoes as directed, substituting soy milk or additional water for milk.

To assemble, use the instant mashed potatoes to cover the bottom and sides of an 8”x10” casserole dish. Then fill the potato crust with the veggie mixture. Top with the real mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Definitely bake uncovered, as the best part is the crusty part of the mashed potatoes.

Tamar’s Avant Garde Shepherd’s Pie
2.5 lbs (approx) sweet potatoes
2.5 lbs (approx) Yukon gold potatoes (or whatever variety of potatoes you prefer)
4 Tablespoons olive oil

1.5 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons Italian spices
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

For filling:
1 package vegetarian “ground beef”
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can tomato paste
3 Tablespoons olive oil
a handful of cherry tomatoes (if you happen to have them)
¼ cup fresh basil
1 Tablespoon Italian spices
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
pinch cayenne
sprinkle of paprika

Peel the sweet potatoes, wash and then chop.  I cut them into about 1” cubes, but larger chunks would probably have been fine, too.  Wash the rest of the potatoes, peel if you want, and cube those as well.  Toss with olive oil and spices and put onto a baking sheet (ideally, one with a lip all the way around).  Cover the baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 425 F for about 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through, but are not crispy.  Set aside.

While the potatoes are baking chop all of your veggies.  In a medium sized pot (with a cover) put your veggies, the olive oil, and the tomato paste.  Cover and cook over a low flame until the veggies have released their juices, about 7 minutes.  Add the “ground beef” and all of the spices.  Stir, cover, and allow to cook a bit longer, until you a have a nice thick mixture of veggies and “beef” (about 7 more minutes).  Remove from heat.

In a 9”x13” pan spread a thick layer of your cubed potatoes (about half of your potatoes, or a bit more than half).  Pour the veggie mixture on top of it, smoothing it out so it’s an even layer.  Spread the rest of the potatoes on top of the veggie mixture.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Bake in a 350 F oven for 30 minutes.