This week I have challenged myself to take on vegan cooking. I’m not going to lie, I can’t remember ever cooking vegan at home, but I’ve had some memorable moments at work through the years. There was the family of four who ordered an eight-course surprise tasting menu a few years back in a notable restaurant I trained in.
Nothing untoward, until they informed the server they were vegan. Some choice words were exchanged between chef and server before a team meeting was called in the kitchen. For the record, these are rare occurrences. Conversations mid-service usually flow in one direction: you are told what to do and you do it.
The team huddle vibe was unnerving but had a novelty value – the chef with all the answers left stumped. From my hazy memory, the family of four ate lots of tomato water and compressed cucumber, disguised in different forms. They left happy, crisis averted, and some unique dishes were created on the fly. Nowadays, vegan-friendly dishes are far more common, but often uninspiring. More on that later.
In 2018 I had a far more relaxing rendezvous with vegan cooking. One of perks of winning the San Pellegrino young chef of the year competition (a long time ago) is getting to cook around the world. On that occasion I found myself in a Japanese temple high in the mountains outside Kyoto, in a place called Koya-San.
As was tradition, all the food cooked by the monks was plant-based, involving ferments, soya, tofu, seaweeds, rice and vegetables. Although the setting helped, the seasoning, and the care and authority with which the monks cooked was memorable. It changed my perception of what vegan cooking could be. I went to bed full of flavour and calmness, even though there was nowhere to get a pint.
It’s far from Kyoto I have taken inspiration for this week’s recipes. They come from our neighbours’ kitchen on the slopes of the Dublin mountains. This family of six follow a strict vegan diet and are a picture of calmness and cool. “What do you eat on busy midweek evenings?”, I asked them as I scrambled to take notes and start to build some ideas.
We settled on two of the kids’ favourites, including a hearty lasagne-style dish using lentils and diced root vegetables. The sauce uses vegan cheese and is highly seasoned. It is a great one to batch-cook. Even if you don’t go full vegan with the sauce, it is a great alternative to the traditional beef mince and tomato sauce.
The second recipe is one of their speedy midweek meals. I’ve applied the flavour of Mexico to some celeriac wedges, a meaty root vegetable available almost all year round. A tangy salsa verde packs a punch, with some pickled red onion and herbs. Wrapped in a flatbread with some vegan yoghurt, these are a perfect light lunch.
If vegan food is indeed the future, then these recipes are a great start.
