Two vegan recipies

Roasted Artichoke And Garlic Soup
Yield 6 Quarts

4 cans of artichoke hearts
7 cloves of garlic
2 medium yellow onions
3 cans of coconut milk
3 quarts of water
Salt and White pepper to taste (tt)
2 Tb 80/20 olive and canola oil
1/2 c white wine

Strain the artichoke hearts reserving the liquid. Place in a pan with the garlic and 1 Tb of oil and place in a convection oven at 350 degrees F. Roast untill the artichokes are golden brown and the garlic is soft.
While the artichokes are roasting sweat the onions in the remaining olive oil and deglaze with the white wine. Reduce by half and add the artichokes and the garlic. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the coconut milk. When the liquid is just about to a boiling point check the garlic and if it is softened to the point of being able to squish the garlic with a pair of tongs remove from the heat and puree in a blender. Strain in a fine mesh strainer and season to taste. Thicken with cornstarch if necessary.

Butternut Squash Risotto
Yield 15 servings
1 Butternut squash peeled seeded and diced
2 cups arborio rice
3 cloves of garlic minced
2 shallots minced
1/4 c white wine
water as needed
2 cans coconut milk
2 Tb dijon mustard
1/2 Tb sugar
tt salt and white pepper
3 Tb 80/20 olive and canola oil

Place the diced squash in a shallow pan and toss with 1 Tb oil. Place in a convection oven at 350 degrees and roast until the squash is lightly browned and al dente. Reserve for later.
In a sauce pan sweat the shallots until lightly caramelized. Add the rice and toast until the aroma is slightly nutty. Deglaze the pan with white wine and reduce untill au sec (the wine is almost gone) Reduce the heat to just a small flame. Add the mustard and sugar and slowly add the water a little at a time constantly stirring the rice. When almost all the liquid is absorbed add more water. When the rice is almost al dente but still slightly crunchy add the coconut milk and continue until the rice is al dente. Finish by adding the reserved squash and season with salt and white pepper to taste.

Restrictions

I once had a soccer coach who would place certain restrictions on us if we were scrimmaging a younger team. In some games we could only touch the ball 2 times, use our left foot, right foot, and so on. It made the games quite challenging but also forced us to utilize more team work and think about our play.
What got me thinking about this is several clients have come in with various food allergies. My initial thought is usually one of dread since it involves a reworking of the menu and with hunting season in full swing it's hard to find the extra time necessary for special plates. Once I get down to really working on the food and seeing the client's reaction it is very rewarding.
In June for instance we had a wedding and the bride had a gluten allergy. She was very concerned that she might experience "food envy" during the dinners. So I worked the sauces and dishes so that everyone that weekend was eating gluten free. No food envy and no one really noticed that their food was lacking gluten. The bride was very happy and I was rewarded with a sense of accomplishment.
Another reason why I have been thinking about this is a new friend of mine is vegan and we've been talking ingredients and recipes. During these conversations I realized that I don't have very many vegan dishes in my arsenal. So I'm now on a quest to shore up my stock of recipes with some kick ass vegan dishes.
Here's a question to ponder... is it easier to cook vegan and vegetarian than it is to deal with a food allergy?

Giocoso

Giocoso...In Italian it means playful. It reflects my approach to food...or rather my ideal approach to food. Sometimes I loose focus and tend to take the job too seriously and I have to remind myself that "hey. It's just food, dude"
My name is Kirk VanderMaat and I am Executive chef of a Private Hunting and Fishing Lodge.
I intend for this particular blog to be a record of my ideas and experiments in the kitchen. I'm sure there will be a lot of failures along the way but hey...its just food, dude.