Vegetarian Cuisine

I've noticed that food options for vegetarians and vegans are fairly limited in a world dominated by meat products. Just for clarification, vegetarians do not eat the meat of an animal while vegans do not consume anything that is derived from an animal such as dairy products and honey. Following a healthy vegetarian or vegan lifestyle can be fairly expensive, but the health benefits are enormous if approached in the correct way. So here's my take on vegetarian cuisine with a few samples of what I prepare for vegetarian or vegan meals.

Stir-fried heirloom bell peppers and oyster mushrooms served over brown rice.

Sauteed summer squash with minced garlic.

Platter of sauteed oyster mushrooms with red onions, fettuccine with pesto, and microgreens and purple carrots tossed in a lemon vinaigrette.

Tips for Hosting a Dinner Party

Nothing brings people together like good food and good company. I really enjoy hosting dinner parties for my friends and family and I have organized enough of them to know what it really takes to ensure that everyone leaves with full stomachs and a smile on their face. 

Whether you're cooking for a group of twenty close friends or five foodies, planning the menu is perhaps the most important aspect of the process. When preparing a family style meal or one where each person is served individual plates, dietary preferences must always be considered. A few years ago, I was a vegan for several months and I learned a whole new area of food that was unfamiliar to me. Be sure to ask your guests whether or not they have a food allergy or simply will not taste a certain ingredient.

I usually serve at least five courses for the meal and timing is extremely important. 

• Preparing your ingredients the previous night will save you a great deal of time. Peeling and cutting the vegetables for every dish and storing them in separate glass bowls or containers wrapped with plastic wrap is a good approach. For produce that tends to change color when exposed to air, soak them in water with a little bit of lemon juice.

 Roasted asparagus with a mushroom beschamel sauce

• Make sure that you have plenty of plates or serving platters and silverware that are consistent in appearance. 
• Offer a selection of beverages or have your guests bring something. Be considerate of the drink and food pairings because that detail can either make or break a dish. I never allow my guests to bring beer because it tends to lower the quality of the overall meal. I only allow red wine to be paired with red meats and white wine to be paired with seafood or poultry. 

Marinated shrimp with sauteed onions served over brown rice

• For any meal, the food should always be served hot or at least very warm. Timing the completion of each course is perhaps the most challenging task but there are a few remedies to ease the process.
• Serves small dishes such as crackers with cheese or stuffed mushrooms to keep your guests occupied while you prepare the rest of the meal.
• Do not cook meat until you are absolutely ready because reheating it will only overcook it and diminish its flavor. Once its ready, allow the meat to rest for a few minutes in order for the juices to redistribute. Remember, juices equals flavor.
• Finishing the cooking process in the oven is an excellent method to decrease the amount of chaos in the kitchen. Sear both sides of the meat in a skillet with a heat proof handle and slide the entire thing in the oven.

Minimizing the amount of time spent in the kitchen allows you to spend more time with your family and friends so careful planning is the key to a successful dinner party.

Patika Coffee

As a chemistry and Italian student at the University of Texas, I've depended on coffee as my fuel for almost everyday. Starbucks may be great for its convenience because it has literally infested the city but there are still coffee brewers that continue to preserve the quality and complexity of the beverage. I had the pleasure of enjoying my first cup of Patika coffee at the first Gypsy Trailer Food Festival this year and it was the best coffee that I've had since I can remember. They freshly grind the roasted beans once the order is placed and they don't add unnecessary ingredients that mask the actual taste of coffee, unless you ask for it. As an extra bonus, the people behind the counter are extremely friendly and laid back. Patika Coffee represents the essence of Austin's culture. Drop by their stand at Second and Congress in the LAZ parking lot and pick up a cup of incredible coffee. One sip of the hot or cold mocha and you'll be hooked.

Uchiko

Uchiko, the sister restaurant of Austin's Uchi, received mixed reviews from me. I'm not a big fan of Japanese cuisine but I am very familiar with how a wide range of raw or cooked seafood should be prepared. 

The edamame sprinkled with coarse sea salt was grilled, which gave it a great smokiness.  

The uni or what is better known as raw sea urchin was delicious and very fresh but not worth the price of twenty dollars for two bites of the actual meat. 

The sushi rolls were perhaps the only items on the menu that received positive reviews. The george and crunchy tuna rolls were excellent but the unnecessary sauces that they were served with lacked flavor.

The wagyu beef served with a hot Japanese hot rock was quite a disappointment. Not only was the grade of beef not up to my standards, the thin slices of meat stuck onto the rock each and every time I tried to sear it. The sashimi style hamachi met my expectations in taste and quality but fell short in how it was prepared. The slices of fish were very inconsistent in thickness and was mostly sliced too thickly.

The desserts were awful and complete disasters. The photo above is of the tobacco cream which actually consisted of cream steeped in tobacco and scotch flavored ice cream. The cream tasted like dirt fresh from the ground and was slightly salty. The photo below is of the fried milk which was just as terrible. The vertical thin chocolate cookies were suppose to taste like Oreo cookies but tasted more like the bottom of burnt brownies. I give them credit for the creativity of the dishes and the perfect quenelles of the cream but taste comes before anything else. Each component clashed and every bites was increasingly unappetizing with a disgusting after taste. I took one bite of each dessert and immediately sent them back. I recommended that they rethink the desserts completely because no one wants to end a meal with such an upsetting experience.

Jeffrey's Restaurant and Bar

I consider Jeffrey's to be a jewel of a restaurant in Austin because of its exceptional offerings of courses that are difficult to prepare and that are the products of pure creativity. About a year ago, I enjoyed the three course tasting menu that started with aged spare ribs, followed by hill country quail with date farro, hon shimeji mushrooms and salted grape-verjus reduction and ending with a flourless chocolate cake with valrhona dark chocolate creameaux and double chocolate ice cream. The spare ribs were incredibly flavorful and the meat simply melted in my mouth. The components of the entree course were perfectly matched and teach bite consisted of layers of flavor. The dessert course was absolutely decadent and elevated the complexity of chocolate. The cake was extremely rich and pairing it with the lightly sweetened ice cream and cocoa nibs created the perfect balance of sweetness and texture.     

The menu focuses on seasonal ingredients so it constantly changes from time to time and never fails to surprise you. Even though the courses are on the expensive side and the portion sizes are much smaller than what people are accustomed to, any person who really understands and appreciates the complexity of food will enjoy the experience.

Spaghetti and meatballs in an arrabbiata sauce

Preparing pasta is one of those skills that actually require a level of restraint. Adding too much sauce tends to be the most common mistake made by home cooks. I believe the key to making the perfect pasta dish is cooking the pasta to al-dente or still slightly firm and finishing the cooking process in a homemade sauce with multiple levels of flavor. For my spaghetti and meatballs, I use whole wheat pasta and meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce. Using the right pasta to sauce ratio is key.

For the tomato sauce:

4-5 roma tomatoes

1-teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

1-teaspoon of oregano

1-teaspoon of basil

1/2-tablespoon of salt

1/2-tablespoon of pepper

Roast the tomatoes on a baking sheet at 375F for 20 minutes with a splash of extra virgin olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt. Place them in a large sauce pan over medium heat and mash them until they are the consistency of a thick pulp. Add the remaining ingredients and cook while covered for 30 minutes while stirring periodically.

For the meatballs:

One pound of ground sirloin

1-tablespoon of garlic powder

1-tablespoon of smoked paprika

1-teaspoon basil

1/2-tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes

1/2-tablespoon of salt

1/2-tablespoon of fresh ground pepper

1 large egg

1/3-cup bread crumbs

1/2-teaspoon minced garlic

Combine all of the ingredients evenly. Mixing by hand is perhaps the best method. Form the mixture into meatballs of the desired size using the palms of your hands. Do not compress the meat when doing this. Cook the meatballs in a skillet with one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Rotate each meatball so that they are cooked evenly on all sides. Do not overcrowd the skillet or the meatballs will steam. Do not cook the meatballs completely because they will finish cooking in the sauce.

Place the meatballs in the tomato sauce and continue cooking while covered for 20 minutes over medium heat. Cook the spaghetti following the instructions on the package. Drain the pasta and reserve about a quarter of a cup of pasta water for the sauce. Add the water to the sauce and cook it for an additional 5 minutes. Spoon the meatballs over the pasta then the sauce.