A Lottery Win for Vegan Diners

Nearly 20 years ago, Bart Potenza and Joy Pierson won $53,000 playing the lottery. They decided to invest the money in a new restaurant devoted to vegan cooking.

The restaurant, the Candle Cafe in New York City, quickly gained a loyal following and led to the opening of Candle 79, which offered a slightly more upscale version of vegan cuisine and an equally loyal clientele. Last month, the restaurant released the “Candle 79 Cookbook: Modern Vegan Classics from New York’s Premier Sustainable Restaurant.”

“One thing people think is that with vegan cooking there’s going to be compromises,” said Ms. Pierson. “But you’re not missing anything. It’s about the herbs and spices and the things used to flavor foods.”

For the Well Vegetarian Thanksgiving series, the new Candle 79 Cookbook is offering a three-course holiday meal, including a creamy Jerusalem artichoke soup, a colorful beet and fig salad and a saffron ravioli that can be made with wild mushrooms or butternut squash.

You can also find Candle 79’s recipe for Seitan Piccata in Well’s “Crazy, Sexy Thanksgiving” post. And visit Well’s interactive recipe collection to see all the recipes from the Vegetarian Thanksgiving series.

Candle 79’s
Jerusalem Artichoke Soup With Crispy Sage Leaves

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 leek, white and pale green parts, rinsed and finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
2 pounds Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and rinsed
5 cups water or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon sea salt
Crispy Sage Leaves:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
8 to 12 fresh sage leaves

1. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the leek and onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the Jerusalem artichokes, water and salt and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat, cover and simmer until the artichokes are tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Remove from the heat and let cool. Transfer the mixture to a blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Gently reheat before serving.

3. To crisp the sage leaves, heat the olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and sauté until just crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Garnish each serving with a couple of the sage leaves.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Candle 79’s
Beet, Fennel and Fig Salad With Cranberry-Sage Dressing

For the Cranberry-Sage Dressing:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed if frozen
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 fresh sage leaf, chopped
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For the salad:
1 pound fresh beets
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and halved
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 pound baby arugula
1 pear, cored and thinly sliced (optional)
6 fresh figs, cut into wedges

1. To make the dressing, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the cranberries and cook, stirring, until they are softened and begin to pop, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool, then transfer to a blender. Add the vinegar, rosemary, sage, water, maple syrup, salt and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and process until smooth.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Wrap the beets in aluminum foil and put them on a baking sheet. Put the fennel on a separate baking sheet, cut side up, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Put the beets and fennel in the oven and roast until fork-tender, about 30 minutes for the fennel, and 50 to 60 minutes for the beets. When beets are cool enough to handle, peel and cut into thin slices, and cut the fennel into very thin slices.

4. Meanwhile, spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 5 to 8 minutes.

5. Put the arugula in a large bowl, add the beets, fennel, pecans and optional pear, and gently toss together. Drizzle with the dressing and scatter the figs over the salad. Alternately, divide the arugula evenly among salad plates, placing it to one side of the plate. Drizzle with the dressing and scatter the pecans on top. Arrange the beets, fennel, figs and optional pear alongside the arugula and serve at once.

Yield: 6 servings.

Saffron Ravioli With Wild Mushrooms and Cashew Cheese

For the filling:
1 cup raw cashews
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped white onion
1/4 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup chopped leek, white and pale green parts
1/2 pound cremini, morel or chanterelle mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For the Saffron Pasta:
1 teaspoon saffron
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup semolina flour
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons palm oil, melted
Fine yellow cornmeal or semolina flour, for dusting
2 1/2 cups tomato sauce

For the Cashew Crème Fraîche:
2 cups raw cashews
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Minced fresh parsley, capers and tomato sauce, for garnish

1. To make the ravioli filling: the day before using, put the cashews in a bowl and add enough cold water to cover them. Cover and let soak overnight in the refrigerator. Do the same for the cashews you will use to make the Cashew Crème Fraîche (see recipe below).

2. In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, shallots and leek and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until their liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside to cool.

3. Drain the liquid from the cashews and rinse under cool water. Put the cashews, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and salt in a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process until smooth. Add the mushroom mixture and pulse a few times, until the mushrooms are incorporated.

4. To make the pasta: soak the saffron in the water for about 30 minutes. Put the flours, egg replacer, saffron-infused water and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the palm oil and mix well. The dough should be smooth and not stick to your fingers.

5. Press the dough into a rectangle and roll it, a small section at a time, through a pasta machine. You may have to repeat several times to reach the desired thickness of approximately 1/8 inch. Sprinkle the surface with a small amount of cornmeal or semolina flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Cut the pasta sheets into 2-inch rounds or squares.

6. To assemble the ravioli, put the pasta pieces on a floured surface. Place a teaspoonful of filling in the center of each square, brush the edges of the dough with a bit of water, top with another piece of pasta, and press the edges with your fingers to seal, and then crimp with a fork. Spray the ravioli with canola oil cooking spray on one side, then flip them over and spray the other side. (If you don’t have cooking spray, brush both sides lightly with olive oil.)

7. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the ravioli until just tender, about 2 minutes.

8. To serve, spoon tomato sauce into shallow bowls. Top with alternating layers of ravioli and Cashew Crème Fraîche. Scatter a bit of parsley over the sauce, top with a spoonful of capers and serve at once.

Cashew Crème Fraîche

1. Drain the soaked cashews, rinse under cold water and drain again.

2. Transfer to a blender. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, water and salt and process until smooth. The mixture will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Variation: Butternut Squash Filling
2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
1 fresh sage leaf, finely chopped
Sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the butternut squash on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil, and toss with your hands until evenly coated. Bake the squash for 45 minutes.

3. Let cool, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the nutmeg and sage and mash until smooth. Season with salt to taste. Use as an alternative filling for ravioli, following the instructions above.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings; about 30 ravioli.