Thirsty Thursday - The Grange

(I am failing at MOFO this year, but I'm not giving up)!!

A new vegetarian restaurant opened up on Broadway, here in Providence, and it is slowly becoming one of my all time favorite places! The philosophy of The Grange is to highlight local and seasonal ingredients, as well as operate a low carbon, sustainable business.  

For Thirsty Thursday this week, I'd like to focus the Grange's fabulous selection of original cocktails, which are balanced and crafted to perfection, using a variety of local spirits.

The Ampersand (&)

Bully Boy White Rum, fresh orange, Cherry Heering, Dolin Rouge, shaken with ice, strained and served!

Here you can see the spirits up close. Some of them were new to me. The Cherry Heering is a luscious cherry liquor and the Dolin Rouge is a sweet red vermouth made in Chambery, France.

Next, we have The Basandere

The Grange's take on the classic Margherita: Agavales Blanco Tequila, Velvet Falernum, lime, torched sage, B&H Orange Bitters. I have discovered that Falernum is the generic term for a spiced citrusy sweet syrup used to flavor Caribbean cocktails. It contains flavors of almond, ginger or cloves, lime and vanilla. Velvet Falernum is the alcoholic version made in Barbados, and is similar to a low proof rum, and is the perfect addition to any TIKI bar!

And last, but not least, my all time favorite, The 00 (Double Ought) Buck

Rittenhouse Rye B.I.B., Grange ginger lemon, Bittermens Hellfire Bitters, garnished with a flamed orange peel. Luscious, with a lovely, fiery heat from the ginger and Hellfire Habanero Shrub .

The Grange is truly bringing back the art of mixology, as well as the love of cocktail classics.  As the bartender says: "There are no "Bacardi and Diets" here". ^_^

Vegan Parmesan - A Perfect Addition to any Pasta Dish

Photo by Sharon123 @Food.com

Many vegetarians resist making the transition to veganism, finding it hardest to give up CHEESE. If I had a dollar for every time I've heard: "I could totally be vegan... except I could NEVER NOT HAVE CHEEEEESE", which is then usually followed by emphatic nods from everyone within earshot.

Well, fear not, my on-the fence friends! I'll let you in on a secret: Sometimes it's okay just to leave the cheese off.  But, for those times when it's not, you can give this quick and easy recipe a go:

Vegan Parmesan

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup raw slivered almonds
• 3-4 TBSP Nutritional Yeast (what is this)?
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest, optional

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into a blender, or (clean) coffee grinder, and pulse until almonds turn into tiny crumbs.  That's it!

Keep leftovers in a sealed container in your fridge to have on hand for impromptu pasta nights.  I have to say, this version of grated parmesan comes pretty darn close to that nutty, salty bite that grated parmesan, or other hard cheeses give to a dish of pasta. This recipe is great too, because you can make it in seconds right in you kitchen, instead of shelling out 3 times as much for the pre-made shakers of vegan grated cheese they sell in supermarkets or online.

Photo by Chef Prose @Food.com

Risotto Agli Asparagi e Limone ~ Lemon Garlic & Asparagus Risotto

Today's blog post is inspired by Sapori di Roma, or Flavors of Rome.

In Fall 2012, my parents spent the semester living in Rome, Italy, while my father taught a course for the Center for Theology and Religious Studies global campus.  My birthday happened to fall during their stay, and to commemorate me turning the big 4-0, my mom sent me a care package that would make any cook weep for joy:

Believe me, I am enjoying every bit of these ingredients.  So today, I would like to pay particular attention to the lovely packet in the far right foreground of Risotto. Deliciously creamy arborio rice straight from the mother land, flavored in a packet with bits of garlic and asparagus, aptly labeled: Sapori di Roma

Now, I knew I wanted to incorporate some fresh asparagus into the dish, because even though they were from Italy, the little dehydrated bits of "asparagi" that came in the package looked a bit tired.

I decided I would bust out my Le Creuset grill pan and grill some fresh asparagus. Since we don't eat meat in our house, this doesn't get used that often, so it is nice to give it some "love" every now and again.

Grilled Asparagus with Lemon

1 pound large asparagus, trimmed
2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

• Preheat the grill to medium.
• In a shallow baking dish, toss the asparagus with the oil to coat. Add the salt, and pepper and toss.
• Place the asparagus on the grill pan in a single layer, and cook, turning every 5 minutes, until marked and tender, about 15 minutes. 
• Transfer to a cutting board, sprinkle with the lemon juice. 
• Cut into 1 inch bite sized pieces and set aside. 

Now, on to the risotto:

Although I have watched it being prepared many times on countless Food Network shows, I have never actually made risotto.  But seriously, I knew I was ready.  Plus, the Arborio rice straight from the heart of Italy gave me the inspiration to conquer this dish.  So here we go:

Risotto Agli Asparagi e Limone ~ Lemon Garlic & Asparagus Risotto

Ingredients:

6 cups vegetable stock

1/4 cup olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, grilled, stalks cut into 1-inch pieces

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus more for garnish

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup nutritional yeast, or more to taste - or

1/2 cup of home made vegan parmesan (will post my recipe tomorrow)!

Directions:

1.  Bring stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan.

2.  Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in another saucepan. 

3.  Cook onion, stirring frequently, until soft, about 6 to 7 minutes. 

4.  Add rice, cook, stirring, until edges are translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. 

5.  Add wine; cook, stirring, just until evaporated.

6.  Add 1/2 cup hot stock; cook, stirring, until almost absorbed. 

7.  Continue adding 1/2 cup stock in this manner until liquid is creamy and rice is al dente, about 25-30 minutes total (you may not need to add all the stock). 

8.  Add the grilled asparagus with the last addition of stock, reserving about half of the tops for garnish.

9.  Turn off the heat and stir in lemon zest and juice, nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. 

10. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

NY System - Hot Weiners Vegan Style

Call me crazy, but I somehow felt the need to veganize these wretched things!! And ya know, they turned out quite amazing, if I do say so myself...
For those of you who have not had the pleasure: New York System "Hot Weiners" are a Rhode Island classic. hmmmm... did I just say that??
Well, in a way they are. Most folks in little RI have gorged themselves late-night on these dogs, (sometiems known GAGGAHS - or gaggers for non-Rhode Islanders) at some point in there life. I, myself, might be the one exception. Wanna see a real one??

WARNING, not for the faint of heart:

Let me expalin what these are. If you happen to walk into Olnyville’s New York System and order: “THREE ALL THE WAY" you will get: a hot dog served on a steamed bun, then topped with quite a "distinct" flavor of meat sauce, mustard, raw minced onions and celery salt, prepared in a batch of six on a man's forearm. Sound good?
OK, so WHY?? I say “because...”
My inspiration for the "meat" sauce flavoring was from a number of different recipes I found on the web.



I took bits I liked from here and there, and came up with this:

Ingredients
•2 tablespoons margarine
•1 yellow onion, minced
•2 tablespoons chili powder
•2 tablespoons paprika
•1/2 teaspoon allspice
•1/2 teaspoon curry
•1 teaspoon dry mustard
•1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1 cup TVP or 12 ounces soy crumbles (I used Boca brand)
•1 cup water, more if needed
•20 tofu hot dogs (I like Smart Dogs)
•1 teaspoon salt
•20 hot dog buns
•minced yellow onion, for topping
•celery salt

Directions
1.In a medium saute pan over medium heat add, margarine and 1 minced onion.
2.Saute till translucent, but do not brown.
3.Next add chili powder, paprika, allspice, curry, dry mustard and cinnamon. Then add veggie crumbles, stir thoroughly and cook for 5 minutes, add water and simmer over medium to low heat for 30 minutes, adding more water if pan gets dry.
4.Bring water in sauce pot to a boil, add slat, remove from heat and throw in the veggie dogs for 3-4 minutes.
5.Serve dogs in steamed buns, topped with "meat" sauce, mustard, minced onion and a shake or two of celery salt.

Please DO NOT omit the raw onions, yellow mustard OR the celery salt. This is what makes these dogs a classic Rhode Island treat, whether it's vegan or not!!