bob and weave

where we come from, a lovely little place called delaware, there is a sandwich shop. and this sandwich shop is called capriotti's. to the naked eye, it doesn't look like much. a very no-nonsense interior and a short menu with all the standards: subs (that's what they call hoagies "down south"), salads, chips, et al. throw in some gruff men and ditzy teenagers working behind the counter and you've got your average sub joint.

but look a little closer. is that a vegetarian section on the menu? wait, does that say veggie turkey sub?! veggie burgers and hotdogs, too?!?! if only more mainstream eateries would note the genius of what capriotti's has done here: while they certainly cater to the all-american non-diet, they've stealthily created a cult following of die hard vegetarians fans, who might normally never step foot in their stores. if you make it meatless, they will come (and i ain't talking no cheese hoagie, here). the vegetarian turkey sub is nothing short of amazing, btw - these people really know how to make a quality hoag.

capriotti's has also developed a following around its take on the t-giving leftovers feast: the bobbie. the bobbie (which is trademarked, so don't even THINK about stealing that name), is made with pulled turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayo. wowzas. kind of a gross-but-great idea, and if they made a vegetarian version, i'd sure as shit try one. but they don't.

so on sunday, to ward off the ever-creeping cold and vodka hangovas, lauren, ryan and i tried our hands at making a veganized bobbie. or should we say....bauxbie? sorry, just had to.

sissy bought a righteous loaf of bread from claudio (hoagie rolls are hard to find on a sunday afternoon), that we cut into thick, mega rad, texas toast style slices. ryan came back from the whole foods with a delightfully savory hunk of seitan (field roast, WHY do you have to have to be so expensive?), and with the addition of some leftover cranberry sauce & some quick stuffing it was time to get this badass, bastardized sandwich started.


first, the field roast "celebration roast" (which we diced, but would've been amazing sliced, too) and the stuffing went in a 350F oven for about 25 minutes. we added a bit of veggie stock to each pan throughout the baking process, but not too much! don't want it getting all soggy. while these were baking, we made a salad and sipped some brunch-y cocktails.

sadly, tomato juice & vodka was probably the healthiest part of our meal

once all the components were ready, it was time to assemble. capriottis serves the bobbie cold, but we unanimously agreed that this seemed unappealing. so instead of letting the stuffing and wheat meat cool, we toasted up the bread and just went for it. first, a lovely crimson spread of cranberry sauce on one half of the bread. mayo or veganaise on the other slice of bread would be divine. then spread on some stuffing, a generous heap of fake turk, and squish it all together gently...

ladies & gents: the vegan bob

a silence fell over the table as we tackled these sammies. i can only use the words "savory" and "comforting" so many times but damn it if those aren't the exact words to describe the experience of these veeg bobbies. the sage notes of the stuffing, the tartness of the cranberry sauce (we hardly used any sugar while making it), and the complex spices of the field roast melded together into harmonious bliss.


up until eating this, the concept of stuffing on a sandwich seemed odd to me. why add more soggy bread to something already nestled between bread? but i suppose that is the magic of stuffing: it isn't just soggy bread, it is transformed into something so far beyond that. and it is my 2nd new opinion that cranberry sauce should fully graduate to an everyday condiment. it's such a simple, healthy, lovely relish that has the power to complement an array of flavors. toast with almond butter & cranberry sauce, anyone?

Tart Cranberry Sauce w/ Ginger Beer
~makes 2.5 cups~
~take 10 minutes~

ingredients:
1 pound fresh cranberries, rinsed
1/2 cup sugar (this is FAR less than most recipes call for, but it's how we like it)
1/3 - 1/2 cup reed's ginger beer (or water) (or regular beer?!)
1/2 teaspoon allspice (optional)
cinnamon stick (optional)
1 clementine: zest the rind and gently mash up the fruit, keeping the juices (optional)
a few slices of fresh ginger (optional)

- in a medium pot over high heat, combine the cranberries, sugar and ginger beer. stir, and bring to a boil.

- reduce the heat to a simmer, add the fresh ginger, allspice, and cinammon stick if using. add the mashed up clementine, and let the whole thing simmer for 5 to 8 minutes.

- stir in the clementine zest, remove the ginger pieces and the cinnamon stick.

feel the antioxidants flowing through your veins! you'll never go back to canned stuff again, swear.

love,
emily

ravioli: an undertaking of socialist proportions

please, dear friends: do not attempt to make fresh pasta alone. it's far too large and daunting an undertaking (at least until you're a pro at rolling it out like this lady). the real way to do it is to call a few friends, ask them to pick up some vino and an extra pound of tofu. while they're on the way, get the flours, water and oil mixin in the food processor into dough (use this incredibly simple and foolproof recipe from vegan dad!) if there's more than 4 of you dining - double it. the masses always eat more than you think they will. especially when the food prep takes 2 hours.

yes, unless we did something terribly wrong, making fresh ravioli takes a few hours. put out some olives to nosh on and drink some cheap beers to fill your tums in the patience-testing interim. get the girls on pasta duty, assign a boy on dish duty, and get another flipping records while the pasta dough rests, dries, gets filled, then rests again. yes! employ your friends. from each according to their ability, and whatnot.

first shot of the new kitchen, a few of its dedicated workers buzzing about:


so, let's break it down: ravs takes a few extra steps than even regular fresh pasta. and let's put it out there now - yes, throwing some 99 cent dried pasta in boiling water til al dente will do for most every night of the week. this is for special times when you really want to get semolina flour all over your pants.

also, for these big projects, you might want to call in a non-human sous chef. meet our newest kitchen helper - eiffel!!

he may be an american bulldog but he barks with a french accent. we ask him for advice concerning haute cuisine.

pasta time: first, make the dough. click that link from vegan dad and don't overthink it. regular flour plus semolina flour, a little salt, olive oil and water all up in the food processor. don't be a naysayer, it will turn into dough! knead til smooth. we took the easy way out and used the standing mixer with a dough hook.

if it's kind of sticky (ours magically wasn't), knead in some extra flour. then cut the dough into a handful of equal sized pieces and roll it out - you can use a rolling pin, old-italian-lady style, or be all new fangled and break out the pasta machine. start on the widest setting, roll a piece of dough through a few times, then turn it a bit tighter, a little bit more each time. if you want the pieces of dough to be wide, fold the long skinny piece onto itself to make a double wide. keep going til the slabs of dough are nice and thin. not so thin you can read through it, but almost...

then let it sit for awhile. 20 minutes or so? it sucks, just eat some more olives.

next comes the fun part. scoop in some nice lumps of tofu ricotta (add spinach to be even more healthy). damn if tofu ricotta isn't so so super deliciously good, and rumored to be at least sort of close to the real thing. we know that's probably not true, but whatever! we'll eat it right off the spoon.


with intent, place little scoops of the tof ric in a neat grid pattern across one big slab of well rested dough. space 'em about 2 inches apart, like this:


then, draw lines between them with water - use a pastry brush or your finger! then, without waiting too long so the water doesn't dry out, carefully lay another piece of dough on top and press down. press firmly and create a good seal! if you don't, these babies will explode when dropped into the inevitable cauldron of boiling water. so once you've made a big flat of ravs (poke out any air holes), cut them up with a pizza cutter. then crimp the edges with a fork. you don't need a silly tool to make it pretty, just a plain old fork. looks so profesh!


here's the bad news: now these have to rest for another 20 minutes or so. the good news is that this is just about how long it takes a huge pot of water to boil. without fail, water. takes.forever. it's also about how long it takes for this dude to make a killer big salad:

while smiley is washing greens and chopping 'maters, drop the ravs in, poke them with a wooden spoon so they don't stick together, and give them between 5 and 8 minutes at a rolling boil. eat one to test it! you will undoubtedly be starving by now.

omg, you're done! dress with olive oil and garlic or a light sauce. we used a lovely jar of homemade fresh tomato sauce that our friends over at tastebuds made and generously gifted to us. you don't want to get too heavy on homemade pasta, or, what's the point. don't drown all your hard work with the soulless contents of a prego jar, k?

and sorry to all, but the best shot of the finished product has a bit of shredded parm on top. you'll all live right, i know ya will. don't get caught up in the details, dammit. eat...eat up!!

cheers for carbs!

xo,
emily & lauren

gardness progress

i'm not much of a green thumb, but i'm trying to learn. gardening, like sewing and baking, is a domestic skill somehow both incredibly practical and really cool. our old, and very much missed, housemate mary, has a natural ease in the garden, and taught me some basic and important things while she lived here and toiled to make our backyard a green, colorful oasis. she didn't always teach me things by talking them out, or showing me step-by-step instructions...it was more a process of osmosis. i watched, and occasionaly helped, her work out there and saw that you don't need fancy tools, gloves, or soil. she would sow seeds in all kinds of salvaged containers (think old sinks and tires), dig around with slotted spoons and water the seedlings with an iced tea pitcher. she wasn't scared to experiment, yet she worked with purpose. she didn't project the anxiety that i've felt forever about killing the plants or wasting her time. she just made it seem manageable and fun.

as a result of her labor, and the small tasks that lauren and i have been doing to maintain the garden, things are really growing this spring! all the herbs - chives, rosemary, mint and tarragon - re-seeded and promptly exploded into a tangled bouquet that we use in almost everything we cook. red and orange tulips line the front of the flower bed, and the day lillies are just getting ready to do their thing.

















best of all is this bizarre beauty that i have no recollection of from last year. anyone know what this flower is called?


i am going to try to do my part to keep the house garden blooming. i planted some tomato seedlings, sowed some basil, carrot, and assorted flower seeds, bought an oregano plant yesterday from the fruit truck, and hope to get a hot pepper seedling, too. maybe nothing will grow, maybe my unskilled touch will be the touch of death. but you know what? i'm going to go for it anyway. if anyone has any tips or suggestions, i'm all ears.

love,
emily