Vegan MoFo Day 11: Pie with the Countess

I decided to try a dessert recipe from Countess Constance Wachtmeister's Practical Vegetarian Cookery (1897). The Almond Peach Pie required no veganizing at all, as long as you use a vegan pastry crust.

Fill an unbaked pie crust with canned peaches. The Countess instructs us to use peach halves, but I failed to inform my able assistant who bought sliced peaches. In November, there is no shame in canned peaches. If you have used peach halves, you can fill their cavities with chopped almonds. Otherwise, just sprinkle the almonds over everything, as in the photo above. I used 4 cans (14.5 oz) of peaches, and 1 cup of almonds. Per the Countess, add just a wee bit of the syrup from the cans, and sprinkle everything with sugar (not much). I also used about 1/4 t of almond extract. Cover with a top crust, and bake. I baked mine for 15 minutes at 400 F, and then lowered the temp for 45 minutes at 350 F.

This makes a very juicy pie, best served cobbler style, without trying to get tidy slices. I think the runny filling complements the crunchy almonds, and I don't believe I would want them suspended in something thicker. However, if you do, you could add a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch/arrowroot/tapioca.

Vegan MoFo Day 8: I have your Thanksgiving rolls, right here...

As we've seen in this MoFo journey through old veg cookbooks, churches and other religious/spiritual/esoteric groups played a large role in the development of vegetarian and vegan cooking. Unity, one of the most prominent New Thought groups, was started by vegetarians who promoted such a diet. Unfortunately, at least in my contact with Unity, this emphasis seems to have evaporated. I understand that the restaurant at their headquarters now serves meat. Perhaps it depends on the congregation.

Back in the day, though, Unity and its member congregations produced some vegetarian cookbooks, including the 1958 Unity Vegetarian Cookbook, from which I veganized this excellent recipe for dinner rolls.

Unity Inn Rolls

2 c nondairy milk

1/4 c vegan shortening

2 T unrefined sugar

2 t salt

5 t dry yeast

1/4 c lukewarm water

5 1/2 c flour

(I have been known to add about 4 oz of sourdough starter, at times.)

Hydrate the yeast in the lukewarm water. Heat the milk with shortening, sugar, and salt, until everything is melted and combined. Allow to cool to lukewarm (or just take care that it doesn't get too hot), and then stir in the yeast. Gradually add flour, kneading until you have a soft, supple dough. You may not need the full amount. Cover and let rise until double. You can punch down and do a second rise, if you have time. If not, proceed with rolling out the dough and cutting in circles with a glass or biscuit cutter. Dip each circle in melted vegan margarine, fold it in half, and place (open side up) in a greased pan. You want the pan to be tightly packed with rolls. Cover pan, and let the rolls rise. When risen, place them in a 400 F oven. After 5 minutes, turn heat down to 350 F and continue baking for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

If you would like to try something else from the Unity book, my esteemed colleague, Panda with Cookie, has posted the Scalloped Okra & Corn Casserole. I will include a photo above, to tempt you.

Vegan MoFo Day 4: Caraway Bread

I have a small green "Cookery Book" from the Lukas Klinik in Switzerland, dated 1978. The Lukas Klinik is an anthroposophical facility for persons with cancer. I have made a number of recipes from this book, as well as from the Lukas Klinik's 2008 cookbook. However, I don't recall ever trying any of their breads. Caraway is a common ingredient in their recipes, especially in the 1978 book, so I decided to try the caraway bread. Here is the recipe, with the only changes being agave and soy yogurt instead of honey and quark:

100 g cracked wheat (I cracked some wheat in my Vita-Mix)

400 g whole wheat flour

1 t salt

1/2 t caraway seeds

3 dl water

1 T linseed (flax) oil

20 g yeast

1 T agave

1 T well drained soy yogurt

Combine wet ingredients and then add the dry ones. Let rise overnight. Shape, place in a greased loaf pan, allow to rise, and then bake in a low oven for 2 hours.

Now, maybe it was me and the European measurements, but the flour/water ratio seemed off and I wound up adding a fair bit more flour. I was out of flax oil, but found some walnut oil in the fridge, which added a nice effect. If making it again, I would up the amounts of both caraway and salt. The kitchen seemed too warm to leave this out on the counter, so I let it rest overnight in the fridge. Also, I was unsure what a "low oven" might be, and did not have 2 hours. Thus, I baked it for 55 minutes at 350 F. I have noticed long baking times at low temperatures in other anthroposophical/biodynamic cookbooks, and I am interested in experimenting to see if it changes the results.

Vegan MoFo Day 2: Yeasted Oatmeal Muffins

Some years ago, I visited friends in Oceanside, California. While there, they took me on a visit to the headquarters of the Rosicrucian Fellowship. This esoteric group runs (or, at least, ran at the time) a lovely vegetarian cafeteria, staffed mostly by elderly ladies who were as friendly as they were hard of hearing. I have two cookbooks from this community. The older one, the New Age Vegetarian Cookbook, dates from 1968. Here is a veganized version of their oatmeal muffin recipe.

2 c unbleached flour

1/2 c rolled oats

3 T brown sugar

2 t vegan shortening

1 t salt

2 1/4 t dry yeast

1 c nondairy milk

Scald the milk. Pour over oats, sugar, shortening, and salt. Stir together and cool to lukwarm. Add yeast and flour. If it is too dry, add more liquid. You want this to be a little more moist than typical bread dough. Spoon into greased muffin cups. They should be half full. Cover and let rise until the cups are full. My kitchen was cold on the day I made these, and it took about 45 minutes for them to rise. Bake approximately 20 minutes at 440 F.