Truffle dishes suitable for vegetarians/vegans

[Jenise]

So this weekend I'm having the Dorks over for Italian wines, and I'm cooking them dinner. On the menu: roast leg of lamb after a 48 hour marination in loads of garlic, lemon and rosemary, charred broccolini, haricot vert in pesto, artichoke focaccia, and a pasta salad wherein the pasta is cooked in red wine and will be combined with walnuts, brussels sprouts (maybe) and garbanzo beans (maybe). Because it's a wine tasting, the foods need to be passable/buffetable and mostly do-ahead/holdable without overloading me day-of.

It's summer here but it will be a 65F day, possible light rain, so sweltering conditions won't require a light menu. But still.

Well I just made a phone call and now 10 ounces of Italian summer truffles are on their way. But I haven't decided what to do with them. They need to be a side dish, not a main course, and oh, two of my guests are vegans (who stick to the commitment in general which is health-based and a little political too, but they've been known to make an exception for lamb). I don't know if they'll take any on Saturday, or if they'll even eat conventional pasta. But certainly, conventional animal-based dairy is OUT.

Now that the truffles are on their way I'm having trouble imagining how to use them. A warmish potato dish wouldn't be a bad idea, and I could just do another pasta with EVOO and truffles, but I kinda hate to not do the red spaghetti salad--it's so unique, and so appropriate for a wine tasting dinner.

Any thoughts?

Some ideas:
- vegetable wellington... really just al dente vegetables wrapped in pastry (even phyllo); use the truffles atop the duxelles
- make or obtain cashew cream... and then you're open to all those dairy-dependent dishes, Alfredo, twice-baked potatoes, etc.
- celeriac soup... not too hard to make, elegant in small portions, sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts for extra jazz
- baked stuffed tomatoes... rice and mushrooms, or a white bean ragout
- roasted sweet potatoes... there must be some way to highlight the creamy interior with truffle
- pinwheels!... roll up duxelles (or other minced vegetable) in puff pastry and cut across

[Jenise]

Some good ideas there, thank you! I love celeriac with truffles but for a room temperature meal a hot soup would seem out of place. Would it work as a cold soup? Not quite buffetable (because potentially 12 people will be stuffed into a table for 8 if I have to move the event indoors. This kills me--I bought a 10 foot long outdoor table this year just for this kind of summer gathering, and now the weather isn't cooperating). But I like the idea. Flavorwise I also love the idea of pinwheels but at the same time I'd hate to bury the truffles--I ordered them thinking they'd be very visible (and impressive).

I hear you re cashew cream, I'm aware of its uses but haven't tried using it myself in place of cream in a dish where it's not heavily combined with other ingredients. Stand alone or almost, would it really pass? It's not too sweet? You give me an idea, though--making a creamy caesar-like dressing out of silken tofu (though it's hard to get around here or at least it was the two times I've tried to find it), a Ming Tsai idea, to drizzle over the charred broccolini. But that wouldn't be for the truffles.

I wish white asparagus were in season. It's a wonderful companion for truffles.

The white bean idea has a lot of merit, since it's a protein and also carries truffle flavors well. Could do it as a salad item--with vinaigrette and sun dried tomatoes, maybe. I'm liking that! Last night I experimented with yukon golds--boiled, smashed then oven roasted (they brown better than any other potato ever) and topped with chopped sun-dried tomatoes and a shaved truffle (happen to have one leftover from two weeks ago), and we loved the flavors. I just found the potato a bit heavy. The stuffed tomato idea would be similar flavors in a different package--tomatoes are so summery and I've not used them anywhere else. (And maybe I should, regardless.) But would they show off the truffles? A small tomato might not, but a larger tomato would be too large a serving. I do like the white beans, though.

[Jenise]

Oh, now here's an idea--I just now googled 'black truffle salad' for the heckofit--and it includes greenery. I like the idea of using lettuce leaves as cups. Would be a beautiful presentation.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/467 ... ffle-salad

I love celeriac with truffles but for a room temperature meal a hot soup would seem out of place. Would it work as a cold soup?

I think so. Vichyssoise does it. Just make sure it's not too chunky or thick.

Flavorwise I also love the idea of pinwheels but at the same time I'd hate to bury the truffles--I ordered them thinking they'd be very visible (and impressive).

Make the pinwheels and shave the truffles across the top?

I hear you re cashew cream, I'm aware of its uses but haven't tried using it myself in place of cream in a dish where it's not heavily combined with other ingredients. Stand alone or almost, would it really pass? It's not too sweet?

I have not tried it, but my reading suggests that it is one of the best substitutes: like cream, it is high in protein and high in fat, unroasted cashews don't have a lot of flavor so neither do soaked-ground ones.

The stuffed tomato idea would be similar flavors in a different package--tomatoes are so summery and I've not used them anywhere else. (And maybe I should, regardless.) But would they show off the truffles? A small tomato might not, but a larger tomato would be too large a serving. I do like the white beans, though.

Let me unclump these questions:
- size of portion... if you have, say, a beefsteak tomato and cut it in half horizontally, you will get two wide but shallow cups, is that really too much?
- showing off... my perception is that the tomato, while lovely, is really just a vehicle for delivering a scoop of tasty rice or grain or a half a ladle of ragout, so it's the filling's job to sport the truffle well
- the vegan ghetto... I have little sympathy for the cause but, as guests, it might be nice if they didn't eat from a totally segregated menu; meaning, if the dish is nice enough, everybody will want some

Count yourself lucky that I didn't recommend the Butternut Squash Vegducken!

[Jenise]

Vegducken! That made me laugh out loud.

I checked with the vegan guests re their flexibility--wondered if they'd eat conventionally made pasta for instance. I remember they eat salmon once a week, and spoke of giving in to lamb while in Burgundy. But apparently they've progressed, where Bart once said his wife was the staunch vegan and he was "just along for the ride", as of his June birthday he recommitted to total veganism for improved longevity, so no more exceptions! (And good for him. Where meat or dairy features in fewer than 30% of our meals and I love my vegetables, I don't have the strength to disavow the rest.)

Imagine a zucchini stuffed into an eggplant stuffed into a butternut squash. Its reputation on the 'net is that it's very impressive to look at but very bland to eat.

Regarding cashew cream, it, and other ground nut preparations, are very common thickening agents in North Indian kormas.

I ate at Lameloise in Chagny once when black truffles were in season and they had a handful of dishes on the menu featuring truffles. I had ravioli stuffed with paper-thin sliced truffles. I don't know if the filling was vegan. If not, it certainly could be made so.

-Paul W.

[Robin Garr]

Imagine a zucchini stuffed into an eggplant stuffed into a butternut squash. Its reputation on the 'net is that it's very impressive to look at but very bland to eat.

A vegetarian turducken! ZuccEggButt?

I imagine defeating blandness – as with just about all plant-based entrees – would be all about building in umami, spice, and the creative use of the Maillard Reaction.

[Jenise]

I realized yesterday that I have Patricia Wells' book on Truffles so leafed through it. At least 50% of the recipes involved cheese of some kind. Very little was vegan, just a few salads. No help there.

Imagine a zucchini stuffed into an eggplant stuffed into a butternut squash. Its reputation on the 'net is that it's very impressive to look at but very bland to eat.

A vegetarian turducken! ZuccEggButt?

I imagine defeating blandness – as with just about all plant-based entrees – would be all about building in umami, spice, and the creative use of the Maillard Reaction.

I think you could show them a trick or two, Robin. The recipe makes a mash of the scraped-out innards with toasted pecans and uses that between layers. But, otherwise, it's just par-cooked with no attempt to build flavor.

[Jenise]

Jeff, I was thinking of adding a cold soup if my guest list shrunk and seating complications eased. They didn't. Overnight I acquired two more guests, a wife and a 26 year old son, can't exactly say no. So now it's 14 peeps and no way can I serve at table--the soup has to go. But I did love the idea.

I am doing the vegan potato/truffle salad recipe from the NYT, and your suggestion on the beans reminded me that I really need a non-meat protein. I was planning cannellini beans but the chick pea 'rice' I bought and mentioned in another thread struck me as a cool thing to include so I'm doing garbanzo beans, a light/fresh/raw approach to the classic Italian garbanzos stewed with tomatoes perfect for the height of tomato season.

I also made a homemade gardineria, and bought La Tur cheese to feature with the truffles, too.

Since the pasta salad is a vegan loss because the pasta has egg in it, I'm adding grilled proscuitto crisps and brussels sprouts to the salad for color and flavor. The latter two will combine the brussels sprouts/garlic/red wine/proscuitto/bread crumbs thing I often do as a starter course with the walnut/pasta-cooked-in-red-wine new idea into one cohesive dish.

I'm also including a platter of fresh figs.

Oh shit I forgot the charred broccolini. Bought the broccolini but couldn't then find the silken tofu (AGAIN) so my original vegan-caesar dressing idea can't happen. Tahini?

Ten dishes in all.

Good luck with it all! I'd be a wreck to produce 10 dishes at once.

Re fig... I served myself some fresh figs over the past two days, too!: halved, with a squeeze of blood orange, a grating of black pepper, and spatters of raspberry skyr.

[Jenise]

I love fresh figs. Yesterday a friend served them topped with a schmear of goat cheese and then drizzled with sherry vinegar. Great combination.

The dinner went well. There were only about 18 bites of anything left over. People went back for 2nds and 3rds. Perfect, if cutting it a bit close. The vegans were very happy. The charred broccolini went over big; I may have to make that just for us this week.

This thread has just become totally en pointe for me. I called in to a local truffle farm to pick up some black winter truffles (lots of crossover with whites re recipes and combos) and my vego S-I-L is coming on Sunday for a few days.
I love the idea of the Vichycoisse, served hot and shave over the truffle… hot because it’s cold here and black truffle needs warmth to bring out its best.
The young couple at the farm really like potato pizza with truffle. And gnocchi.

[Jenise]

Barb, the supplier I get my Italian summer truffles from has been carrying the Aussie truffles for the last few weeks. They're super-black and strong vs. the very mild truffles I used--and three times as costly. Great quality. But yes, vichysoisse would be great, as is a similar soup made from half and half potato and celery root. I'd have gone with the latter if I could have reasonably served a soup at this meal.

Potato and truffle pizza? Yowzir, that sounds great.

Jenise, glad you mentioned the potato/celeriac soup, I looked at celeriac in the shop yesterday and wondered. Might pick up a bulb tomorrow and give it a try.
It has beeen a good season for truffles flavour with a few frosts, although the rain has apparently reduced yield.
Funny thing, at the farm, picked up my purchase and went to sstick my nose in the bag……oops, wearing amask, had to wait til I got out to the car lol.

Funny thing, at the farm, picked up my purchase and went to sstick my nose in the bag……oops, wearing amask, had to wait til I got out to the car lol.

Yes, the masks have changed the whole process of smelling food when buying.

But, you know things are very fragrant when the smell comes through despite wearing the mask!

Yes, the masks have changed the whole process of smelling food when buying.

That, and, at checkout, when I want to count out the bills in my wallet, I reach my hand up to lick my fingers... and poke the mask into my mouth.

Yes, the masks have changed the whole process of smelling food when buying.

That, and, at checkout, when I want to count out the bills in my wallet, I reach my hand up to lick my fingers... and poke the mask into my mouth.

Ha! I used to often lick my fingers to open the plastic bags in the produce section. That has been off limits, which led to some long sessions trying to pry open those stubborn bags!

Ha! I used to often lick my fingers to open the plastic bags in the produce section. That has been off limits, which led to some long sessions trying to pry open those stubborn bags![/quote]


My supermarket actually posted a video clip on fb with a staff member demonstrating how to easily open the produce bags! It works!

My supermarket actually posted a video clip on fb with a staff member demonstrating how to easily open the produce bags! It works!

There's a steam-table place near my office that I frequent. They ask you to wear (disposable) gloves while handling the serving implements. I stand there with the open end of the glove between my fingers and rub and rub and twist and pinch and rub some more till it finally opens. If my fingers were moist it would take 1/10th of a second.

[Jenise]

My supermarket actually posted a video clip on fb with a staff member demonstrating how to easily open the produce bags! It works!

Pro tip: In the produce deparmtent you're never far from a wet cabbage or other item. Moisten your fingers there.

So the truffles. I made a potato pizza and shaved truffle over it straight out of th oven, yum.
The vego is now here and the first evening I made leek and potato soup, blended, finished withe some cream and shaved plenty of truffle on it. It was delicious, a really good combination. Home made spelt loaf along side.